Feb 18 2019 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — At any other time it’d be interesting to entertain a few notions of comparative PMO staffing. Brian Mulroney and Stephen Harper shook up their senior staff regularly: Mulroney’s principal secretaries included Peter White, Tom Trbovich, Michel Roy and Hugh Segal; Harper made more frequent changes to his chiefs of staff but when Ray Novak moved […]
Feb 18 2019 — Stephen Maher — Maclean's — The second act of l’affaire SNC-Lavalin could be devastating for Trudeau, and it’s not clear he’ll be better off without his trusted advisor. Last week, I wrote here that Justin Trudeau needed a fall guy to take the blame in l’affaire SNC-Lavalin. Today, we learned who that fall guy is: principal secretary Gerald Butts, a […]
Feb 18 2019 — Andrew MacDougall — Maclean's — When ace reporter Bob Fife rings you at 9:30 in the morning to get a comment for an exclusive in the next day’s paper it’s time to cancel your plans. Believe me, I know from experience. It means something big— something painful—is in the offing. And while I’m not privy to the PMO discussion following […]
Feb 15 2019 — John Geddes — Maclean's — Around federal political and bureaucratic circles, the words “cabinet secrecy” and “cabinet confidentiality” are often wielded like magic spells. They evoke a mysterious power that echos in the corridors of Parliament Hill, as if just speaking them aloud means certain matters must never, ever be spoken of in public. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau uttered the […]
Feb 15 2019 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — A new poll shows that among Canadians who are following the controversy, nearly three quarters think Wilson-Raybould has the most credibility. A large majority of people following the controversy over Justin Trudeau, Jody Wilson-Raybould and SNC-Lavalin say the former justice minister has the most credibility, a new online poll says.
Feb 13 2019 — Stephen Maher — Maclean's — Former attorney general Peter MacKay told the Toronto Sun this week that the police should be called in to investigate the SNC-Lavalin affair, because someone may have obstructed justice. “When I was prosecuting cases, if a politician had ever called me up, I would have put down the phone and called the police,” said MacKay, […]
Feb 12 2019 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — You thought this government was about family benefits and boil-water advisories? The Lavalin affair offers a glimpse of the real scene—maybe the real Canada. It all seemed so unpromising as a narrative when the Globe and Mail broke the story five days ago. Attorney general resists pressure (“from whom?” an editor’s red grease pencil should […]
Feb 12 2019 — Anne Kingston — Maclean's — The letter from the former cabinet minister is a masterclass in how to communicate volumes between the lines. Jody Wilson-Raybould’s resignation letter make public on Tuesday offers a masterclass in how to communicate volumes between the lines.
Feb 10 2019 — Anne Kingston — Maclean's — There may or may not be a commission of inquiry into the grave allegation that PMO officials put heavy pressure on Jody Wilson-Raybould when she was Justice Minister and Attorney General to help Quebec-based SNC-Lavalin secure deferred prosecution; then, when she refused, she was demoted to Veterans Affairs. We don’t know. There may or may […]
Feb 8 2019 — Maclean's — Not long after the Globe and Mail broke the story alleging that Justin Trudeau’s PMO had pressured former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to interfere in a criminal investigation involving Montreal engineering giant SNC-Lavalin, comparisons were drawn between the former lawyer from the We Wai Kai Nation and her father, Bill Wilson. Wilson-Raybould, who was demoted […]
Feb 8 2019 — John Geddes — Maclean's — Andrew Scheer rarely misses a chance to remind voters he didn’t experience anything like the glamorous upbringing of a certain other federal politician. “We didn’t have a lot of money,” the Conservative leader said in a typical section of a speech to his party’s convention in Halifax last summer. Then Scheer added, as he often […]
Feb 7 2019 — Paul Wells — Maclean's — What’s alleged in today’s Globe story is not just plausible, it points to bigger PMO problems. And it’s the sort of thing that can destroy governments. Today’s most important reading was published on Jan. 14. That’s when Jody Wilson-Raybould, the UBC-educated lawyer from the We Wai Kai Nation, released a long, detailed memo explaining her […]
Feb 5 2019 — David Moscrop — Maclean's — During the past few weeks, Thomas Mulcair, formerly the leader of the federal New Democratic Party, currently a political pundit on television, has been up to something that, if not unprecedented in Canadian politics, is certainly unusual. As a commentator, he has suggested that his successor, Jagmeet Singh, may not be long for the political […]
Feb 4 2019 — Maclean's — Inside the high-stakes extradition fight for a top Huawei executive—and why Canada’s relationship with China may never recover. For about $11,000 Canadian, a first-class ticket on Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to Vancouver entitles the purchaser to a “suite” with a seat that transforms into a bed, wood-panel finishes, an organic cotton sleep suit and, […]
Jan 30 2019 — Stephen Maher — Maclean's — During the frantic, successful campaign to make Doug Ford premier of Ontario last spring, the three men who were responsible for Ford’s messaging often told subordinates that they were like a “three-legged stool,” indivisible and in charge. Six months later, Dean French is chief of staff to Ford while Chris Froggatt and Kory Teneycke, the […]