U.S. President Donald Trump has cut funding to the World Health Organization and tried to block the export of public health supplies to Canada as he has grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic. Photograph courtesy of the White House via Flickr
Canada should re-examine U.S. relations, ‘pursue its own future’ in face of Trump’s pandemic response, say foreign policy and trade experts
‘America is putting itself first, which is natural. Why shouldn’t we behave in the same way?’ says Carleton U’s David Carment.
A fall federal election is ‘a real possibility,’ and a ‘sweet spot’ for Liberals to win a majority, say pollsters
Liberal MPs have recently held discussions in caucus meetings about nomination rules for incumbent MPs for the next election, Liberal MP Ken Hardie confirmed to The Hill Times last week.Time for foreign policy update to prepare Canada for post-pandemic world, say some experts
The rules-based international order as it once was 'no longer exists,' says Canadian International Council president Ben Rowswell. Politics This Morning
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Liberals preparing legislation to extend deadlines for courts, security reviews and more amid pandemic
The law could give Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains more time to give notice of a national security review to a foreign company trying to take over a Canadian business.Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde, a former retirement home operator, joins call for national standards and more money for long-term care
‘We all knew we needed more money into this system. Now the focus should be that.’‘It’s been better than nothing at all’: MPs settle into Zoom sittings, though some say more room for increased oversight
While some MPs say the debate in the virtual sittings is 'livelier,' and heckling has diminished, one MP notes the theatrics of Parliament haven’t completely been shaken off. Despite limited leverage, Canada has duty to mount full-throated condemnation of China’s national security law, say experts, Parliamentarians
'We can’t lose sight of the fact that Hong Kong has been a fabric of Canada, and we owe it to Hong Kongers to be very public about our opposition to what is taking place,' says Sen. Jim Munson.U.S. academic who saw Trump victory in 2016 says president’s re-election bid in serious trouble
‘The Radical Left Lamestream Media, together with their partner, the Do Nothing Democrats, are trying to spread a new narrative that President Trump was slow in reacting to Covid 19,’ says U.S. President Donald Trump in a tweet.Narrow focus to supporting ‘subpopulations,’ says expert, in preparation for second wave of the pandemic
In recognition of how the pandemic is disproportionately affecting racialized communities, the feds' anti-racism secretariat has set up an taskforce to address inequities.Online tool tracks more than 100 pandemic-related racism incidents since February
The three more common types of harassment were verbal insults, denial of access to public areas, and intentional spitting or coughing. U.S. President Donald Trump has cut funding to the World Health Organization and tried to block the export of public health supplies to Canada as he has grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic. Photograph courtesy of the White House via Flickr
Canada should re-examine U.S. relations, ‘pursue its own future’ in face of Trump’s pandemic response, say foreign policy and trade experts
‘America is putting itself first, which is natural. Why shouldn’t we behave in the same way?’ says Carleton U’s David Carment.
Why the word ‘Elder’ is more than just a word
Dump the private companies in long-term care, it just leaves a bad taste. The model was attempted, and it failed. Move on. Regulate long-term care funding through non-profit organizations with health expertise.When it comes to fixing long-term care, tears are not enough
It may be too much to ask that our prime minister, premiers and opposition leaders not revert to familiar behaviours, to the old struggle for partisan advantage, and forget too soon the tragedy that unfolded on their watCanadians have been very supportive of the new normal, but enough is enough
The time has come to move as a herd.
Pandemic crisis tests durability of MPs’ parliamentary privileges, say MPs, experts
Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu says MPs have little recourse, other than to file a complaint with the House Speaker, for raising concerns about breaches of privilege.Budget 2020, election promises in question amid COVID-19 global pandemic crisis, say McKay, Delacourt
‘It is going to blow a hole in the government’s legislative agenda,’ says Liberal MP John McKay.COVID-19 bailout bill passes after late-night negotiations on new government powers
What was supposed to be a quick, co-operative sitting of the House turned into a negotiating stalemate for hours on Nov. 24 and Nov. 25.
