Federal spending reaches $304.6-billion, up 12 per cent since pre-reform main estimates
Federal spending is up 11.8 per cent in this year’s main estimates compared to the last similar financial cycle three years ago, a trend that’s in line with the Liberal approach to deficit spending laid out in the party’s first election win in 2015. The $304.6-billion requested as part of the 2020-21 plan marks a […]
MPs considering joint House-Senate group to oversee Centre Block renovations
Members of Parliament are considering creating a joint group with Senators to oversee plans for Centre Block’s renovation, but not all MPs are convinced. The House of Commons’ Board of Internal Economy (BOIE) is holding a special meeting on March 12 to finalize plans for a new governance body to supervise the massive project to […]
Tory questions turning House Canada-China group into ‘committee for un-Canadian activities,’ says witness
As the Special House Committee on Canada-China Relations tries to find an answer for Canada’s “most important” foreign policy question, some committee witnesses have criticized the nature of questioning they have received from some MPs. At the heart of the criticism is Conservative questioning of Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton as well as of […]
Senator says latest report on Canada’s ‘toxic’ prison system shows judicial oversight needed
Two successive watchdog reports have slammed a toxic workplace and “culture of impunity” in Canada’s prisons, prompting MPs to question how the agency is using its $2.5-billion annual budget and one Senator to reiterate her call for judicial oversight in place of the current “toothless” approach. Correctional Investigator Ivan Zinger recently told Parliamentarians the organizational […]
‘Pent-up interest’ leads to post-election lobbying push 54 per cent higher than first Liberal win
Lobbying activity in the first three months after the 2019 election rose 54 per cent compared to the months following the Liberals’ 2015 majority win, a notable uptick in interest some in the industry say is tied to the uncertainty of a minority Parliament and the government’s slow start. Lobbyists logged 3,014 communications with Parliamentarians […]
Former prime minister Chrétien says Trudeau has ‘absolutely no authority’ to quash blockades through police force
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien says the prime minister can’t order the police to intervene to bring an end to blockades. “When there is a blockade, the prime minister has absolutely no authority,” he told reporters in Ottawa on March 3 following an event hosted by the Canada School of the Public Service. “The attorney […]
No need to cancel social gatherings over coronavirus yet, says city official
OTTAWA —With no cases of the coronavirus in Ottawa, the city’s chief medical officer says there’s no need yet for people to consider cancelling social events. Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s chief medical health officer, said on Monday the city has tested 50 cases, all of which have come back negative. “There is no reason to […]
Terms for assisted dying review murky, as Liberals, Tories look ahead to summertime study
The government and opposition Conservatives are touting a summertime parliamentary review as the best time to deal with outstanding questions about Canada’s assisted dying law, but the terms of who is actually responsible for that review—or how the government will respond to it—remain unclear. The assisted dying law passed by the Liberals in 2016 requires […]
‘Completely disrespectful’: late release of NAFTA economic study a sign of disregard for parliamentary process, say some opposition MPs
The last-minute distribution of a long-awaited economic impact assessment had opposition MPs on the House International Trade Committee criticizing the way the federal government has moved the new NAFTA implementation bill through the parliamentary process. Just minutes before a Feb. 26 committee meeting, MPs were given Global Affairs’ economic impact study of the Canada-United States-Mexico […]
Conservatives considering 2019 Liberal model to protect incumbent MPs from nomination challenges in next election
The Conservative Party’s national council is considering using the Liberal Party’s 2019 nomination model as an option to protect incumbent MPs from nomination challenges for the next election, but the party also wants a mechanism in place if it doesn’t want an MP to be a candidate, Conservative sources told The Hill Times. “What they’re […]
