Parliament security labour standoff nearing end of the road
As Parliament returns, MPs new and old may notice House of Commons security officers are still donning personal baseball caps and small white patches as part of a labour dispute that’s been ongoing since 2017—but an end is soon in sight. On Oct. 23, the Federal Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB) issued […]
Miller pledges to be ‘personally’ involved in talks to settle child welfare case
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says he plans to be “personally” involved in the discussions to reach a settlement that would compensate First Nations children affected by the on-reserve child-welfare system. Speaking to reporters following his address at the Assembly of First Nations’ Special Chiefs Assembly in Ottawa, Mr. Miller (Ville-Marie -Le Sud-Ouest-Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) said […]
PMO finalizes the chiefs of staff of 22 cabinet ministers; senior PMO staffer Bouchard moves to Heritage
With the House of Commons set to return later this week for its first sitting following the election, the Prime Minister’s Office has finalized the top staffers in 22 ministerial offices, and has set up a website to solicit resumés for hiring in the offices of MPs, ministers, and the Prime Minister’s Office, according to […]
‘No two similar minority’ Parliaments, says Government House Leader Rodriguez
New Government House Leader Pablo Rodriguez says he won’t be keeping score on how often the Trudeau minority government will have to rely on the Bloc Québécois or the NDP to push legislation through the House. “Whoever is ready to work in good faith with us, I’ll be ready to discuss with all the other […]
‘No such thing as too many cooks’: Freeland and Champagne to balance crucial Canada-U.S. relationship
As the new NAFTA crawls towards implementation, it is natural for new Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland to keep her responsibility over the Canada-U.S. file, say former diplomats, but it is unclear how incoming Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne fits into the fold. Ms. Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.) and Mr. Champagne (Saint-Maurice-Champlain, Que.) will both have […]
Controversial Senate ‘business committee’ back on agenda when Red Chamber returns
A controversial proposal to pre-schedule legislative work in the Senate is expected to be back on the agenda when the Red Chamber returns, even after Sen. Peter Harder, its most vocal supporter, announced on Friday that he’s stepping down from his role as the government’s representative. Senators are divided over the notion that they should […]
Quadruple carbon tax to meet 2030 targets or pay more to hide costs, Ecofiscal Commission report says
Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, an independent group of economists focused on aligning government policy with Canada’s emissions reduction goals, released its final report on Nov. 27, and is calling for dramatically increasing the carbon tax by 2030 to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Paris Agreement. The report also said that, compared to regulations and […]
Policy primer: Liberals promise to address Impact Assessment law outrage without amendments
Government officials are polishing off “guidance” documents that experts say could be used by new Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson to make good on his promise to address criticisms of his government’s Impact Assessment Act without changing the law. Alberta’s energy minister, Sonya Savage, is among those who have called for changes to the Impact Assessment […]
Humbled Trudeau changes leadership style, but unclear if it’s ‘just a different role he’s playing for now,’ say politicos
After dealing with numerous high-profile controversies in his first mandate, being reduced to a minority government in last month’s election, losing 27 seats, and shedding 6.37 percentage points in the national vote, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s transformation from a celebrity politician to a “humbled” leader is the right approach, say political insiders who say it […]
Politics This Morning: Premiers convene in Toronto ahead of House’s return
Good Monday morning, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is hosting the premiers meeting ahead of Parliament’s return on Thursday. It will likely be an opportunity for Alberta and Saskatchewan to air their political grievances against Ottawa and to hash out plans for presenting a united front in pressing for their demands, including revisiting equalization. As host, Mr. […]
