It’s show time: fall sitting critical for Trudeau to start delivering results, say political players
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet will have to try to achieve all their top agenda items between now and the next federal budget, after which the unofficial pre-electoral activities will start and everything the government does will be seen through the prism of political opportunism, say Liberal insiders. “Starting next February, they’re going […]
Chief of staff shuffle follows cabinet changes
Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains has scooped up a new chief of staff, Gianluca Cairo, from the Public Services minister’s office. Before joining Mr. Bains’ office at the beginning of last week, Mr. Cairo had been chief of staff to the Public Services and Procurement minister since late 2015, largely under then […]
Two new opposition leaders armed with multiple issues prepare for fall face-off with the PM
From the ongoing renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to the continuing debate over the proposed legislation to legalize and regulate marijuana, politicians of all stripes will be busy during the fall session of Parliament. It will also be the midway mark for the Liberal government until the next federal election, and […]
International trade, environment, top lobbying topics over summer
International trade and the environment were the most popular topics for lobbyists communicating with ministers, MPs, Senators, and other federal public office holders this past summer, initial reporting figures show, suggesting ongoing renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement loomed heavily on the minds of those attempting to influence public policy in Ottawa. There […]
Election 2019 campaign unofficially underway, expect ‘sharpened eyes’ on Liberals this fall, say opposition MPs
The mid-point of the Liberal government’s four-year mandate arrives this fall, and the 2019 election campaign is already unofficially underway. With their new leaders, the Conservatives and the NDP are promising a heightened level of government scrutiny in the fall sitting of Parliament starting this week. “The day of spin and celebrity shots, selfies of […]
Trudeau vs. Singh? NDP frontrunner’s ‘dynamism’ makes him party’s best hope in 2019, say supporters
By the numbers, Jagmeet Singh is the front-runner in the current federal NDP leadership race. The 38-year-old Ontario MPP, who recently served as deputy leader of the provincial New Democrats, has reportedly signed up more new members (47,000), received more endorsements from former and current NDP federal and provincial politicians (27), and raised more money […]
What the lobbyists are saying: taxes, trade among top lobbying issues as Parliament resumes
The break’s over and lobbyists have a number of pressing issues—taxes and trade, to name a few—they would like to take up with federal politicians who are back in Ottawa for the fall sitting. Parliament’s rise for the summer in June didn’t put a stop to new issues emerging in federal politics. For example, renegotiations […]
House gets back to business: a legislation primer
The House is back to work, and the government’s legislation on pot legalization will be front and centre while the caucuses also jab and parry over everything from an oil tanker ban to public service sick leave. Question Period will likely be consumed for a while by the government’s proposed tax changes—yet to be drafted […]
NDP caucus heads into busy fall sitting with high spirits, despite public opinion polls
Despite public opinion polls, spirits are high among the federal NDP caucus heading into the fall sitting, with “excitement” over tripled membership numbers and a soon-to-be elected new leader, and NDP House Leader Murray Rankin says he’s expecting it to be a busy one. “We’ve got exciting stuff going on in many provinces, you’ve got […]
Politics This Morning: House resumes for busy fall session, British PM in Ottawa today
Good Monday morning, Welcome back Parliamentarians. After taking leave of the capital for the summer, MPs return to Ottawa today for the start of the 2017 fall session of the 42nd Parliament. And like any first day of school, many in attendance have pot on the mind. Yes, proceeding with government legislation legalizing and regulating […]
