george - The Hill Times
Transcription
george - The Hill Times
EXCLUSIVE POLITICAL COVERAGE: NEWS, FEATURES, AND ANALYSIS INSIDE HOUSE COMMITTEES PARTY HARPER’S TOOTOO HIRES LATE-TERM GEORGE APPOINTMENTS P.20 TWENTY-SEVENTH YEAR, NO. 1322 NEWS SENATE REFORM Monsef, LeBlanc to reveal this week Trudeau’s vision for nonpartisan Senate By Abbas Rana Senators are eagerly waiting to hear this week specific details of the Trudeau government’s plan for a non-partisan Red Chamber from Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc and Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef. The appearance of the two ministers at the Senate standing committee will be the first time the government has presented detailed plans to reform the Senate. Also, this is the first official communication between the House of Commons and the Senate on Mr. Trudeau’s views on the Senate’s future. YOUNG P.28 PRIMER PP. 30-31 CENTRAL P.35 Canada’s Politics and Government Newsweekly MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 $5.00 LeBlanc backs away from whipped vote on assisted dying bill, but Grit MPs are ‘comfortable,’ call it a Charter of Rights issue Members of the Joint Committee on PhysicianAssisted Suicide, pictured at a committee meeting on the Hill. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright Continued on page 4 NEWS FINANCE Morneau expected to shed light on deficit, CIBC economist predicts $30-billion By Derek Abma The federal government is expected to shed more light on the size of its deficit on Monday, and one prominent economist has predicted it will be at least $30-billion—about three times what the Liberals promised during the election campaign—due to lower-than-expected tax revenue from a slow economy and the need for more fiscal stimulus. “The $10-billion [deficit] was the figure that was out there based on the projection that the economy was growing faster and revenues would be coming in faster,” CIBC World Markets chief economist Avery Shenfeld— Continued on page 15 NEWS SENATE Senate Modernization Committee formed, chairman Sen. McInnis chosen without election By Abbas Rana After months of delay, the Senate last week formed a special committee to modernize the Red Chamber, but already some committee members are questioning why the Senate’s caucus leaders Continued on page 6 NEWS PUBLIC SERVICE Rachel Aiello Liberals late last week were backing away from whipping the vote on the government’s upcoming and controversial legislation on doctor-assisted suicide saying it’s too early to determine how the vote will go without seeing the bill, but Liberal MPs on the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying told The Hill Times earlier in the week that they were “comfortable” with the whipped vote. Continued on page 24 NEWS LIBERAL RESEARCH BUREU By Derek Abma Liberals’ $2.4-million research bureau headed by Thalmann, Bosch By Laura Ryckewaert The Liberals’ $2.4-million research bureau is now “fully functioning” with almost 30 staffers hired, and whether Union leaders are calling on the federal government to provide younger employees with clearer paths to long-term careers as a way of making the public service a more attractive place to work for millennials. a party is in government or opposition, the parliamentaryfunded caucus research bureaus are a “very important part of Continued on page 26 Short-term work assignments stymie federal public service renewal: union leaders Brett Thalmann and Kevin Bosch. Continued on page 17 2 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 FEATURE BUZZ HEARD ON THE HILL B Y D ER E K A B MA Ottawa’s popular watering hole, Hy’s, approaches final day This Hour Has 22 Minutes’ star Mark Critch, left, stopped by Hy’s Ottawa location to film a segment last week and had some fun with Global News’ Tom Clark and CTV’s Don Martin. The restaurant is slated to close Feb. 27. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright H y’s Steakhouse’s Ottawa location is poised to close after Feb. 27, putting an end to an establishment that for more than three decades has been a regular gathering place for politicians, their staffers, lobbyists, journalists, and other players on the Ottawa political scene. After failing to come to an agreement with its landlords at the Queen Street building it occupies on the ground floor, it became public in September that the Ottawa Hy’s would close after its lease expired in February. Last Thursday, a crew from CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes, including on-air personality Mark Critch, showed up to film some footage for an episode scheduled to air March 1. Karyn Byrne, a spokeswoman for the Hy’s chain, which includes other locations in Vancouver, Whistler, B.C., Calgary, Winnipeg, and Toronto, said there are no special events planned as the Ottawa location approaches its final day, though business is brisk. “It’s a last hurrah for a lot of people who had Hy’s Ottawa near and dear to their hearts,” she said. “We don’t have anything in particular scheduled, though we certainly have lots of our loyal guests coming in to pay a visit.” Nonetheless, word is getting around that former CBC journalist Don Newman and colleague Andrew Balfour, both of whom now work for lobbying and communications firm Navigator, are organizing a party at Hy’s for the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 24. On the role Hy’s has played in Ottawa, Ms. Byrne said: “I think it certainly serves a great place in the community, not just as a fantastic restaurant, but certainly as a communications hub outside of the norm for Members of Parliament, as well as journalists. It’s been a great place to come and exchange information.” Ms. Byrne said that while the company is not currently seeking another Hy’s location in Ottawa, “that’s not to say in the future there won’t be opportunities.” up winning a landslide victory in that vote. In a blog posting earlier this month, Mr. Cleary said if he could do it over again, he would not have run for the Tories provincially. “I knew a few days into the election that I didn’t have a chance,” he wrote.