While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Ian Bailey.
The acclaimed Canadian architect who will lead the jury that decides the future of 24 Sussex Dr. says significant change is coming for the official prime ministerial residence, which has sat vacant for 11 years because of its dilapidated condition. Moshe Safdie, who has designed buildings ranging from the National Gallery in Ottawa to Terminal One at Pearson International Airport...
A staff shuffle is under way in the highest ranks of the Prime Minister’s Office after Mark Carney appointed his chief strategist to the Senate and a key staffer decided to step down. Braeden Caley, one of Mr. Carney’s deputy chiefs of staff, told his colleagues on Sunday that he has left the PMO to consider running for the Liberal...
The historic residence of Canada’s Official Opposition leader needs to be fixed, but the commission in charge of official residences in the Ottawa region says it has no firm plan on how to proceed. Stornoway, a 9,500-square-foot mansion located in Ottawa’s Rockcliffe Park neighbourhood, is more than a century old. The official residence is currently home to Conservative Leader Pierre...
Canada’s tradition of providing a residence for the Official Opposition leader is being targeted by a parliamentary petition advanced by a Victoria resident. As of Tuesday, Carol Burman’s petition to stop funding Stornoway as a private residence for the Opposition leader had received 14,831 signatures. The petition opened for signatures on May. 1. The option to sign closes July 30.
Former prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Stephen Harper, a Liberal and Conservative, will unite to help raise money to renovate 24 Sussex Drive, says the foundation working to solicit donations for the official residence of Canada’s prime ministers. The Rideau Hall Foundation says the pair were critical to moving the project forward ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement last...
Former prime minister Stephen Harper will be campaigning for Albertans to remain a part of Canada and reject the sovereignty option in this October’s provincial referendum, according to his spokesperson. Mr. Harper, who led the country from 2006 to 2015, is one of Canada’s most prominent Conservatives and, though born and raised in Toronto, has lived in Alberta throughout his...
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s deputy chief of staff is considering a bid for elected office with a run in the Vancouver-area riding that is being vacated by former Liberal natural resources minister Jonathan Wilkinson, two sources say. If Braeden Caley decides to seek the nomination in Mr. Wilkinson’s North Vancouver-Capilano riding, it would create a vacancy at the senior level...
Temporarily grounding Canada’s iconic Snowbirds may be required to ensure the aging planes don’t weigh on broader military operations, says a former chief of defence staff. Tom Lawson, also a former fighter pilot, offered his view ahead of Defence Minister David McGuinty’s planned Tuesday announcement on the fate of the aerobatic flying unit known for its red-and-white jets. For over...
By the time Gordon Campbell began his 10-year run as premier of B.C. in 2001, he had already been a mayor of Vancouver and a member of the legislature as leader of the BC Liberals. But the former premier said Friday that he does not think a lack of elected experience should be an impediment to Caroline Elliott, a former...
Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government will soon move forward with a plan to deal with 24 Sussex Dr., the long-standing residence of Canadian prime ministers that has essentially been shuttered for more than a decade because of its physical decline. The public-works department and the National Capital Commission, which manages official residences in the Ottawa region, are going...
More than a month after winning the federal NDP’s leadership race, Avi Lewis is working without a salary while the party tries to figure out how much to pay him. Donya Ziaee, Mr. Lewis’s communications director, said talks are underway to resolve the matter and acknowledged the state of the party, which suffered its worst result ever in the 202...
The new official languages watchdog says Canada needs a governor-general who is fully bilingual in English and French, given the strong, symbolic role of the office, which involves a mix of ceremonial, constitutional and other duties. Official Languages Commissioner Kelly Burke says Prime Minister Mark Carney must follow through on his recent commitment to recommend the appointment of a governor-general...
An increasing percentage of Canadians say that they would be willing to serve in the Armed Forces if Canada were involved in a major conflict, suggests a new poll. The public opinion survey, conducted by Nanos Research for The Globe and Mail, also shows that a majority of respondents said they have a positive view of the military and would...
Whit Fraser, a former journalist and the husband of Governor-General Mary Simon, says the couple are planning their exit from Rideau Hall. Mr. Fraser, who spoke with The Globe and Mail ahead of the release of his memoir, was reluctant to provide details about their wife’s plans, but the 84-year-old, whose official title is vice-regal consort, signalled that Ms. Simon...
The federal justice minister has rejected an appeal from four provinces for more input into judicial appointments, saying the status quo has served the administration of justice well. The premiers of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Alberta signed a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney that calls for federal appointments to superior trial courts and courts of appeal of the provinces...
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she won’t demonize the roughly one million Albertans who are open to separation after B.C. Premier David Eby said Alberta separatists who went to Washington in search of political support are engaged in treason.
Federal public servants used to be a sure thing for Pat Nicastro’s fine-food shop in Ottawa’s Byward Market. He used to be able to count on a lot of them who work in nearby offices to come in for lunch, a group that was a sizable part of the customer mix that has sustained La Bottega for about 30 years...
Aaron Gunn, a Conservative MP first elected in April, says he is “seriously considering” a bid to seek the leadership of the British Columbia Conservatives. The job opened up last week when John Rustad, a former provincial cabinet minister, stepped down amidst intense pressure from members of his caucus. Mr. Gunn, who represents North Island-Powell River, said Wednesday he will...
Three of the seven members of the federal NDP caucus say they were not properly consulted about the appointment of the party’s interim leader. Last week, the NDP announced that its national council had chosen Don Davies, a veteran MP from Vancouver and the party’s former finance critic, to temporarily lead the NDP, a decision made with input from its...
