Sep 9 2022 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — A new book reveals that former finance minister Bill Morneau wanted to break a 2015 Liberal campaign promise to keep Old Age Security eligibility at 65, rather than raising it to 67, out of concern for the huge cost the policy would have on federal finances. Former prime minister Stephen Harper first announced at the […]
Aug 13 2022 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Newly disclosed cabinet documents show that Ottawa produced an internal estimate in February of the GDP impact of countrywide blockades, figures Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland did not provide when asked during a June committee hearing on the government’s use of the Emergencies Act. Minutes of a cabinet-level meeting attended by Ms. Freeland that took place […]
Aug 10 2022 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — When the United States Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act earlier this week, Canadian political and industry leaders were elated by the legislation’s climate provisions, which seem likely to provide a boost to this country’s electric vehicle industry. But other major changes in the bill set the stage for a trade standoff between the two […]
May 23 2022 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Canada’s aerospace and boating sectors are urging MPs to block or revise a planned new luxury tax included in C-19, the government’s budget bill, warning it will hurt manufacturers and trigger widespread job losses. The budget bill implements a Liberal Party campaign promise to slap a new tax on new cars and aircraft retailing for […]
May 13 2022 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Internal government documents show Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requested a personal briefing on the merits of a tax on extreme wealth last summer, just weeks before he triggered the 2021 election campaign. Mr. Trudeau’s interest in the policy is documented in a series of briefing notes, as well as e-mail exchanges among senior officials in […]
May 4 2022 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Finance Canada deputy minister Michael Sabia defended the government’s unprecedented decision to reopen last year’s books and backdate nearly $10-billion in new spending, telling MPs on Tuesday the move resulted in a more accurate description of the federal accounts. Mr. Sabia, Auditor-General Karen Hogan and Treasury Board’s Comptroller-General of Canada, Roch Huppé, appeared before the […]
Apr 10 2022 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Jean Charest is escalating his attacks on Pierre Poilievre in the Conservative Party leadership race, saying the Conservative MP’s ardent support of this year’s trucker convoy should disqualify him as a candidate for national leadership. Mr. Charest’s stronger words coincide with clear signs of momentum in the Poilievre campaign, which is frequently attracting large crowds […]
Apr 5 2022 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — The federal government will pay IBM an additional $106-million for a one-year extension to the company’s contract work on the troubled Phoenix pay system, bringing the total cost of Ottawa’s Phoenix-related outsourcing with the U.S.-based tech giant to more than $650-million. IBM built Phoenix, and has now been working on the system for more than […]
Mar 14 2022 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ordered Maxime Bernier to pay $132,000 in legal costs after his defamation lawsuit against political columnist and consultant Warren Kinsella was dismissed. The People’s Party of Canada Leader had sued Mr. Kinsella for his role in a secret campaign called Project Cactus, which aimed to discredit Mr. Bernier […]
Mar 14 2022 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Internal government documents show that the value of a contract to build a new software tool for managing IT services across the federal government has grown by nearly 70 per cent, to $55-million – an increase Shared Services Canada has not publicly revealed. The documents also show that while the original contract required all work […]
Jan 23 2022 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — A senior Google executive is urging Canadian lawmakers not to go too far as they prepare to debate a wave of government bills aimed at imposing new rules on web giants. In a recent interview with The Globe and Mail’s editorial board, Google’s president of global affairs and chief legal officer, Kent Walker, said the […]
Nov 27 2021 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Private-sector economists raised concerns over inflation and the scale of federal government spending on Friday in a meeting with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland as she prepares to release a fall fiscal update. Several economists also said on Friday that the federal deficit for the current fiscal year appears likely to come in a bit below […]
Nov 22 2021 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Members of Parliament will return to the floor of the House of Commons Monday for the first time since June, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s re-elected minority government is aiming to pass some of its campaign pledges during a brief, four-week sitting. In the platform it released ahead of the September election, the Liberal Party […]
Oct 23 2021 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has written a letter to Justin Trudeau urging the Prime Minister to reconsider his timeline for parliamentary sittings in order to deal with pressing economic concerns. The letter was sent a day after Mr. Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland unveiled a $7.4-billion plan to continue providing COVID-19 supports for the […]
Oct 18 2021 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — The Liberal government’s move to limit House of Commons sitting days this year and delay the return of Parliament until late November is part of an effort to avoid scrutiny, opposition MPs say, amid a needed debate over pandemic economic supports. The Prime Minister’s Office has said that the House won’t resume sitting until Nov. […]