Trudeau expands cabinet, promotes several rookies and shakes up existing ministers
The swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet is underway and the Liberal front bench is being expanded to include seven rookie ministers, two of whom were elected for the first time in 2019, and more than a dozen current ministers who are taking on new portfolios. Trudeau has reshaped the lineup of […]
Senate could have larger role with minority Parliament, says senator
Canada’s Senate will have a new opportunity to evolve as it deals with a minority government in the House of Commons, says P.E.I. Sen. Percy Downe. Justin Trudeau removed senators from the Liberal caucus in 2014, saying he wanted senators to provide non-partisan input on federal policy. Since he became prime minister in 2015, senators […]
Trudeau turns to B.C. MP with Saskatchewan roots to helm tricky climate ministry
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is turning to his only cabinet minister with roots in Saskatchewan to carry this country’s climate action plan further down the field without tearing the nation apart. Jonathan Wilkinson, a 54-year-old former cleantech CEO and Rhodes Scholar, is becoming the new environment minister today. He is succeeding Catherine McKenna, whose four […]
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau carved out a new role in his government Wednesday designed to ensure voices on the Prairies are heard in Ottawa. Former cabinet minister Jim Carr, who represents a Winnipeg riding, has been named as Trudeau’s “special representative” for the Prairie provinces. The move follows the Liberals complete shutout in Alberta and […]
Read MoreThe Duke of York is stepping back from royal duties for the “foreseeable future” due to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Prince Andrew said his links with the convicted sex offender had become a “major disruption” to the Royal Family. In a statement, he said he deeply sympathised with Epstein’s victims and “everyone who has been […]
Read MoreThe Rideau Hall Foundation isn’t renewing its agreement with Prince Andrew’s flagship entrepreneur project, Pitch@Palace, following the unfavourable reaction to the broadcast interview addressing his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “The Rideau Hall Foundation’s agreement with Pitch@Palace is coming to an end, and it will not be renewed for 2020. Supporting innovation and entrepreneurship […]
Read MoreCanada’s most important new trade agreement has turned into a political football in Washington’s all-consuming impeachment clash. Republicans and Democrats have both seized upon the not-yet-ratified Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) on trade to try to win the argument over who’s properly conducting the nation’s business amid the impeachment fight. Hanging in the balance of this partisan […]
Read MoreThe Liberal government has issued a broad new directive requiring more accountability from Canada’s domestic spy agency, the Star has learned. The updated rules require the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to be more upfront with its political masters on its operations and techniques, including informing the public safety minister before undertaking “high risk” intelligence operations. […]
Read MoreRaitt’s loss sparks questions about future of women in the Conservative Party, says political expert
Lisa Raitt’s defeat on Oct. 21 raises larger questions about where women fit within the Conservative Party, says one political expert, but Conservative MPs say the groundwork that was laid in the last election, where the party fielded a record 106 female candidates, won’t be easily undone. “Clearly, Lisa is a huge loss for the […]
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Chrystia Freeland’s new job puts her in the political line of fire
In the game of dominoes that is behind the making of Justin Trudeau’s second term cabinet, Chrystia Freeland’s shift from the global scene to the domestic stage is the defining move. Her appointment as deputy prime minister solidifies her first place in the Liberal line of succession to Trudeau. But her lead position on the […]
For the most part, bloated Trudeau cabinet is window dressing and little else
Just over four years ago, Justin Trudeau strode in late fall sunshine toward Rideau Hall like a conquering Roman general, flanked by his gender-balanced cabinet. By contrast, there was nothing triumphant about the way Trudeau’s ministers trudged toward the Governor-General’s residence to be sworn in on a chilly winter’s afternoon on Wednesday, their leader nowhere […]
With his new cabinet, Justin Trudeau attempts to correct past missteps
New cabinets are closely analyzed for what governments intend to do next. They are also filled with revelations about what governments won’t do again. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, like George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” has been given a second chance to appreciate his good fortune and all the people he has around him. […]
Calling for a Better Future
Last year at this time everyone was talking about populism, the Alt-Right movement, authoritarianism and what seemed like the slide towards global anarchy. These were, and remain, significant enough to undo more enfeebled democracies around the world. While the outsized dealings of Donald Trump continue to sow confusion and alarm, other developed nations face their […]
Was Liberal government playing fair with $565M in pre-election spending?
