Apr 22 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — The Liberal government’s move to toughen up the refugee system is a signal to voters that fairness is the party’s priority when it comes to foreigners entering the country, says a former Liberal insider, and it could be part of an attempt to outmanoeuvre the Bloc Québécois, or win over ex-Liberal voters who don’t want […]
Apr 12 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — The Liberal base of committed, core supporters may be smaller than the well from which the rival Conservative Party is drawing, a recent poll suggests, and the Grits also lag the Tories by a nose when soft support is accounted for. One quarter of adult Canadians who took part in the Campaign Research survey said […]
Apr 9 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — Trade Minister Jim Carr unveiled the government’s choice on Monday to fill the corporate-ethics watchdog job announced more than a year ago, but the details of how independent and powerful the new Corporate Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise were left up in the air, drawing fierce criticism from a human-rights advocacy network closely following the file. […]
Apr 5 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — Senate leaders agreed April 4 on firm dates for the final vote on 10 government bills currently in the Upper Chamber, including several key government bills, but not the two that have drawn the staunchest opposition from the Conservatives, C-69 and C-48. The deal sets dates for the progression through one, two, or three stages—depending […]
Apr 3 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — The government’s representative in the Senate is proposing to put deadlines for Senators to finish their debate, study, and voting on 11 bills now in the Senate, a move that opposition Conservatives say violates committee independence and amounts to a massive time-allocation motion. Senator Peter Harder (Ottawa, Ont.) gave notice of a motion to impose […]
Apr 1 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — The Conservatives have a handful of procedural tactics at their disposal as they try to pressure the governing Liberals to free two former ministers to speak out about the PMO and SNC-Lavalin scandal, including a chance on Monday to start a filibuster of the government’s budget, and an opportunity to force another marathon, overnight voting […]
Mar 25 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — The chair of the Liberal rural caucus says he trusts Border and Organized Crime Minister Bill Blair to take the “right approach” as he prepares to announce whether the government will ban handguns and assault-style weapons following a lengthy consultation. Liberal MP Francis Drouin (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, Ont.), who now chairs the Liberal rural caucus, said a […]
Mar 25 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — Attorney General David Lametti and the opposition justice critics say they will stand behind former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould’s instructions to government lawyers, telling them to give fair treatment to First Nations suing the government over treaty rights, after departing PCO clerk Michael Wernick warned Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s instructions could be “gutted” by a new government […]
Mar 18 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — As MPs return from a two-week break on Monday, Government House Leader Bardish Chagger says the Liberals will try to pass 21 active government bills in Parliament before the end of June when the Commons adjourns and the next election campaign begins, but the Conservatives plan to put up a feisty legislative fight. Conservative House […]
Feb 11 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — The Liberal government has “utterly failed” to respond to the threat of climate change, says Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, and the lone Green MP is hopeful that voters in Quebec and British Columbia will respond by giving her some company in the House of Commons in the fall.
Jan 29 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — Five environmental non-profit groups are pushing back against a Conservative proposal to send the Senate Environment Committee on a tour of Canadian cities as part of its study of the government’s sweeping environmental assessment bill, C-69. Those groups “strongly oppose this proposal as it is in our view, a clear attempt to defeat Bill C-69 […]
Aug 13 2018 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — The Conservative Party will begin clawing back money from its electoral district associations after the next election, to make up for money lost when the former Conservative government eliminated the per-vote subsidy. The Conservative Party will ask the EDAs to hand over half of the money they receive when Elections Canada reimburses candidates for 60 […]
Jul 30 2018 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — It’s a week before her well-publicized Immigration Committee showdown with Border Minister Bill Blair and Safety Minister Ralph Goodale. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel is sitting in her sixth floor Valour Building office in Ottawa, fielding questions about the no-holds barred approach to politics that has helped to make her one of the most visible and […]
Jul 2 2018 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — Canada is changing its asylum system in response to the thousands of would-be refugees pouring across the Quebec-New York border, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen (York South-Weston, Ont.) says the feds’ efforts to deter economic migrants from using the asylum system are now starting to pay off. […]
Jun 11 2018 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — Republican lawmakers are pushing back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., likely making the case that the move could pave the road to his impeachment, say a former trade adviser to U.S. politicians and a Canadian lobbyist tracking the trade battle. “The only hope there is the Republican leadership […]