Hill Times

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 22 2018 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — Three federal Quebec Liberals officials are threatening to dismiss the Liberal riding association’s executive in Brome-Missisquoi, Que., if they don’t stop demanding that incumbent Liberal MP Denis Paradis, who’s already been nominated, face an open nomination contest for the 2019 election, say the riding association’s current and former presidents. “It is somewhat troubling to be […]

Oct 17 2018 — Charelle Evelyn — Hill Times — With less than a year before the 2019 writ drops, the Liberal government is abandoning any possibility of introducing legislation to establish an independent leaders’ debate commissioner before the next election, though it says a commissioner will be in place. Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould (Burlington, Ont.) told the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) […]

Oct 17 2018 — Samantha Wright Allen — Hill Times — Since the Liberals came to power with a promise of cannabis legalization, a sophisticated government relations industry has bloomed out of the historic policy shift, with lobbying skyrocketing and the companies registered since 2015 having doubled those in the arena compared to three years before. That comes as no surprise to any involved in the […]

Oct 15 2018 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — Paul Wernick, the former Liberal staffer who attempted suicide twice earlier this year, including once on the Hill, and went public with his story in order to publicize the darker side of working in federal politics, is now urging all MPs to sign a pledge to create “greater transparency and accountability regarding working conditions” on […]

Oct 10 2018 — Samantha Wright Allen — Hill Times — After pushback from Indigenous groups and the information commissioner, the government is backing down on a number of changes proposed to the Access to Information Act, calling on Senators to make the friendly amendments during their study of the bill that critics have called “regressive.” Treasury Board President Scott Brison (Kings-Hants, N.S.) told a Senate […]

Oct 10 2018 — Charelle Evelyn — Hill Times — The Liberal government wants to push major online platforms to expand their political advertising registries north of the border, as part of a package of more than 60 changes it’s proposing to its already-sweeping elections modernization bill. When MPs return from their ridings on Oct. 15, members of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) […]

Oct 8 2018 — Hill Times — The Trudeau government’s decision to bow down to U.S. pressure to loosen restrictions on access to Canada’s dairy industry is a cudgel for opposition parties, but strategists say there are limits to how far they can ride the wave of backlash from the industry. The new NAFTA deal, renamed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, was […]

Oct 8 2018 — Hill Times — The “restless electorate” has thrown incumbent Liberals out of power in four provinces in the last 16 months, which is “an alarming trend” and a “wake-up call” for the federal Liberals as they prepare for the 2019 federal election, say Liberal MPs and political insiders, and a leading pollster says federal parties should not overlook […]

Oct 3 2018 — Majid Jowhari — Hill Times — The polls open, you cast your ballot, and for the rest of the day volunteers, friends, and family members do everything they can to distract you as the results pour in, sequestering you from televisions and the radio. In the moment, you can’t help but be frustrated with being “managed.” But looking back, it’s just […]

Oct 3 2018 — Samantha Wright Allen — Hill Times — Some Saskatchewan NDP organizers say the party hasn’t responded to repeated calls to address provincial concerns, including requests for a visit from leader Jagmeet Singh, and that “better communication” is needed, according to a copy of June minutes from a meeting of riding associations sent to The Hill Times. Months later, that frustration hasn’t subsided, […]

Oct 1 2018 — Hill Times — The federal Liberals are being attacked from all sides on the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and their support of the project could threaten their centre-left coalition, say pollsters and strategists. “It takes a certain amount of political skill to be shot from two different fronts,” said Robin Sears, former national director of the NDP […]

Oct 1 2018 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — The spending limit for federal parties’ nomination contestants in the 2019 election cycle is almost double what it was in 2015, chiefly because of the long election campaign last time around, and some say the higher donation limit is a barrier to recruiting new female candidates. “There are so many barriers to recruit women candidates, […]

Sep 26 2018 — Samantha Wright Allen — Hill Times — A majority of MPs aren’t happy with the state of debate in the House, suggest the results of a new survey of elected officials, but there is no strong consensus on the way forward to reform Parliament. Results of the Samara Canada study, conducted in May and June by the non-profit and released first to […]

Sep 26 2018 — Charelle Evelyn — Hill Times — In an Upper Chamber that is increasingly inching towards greater independence, gauging support for government legislation is “not a science—it’s an art,” according to the man tasked with keeping score. As one of the three Senators who makes up the Government Representative Office—along with government representative Peter Harder (Ottawa, Ont.) and legislative deputy Diane Bellemare […]