Momentum builds in Senate for bill to seize and repurpose frozen assets
With the Canadian government placing sanctions on a multitude of Russian officials and oligarchs, there is renewed momentum in the Senate to pass a bill that would allow the government to seize and repurpose frozen assets. Independent Ontario Senator Ratna Omidvar’s Bill S-217—an act respecting the repurposing of certain seized, frozen, or sequestrated assets—was reintroduced […]
Unionizing the military might address some culture issues but it comes at a potential cost: experts
As the Canadian Armed Forces grapples with ways to improve its culture, some experts say unionization could be a potential benefit, particularly in solving long-standing issues with grievance processes, but others say it could create more problems. Asked if Canada’s military should be unionized, Michel Drapeau, an adjunct law professor at the University of Ottawa […]
Mixed reviews for Liberal solution to protect Quebec seats
The Trudeau government recently tabled its solution to stop Quebec from losing a seat in this year’s riding redistribution process, but the proposal, which would set a new minimum seat count for provinces, is getting mixed reviews from opposition MPs. “This is a good step in the right direction,” said NDP MP Daniel Blaikie […]
Handguns occupy ‘tremendous amount of time’ in Public Safety Committee’s firearms study, says NDP MP MacGregor
The discussion around handguns occupied a “tremendous amount of time” from witnesses while the House Public Safety and National Security Committee studied gun control, illegal arms trafficking, and the increase in gun crimes committed by members of street gangs, says an NDP committee member as the group finalizes a report on the study. “One of […]
If Kenney loses his leadership review, he will be the second casualty of populist uprising after O’Toole, say politicos
If Alberta Premier Jason Kenney loses his May 18 leadership review, he will be the second casualty of the populist uprising after Erin O’Toole, who was ousted as Conservative party leader in early February, say politicos. “He’d [Jason Kenney] have to get in line after Erin O’Toole,” said Nik Nanos, founder of Nanos Research. “Erin […]
Members of first-ever Emergencies Act review committee get down to work, split on Trudeau’s invocation of order as work on witness list begins
It’s still early days for the special parliamentary committee tasked with examining the federal government’s first-ever invocation of the Emergencies Act following the turbulent events of February, when protesters shut down the capital city’s core for nearly a month and shut down border crossings in Windsor, Ont., and Coutts, Alta. In response to the events […]
‘Racism plays a role in immigration decisions,’ House Immigration Committee hears
“Kids in India are not back-packers as they are in Canada” reads a note appended to a slide in a presentation used to train Canadian immigration officials in mid-2019. In a recent access to information request, Immigration lawyer Steven Meurrens said he received a copy of the presentation which was used in a training session […]
‘No difference left between the Liberals and the NDP’ after confidence and supply agreement, say some Liberal MPs
The Liberal-NDP confidence and supply agreement has not gone over well with some Liberal MPs who say they were not consulted and worried their party is leaving the centre of the ideological spectrum “wide open” at a time when the next election could be a “change election.” “Already the Liberal Party has been too far […]
Time is right for health-care advocates looking to make an impact on budget 2022, say lobbyists
The supply and confidence agreement struck last week between the Liberals and the NDP has opened the door for advocacy related to health care and long-term projects in advance of the 2022 federal budget, according to some government relations consultants. “I would say for the medical sector, this is going to be your budget. If […]
Boissonnault, Freeland among top lobbying targets in February as budget looms
In the weeks before Canada announced it would end pre-arrival COVID-19 testing for vaccinated travellers, tourism industry groups were clamouring to meet with Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, but one of the most active groups says the budget will be the best test of whether the struggling industry will get the support it needs. Airlines and […]
