Jan 21 2020 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — An independent analysis of the last Parliament found MPs voted with their own party 99.6 per cent of the time and displayed unhealthy levels of partisanship, polarization and hostility. In its latest report on parliamentary trends, the Samara Centre for Democracy spoke with MPs who sat in the House the Commons between 2015 and 2019. […]
Jan 9 2020 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — An investigation by the Commissioner of Canada Elections has concluded Warren Kinsella and his Daisy Group consulting firm did not violate the Canada Elections Act when it worked to “seek and destroy” People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier by portraying him and his supporters as racist.
Dec 29 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Parliament’s spending watchdog is questioning why the federal government’s deficit projections have suddenly spiked and is blaming an accounting change last year related to public-sector pensions as a key reason driving the volatility in Ottawa’s bottom line. Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux said in an interview that it appears the primary cause of the sudden […]
Dec 18 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Finance Minister Bill Morneau is asking his department for a quick analysis of provincial calls for an expanded stabilization program, and wants the report in January. The deadline suggests the analysis will be completed in time for Mr. Morneau to factor it into his decisions on the 2020 federal budget. Mr. Morneau made the announcement […]
Dec 8 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Maxime Bernier is preparing a defamation case against political consultant Warren Kinsella for calling Mr. Bernier a racist and a bigot. The People’s Party of Canada Leader has hired lawyer and former Ontario ombudsman André Marin to represent him. Mr. Marin said the defamation case is focused on comments posted to Mr. Kinsella’s personal website. […]
Nov 22 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Canada’s first-ever Minister of Middle Class Prosperity declined to provide a clear definition of the middle class, but she said having kids enrolled in hockey is a telltale sign. Ottawa-Vanier MP Mona Fortier was elevated to cabinet Wednesday with the new position of Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance. The title […]
Oct 9 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says that Elections Canada issued a ruling in support of the party’s advertising practices, but the elections watchdog is contradicting that claim.The agency said it simply provided guidance to the Conservatives in an e-mail this week, including a suggestion that the party should consider how the public might perceive its advertising […]
Oct 9 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — A company with ties to the federal Conservatives is receiving contracts to produce election ads for both the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the Conservative Party.Records filed with Elections Canada show that One Persuasion Inc. – also known as One Persuades – has received four payments totalling $15,404 from CAPP, the industry group representing […]
Sep 18 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Infrastructure Minister François-Philippe Champagne intervened in a decision by the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s independent board regarding the performance pay of the bank’s CEO, according to documents obtained by The Globe and Mail.The documents show that, rather than accepting the board’s recommendations, the minister applied his own “broader criteria” to assess Pierre Lavallée’s performance.How that intervention […]
Aug 29 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — The Conservatives are using the Parliamentary Budget Office to help estimate the cost of the party’s election promises, in spite of concerns the new process creates a risk that their campaign announcements will be leaked. On the ninth floor of an office building just two blocks south of Parliament Hill, a team of economists and […]
Aug 2 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Several energy industry executives are listed as organizers for a federal Conservative Party fundraising event that featured Leader Andrew Scheer, providing another sign of how Canada’s oil patch is working to oppose the Liberal government’s record in an election year.During the June 4 event at Calgary’s Westin Hotel, Mr. Scheer chatted onstage with radio host […]
Jul 23 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Canada’s municipalities received a surprise $2.2-billion windfall in this year’s pre-election Liberal budget in the form of a one-time doubling of the federal gas tax transfer – and now they’re calling on federal parties to support making that boost permanent. In an announcement to be released Tuesday, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) will make […]
Jul 2 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Some senators are calling for a review of ethics rules after discovering that the Senate Ethics Officer can obtain their e-mails without their knowledge or consent – even if they are not the subject of an investigation. Conservative Senator Elizabeth Marshall stunned many of her colleagues in the final days of the Senate’s June sittings […]
Jun 24 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — On the eve of a federal election and after years of study, the Liberal government will announce Tuesday that the Canada Infrastructure Bank will play a role in Via Rail’s multibillion-dollar plan to build a new rail line exclusively for passengers through Quebec and Ontario. Government sources, to whom The Globe and Mail granted anonymity […]
Jun 13 2019 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Canadians have strong concerns about how political parties use their personal information, but a new survey of Canadian voters found the vast majority of respondents are unaware that parties are exempt from federal privacy laws. Only 9 per cent of survey respondents said they knew parties are exempt from Canadian privacy laws, while 85 per […]