Federal Conservatives should look to Ford’s Ontario campaign for a more pragmatic, open-minded approach, say strategists
Ontario voters responded to Doug Ford’s more collaborative, open-minded approach to politics by sending the Progressive Conservatives to a second straight majority, say both a Liberal and Conservative strategist, but it’s not clear if any of the leading contenders for the federal Conservative leadership are interested in following that model. Shakir Chambers, who worked under former […]
Five House harassment complaints filed against MPs in 2021-22
The number of harassment complaints filed with the House of Commons quadrupled between 2020-21 and 2021-22, from two to eight—a jump reps with the House’s human resources directorate say has much to do with increased awareness and fewer people working from home as a result of COVID-19. Five of the eight complaints involved an MP […]
Controversy over feds’ plan to use prison labour for goat milk production for export not going away
Questions are being raised again over the government’s controversial prison farm program at two facilities in Kingston, Ont., with apparent plans to use cheap prison-labour to produce goat milk to be exported to China for baby formula. Conservative MP Scott Reid (Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston, Ont.) raised the issue during Question Period on March 22, when he asked […]
‘The rift is getting bigger and bigger’: some Conservatives worried about party unity once ‘pretty nasty’ leadership campaign ends
The ongoing, divisive Conservative leadership campaign is causing serious concerns about party unity for some current and former senior Conservatives who say one of the key tests of the new leader will be to keep the party united. “The rift is getting bigger and bigger,” said Bert Chen, a former Ontario national councillor, in an […]
Online streaming bill risks pushing out Indigenous voices, says APTN
Indigenous peoples in Canada are at risk of losing their voice on the airwaves if proposed legislation to update the Broadcasting Act forces the smaller, independent broadcasters to do their own negotiating as services increasingly move online, says the CEO of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). “Right now we see online distributors are growing […]
Departure of privacy commissioner will not impact tabling of new privacy legislation, says Champagne
Lobbyists are pushing for the federal government to move quickly on a new bill to modernize privacy laws, but the departure of Canada’s privacy commissioner has raised questions about a possible delay until a successor is appointed. “We would be interested to understand the timeframe and to have some pressure on it, really. The government […]
NDP defence critic, military experts support Arbour’s call for permanent civilian oversight of sexual misconduct cases in military
Military experts are welcoming former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour’s call to permanently transfer sexual misconduct cases in the Canadian Armed Forces into the civilian justice system, with NDP MP and her party’s national defence critic Lindsay Mathyssen saying that when the government previously moved those investigations under the purview of the CAF, “people knew […]
Indigenous advocates won’t turn down visit by UN special rapporteur, but are focused on need for criminal prosecution for residential school abuses
Indigenous leaders want justice for the abuses that took place in residential schools, and say they won’t get it from yet another visit from the UN special rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous people to Canada. Nonetheless, at the urging of the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations RoseAnne Archibald, UN special rapporteur […]
Former Ontario finance minister Sousa not ruling out run for federal Liberal nomination in coveted Mississauga-Lakeshore riding
Former Ontario finance minister Charles Sousa is considering running in the coveted federal riding of Mississauga-Lakeshore and says a number of prominent federal Liberals, including MPs and cabinet ministers, are encouraging him to seek the nomination, but he still hasn’t made a final decision. “I have to give it some thought, I’ve been receiving some […]
Feds should let community groups deliver cash benefits to hard-to-reach populations: coalition
After a federal audit found the government struggled to get supports to hard-to-reach populations, a coalition of 120 groups working to end poverty says the government should start pilot programs modelled after those used by other countries to reach people who may never fill out a personal income tax return. Leila Sarangi, the national director […]
