National Newswatch

Articles by Alex Boutilier

Liberals won’t put political parties under privacy laws in wake of Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal

Sep 20 2018 — Alex Boutilier — — The Liberal government will not impose privacy rules or oversight on federal political parties, rejecting a key recommendation from an all-party committee in the wake of the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal. The decision means federal political parties can continue to collect, store and use the personal information of Canadian citizens without limitations, laws or independent oversight.

Grassroots Conservatives at policy convention target carbon tax, irregular migrants

Aug 25 2018 — Alex Boutilier — — A Conservative government should get out of climate change policy, crack down on irregular migration, and exclude funding for abortion in foreign aid for maternal and newborn health, the party’s grassroots members say. Conservative partisans wrapped up a three-day policy convention in Halifax on Saturday. While there’s no requirement for Leader Andrew Scheer to adopt […]

Conservatives hope for Atlantic rebound at Halifax convention

Aug 24 2018 — Alex Boutilier — — Election night 2015 provided a rare sight on Canada’s political map: an entire region, down to the last riding, painted red. From the eastern tip of Newfoundland to the Quebec border, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals began the night with 32 of 32 seats — a good head start on their way to a historic […]

Policy convention gives Andrew Scheer a chance to change the channel

Aug 20 2018 — Alex Boutilier — — For the rookie political leader, it’s a chance to set the tone for his campaign to unseat Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government — and to pivot away from a week of former rival Maxime Bernier’s musings on the dangers of multiculturalism and “political correctness.” Last week, Scheer was forced to respond to a Bernier […]

Do ‘parody’ Twitter accounts pose real political threats?

Jun 26 2018 — Alex Boutilier — — “Who writes your tweets Minister? How do you find someone this incompetent (aka stupid)???” That’s how businessman and former Dragon’s Den personality W. Brett Wilson began a Twitter broadside on federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna Monday. Wilson has frequently made his displeasure with the current Liberal government known to his 178,000 Twitter followers. But what […]

Facing possible expulsion from the U.S., many former DREAMers could qualify to come to Canada, Trudeau told

Jun 21 2018 — Alex Boutilier — — The cohort of young immigrants was protected under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which the Trump administration announced they will phase out. They now remain in legal limbo, as court challenges against their deportation proceed and the U.S. Congress remains unable to craft a legislative solution. “While some DACA recipients may […]

Political parties need privacy laws, all-party committee says

Jun 19 2018 — Alex Boutilier — — The Liberal government should move to impose privacy laws on political parties and actors in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica and Facebook scandals, according to a parliamentary committee investigating the matter. The House of Commons’ ethics committee recommended sweeping changes to Canada’s privacy regime, including “immediately” moving to implement tough new data protection standards […]

Ottawa’s new elections rules unlikely to clear Senate by summer

Jun 8 2018 — Alex Boutilier — — The Liberals’ proposed new elections rules are unlikely to clear Parliament before the summer recess, meaning Elections Canada will have to wait for clear direction on how the 2019 campaign will be run. Senators on the legal and constitutional affairs committee told the Star this week it’s unlikely they’ll speed through a study of Bill […]

Is Ottawa’s honeymoon with Silicon Valley coming to an end?

May 14 2018 — Alex Boutilier — — Justin Trudeau stood in the old Canada Post office in Vancouver to take part in Amazon’s announcement. The prime minister needed some good news in British Columbia, where he was facing heat for supporting the Trans Mountain pipeline. So when the massive online retailer revealed in April that it was bringing 3,000 new high-tech jobs […]

Liberals look to election law changes after Facebook scandal

Apr 27 2018 — Alex Boutilier — — The race is on to regulate the political use of Facebook and other online platforms before the next federal election. Amid growing concerns about the potential of social media to subvert democracy, and with elections officials warning that time is running out, the federal government appears set to propose changes to Canada’s elections laws as […]

Bernier stands by comments that Scheer won the Tory leadership thanks to ‘fake Conservatives’

Apr 26 2018 — Alex Boutilier — — Conservative MP Maxime Bernier says he stands by the suggestion Andrew Scheer won the leadership thanks to “fake” Conservatives and still intends to one day publish the book where he made those allegations. Bernier said neither Scheer nor the Conservative caucus pushed him to postpone publishing the book, titled Doing Politics Differently: My Vision for […]