Former Mulroney speechwriter, 'Proud Bleu' Paul Terrien remembered by Tory leaders

Paul Terrien, a speechwriter for former prime minister Brian Mulroney, died Jan. 24 at the age 72 in the Hull Hospital in Quebec after a severe brain aneurysm. The high-profile political figure worked with two different party leaders aside from Mulroney, including as an English and French speechwriter for Stephen Harper from 2014 to 2015, and as a special adviser to Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole from 2019 until his passing, his LinkedIn page reads. “He and I have worked together on files of historical significance. Allow me to mention the Meech Lake Accord and the creation of the Francophonie summits,” Mulroney said in a statement. Terrien was also recognized for his deep love of Quebec and its history by the former adviser to Harper, and thus his past colleague, Catherine Loubier, who tweeted that he taught her "the most important things about the history of Quebec that he loved so much, with the words of his powerful speeches." Author and another former Harper staffer Ian Brodie noted online that Terrien was "an example to everyone and I valued his advice and support." Former Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer called Terrien a "kind, warm, and extremely intelligent man with a passion for public service and a gift for writing. His dedication to the Conservative movement was evident in all he did." O'Toole similarly offered condolences from himself and his wife. In addition to his political speechwriting work, Terrien was also a chief of staff for former Conservative MP and Harper foreign affairs minister Lawrence Cannon. "Paul was truly a happy warrior, one who wielded a pen to great effect," Harper said in a Jan. 23 statement, remaking on Terrien's "razor-sharp wit" and memorable "hearty laugh." “Paul was a proud bleu, a passionate Québécois, and a patriotic Canadian, who won’t ever be forgotten by those he worked with.” New diplomatic appointment on the Africa file James Christoff is moving up from being deputy high commissioner to the high commissioner for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Photograph courtesy of Linkedin On Jan. 18, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced the appointment of James Christoff to the roles of High Commissioner in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Permanent Representative of Canada to the Economic Community of West African States, replacing the outgoing Philip Baker. Christoff comes from a political science and public relations background, with a bachelor's in the former from Concordia University and a bachelor's in the latter from Mount Saint Vincent University. These two degrees are capped off by his masters of public administration from the Royal Military College of Canada. His career started more than two decades ago, when he joined the then-named Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1999. Within Ottawa, his work has included a stint as executive director of Southeast Asia; director of communications, Afghanistan Task Force; and press secretary and spokesperson in the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Outside of the bubble, he's worked internationally, serving as an ambassador to South Sudan, a deputy high commissioner in Nigeria, and as a senior public diplomacy officer in Kandahar, Afghanistan. PressProgress aces the international news credibility test The official report card from NewsGuard. Photograph courtesy of PressProgress News outlet PressProgress announced on Jan. 21 that it had received a perfect score on "credibility and transparency" from the international rating service NewsGuard. NewsGuard sprouted up from the seeds of a group of former journalists who sought to combat misinformation by developing tools and systems that allow those on the internet to avoid untrustworthy sources. To that end, a team of professional journalists evaluates news sources, through a rating criteria that looks at accuracy, responsible journalistic practice and operation transparency, and the avoidance of overly "deceptive" headlines. According to its press release, PressProgress was scored on these measures by Mark Sikstrom, the former editor for journalist policy and practices at CTV, and edited by Edward Greenspon, former editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail. Together they noted that the non-profit "adheres to all nine of NewsGuard's standards of credibility and transparency," explaining its 100 out of 100 score. “Because news articles on the site are straight-forward and do not contain opinionated language, and the site’s story selection and story framing are consistent with its stated mission, NewsGuard has determined that the site handles the difference between news and opinion responsibly," Sikstrom said in the press release. Other Canadian news organizations that rank similarly include major players like The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and Global News, as well as some newer indie outlets like The Narwhal, The Tyee, and National Observer. A flurry of press moves The past two weeks have been demarcated by a mass movement of workers in the Canadian news scene. The National Post saw Bryan Passifiume and Catherine Lévesque join its Parliament Hill bureau in Ottawa as reporters, news which Lévesque announced on Twitter, Jan. 6, but which only came into true effect as of Jan. 17. CTV News, under Bell Media, meanwhile, saw Michael Melling appointed to become the vice-president of the national broadcast outlet, assuming responsibility for all news, info, and current events programming. He took up the mantle Jan. 4. Michael Melling brings with him a focus on multi-platform growth for CTV News. Photograph courtesy of LinkedIn "I am thrilled to lead CTV News and continue growing its presence across the country as the news source that Canadians rely on and trust," Melling said in a press release. "I look forward to working with our talented team to tell the stories that mean the most to Canadians." His climb to the top started in 2003 when he was hired as an editorial assistant by BNN Bloomberg, from which he slowly climbed through increasingly senior roles in Toronto and southwestern Ontario. He's been particularly focused on growing digital news formats. Shireen Ahmed has written in the past about the intersections of sports and feminism. Photograph courtesy of Shireen Ahmed's website On the athletic side of things, CBC Sports saw Shireen Ahmed join as a senior correspondent. In the Jan. 11 tweet announcing the news, she noted that she'll now be seen and heard across all the platforms at CBC. "To do the work I love alongside an incredibly talented and dedicated team every day is a dream come true AH," she wrote. Monday's photo Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole, pictured on Jan. 24, 2022, in the West Block on Parliament Hill. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade achen@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

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Former Mulroney speechwriter, ‘Proud Bleu’ Paul Terrien remembered by Tory leaders

Plus, a credibility test for PressProgress was administered by professional journalists and the non-profit outlet, like other major Canadian news publishers, received a perfect score.

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