‘He has a lot of work to do’: elusive collective agreement, Phoenix damages loom large for new Treasury Board president
As Canada’s largest federal public sector union remains without a new collective agreement, PSAC national president Chris Aylward says newly appointed Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos “has a lot of work to do” with 140,000 public sector workers still without a contract. But Canada’s former top bureaucrat suggests Mr. Duclos may be a “bit of […]
Vote on special China committee a good indication of what’s to come in this minority Parliament, say politicos
All cabinet ministers will have to lobby MPs directly in this minority Parliamet to get their bills through House committees, or they’ll have to be ready for surprises like the one they received last week when opposition parties got together to set up a special committee on Canada-China relations, say MPs. “They [cabinet ministers] should […]
Ottawa projects deeper deficit, modest economic growth
PARLIAMENT HILL—Finance Minister Bill Morneau on Monday offered an upbeat forecast, touting strong economic growth relative to Canada’s global peers, even as the government projects deeper deficits amounting to $26.6-billion. The revised economic forecast has Canada’s deficit pegged to hit $26.6-billion, up sharply from the $19-billion initially projected in the last budget. It included $1.5-billion […]
‘It is just too important’: Conservatives will vote for new NAFTA implementation despite vocal criticism of Liberals’ renegotiations, say trade analysts
Despite their bemoaning of the new North American trade pact, in the end Conservatives will support the deal because it’s too important, say international trade analysts. Before the renegotiated trade pact was amended, the Conservatives stated that they could have negotiated a better deal, but they would support it. But since the amended United States-Mexico-Canada […]
From representing a town of 5,000 to a riding the size of Poland: NDP MP Bachrach settles into job
NDP MP Taylor Bachrach, who represents a riding roughly the size of Poland, expects to rack up a lot of mileage. The job of representing Skeena-Bulkley Valley, a far-flung northern B.C. riding, involves hitting the road regularly to connect with as many of its more than 89,000 residents, including the Haida First Nation. It’s one […]
After relentless pressure, Scheer says he’ll resign as Conservative party leader amid private school controversy, caucus supports him as interim leader
After facing relentless calls to step down since the party failed to win the election, Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer on Thursday announced he is resigning. Mr. Scheer (Regina-Qu’Appelle, Sask.) delivered a statement about his resignation on the House floor, surrounded by his caucus members. He intends to stay on as leader until the party […]
Parties agree to NDP’s push for representation on steering committees
The Liberals and opposition parties have agreed to give the NDP representation on all steering committees, an ask that the Conservatives’ whip says had delayed the process of setting up committees. The House on Wednesday voted by “unanimous consent” to strike the Procedure and House Affairs Committee, also known as PROC, the body responsible for […]
Veterans’ benefits lead in supplementary spending ask of nearly $5-billion
The federal government’s budgetary spending is up 7.3 per cent so far this fiscal year over last, as laid out in the recently released first supplementary estimates of 2019-20. The supplementary estimates (A) for this fiscal year were tabled by new Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos (Quebec, Que.) on Dec. 5. These estimates, the first […]
Feds risk coveting support of autocratic nations in UN Security Council bid, says Conservative MP
As the Canadian government pushes for a coveted spot on the United Nations Security Council, Conservatives are questioning if principles will be pushed to the side in order to snag the vote of countries with questionable human rights records. At question is Canada’s support for a November UN General Assembly resolution that called disputed areas […]
Premiers’ nuclear announcement a potential boon, but issues remain: experts
Canadian nuclear energy experts say the recent announcement by three provincial premiers of plans to develop small and modular nuclear reactor technology, which could provide large amounts of greenhouse gas-free electricity, but one environmental expert says serious issues with the technology remain. On Dec. 1, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, and New […]
