Sep 18 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — There are times when no amount of planning can prepare you for the completely unexpected. The Liberals returned Monday for the fall sitting of Parliament with a plan to highlight what they see as their success over the past three years in making life better for the middle class, to focus attention on their efforts […]
Sep 15 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — Three senior members of Justin Trudeau’s cabinet have been found in violation of ethics rules in the past year — a list that includes the prime minister himself. And that’s raising questions about whether the conflict rules are tough enough, or effective enough, in elevating the public’s trust in politicians. Conflict of Interest Commissioner Mario […]
Sep 11 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — Doug Ford is nothing if not blunt. He also might be pretty adept at sparking a constitutional conflict. That the Ontario premier plans to use the notwithstanding clause for the first time ever in Ontario — to ignore a court ruling that blocked his plan to chop Toronto City Council in half — is proof […]
Sep 7 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — Justin Trudeau keeps insisting the Trans-Mountain expansion will be built. But judging by his recent meetings with the country’s feuding NDP premiers, the prime minister now seems more comfortable with the one who’s not on his side. Trudeau stopped in Vancouver and Edmonton this week for his first face-to-face meetings with B.C.’s John Horgan and […]
Aug 26 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — There was nothing in the official agenda at the Conservative policy convention that spoke of the need for party unity. But it became the predominant theme in Halifax as Leader Andrew Scheer faced down a challenge from his former rival for the top job and from some delegates who want to open the door to […]
Aug 9 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — Bill Blair has been the cabinet minister in charge of border security for three weeks now — but it’s still not clear what he’s being asked to do. Questions about the extent of his powers, and who ultimately will be responsible for directing Canada’s response to a wave of asylum-seekers coming from the United States, […]
Jul 18 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — Justin Trudeau kicked off his 2019 re-election campaign Wednesday with a cabinet shuffle that puts management of three of the most vexing challenges his government faces into new hands. Dominic LeBlanc becomes the prime minister’s point man with the provinces. It will be his job to deal with a more strident set of premiers than […]
Jun 28 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — The federal government will announce a compensation package for Canada’s steel and aluminum industries on Friday when Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland releases the final list of U.S. products to be slapped with retaliatory tariffs starting Sunday. Freeland, accompanied by Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains and Employment Minister Patty Hajdu, will make the announcement in Hamilton […]
Jun 21 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — Another of Canada’s largest business groups is warning that Ottawa needs to act now to lower corporate taxes or risk a continued exodus of investment and jobs to the United States. The Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, which represents 2,500 companies, released a report this week that paints a bleak picture of the business landscape in […]
Jun 8 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — It’s time, Canada, to recognize the emergence of Ford Nation in the province known as Ontario. Doug Ford — the bombastic, blustering and populist former Toronto city councillor — is going to be the next premier of Canada’s most populous province. His victory, convincing as it was, came with an exclamation mark. He put an […]
Jun 6 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — Former prime minister Paul Martin said this week he still hopes a global trade war over new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum can be avoided — but Americans themselves have to learn first that there’s a price to pay for starting one. “The United States has to understand the seriousness of it for itself,” […]
May 29 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — Bill Morneau handed out his version of a Kinder Morgan surprise on Tuesday, announcing the federal government will buy out the company’s Trans Mountain pipeline in its entirety in order to ensure the proposed expansion of the line goes ahead. Nationalizing an oil pipeline — even temporarily — was never the first option for the […]
May 18 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s carefully-planned agenda for next month’s G7 summit has taken one hit already from Donald Trump. It appears the U.S. president is about to deliver another. Trump’s decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, and to reimpose economic sanctions on Iran, caused a deep rift with fellow G7 members France, […]
May 10 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — Newly released studies done for Finance Minister Bill Morneau suggest the Liberals’ poltical messaging about help for the middle class and promoting gender equality isn’t getting through to ordinary voters. The studies, which cost taxpayers more than $233,000, are part of the Finance department’s efforts to gauge public reaction to signature spending initiatives worth billions […]
Apr 26 2018 — Chris Hall — CBC — The federal government will unveil a series of measures today to promote and protect the intellectual property of Canadians firms as they look to compete against much larger multinational firms in tech and innovation sectors. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains will announce the country’s first National IP Strategy at an event in Ottawa to mark World […]