The Liberal government committed to more than half a billion dollars in unbudgeted spending during the two months leading up to the federal election campaign, documents reveal — and the money was promised at a time when the opposition parties faced new restraints on what they were allowed to spend before the writ was dropped. […]
Who’s in Trudeau’s cabinet? It doesn’t matter, political power lies elsewhere
It is incongruous that Justin Trudeau’s inner circle has too few Westerners, while Andrew Scheer’s has too many. Perhaps they should swap staff for a few days. All eyes will be on the Liberal leader’s cabinet shuffle at Rideau Hall on Wednesday afternoon. But, to many observers, the confederacy arraigned around the cabinet table is […]
Canada has lost its voice on human rights in China
It was just two years ago that the Trudeau government returned from Beijing empty-handed and rather sheepish. The trip, which came after a year of exploratory talks, had been widely expected to launch formal free-trade negotiations between Canada and China. Instead, the Prime Minister returned to Canada with the impotence of his “progressive trade agenda” […]
Jason Kenney needs to play it cool to deal with Wexit heat
What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate. Eastern Liberals like Kathleen Wynne on CTV’s Question Period spent the weekend accusing Alberta Premier Jason Kenney of “fanning the flames” of Western separatism. Those closer to the action could only shake their heads and point out that Kenney is Canada’s best hope for taking the […]
In pushing Alberta’s case, Jason Kenney is just making things worse for himself
Over his years on Parliament Hill, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney built a solid reputation as a wily political operator gifted with a fine grasp on policy. When it comes to hands-on knowledge of the workings of the federal government, he stands head and shoulders above his fellow premiers but also his current federal Conservative Leader […]
In shocking move, Alberta UCP axes commissioner investigating its leadership scandal
It looks like a little red-tape reduction thing, buried amid a lot of detail in the UCP’s new Bill 22, introduced Monday. But this is a genuine gasping shocker that will be controversial in Alberta for a long time. The bill cancels the contract of Election Commissioner Lorne Gibson, who has been hitting UCP leadership […]
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer has enough problems already. He surely doesn’t need Alberta Premier Jason Kenney making his life — and the probability of turning Conservative fortunes around in Ontario and Quebec — any harder. But that is exactly what Kenney is doing with his frantic push to position Alberta as an angry, demanding teenager […]
Read MoreThe Strategy Session panel discusses Prime Minister Trudeau getting set to unveil his new cabinet and what big changes could be on the way.
Read MoreDo you favour activist progressive government? Well you’re about to get one whether you like it or not. After cordial meetings with Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clearly has a green light to move on an agenda centred on fighting climate change, spending heavily […]
Read MoreA small, eclectic crowd of journalists and political types was on hand this week at a Sparks Street bar in Ottawa to see the debut performance of the “Lowertown Riffraff,” an East Coast party-music band, also made up of journalists and politicos. At one of the big tables sat two women who have come to […]
Read MoreThe Council of the Federation meeting on December 2 will be an opportunity for provincial and territorial premiers to set aside their differences and coalesce around a set of shared priorities to advocate to the federal government. One key issue of common interest is Canada’s growing regional economic disparity in general and the urban-rural divide […]
Read MoreJustin Trudeau has never been the shy, retiring type. From his first national exposure when he gave the eulogy at his father’s funeral to his tenure as Canada’s prime minister, it’s clear he is a natural in the spotlight. Yet, it appears that Mr. Trudeau has changed since the October election. Gone are the photos […]
Read MoreDear Minister of Social Development, Nowhere is the age of disruption more present in people’s lives than in the world of work. We have chosen you to figure out the best role for government in mitigating the harm and amplifying the benefits of automation, labour shortages, an aging workforce, and mismatched skills. You will also […]
Read MoreCanadian foreign and security policy is sure to test the mettle of Global Affairs Canada, the Department of National Defence and the federal government during its new, more complicated minority mandate.
Read More“He haunts us still.” Veteran political writers Christina McCall and Stephen Clarkson began their seminal biography entitled, Trudeau and Our Times: The Magnificent Obsession, using these words. The book was first published in 1990, many years after Pierre Trudeau’s formal retirement from politics. Nonetheless, the authors argue persuasively that the man still looms large in […]
Read MoreWatching Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet trash Alberta on climate change and its greenhouse gas emissions is like watching a child running down the hallway with scissors. The federal separatist leader (now there’s an oxymoron) revealed his ignorance last week when he lectured Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, and Albertans in general, on their land-locked oil […]
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Toronto Maple Leafs fire head coach Mike Babcock, promote Sheldon Keefe to role
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Mike Babcock replaced him with Sheldon Keefe. Babcock had a record of 9-10-4 in 2019-20 for the struggling Leafs, who are 0-5-1 in their last six games, including five straight losses in regulation. Hired as part of Toronto’s massive rebuild in the spring of 2015, the 56-year-old […]
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