“The anti-Tory tide was too strong, combined with voter anger at my decision to ‘betray’ the NDP. “If I had my time back would I have made the same decision? No, the public backlash—particularly on social media— was absolutely devastating to my family.” Yet, explaining his decision, Mr. Cleary talked about his close relationship with Paul Davis—up until recently, the Conservative premier of Newfoundland—and how he pressured the former Conservative federal government under Stephen Harper to compensate the province for concessions on fish-processing made as part of the freetrade deal with the European Union. He also talked about his opposition to the extent of influence labour unions have on NDP policy and his support for disaffiliating the federal NDP from provincial branches, explaining that “the federal NDP has an in-it-to-win-it attitude, while the provincial NDP was/is content to serve as a social conscience.” Mr. Cleary said he got along well with federal NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, though he did have “issues with the OLO (Opposition Leader’s Office),” which Mulcair occupied before the last election. New fiction book from Postmedia’s Maher due this summer, oh yeah Former NDP MP Cleary regrets run for PCs in Newfoundland Postmedia’s Stephen Mayer has written a crime thriller that’s due out in August. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright We benefit. Sensible rules for NHPs – Give Canadian consumers safety and choice with sensible rules for NHPs that stop unlicensed internet sales. Former NDP MP Ryan Cleary says he his decision to run for the Progressive Conservatives provincially in Newfoundland caused a ‘public backlash’ that was ‘devastating to my family.’ The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright GMO Labelling – Canadians have a right to know what’s in the food they eat: Mandate GMO labelling! Safe & effective NHPs – look for the NPN. Visit chfa.ca to learn more. Visit chfa.ca to learn more. Former NDP MP Ryan Cleary—who lost two different elections with two different parties within two months—has some regret about his last decision to run for the Progressive Conservative Party in the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial election. Mr. Cleary, who represented the riding of St. John’s-Mount Pearl for the NDP between 2011 and 2015, lost the riding to Liberal Seamus O’Regan in the October federal election. He then chose to run for the Tories in the Nov. 30 Newfoundland election in the riding of Windsor Lake, and was soundly defeated by Liberal candidate Cathy Bennett. The Liberals under Dwight Ball ended Postmedia political journalist Stephen Maher has written a second book coming out later this year about crime and intrigue, and set in Nova Scotia. The book is called Salvage, according to a description on the website of publishing company Dundurn, and will be available in paperback and as a digital download in August. It’s based around a character named Phillip Scarnum who, while sailing along the south coast of Nova Scotia, finds an abandoned lobster boat, which he hauls in, hoping for a hefty salvage fee. However, a dead fisherman, full of bullet holes, ends up washing up on a nearby beach, and police start questioning the main character about it. Some Mexican gangsters who are missing about 100 kilograms of cocaine also take an interest in Mr. Scarnum. Mr. Maher has taken leave from Postmedia as he participates in a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University until June. His first novel was a political thriller called Deadline, released in 2013. Continued on page 34 On Canada’s Side. Sophisticated marine engineering made for our Arctic climate goes into each Coast Guard vessel built by Canada’s defence and security companies. Not only are our ports and channels, from coast to coast to coast, kept safe and secure, but our equipment is used on world-leading expeditions to map and chart the Great North. DEFENCEANDSECURITY.CA IMAGE: CANADIAN COAST GUARD-FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA. 4 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 NEWS SENATE REFORMS Monsef, LeBlanc to reveal Trudeau’s vision for non-partisan Senate, this week Senators eagerly waiting to hear the government’s views on the Senate. Continued from page 1 “We wanted to get it from the government what’s the intention, what’s the long-term purpose, because when you [fundamentally] change … an institution, it has some impact and sometimes, as we say, the law of unintended consequences,” Quebec Liberal Sen. Serge Joyal said in an interview with The Hill Times. “You can have generous intentions, but the way it’s materialized, it’s implemented, might have serious impact in terms of how the institution is operating.” Mr. LeBlanc (Beauséjour, N.B.) and Ms. Monsef (Peterborough-Kawartha, Ont.) are appearing before the Senate’s Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. in Room 160-S