Defence lawyers ‘cringe’ at ‘unconstitutional’ new sex-assault case rules in justice bill
Some defence lawyers are looking to the Senate to fix a government justice bill they say would make unconstitutional changes to the way courts deal with sexual assault cases. The wide-ranging Bill C-51 cleared the House of Commons on Dec. 11 and will be in front of the Upper Chamber during the upcoming sitting, which […]
Politics This Morning: Scheer kicks off Conservative caucus meeting in Victoria; Trudeau sits down with Argentina president, Microsoft CEO in Davos; Qualtrough outlines vision for Canada Post
Good Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is meeting with world leaders and global business titans during his third day at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Mr. Trudeau starts his day in Davos by attending a round table on Canada-U.S. economic relations. He’s then scheduled to meet with DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed […]
New Indigenous Services Ministry takes over responsibility for infrastructure, healthcare, and education in Indigenous communities
The newly created Indigenous Services Ministry has been handed the responsibility for improving physical and social infrastructure in First Nation communities across the country, including an expanded number of water systems, and health and education services. The announcement was made Tuesday as part of a briefing on the priorities and mandate of the department, which was […]
Canada reaches agreement on revised TPP deal without the U.S.
Canada and the remaining signatories of the Trans Pacific Partnership have reached an agreement on a new trade pact that will not include the United States, providing the Trudeau government with a high-profile victory in its bid to open new markets in the prosperous Pacific Rim region. The 11 countries agreed in principle to the […]
Federal fiscal policies ‘sustainable’ over long term, says new PBO report
Parliament’s fiscal watchdog is giving a major vote of confidence in the Trudeau government’s spending and taxation plans. In a new report released Tuesday, the Parliamentary Budget Officer Jean-Denis Fréchette concluded that current federal fiscal policies are “sustainable” over the long term, pointing to new projections showing the deficit plummeting from 30 per cent of […]
Politics This Morning: NDP caucus meets in Saguenay for winter strategy session; sixth round of NAFTA renegotiations start in Montreal; Trudeau meets with global business leaders in Davos; Champagne starts swing through Southern Ontario
Good Tuesday morning, It’s a busy day in the world of Canadian politics, with the federal NDP opening its winter strategy session in Saguenay, Que., and the sixth round of NAFTA renegotiations starting in Montreal. Beginning with NAFTA, the sixth round of renegotiations of the continental trade deal is tentatively scheduled to run from today […]
‘No money’ to bring in missing-in-action military justice reforms, four years after being made law
The office of Canada’s defence minister says bringing languishing reforms to the military justice system into effect would require a “substantial commitment of time and resources,” and says the federal cabinet is working on the file, which was part of legislation passed more than four years ago. The office of Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan (Vancouver […]
A look ahead at cannabis legalization in 2018
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set off the countdown clock when he announced last month that cannabis would be legal in Canada by the summer of 2018, however there are still plenty of issues to sort out before Canadians can legally light up, and some that will linger even after that. Legislation introduced by the Liberal government […]
Lobbyists get ‘too much time’ in Senate committees, says ISG deputy ahead of back-to-Parliament meeting
Lobbyists have been given “too much time and too much importance” when it comes to gathering input for the Senate’s study of legislation at committee, says the second-highest ranking member of the Independent Senators Group, who is planning to raise the issue during a day-long ISG meeting on the Hill on Feb. 5. “We should […]
New ethics czar Dion says he ‘has no IOUs,’ not looking for another promotion, this is it
Canada’s new ethics commissioner, who has been criticized by government whistleblowers as a life-long bureaucrat who protects his bosses, says he is best-placed to do the job because he’s not interested in pleasing higher-ups and has no IOUs. Mario Dion, who decided to do media interviews about his new job over the last two weeks, […]