Privacy and our spy agencies
Spies act in the shadows for obvious reasons: does this mean they are constrained by privacy issues? We can, and should, have laws in place to protect our privacy, but we must also allow CSIS to do its job. Displacement, disease, deluge: trouble comes in threes for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
As the narrow escape from Cyclone Amphan and the ongoing threat of COVID-19 have shown, the Rohingya refugees remain extremely vulnerable and need all the help that Canadians can extend them.Bigger than the bottom line: Canada needs small businesses to keep their lights on
We’re now past that 60-day mark. Canada’s economy relies on those small businesses, and so we must do more to help them.
‘We’re all hurting’: culture and sports groups say they need added funds, emergency support extended
Environment, resource development agenda among April’s top-lobbied files
‘Deep change is possible and it can happen fast,’ says the CEO of Ocean Wise Conservation Association, which helped push the Environment Minister among the most-lobbied in cabinet in the last two months.MPs claimed $230,000 in free travel from organizations, foreign governments in 2019
Taiwan was the most frequent— and expensive—destination, totalling $90,000 and making up 40 per cent of all claimed travel.‘Pandemic bump’ pushes March lobbying up 60 per cent over last year
‘It’s been a season of virtual or e-lobby days for every single sector, all at the same time because the entire economy has been impacted,' says Yaroslav Baran. 
Women and Gender Equality Minister Monsef scoops up a new press secretary
Marie-Pier Baril is a former deputy press secretary to Chrystia Freeland during her time as minister of foreign affairs.
Cross-party Parliamentarians to urge feds to take strong response to new Hong Kong security law
Plus, Torstar gets new owners as Postmedia is set to lay off 'approximately' 40, and a new book looks back at the Marc Nadon affair.
Paul Thomas named new director of Parliamentary Internship Programme
Plus, Stephen Harper places partial blame for his 2015 electoral defeat at the hands of Canadian media, and a webinar on the future of Canada-China relations will feature former envoy Guy Saint-Jacques.
Labour Minister Tassi now has a 15-member team
Eight political staffers have joined the labour minister’s office since late January, including a parliamentary affairs director, a communications assistant, and two new regional affairs advisers.New aides for Ministers MacAulay, Hajdu
Meanwhile, Alexander Steinhouse has been temporarily seconded to the Prime Minister’s Office to help with issues management work. ‘More Canadians are starting to get it’: outgoing Don Kelly reflects on two decades at Assembly of First Nations
Plus, former NDP staffer Carole Saab is named new CEO of Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and the Red Chamber and the University of Victoria will partner to bring a virtual forum on bridging divides.
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Post-pandemic world presents real opportunity to change U.S.-Canada relationship, experts say
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages and the American election gets closer, Canadian foreign policy experts weigh in on how the pandemic has affected bilateral relations, and where we go from here.
Canada’s next trade battle: consensus building at the WTO
A Global Affairs trade official told the House Committee on International Trade in March that Canada has had little engagement with the United States on reforming the WTO to date.
It’s time to learn from free trade talks and boost COVID-19 collaboration
Most regulators share the common goal of protecting the health and safety of their citizens. So why not accept the results of testing that trusted colleagues have already undertaken?
Unparalleled BoC bond purchasing welcomed to move country from ‘defence to offence,’ says Senator Loffreda
The Bank of Canada didn’t resort to bond buying during the last crisis, but the economic plunge is much deeper this time around, say economists.What’s good for the Venezuela goose should be good for the U.S. gander
Chrystia Freeland should assemble the Lima Group and recognize Barack Obama as the interim acting U.S. president until their election in November.
Minority rules: 2020’s most influential figures to watch in federal politics
This year’s Top 100 Most Influential List reflects the power brokers who will help shape the terms of how this minority Parliament will shake out.
The return of Parliament is more than an event in the news cycle. It’s a time to look ahead, and to thoughtfully consider the important role each branch of government will play in that future, and in the life of each individual Canadian.
Our worldview, our desire for control, and the way we get information are just three things that new MPs should consider as they orient themselves to life in Ottawa and as elected representatives. But the implications of these three forces matter to everyone who seeks to engage and connect with Canadians.
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Politics This Morning: Cross-party group to press for ‘strong response’ to China’s national security law
Plus, U.S. President Donald Trump shelved the idea of holding an in-person G7 summit this month after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she wouldn't be able to attend. 
The Public Health Agency of Canada is looking for a company that can store and ship the government’s big orders of personal protective equipment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada needs this uplift in visibility of commitment to UN values because a petition is making the rounds in Canada against Canada’s election to the Security Council for alleged international 'bad behaviour.' 