of Centre Block on Parliament Hill. The two ministers are appearing at the request of committee members and will offer more details about the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s (Papineau, Que.) vision for the Senate. “We’re interested in learning more about the government’s view of change in the Senate,” Quebec Liberal Sen. Joan Fraser, who is chairwoman of the committee, told The Hill Times. “The Senate is master of its own destiny, but the government is responsible for appointing Senators, and also the whole question of government leadership versus the government representative, and we just thought it would be appropriate to invite them to come and explain to us.” Sen. Fraser said the committee will take the government’s view to account to adjust or change the Senate rules in the coming weeks and months. In the midst of the Senate expenses scandal, Mr. Trudeau booted all Liberal Senators from the national caucus in early 2014, arguing that he wants to make the Senate a non-partisan Chamber. Since becoming Prime Minister after the Oct. 19 election, Mr. Trudeau has taken steps to fill vacant seats in the Upper Chamber with Independent Senators, contrary to traditional Senate appointments based on party affiliation. Mr. Trudeau is slated to appoint at least 26 Senators this year on the recommendation of an independent advisory board. The first five are expected to be appointed late this month or in early March. Cur- rently, the independent advisory board is reviewing applications of potential candidates and is expected to recommend 25 candidates to Mr. Trudeau by Feb. 25, of which he is to select the first five. In the 105-member Red Chamber, there are 45 Conservative Senators, 27 Liberals, 11 Independents, and 22 vacant seats. Manitoba Liberal Sen. Maria Chaput has announced her intention to retire by March 1. Two Liberals and one Conservative—Quebec Liberal Sen. Céline Hervieux-Payette, Toronto Liberal Sen. David Smith, and Quebec Conservative Sen. Michel Rivard—are scheduled to retire later this year. The Trudeau government has announced it will not appoint any Senator to the position of government Senate leader, who has traditionally been responsible to shepherd government legislation, serve as the chief government spokesperson in the Upper Chamber, and answer questions on behalf of the government in the Senate with an annual office budget of about $1-million. Instead, the government has said that one of the first five new Senators will be appointed to the position of government Senate representative, a new position that currently does not exist within Senate rules. The precise role and responsibilities of the government Senate representative were still unclear as of last week. Since the Liberals took over power in early November, there’s no government Senate caucus as the Conservatives are the opposition party and the Liberals are the “third-party” or a “recognized party” in the Chamber. It remains to be seen if the Independent Senators will form a caucus of their own, will join one of the two other parties, or will serve as individuals. The Senate’s Internal Economy Budgets and Administration Committee has set aside an annual budget of $925,000 for the new Senators in case they choose to form their own caucus. According to the current Senate rules, for a caucus to be recognized and receive a budget, it must have at least five Senators. The amount of the budget also depends on the size of the caucus and is determined by the Senate’s Internal Economy Committee. The Conservatives’ annual caucus budget is $1.3-milllion and the Liberals’ annual caucus budget is $1.1-million. According to Senate rules, the government leader gets $80,100 in addition to the regular Senator’s salary of $142,400. Similarly, the opposition leader receives a salary boost of $38,100. Other Senate caucus positions for both the government and opposition—such as deputy leader, whip, deputy whip, Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc, top left, and Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef will appear before the Senate’s Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament Committee on Wednesday to discuss the government’s plans for Senate reform. The Hill Times photographs by Jake Wright and caucus chairperson—also receive additional salaries. Since the Liberal Cabinet was sworn in on Nov. 4, Liberal Senators in leadership positions have only been getting their regular salaries without top-ups because, according to Parliament of Canada Act, there’s no salary for Senators holding leadership positions other than with the government or opposition. Meanwhile, in the absence of more information on how the government wants to reform the Senate, Senators on both sides of the aisle have been awaiting details since the last election. “I have no idea what the government is going to do,” said Saskatchewan Conservative Sen. David Tkachuk, a member of the Senate Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament Committee. “My understanding is from what I know publicly by the Prime Minister and by the House leader that these five [new Senators] people are going to be representatives for the government. I don’t know what kind of party they’re going to be because they can’t be a political party because the Prime Minister doesn’t want political parties. He wants to destroy political parties and he’s calling these Independent Senators. I have no idea how they’re going to operate.” British Columbia Liberal Sen. Mobina Jaffer said she hopes she