Pierre Poilievre is staying put in the residence of the leader of the Official Opposition even though the federal Conservative Leader lost his riding in the recent election. Andrew Scheer, now acting as the interim Official Opposition leader in Mr. Poilievre’s absence, confirmed the plans on Monday.
Federal Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is rejecting a severance package estimated at about $150,000 that he was entitled to receive after losing his Ottawa-area riding, a party official says. Under the rules of the House of Commons, Mr. Poilievre is eligible for severance worth $154,850, according to the calculations of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF).
Canada’s five living former prime ministers have united to salute Canadian patriotism, prompted by the recent “threats and insults” of U.S. President Donald Trump. The prime ministers. whose terms in office span 1979 to 2015, are also asking Canadians to fly the country’s flag with pride on Feb. 15, which is Flag Day and the 60th anniversary of the red-and-white...
Canada should bring in penalties for individuals who are responsible for stacking ballots with independent candidates, the federal chief electoral officer says, criticizing the tactic used by activists as a form of political protest. Stéphane Perrault, who leads Elections Canada, said long ballots create confusion for voters and challenges in counting and processing results. Individuals who choose to protest the...
From a downtown Ottawa sidewalk, Kevin Aubin has been watching what he describes as alarming changes in the city’s downtown, several blocks south of Parliament Hill. The veteran panhandler says that he is seeing an influx of troubling newcomers on Bank Street in Ottawa’s core, a main street similar to downtown areas of Granville Street in Vancouver, Yonge Street in...
RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme says he’s open to a former cabinet minister’s suggestion that protecting federal politicians from violence be handled by an agency other than the Mounties. Mr. Duheme, who worked in protection earlier in his RCMP career, was responding to the proposal from Catherine McKenna, who was subject to harassment while Ottawa Centre MP from 2015 to 2021.
The realtors involved in the purchase of a US$6.6-million condo for Canada’s consul general in New York defend the move as a good deal, saying it is consistent with prices in Manhattan and reflects long-term planning. Erin Boisson Aries and Thomas Aabo of Douglas Elliman represented the Canadian government in the transaction, according to their spokesperson. The New York-based luxury...
The number of foreign affairs ministers under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has worked against Canada’s interests on the global stage, says Lloyd Axworthy, a former Liberal cabinet minister who held the post for four years. Mr. Axworthy, nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work to ban land mines while he was foreign affairs minister for then-prime-minister Jean Chrétien...
J.D. Vance is a mess of contradictions. He once mused about whether Donald Trump, then a candidate for U.S. president in 2016, was “America’s Hitler,” before becoming one of Mr. Trump’s biggest supporters. Mr. Vance is a former venture capitalist who has said big tech companies should be broken up, an anti-elite and self-described hillbilly who graduated from Yale Law...
Most Canadians surveyed want the public release of the names of MPs accused of foreign interference, according to a new poll. Sixty-eight per cent of those surveyed want the disclosure of the names and for the elected officials to have an opportunity to publicly explain their actions, according to a Nanos Research survey conducted for The Globe and Mail. Meanwhile...
With the House of Commons on a summer break, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre are out on the fundraising trail this week, with the leaders looking to Montreal and Alberta for support. Accompanied by a pair of ministers, Mr. Trudeau held an event in Montreal on Wednesday, and Mr. Poilievre has events planned in Alberta on...
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is declining to take a definitive position on the federal government moving to have public servants work a minimum three days a week in their offices, up from two days. Mr. Poilievre was asked about the issue on Thursday during a news conference in Vancouver and did not directly clarify where he stood on the matter.
As federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre prepares to hold a rally Monday on Vancouver Island, a new poll suggests the provincial Conservative Party in British Columbia is benefiting from his popularity even though there are no official links between the two parties. Fifty-six per cent of likely federal Conservative voters support the provincial Conservatives instead of BC United, the other...
Canada’s Public Services Minister says the historic Supreme Court of Canada complex in downtown Ottawa needs to be renovated despite a cost for the project that has risen above a projected $1-billion and has no final figure in sight. “It has never been refurbished, and what we are going to do in the next years will have a value that...
Former B.C. labour minister Iain Black is entering the race to run for the Conservatives in a Vancouver-area riding while former finance minister Mike de Jong says he is considering a run for the party in the next federal election. The interest comes as the Conservatives, leading in public opinion polls, are drawing some high-profile candidates ahead of a federal...
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Pierre Poilievre needs to explain why a key adviser has been lobbying for the grocery sector while the Conservative leader has been raising concerns about grocery prices. Mr. Trudeau raised the concern about Jenni Byrne, who served as a deputy chief of staff to former prime minister Stephen Harper and has been an adviser to...
Federal Conservatives are polling consistently ahead of their rivals and large crowds are turning up for rallies featuring leader Pierre Poilievre, but some party stalwarts and political observers say such positive developments aren’t nearly enough to guarantee electoral success. The Conservatives need to take steps this year to maintain their momentum, they say, such as moderating the party’s message to...
The Prime Minister’s Office is questioning a high-profile Conservative MP’s support for a petition that seeks Canada’s withdrawal from the United Nations and its subsidiary agencies. Leslyn Lewis, who ran for the Conservative leadership in the party’s last two leadership contests, sponsored the public petition to bring it before Parliament and is seeking signatories. Burnaby, B.C., resident Doug Porter initiated...