China may have breached consular agreement by withholding access to detained Canadians since January
With no consular access for two detained Canadians since January in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, China may have breached a bilateral consular agreement with little power for the Canadian government to safeguard communication links with Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Global Affairs told The Hill Times in an email that Canadian officials haven’t […]
MPs to consider new mailing guidelines as some call for shuttered service’s return
When Parliament shut down, Members of Parliament lost the ability to mail their constituents en masse, which some worry is stopping key information from getting to vulnerable residents in the middle of a pandemic. Parliamentary mailing privileges grant MPs the ability to print and send up to four “householders” to every home in their riding […]
Pandemic crisis tests durability of MPs’ parliamentary privileges, say MPs, experts
As parliamentary privileges are tested amid the pandemic, with one MP crying foul over the leaking of draft legislation, experts say it has underscored the extent to which not all MPs have equal standing in the House. The temporary suspension of the House has upended the routine legislative process, leading draft bills to be scrutinized, […]
Feds to require proof of ‘credible’ quarantine plan for travellers
Travellers coming into Canada will have to show a “credible” quarantine plan, or be placed in government-run sites, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In a move described as a strengthening of the orders under the Quarantine Act, Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) said, starting midnight, travellers will be asked to demonstrate they can observe the mandatory […]
Health Canada’s COVID-19 task force ‘likely working night and day’ as bureaucrats across departments hammer out policy response
The global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic is demonstrated by a “whole-of-government” approach that has captured bureaucrats from many federal departments to form Health Canada’s COVID-19 task force. The team was “established to provide dedicated policy and strategic planning capacity to the whole-of-government response to COVID-19,” according to an April 2 statement from Health Canada […]
Analysis: Did the feds flip-flop on closing the border or wearing masks amid the COVID-19 outbreak?
The federal government says science and expert advice is behind its decision to shut the border to travellers and its changing advice on whether Canadians should wear masks amid the COVID-19 outbreak. While Canada’s top health official pointed to new science related to using face masks, one expert says there is no scientific evidence that […]
Some MPs donate their automatic salary increase to charities in effort to help fight COVID-19
MPs from all political parties, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Green Party Parliamentary Leader Elizabeth May, say they’re donating their automatic 2.1 per cent salary increase this year to various local, national, and international charities and non-profits to help the fight the negative economic effects of […]
In the time of the pandemic, Liberals holding national caucus meetings seven days a week
The federal Liberals have been holding daily national caucus meetings via teleconference, seven days a week, to discuss the devastating impact of the international COVID-19 pandemic on the economic security, health, and the livelihood of Canadians since the House adjourned on March 13. In an interview with The Hill Times, two-term Liberal MP Ken Hardie […]
Conservative leadership election process ‘disgraceful and undemocratic,’ says riding association president Perry
An Ontario federal Conservative riding association is lobbying Conservative electoral district associations across Canada to push the national council, the highest governing body of the party, to either suspend the leadership contest retroactively to March 1, 2020, or cancel it altogether and restart it after the COVID-19 pandemic is effectively dealt with. In an email […]
Politics-as-usual likely to return after COVID-19, but chance for change down the road, say politicos
Although politicians across the country are working across party lines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, pollsters and politicos are split on whether partisanship and politics will change much, if at all, as a result of the crisis. But some say the personal relationships formed between politicians during the pandemic could last and help in resolving disputes […]
