Mar 25 2020 — Postmedia — Government House Leader Pablo Rodriguez betrayed little of what was going on in the back rooms when he strode into the House of Commons at noon Tuesday and asked for proceedings to be suspended. What was supposed to be a relatively quick debate and vote on a series of sweeping financial measures — more than […]
Mar 25 2020 — Postmedia — The Liberal government was forced into a significant climbdown on Wednesday morning over its COVID-19 emergency legislation, after being accused of a “power grab” that would equip the finance minister with exceptional authorities to tax, spend and loan money without limit. Parliament passed an updated version of Bill C-13 in the early morning following a […]
Mar 24 2020 — John Ivison — Postmedia — It was the classic curse of the commentator. No sooner was Monday’s oeuvre published, commending Justin Trudeau for ditching wedge politics, than word started to leak about a Liberal plan to effectively neuter Parliament for 21 months. The draft bill that magically found its way into the hands of reporters, after the government shared it […]
Mar 24 2020 — Chris Selley — Postmedia — On Sunday, Erin O’Toole became the first of the two presumptive front-runners to call for the Conservative leadership race to be put on hold. “I’m proposing that we put the needs of our fellow citizens first,” he said — which on the one hand suggests it’s not really that important to have an able-duck Opposition […]
Mar 17 2020 — Postmedia — Thousands of federal bureaucrats who were told to work from home because of the COVID-19 virus are now on forced paid vacation so as to avoid overloading their work servers. “Employees who perform non-critical services have been asked to stay home, on paid leave, from March 15 to April 5, after which the Canada Revenue […]
Mar 16 2020 — John Ivison — Postmedia — As we confront what may prove to be the defining event of our lifetime, Michael Ryan’s call to action is proving persuasive for many policy-makers. The World Health Organization’s rumpled Irish executive said the lesson he has learned after fighting numerous ebola outbreaks is that you need to move quickly and have no regrets. “If […]
Mar 16 2020 — Richard Warnica — Postmedia — Ontario’s top doctor is recommending that all bars and restaurants — except those that offer takeout — now close. That announcement came hours after the Premier of Ontario said the province wasn’t yet ready to take that step. The City of Toronto, meanwhile, is strongly recommending that all bars, night-clubs, theatres and dine-in restaurants in […]
Mar 13 2020 — John Ivison — Postmedia — The road of life is paved with flat squirrels that couldn’t make a decision. Ottawa’s initial response to COVID-19 was tentative and irresolute. The World Health Organization declared a pandemic and called for “urgent and aggressive” action. The Trudeau government’s reaction was neither, with the result that Canada’s health system and economy risked being squashed. […]
Mar 13 2020 — Postmedia — Federal bureaucrats will be allowed to work from home if possible for the foreseeable future amidst the COVID-19 virus pandemic, the National Post has learned. “Let me be crystal clear, we’ll be as flexible as humanly possible,” said Jean-Yves Duclos, president of the Treasury Board. The new directive from the Treasury Board Secretariat, which acts […]
Mar 11 2020 — John Ivison — Postmedia — Will we look back on the prime minister’s COVID-19 press conference as a missed opportunity to slow the spread of the virus? I fear we might. The package of measures unveiled was underwhelming – $1 billion in funding for provinces, vaccine research and personal protective equipment, among other things. Justin Trudeau said the government is […]
Mar 10 2020 — Jesse Snyder — Postmedia — A parliamentary bid to further investigate the SNC-Lavalin scandal has been shut down with the Bloc Québécois being accused of making a “deal” with the Liberals. Conservative MP Michael Barrett, who was pushing to deepen an earlier ethics probe, said the move suggests the “return of the Liberal-Bloc coalition” was at hand. Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, a […]
Mar 10 2020 — Postmedia — Theresa Tait Day, a former Wet’suwet’en hereditary leader, told MPs a pipeline project had been “hijacked” by five male chiefs and criticized Liberal cabinet ministers for making a secret deal with them. Speaking at a House of Commons committee meeting, Tait Day said the decision last month to meet with hereditary chiefs was a mistake. […]
Mar 10 2020 — John Ivison — Postmedia — Justin Trudeau hosted the most important cabinet meeting of his time as prime minister on Tuesday morning. Nothing – not even the ministerial deliberations over NAFTA – were as critical to the health and wealth of Canadians as his government’s response to the twin threats of the COVID-19 outbreak and tumbling financial markets. The word […]
Mar 9 2020 — Stuart Thomson — Postmedia — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the province is in “uncharted territory” as it braces for a global downturn and the effects of spiralling oil prices, although he sounded some notes of optimism about the province’s future. Kenney said a worldwide downturn in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and the price war sparked by Saudi […]
Mar 6 2020 — Postmedia — Opposition parties are firing the first major shot across the bow of the Liberal government with a move meant to remind them they didn’t win a majority government last fall. On Monday, the House will vote on a Conservative motion meant to give all of the opposition parties one more “opposition day,” special days on […]