Scribes on the move: Andy Blatchford, Ryan Tumilty join new Hill bureaus; Katie Simpson heads to D.C., and Marie-Danielle Smith joins Maclean’s

In time for the new Parliament, veteran Hill reporter Andy Blatchford is becoming the first Ottawa-based reporter for upstart Politco Pro Canada, and Ryan Tumilty will be the newest re-addition to the Parliamentary Press Gallery as he joins The National Post. Leaving the Parliamentary Press Gallery, Katie Simpson is headed south to cover the Trump […]
Laurie Few named National Observer managing editor, Carl Meyer new Ottawa bureau chief

Following the departure of Mike De Souza as the National Observer‘s managing editor, it was announced last week that Laurie Few will be taking his place. Carl Meyer, who has been serving as the interim managing editor since Mr. De Souza left the organization in July for Global News, was named the Ottawa bureau chief. […]
This campaign has been getting odder by the day

OTTAWA—When a party starts public rumination about a new leader, it usually means it knows something the rest of us don’t. The Globe and Mail’s front-page story last week about Peter MacKay’s potential move to replace Andrew Scheer could not have come at a worse time. Canadians were chowing down on turkey and politics on the weekend, […]
Tassi, O’Regan exit their campaigns to tend to ill family members, Tassi’s mother dies on Oct. 12

As election day quickly approaches, two Liberal cabinet members took time off from their campaigns last week in order to spend time with family members who are sick. Seniors Minister Filomena Tassi and Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O’Regan both announced last week they will be tending to ill family members. Ms. Tassi said in a […]
Trump’s pressuring of Ukraine is foreign interference on steroids

OTTAWA—Now that we are in the midst of our federal election, Canadians are constantly reminded by our security agencies that foreign “malign actors” are hard at work interfering with our democratic process. It is repeated so often and so emphatically that it must be true. I am not sure exactly what kind of divisive issues […]
Media stories on Canadian leaders not as deeply researched as in U.S., missed Trudeau’s blackface photos story

Media critics say they don’t know why the Canadian media missed breaking the biggest story of the 2019 election campaign so far, but at least one says “absolutely there’s a question” surrounding how the yearbook photograph didn’t surface after all the years in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been a public figure. Carleton journalism […]
New Chinese envoy arrives in Ottawa

As Canada’s dispute with the Chinese government nears its 10-month mark, a new Chinese envoy has started his posting in Ottawa. Cong Peiwu officially took up his ambassadorial duties after presenting his Letter of Credence to Canada’s chief of protocol Stewart Wheeler on Sept. 23. He arrived in Ottawa on Sept. 22, according to the […]
In the name of banning ‘fake news,’ the government is infringing on free speech

OAKVILLE, ONT.—With all the furore that’s surrounding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s blackface scandal, it’d be easy to miss an important news item that came out recently. But I didn’t miss it, because this particular news item happened to touch on a subject of keen interest to me: the right to free election speech. So what […]
Liberal, Conservative campaigns ‘at war,’ Scheer ‘vigorously swinging to land a punch’ on Trudeau: pollster

The Liberal and Conservative campaign teams are “at war” trying to unsettle each other, and the possible minority Parliament that could result could be dysfunctional, carrying “significant instability,” says a high-profile pollster. “The war rooms are at war with each other,” said Nik Nanos, chief data scientist and founder of Nanos Research. “If it’s a […]
On the road again: many media organizations taking ‘flexible’ approach to party leader tour coverage

As the party leaders kicked off their national campaigns last week, The Hill Times took a look at which media organizations are joining them on their buses and planes, and what sort of planning goes into coverage of leader tours in a 40-day sprint toward election day on Oct. 21. The Globe and Mail parliamentary […]