will get more information about the government’s plans for the Senate. “Now, hopefully, we’ll find out,” said Sen. Jaffer who is also a member of the Senate Rules Committee. “I’m very excited about them coming because they’re coming to explain to us what they’re going to do to the people [Senators] that are most affected. So, it’s nice that we’re now talking to each other as to how we proceed and we’re looking forward to hearing from them what the plans for the Senate are.” Sen. Jaffer said one of the questions she wants to ask the two ministers is how the government will ensure gender equality and diversity in its new appointments. “For me, the most important [point] is that they make sure that when they select [new Senators] that there’s diversity to reflect the new Canada and, secondly, there’s gender parity,” said Sen. Jaffer. All Senators interviewed for this article said that in addition to the members of the Standing Committee, a significant number of other Senators are also expected to attend this meeting as all Senators want to know the government’s views on Senate reform. “It will be the first time that there will be a formal meeting with government representatives and a clear exposé of the government’s intention with the Senators,”said Sen. Joyal. Newfoundland and Labrador Conservative Sen. David Wells, a member of the Senate Rules Committee, declined a comment for this article, saying he wants to hear from the two ministers before offering his opinion. arana@hilltimes.com The Hill Times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McInnis chosen without election A new Senate committee has been formed to make the institution more democratic, though its chairman was selected without a vote from committee members. Continued from page 1 have chosen a chairman without an election when the committee is mandated to find ways of making the Senate more transparent, open, democratic, and accountable. In interviews last week, Nova Scotia Conservative Sen. Stephen Greene and Quebec Liberal Sen. Paul Massicotte told The Hill Times they support the committee chairman, Nova Scotia Conservative Sen. Thomas McInnis, but that the leadership should have let committee members elect their chairperson. Both Senators described Sen. McInnis, a former provincial politician, as a “very good choice” and said he’s “reform-minded” and “fair.” “I support him [but] the process could be better,” Sen. Greene said. Through his assistant, Sen. McInnis declined an interview request. Sen. Massicotte said the election of committee chairs, vice-chairs and committee members is one of the key reform ideas that the Senate Modernization Committee will review in the coming weeks. He said hopefully the committee will approve that in the future, all committee chairpeople and vice-chairpeople should be elected through proper election processes. “That’s one of the things we’ve got to correct,” said Sen. Massicotte.“Some of my colleagues think that until there’s a consensus for change, the old way is acceptable.” Choosing committee chairpeople, vice-chairpeople and membership of high-profile committees such as the powerful Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, is one of the tools that leadership of both the Conservatives and Liberals use to reward and punish Senators to keep them in line. Conservative Senate Leader Claude Carignan (Mille Isles, Que.), in an interview with The Hill Times, said that the Senate Modernization Committee will study the process to choose committee chairs and if the committee comes to the conclusion that it needs to be changed, the Senators can recommend that to the Senate. “The committee will be able to study, to make recommendations about all our procedures, including the process to choose members of committees, and we will see the recommendation of the committee,” said Sen. Carignan. “If they recommend to elect the chair of this committee also, it will be something that they could study and recommend.” The 15-member special committee on Senate Modernization Conservative Senate Leader Claude Carignan (Mille Isles, Que.), in an interview with The Hill Times, said that the Senate Modernization Committee will study the process to choose committee chairs and if the committee comes to the conclusion that it needs to be changed, the Senators can recommend that to the Senate. The Hill Times photograph by Steve Gerecke will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The membership includes nine Conservative Senators, three Liberals and two Independents. At the first meeting, the committee will discuss details related to the overall plan and process that will be used to study Senate modernization. Also, the committee members will officially confirm Sen. McInnis as their chair at this meeting. In the coming weeks, the committee will study all ideas that have come out from Senators over the last few years, including the election of caucus officers; electing chairpeople, vice-chairpeople, and members of standing committees; electing the Speaker; replacing Question Period with “Issues Period”; webcasting and televising Senate proceedings; and a larger communications budget to promote the Senate standing committee reports. The Senate Modernization Committee has been established in response to a motion that was passed in December, which required the committee to file interim reports and a final report by June 1. It remains to be seen if the Committee will be able to complete its work by June. Sen. Massicotte, however, hoped that the committee should