Senate committee talks heat up, Dalphond and Sinclair ready motion on reforms
Independent Senators Pierre Dalphond and Murray Sinclair are planning to take the next step in their bid to reform the Senate rules around private members’ bills, by tabling a motion in the next few weeks that will require a formal vote on their proposed changes, says Sen. Dalphond. The two ISG Senators first proposed five […]
Conservative riding presidents, candidates, MPs rebelling against party’s decision to claw back half of election rebates
The Conservative Party is facing serious pushback from riding associations, candidates, and caucus members over the Conservative Fund’s decision to claw back 50 per cent of the election rebates from Elections Canada that candidates receive for their expenses after an election, and the three main leadership candidates are vowing to cancel the “rebate sharing program” […]
Vet MPs say future of Afghanistan up to Afghan people, as fragile U.S.-Taliban peace deal in balance
As a fragile peace deal hangs in the balance between the U.S. and the Taliban, Canadian federal MPs who are veterans of the mission in Afghanistan say the impact of Canada’s contribution may not yet be measurable, but also say progress was made. “Before Canada and a lot of the [other] countries started rolling in, […]
Opposition MPs question purpose of Canadian consulate in Chandigarh, India, that sends work to New Delhi
Opposition MPs on the House Immigration Committee are accusing the government of “deception” and “lack of transparency” after learning by “happenstance” two weeks ago that visa applications filed in the Canadian Consulate in Chandigarh, India, are processed in New Delhi, raising questions about the need for the consulate office when that work is done in […]
Feds discouraging Canadians from taking cruise vacations over coronavirus fears
Canada’s chief public health officer says Canadians should “think twice” about going on a cruise amid the coronavirus outbreak. “I am asking Canadians to think twice before going on cruise ships, especially those in the older age groups and those with underlying medical conditions,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, the federal chief public health officer. “Cruise […]
Minister of everything, Freeland, risks burnout in adding oversight of feds’ coronavirus response to growing portfolio, say politicos
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to name his deputy, Chrystia Freeland, to head the feds’ new cabinet committee on the coronavirus may not necessarily leave her vulnerable to overexposure, but it could lead to burnout for the Liberal Party’s ascendant star, according to some politicos. Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) on March 4 announced he had appointed […]
‘Political chaos can be wrestled into submission’: veteran Liberal backroomer Pat Sorbara reflects on a life’s work in politics
Pat Sorbara is perhaps best known for her work behind the scenes with the Ontario Liberal Party, from working in the transition office following the election of former premier David Peterson in 1985, all the way up to heading the fourth straight election of the party under former premier Kathleen Wynne in 2014. But she […]
Expect Trudeau to take some heat over feds’ climate-change targets at meeting with premiers, says Tory strategist
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be faced with “some pretty loud pressure” from premiers about his government’s plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 when he hosts the First Ministers’ Meeting in Ottawa next week, says one Conservative strategist. Speaking to The Hill Times on Thursday, longtime Conservative strategist and Earnscliffe lobbyist Geoff Norquay said […]
No ‘drawbacks’ for Bloc Québécois, NDP in joining forces on shared concerns, say politicos
The NDP and the Bloc Québécois’ recent moves to team up to apply pressure on the government to respond to issues preoccupying their constituents isn’t unusual, even if it weren’t a minority Parliament situation, according to some politicos. In recent weeks, the NDP and the Bloc Québécois have held joint press conferences, including coming together […]
Discrepancy between Elections Canada, StatsCan reports likely due to social desirability bias
Despite an 11-percentage-point discrepancy between self-reported and actual voter turnout, a recent Statistics Canada survey still provides valuable information on the electorate and voting trends, experts say. The StatsCan survey, which relies on self-reporting, collected data by adding five election-related questions to the 2019 Labour Force Survey, which is distributed to approximately 56,000 households. The […]
