Nov 11 2019 — Neil Moss — Hill Times — A former Liberal justice minister says moving Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland to a different cabinet role would be “a mistake” at a time of increasing authoritarianism around the globe. “[Ms. Freeland] has been so effective, [and] when you have the right person in the right place at the right time, it’s not the time […]
Nov 11 2019 — Hill Times — With Justin Trudeau set to name his rejigged cabinet on Nov. 20, Parliament Hill is abuzz with speculation about the shuffle, including the possibility that the Liberal government will opt to spread responsibility for the all-important regional economic development agencies among different ministers this time around, rather than keeping them under the purview of just […]
Nov 6 2019 — Samantha Wright Allen — Hill Times — As the lone New Democrat MP left in Quebec after last month’s election, Alexandre Boulerice says he feels a bit like the last village of resistance against the Romans, invoking the popular French comic Asterix le Gaulois which satirizes the fight of a few against an invader’s onslaught. He’s joking, but from his perch as […]
Nov 6 2019 — Neil Moss — Hill Times — Despite losing his majority government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s re-election will give his foreign policy posturing added legitimacy, with further opportunity for Canada to be more “ambitious” in representing liberal democracies around the world that are committed to bridge-building, say former diplomats and foreign policy experts. Mr. Trudeau, whose Liberals were re-elected to a minority […]
Nov 4 2019 — Hill Times — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs to be seen as the leader of a strong cabinet, empower his caucus, provide more latitude to backbench MPs, and mirror some of the lessons learned from his father’s 1972 election result to lead a strong minority government after a humbling election night on Oct. 21, say Liberal MPs, pollsters, […]
Nov 4 2019 — Abbas Rana — Hill Times — With the knives out for Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer for failing to win the federal election, it’s unclear whether he will survive another election amid the onslaught of calls last week for his resignation. To head off a potential ouster, some say Mr. Scheer needs to urgently reach out to his supporters to ensure they […]
Oct 31 2019 — Beatrice Paez — Hill Times — When he noticed the Bloc Québécois surging in the polls, the NDP’s Matthew Dubé says he knew that he faced an “uphill battle” in holding onto his riding. “I arrived in a wave. I survived one, but two is a bit too much,” said the outgoing Quebec MP in for Beloeil-Chambly who lost to Bloc […]
Oct 30 2019 — Mike Lapointe — Hill Times — With social media playing such a significant role in the federal election campaign, it was unclear whether it was political parties or the media who were responsible for framing the elusive “ballot-box question,” media critics say. Carleton journalism professor Paul Adams, who worked for CBC Television, CBC Radio, and in The Globe and Mail’s parliamentary […]
Oct 30 2019 — Laura Ryckewaert — Hill Times — The post-election push to get the class of 2019 settled in is underway, and among the MPs-elect are five former federal staffers, who have a leg up when it comes to the, at times, daunting task of learning the ropes of life on Parliament Hill. Thirty-eight former full-time political staffers ran as non-incumbent candidates this […]
Oct 28 2019 — Peter Mazereeuw — Hill Times — Western alienation has dominated much of the political discussion following the Oct. 21 federal election that brought the Liberals back to power with a minority government without a single seat in Alberta or Saskatchewan. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged it in his election night victory speech, and reporters grilled him about it in his first […]
Oct 28 2019 — Hill Times — With Justin Trudeau reduced to a minority government, shut out from two Western provinces, and the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois winning almost half of the seats in his home province, the prime minister needs to adapt to the new realities of the election result, and rise to the occasion to meet the daunting challenges of his […]
Oct 23 2019 — Beatrice Paez — Hill Times — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canadians expect their next Parliament to develop strong climate measures and to address pervasive concerns about the cost of living. In his first press conference since winning a minority government on Oct. 21, Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) told reporters gathered at the National Press Theatre on Oct. 23 he intends […]
Oct 23 2019 — Hill Times — After winning re-election in Ottawa Centre, Ont., on Oct. 21, Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna could be in line for a new cabinet post after four years on the divisive file, say politicos. “I will do whatever role I’m asked to do,” Ms. McKenna told The Hill Times in an interview on Oct. […]
Oct 23 2019 — Hill Times — The new Liberal minority government is an outcome that the Public Service Alliance of Canada can “certainly live with,” says the union’s national president Chris Aylward, while fellow union leader Debi Daviau says she hopes the government is willing to “reciprocate” the support it received during the campaign. During the campaign, PSAC, the country’s largest […]
Oct 21 2019 — Greg Lyle — Hill Times — After a tumultuous, negative, and generally unsatisfying election, the two main parties are limping to a photo-finish. While it is close enough that I would not make a big bet or take odds, all evidence we see points to a Liberal victory on Monday night. The Liberals led the CPC by between two and four […]