Jun 12 2019 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — Long-awaited parental leave provisions are in the final stretch in the House of Commons, with the proposed new system allowing Members of Parliament to be absent from the House Chamber for up to 12 months after the arrival of a new child. “I feel hard work is accomplished now. But I’m just a little bit […]
Jun 5 2019 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — With the release of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ final report and recommendations, Indigenous women say they’re looking to all federal parties to pick up the inquiry’s calls in their platforms for October. “I’m really hoping that all the parties will make a commitment to what their platform will […]
Apr 29 2019 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — The clock is ticking, with just under 40 sitting days left in this Parliament and 38 government bills still on the Order Paper, and the 2019 budget implementation bill will be front and centre in the House this week amid rising partisan tempers and pre-election posturing. The start of spring means the start of the […]
Apr 8 2019 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — Indigenous leaders from across Canada say their trust in the Liberal government’s promise of a renewed relationship with Indigenous peoples has been broken and they’re looking for concrete action, soon, or it could mean punishment at the polls in October. “The prime minister may have meant what he said, and I don’t doubt that he […]
Jan 21 2019 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — The NDP is drawing on support from top Hill staffers, B.C. NDP MPs, and party resources “all over the Lower Mainland” to get NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh elected in the February byelection in Burnaby South, NDP MPs and strategists say. The byelection is considered critical to the party’s overall fortunes and Mr. Singh wants to […]
Dec 20 2018 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — An end-of-year senior staff shake-up has taken place in the Prime Minister’s Office, as part of which, Brian Clow has been promoted to the title of executive director of Canada-U.S. relations and issues management. A string of changes were announced in a recent memo to staff from PMO chief of staff Katie Telford and principal […]
Dec 10 2018 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — Despite trailing in fundraising and opinion polls, and a steady loss in vote-share in federal byelections since 2015, NDPers say they’re optimistic the party can turn things around and be competitive in 2019, but much hangs on new leader Jagmeet Singh’s upcoming byelection campaign. “There’s a corridor available for the NDP to do the critique […]
Dec 3 2018 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — NDP MP Charlie Angus says the House should set up a new and permanent standing committee to tackle digital issues, including online privacy and regulation, in light of growing global concern over how tech giants like Facebook protect personal data and disseminate information online.
Nov 26 2018 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — Packing for any move can be a meticulous thing. Piles of papers and books and memories have to be sorted through, deciding what to take and what to toss. Artwork and furniture has to be carefully catalogued and wrapped, ensuring precious items arrive safely in new homes. It’s much the same for the remaining occupants […]
Oct 29 2018 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — Conservative MP Peter Kent says his Instagram and Facebook accounts were recently hacked and shortly before officials from the Communications Security Establishment warned MPs that federal political parties, politicians, and traditional and social media will be more vulnerable to cyber threats in the next election. Mr. Kent (Thornhill, Ont.) said he started receiving “strange” messages […]
Oct 22 2018 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — The Conservative Party’s reported $2-million national ad push is its “opening salvo” of the 2019 election, and pollsters and strategists say the two ads currently on airwaves are both aimed at introducing new leader Andrew Scheer and putting “pocketbook” issues in focus in the lead-up to the next campaign. “I would consider this the opening […]
Oct 15 2018 — Laura Ryckewaert — Last week’s UN report detailing the devastating and irreversible impacts of climate change, which the world is on track to see by 2030, underscores the urgent need for Canada to “ratchet up” its efforts and targets, say experts and critics, who also say the government should drop its pursuit of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
Sep 24 2018 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — Quebec is on course to be a two-way race between the Liberals and Conservatives in the 2019 federal election, say strategists, and the Québec City region is likely to be a hotly contested battleground amongst the federal parties. Despite the reunion of the Bloc Québécois on Sept. 17—with five MPs who had split from the […]
Sep 17 2018 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — The House of Commons is back this week for the last fall sitting before the 2019 election, and trade is set to top the agenda, with NAFTA renegotiations ongoing and a bill to enact the new Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement fresh on the Order Paper. Government House Leader Bardish Chagger (Waterloo, Ont.), in a phone interview […]
Jul 2 2018 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — Conservatives are already ahead in recruiting candidates for the 2019 federal election and all the political parties are using these critical summer months to start laying the groundwork for the next national campaign, say political strategists. “This is the last summer before the election. Next summer, we’re pretty well in a writ period, regardless of […]