‘Until we know where the discrepancies and inequities in health are, we can never tackle them,’ says the Alliance for Healthier Communities.
There will be a lot to learn from the policy experiment we are all living with because of COVID-19. The U.S.-Canada border has been managed co-operatively and well, but we have room to experiment and innovate.
Politics This Morning
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Now is the time to dig deeper with bravery and foresight to foster the innovation needed now to address this crisis while building resiliency for the future.
Canada needs to abandon its practice of setting and missing distant targets and adopt concrete, detailed, and specific action plans that we rigorously follow and track. 
Elections Canada readily admitted that there is no enabling legislative measure in Canada to deal with the holding of elections during emergencies and that now they are entering into 'uncharted' waters.
Right now, China’s under a world of criticism for its early actions in the COVID-19 global crisis, and judging by its ambassadors’ statements in Europe, Australia, and Canada, it’s lashing out undiplomatically.
Indigenous leaders have to balance the environment and culture while growing the economy. This can be a playbook for party leaders.
We can come out of this a better society or we can emerge awash in bitterness and rancour. Democracy is a door through which a people walk through. What’s on the other side is up to them.
‘The rise of China is a central geoeconomic issue of our time’
Living with China: A Middle Power Finds Its Way, by Wendy Dobson, is a finalist for this year's prestigious Donner Prize, one of the best public policy books of the year. She offers a summary of her book here. Flanagan documents how successful First Nations are achieving prosperity
The Wealth of First Nations, by Tom Flanagan, published by the Fraser Institute, is one of this year's five finalists for the prestigious Donner Prize, the best public policy book of the year. Here's an excerpt. New press secretary in International Development Minister Gould’s office
Meanwhile, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains recently bade farewell to his lead media contact, Véronique Simard.Associate Finance Minister Fortier names Cheesbrough as policy director
Plus, there are a few more staff to note in Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office, including special assistant for operations Stephen Bateman.‘A very difficult few weeks’: MPs pay tribute to Snowbirds fatal crash victim Jennifer Casey
Plus, Conservative pundit Rachel Curran joins Facebook's public policy group, and Bill Fox pens book on political communication in the post-truth age. Maple syrup, maple chocolate, maple lollipops: a look inside Canada’s gifts to UN diplomats
Plus, MPs take part in a health-care fundraiser on International Nurses Day, and the Supreme Court will resume hearings online in June. As union members face COVID-19 pandemic ‘head on,’ PSAC calls for feds to return to bargaining table
Treasury Board spokesperson Martin Potvin says the government's goal is to take 'constructive steps to keep meeting and to prepare for negotiations when they resume.'‘Critical situation’ in prisons as health-care workers threaten to walk over lack of protective equipment
'The Correctional Service of Canada continues to take a number of preventative measures to restrict the spread of COVID-19 in federal institutions,' according to the office of Public Safety Minister Bill Blair. No more Hill parties, after coronavirus pandemic forces Parliament Hill to shut down
'Politics and the Pen is probably the exact opposite of social distancing. We cram so many people into the ballroom that you can barely keep one to two inches away,' says Jim Armour. Sorbara makes ’em howl at the Métropolitain
Pat Sorbara's new book, Let 'em Howl, offers lessons learned over a more than four-decade career in federal and provincial politics as a high-ranking Liberal backroomer. No ‘magic’ response: diplomats discuss international lessons learned from COVID-19
'We’re living a gigantic world-wide experiment of geology, economy, and psychology, and we will only know later what happened,' says German Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser.Armenian Embassy moves commemorations online to mark 105 years since genocide
Every year on April 24, the embassy participates in a march to remember the more than 1.5 million people who died during the First World War.
Dr. Waltner-Toews to talk about his book, On Pandemics, at Ottawa International Writers’ Fest online event on June 4
Minister of Health Patty Hajdu, pictured May 26, 2020, arriving on the Hill for that day's media briefing on the global pandemic. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Tiff Macklem, the Bank of Canada's new governor, pictured on May 1 during an announcement on his appointment, is taking the helm as the country grapples with a deep recession triggered by the pandemic. The former senior deputy chief of the central bank, Mr. Macklem helped manage Canada's response to the 2008 recession from 2010-2014. He succeeds Stephen Poloz, whose seven-year term expires in June. 
