Power & Politics in search of new host as Barton signs off

Rosemary Barton made her last appearance as host of Power & Politics on Sept. 8, two days after CBC created a job posting for her position on the CBC job board. “I was part of the original team that created this program nine years ago now,” Ms. Barton said during her last episode. Holding back tears she thanked the political decision-makers she’s spoken to, the viewers, and her team. “I hope I leave you with a better understanding of our democracy and our country,” she said. Ms. Barton will be one of four hosts on the new The National, which will air on CBC Nov. 6. Her co-hosts will include CBC’s senior correspondent Adrienne Arsenault, Vancouver local news host Andrew Chang, and News Network’s Ian Hanomansing. Emma Bédard, spokesperson for CBC, said in an email Sept. 12 that the job posting is open to internal and external candidates. She noted there was no firm deadline for selecting the new host. The online posting indicated it will close Sept. 27. “Until then, we’ll have interim presenters take on hosting duties,” Ms. Bédard said. If you’re curious, the new host needs to have five years of broadcasting experience, have a great on-air personality, should have an understanding of social and digital media, and bilingualism would be an asset, the posting said. Parliamentary gym reopens If you’ve been keeping track of what’s been going on with the fitness centre, then you will be happy to know that it has now reopened. Benoit Giroux, director general of parliamentary precinct operations, said in a press release Sept. 6 that the gym located on 131 Queen St. is now open and the men’s and women’s locker rooms are also accessible. The gym closed on Aug. 29 for emergency repairs due to water damage. It was initially undergoing repairs in early August due to irregular water temperatures in the showers. Karina Gould to help Facebook launch election security program Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould will appear Sept. 20 at a Toronto talk about cyber threats and security during elections. The Hill Times file photograph On Sept. 20, Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould will join Facebook executives to make an announcement on “protecting the next federal election from cyber threats,” and launch Facebook's Canadian Election Integrity Initiative, according to an emailed statement from Argyle Public Relationships. Ms. Gould will be joined by Kevin Chan, head of public policy at Facebook Canada, Tom Reynolds, policy communications officer at Facebook, Matthew Johnson, director of education at MediaSmarts, and Anatoliy Gruzd, Canada research chair in social media data stewardship and associate professor at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University. A panel discussion will follow the launch, which will take place at 571 Adelaide St. E. in Toronto from 9-11 a.m. Former Privy Council clerk appointed as chief negotiator for rail service restoration Wayne Wouters, former clerk of the Privy Council from 2009 to 2014, was appointed as the government’s chief negotiator for restoring the rail services to Churchill, Man. Former Privy Council clerk Wayne Wouters has been appointed as chief federal negotiator to help with a railway restoration in Manitoba. The Hill Times file photograph The appointment came as the federal government pushes to get the railway line fixed, after it was severely damaged by floods in late May. The railway line is owned by Denver-based company Omnitrax, which has not started any repairs, a Sept. 8 government press release said. The release noted that if Omnitrax isn’t able to fulfill its obligations, the government will work to discuss the transfer of the rail line to a new owner so the new owner can restore rail services. Mr. Wouters, who is currently a strategic and policy adviser with McCarthy Tétrault LLP, will be in charge of discussions with Omnitrax, “interested buyers, community leaders, and the province.” During his time in government, Mr. Wouters was also the secretary of the Treasury Board from 2004 to 2009, and deputy minister of Fisheries and Oceans from 1997 to 2002, among other jobs. Justin Trudeau makes Vanity Fair international best-dressed list Determining a list of best-dressed individuals is a very subjective activity, but making the cut for Vanity Fair’s international best-dressed list is always pretty cool, and now Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can say that he made it. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sports Ramadan-themed socks in June. Photograph courtesy of Halal Socks' Twitter The 2017 list, which was released Sept. 6, features movie stars, musicians, athletes, politicians, and famous couples. Mr. Trudeau joins others like former U.S. president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, and John F. Kennedy’s grandson Jack Schlossberg. The list indicated that Mr. Trudeau’s most notable accessory of the year was his Star Wars-themed socks, which he wore when he met Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. Mr. Trudeau has also sported Ramadan-themed socks to celebrate the holy month for Muslims. Perhaps this fall we will see more sock trends from Mr. Trudeau. Make sure you read about other fashion trends coming from MPs in the House this fall in The Hill Times' Back to Parliament Insider’s Guide out Sept. 18. Maher leaves iPolitics Stephen Maher tweeted Sept. 12 that he would be leaving iPolitics as its executive editor. “Will miss my talented colleagues there. I’m proud of the journalism we committed together,” he tweeted. Stephen Maher announced on Twitter he will be leaving iPolitics and will return to Canadian journalism in the fall. The Hill Times file photograph In another tweet, he noted he would be “resuming Canadian-journalism-related activities this fall” after a trip to Italy for a holiday. As to where he's off to next, Mr. Maher said via email he was unable to provide further comment. Mr. Maher is a native of Nova Scotia and came to Ottawa in 2004, where he worked for The Chronicle Herald. He moved to Postmedia News in 2011 for five years before joining iPolitics in September 2016. Scheer accuses government of taking away protection for religious leaders Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is taking issue with part of a government bill he says would remove needed protections for religious leaders. Mr. Scheer posted a video on different social media accounts and talked about the “crucial section of the Criminal Code” that would be removed by Bill C-51, which makes several changes, including strengthening sexual assault laws and requiring a Charter test for new government legislation. The section that Mr. Scheer has a problem with removes a portion of the Criminal Code that says: “Every one who wilfully disturbs or interrupts an assemblage of persons met for religious worship or for a moral, social or benevolent purpose is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.” In his video, he said this “protects religious leaders from intimidation meant to prevent them from leading worship for their communities. It also allows for charges to be pressed against those who disrupt religious services because of their intolerance.” Mr. Scheer added in the video: “Removing protections for the people who help guide their faith communities will only embolden those who use the vile tactics of fear and intimidation against religions they oppose.” The office of Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said in an emailed statement that the protections offered by the section being struck down only apply to people under that category of “clergyman or minister,” which are “terms not necessarily associated with all religions and forms of worship.” She added: “Existing offences of general application will remain available to respond to the conduct targeted by this offence including all forms of assault, uttering threats, intimidation, and causing a disturbance.” sshekar@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

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