New lobbying watchdog could help bridge gap between her office and ethics commissioner’s, lobbyists say
Some Ottawa lobbyists have long advocated for the government to merge the lobbying and ethics commissioners’ offices to avoid confusion and improve coordination. While the Liberal government’s nomination last week of a new lobbying commissioner makes that prospect unlikely, some lobbyists say the appointee’s past experience working in the ethics watchdog’s office could help bridge […]
Ex-StatsCan chiefs make last-ditch appeal to fix ‘egregious flaw’ in stats agency governance bill
A pair of former chief statisticians made a last-ditch plea to Senators last week to fix what one said was an “egregious flaw” that “fundamentally undermines” a government bill’s aim to give Statistics Canada more independence. In an appearance in front of the Senate’s Social Affairs, Science, and Technology Committee Nov. 30, Wayne Smith and […]
Status of government bills
HOUSE OF COMMONS Second reading: S-5, An Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non-smokers’ Health Act C-5, An Act to Repeal Division 20 of Part 3 of the Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1 C-12, An Act to amend the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act C-27, An Act […]
Liberal Senator tables legislation to force CRA to reveal tax gap, after ongoing ‘mystery’ of reticence
Following the recent Paradise Papers revelations of Canadians involved in offshore tax havens, a Senator is reinvigorating his push for greater transparency from the Canada Revenue Agency, after years of what he said has been hitting “roadblocks” thrown up by the agency. Liberal Senator Percy Downe (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) introduced his bill, S-243, to change the […]
Committee recommends MPs not be docked pay for parental leave
Two MPs with young children are applauding a new House committee report that recommends the House not count parental leave as absence, and formalize that infants are allowed in the House Chamber. Two MPs who are mothers of babies, NDP MP Christine Moore (Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Que.) and Bloc Québécois MP Marilène Gill (Manicouagan, Que.), agreed with the recommendations, […]
No Phoenix civil suits for public servants, but unions filing loads of grievances
If you’ve wondered why federal public servants have not filed a class-action lawsuit against the government over the problem-plagued Phoenix pay system, it’s because they can’t. Section 236 of the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act, which governs the rules between the federal government and its employees, says unionized workers are not allowed to individually […]
Deep bench bolsters NAFTA trade team facing ‘unworkable’ U.S. demands
As Canada rejects what its chief NAFTA negotiator calls “entirely unworkable” U.S. proposals, a deep bench is working around the clock to keep the tripartite agreement alive. After appearing before the House Trade Committee Monday, Steve Verheul said Canada has yet to offer a counterproposal on American demands some consider “poison pills”—among them attacking supply […]
Politics This Morning: Trudeau to meet with Jack Ma, Ford chairman; Bank of Canada to make last interest rate announcement of 2017; Philpott speaks at AFN Special Chiefs Assembly
Good Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is still in China and visiting Guangzhou today as part of his week-long trade trip to the country. On Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau will meet with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang, deliver a keynote address at the Fortune Global Forum opening ceremony and special session, and hold meetings with […]
Supreme Court nominee Sheilah Martin veers from the controversial during questioning from MPs
Supreme Court nominee Sheilah Martin voiced support for better sexual assault education for judges, acknowledged the taut balancing act of competing Charter rights, and touted existing supports for jury members during a question and answer session with Parliamentarians on Tuesday, but steered away from any queries that could touch upon future cases or controversial issues. […]
Getting rid of sexism in Indian Act to cost taxpayers $407-million annually: PBO
The latest iteration of legislation expanding Indian status eligibility to all Indigenous women and descendants who previously lost it or did not qualify would cost the federal government an additional $407-million each year, according to an assessment from the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) released Tuesday. The PBO also estimated that one-time administrative costs could total roughly […]