complete its work by May so that the Senate could have adequate time to evaluate and endorse its recommendations before Parliament adjourns for the summer recess at the end of June. He said his Senate colleagues and Canadians want to see a concrete path toward Senate reform. “People want to see real results. Most of us feel very strongly that the Senate has to change. The public wants a more modern Senate, a more responsive Senate, a more transparent Senate. Most of us feel that,” he said. Before the committee was announced last week, Sen. Massicotte was one of the Senators from both parties who were openly expressing frustration about the lack of progress on changing the inner workings of the Senate. “Obviously, frustration exists with many Senators,” Sen. Mas- sicotte told The Hill Times three weeks ago. “I’m not demeaning anybody. I just haven’t heard very much and I’m concerned that people are—human nature is being such—resisting change, including the leadership.” A week after that, he wrote an email to Liberal Senators expressing similar sentiments. “I appreciate the uncertainty of our course, but all the more reason to develop a clear understanding of our probable choices and risks, to thereafter define our objectives, strategy and how we would like [to] achieve such. Why let simple destiny choose by default our course, without our possible influence and positioning?” Sen. Massicotte wrote in an email, obtained by The Hill Times, that he sent to his Senate caucus colleagues on Feb. 10. “Related to this broader discussion, I am particularly concerned with our lack of momentum on Senate Reform. In my opinion, it has been neatly delegated to a committee to ‘make it go away’ (at least for now), where the committee is even having problems getting off the ground and where its timetable may very much make it irrelevant. I believe this is in line with the opposition leader’s favour, with our mute consent. Rather, current efforts are moreover oriented to delaying any changes and how to preserve the existing power structure. Agreeably, the status quo is much more comforting and easier to many.Yet the Senate’s best interests and our responsibilities demand otherwise. In my opinion, we need to elevate this debate and need to everyday concern by our leadership and Senators. How best to do so?” Last week, Sen. Carignan told The Hill Times that he had a meeting with Sen. Massicotte recently and provided him with more information and assured him that the Senate leadership is serious about Senate reform. Sen. Massicotte also confirmed that he met with Sen. Carignan and Liberal Senate Leader James Cowan (Nova Scotia) and both assured him that they want to deliver concrete results on Senate reform. Quebec Liberal Sen. Serge Joyal, a member of the Senate Modernization Committee, said that before making any judgment, the committee should be given time to complete its work. He said that he can understand Sen. Massicotte’s frustration, but the process will take time. Sen. Joyal added that he’s optimistic the committee will be able to deliver results to reform the Senate. “I can understand his frustration, but sometimes it takes time before you reach consensus. In the Senate, especially on an issue like that, it’s not preordained by the government. It stems from the Senators themselves,” Sen. Joyal said.“The job of convincing the Senators is up to anyone of us. There has been evolution of minds in the Senate in relation to that, and there’s now a certainly a consensus to adapt the institution to contemporary needs and to make sure that the institution satisfy its constitutional role.” Before Sen. Massicotte’s public expression of frustration, three Conservative and Liberal Senators had quit their caucuses in disappointment over lack of progress on Senate reform and are now sitting as Independents. Earlier this month, Sen. Ringuette announced that she was resigning from the Senate Liberal caucus, and before that, New Brunswick Conservative Sen. John Wallace and Quebec Conservative Sen. Jacques Demers resigned from their caucuses in November and December, respectively. “Individually, a lot of people on both sides of the current sitting situation in the Senate have been trying for more change, but for one reason or another, it seems that we’re still in this status quo. It’s not good enough for me and it’s not good enough in regards to the aspirations of the Canadian people or the institution,” Sen. Ringuette told The Hill Times earlier this month. arana@hilltimes.com The Hill Times Competition guarantees the best for Canada. For Canada’s next-generation fighter, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is ready now for service through 2040. The best overall solution. Combat-proven. A balanced approach to survivability. Plus firm pricing and schedule. With 100% benefit to Canadian industry. To ensure the very best for all of Canada, which competition guarantees. F/A-18E/F SUPER HORNET RAYTHEON NORTHROP GRUMMAN GENERAL ELECTRIC BOEING 8 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 Publishers Anne Marie Creskey, Jim Creskey, Ross Dickson Editor Kate Malloy Deputy Editor Derek Abma Online Editor, Power & Influence Editor Bea Vongdouangchanh General Manager, CFO Andrew Morrow EDITORIAL HOUSE SITTINGS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR MPs should be sitting more, not less in House of Commons Parliament isn’t ‘just’ there to hear constituents: Lib MP Fisher T R his year, the House of Commons has 26 break weeks, or constituency weeks, and 26 sitting weeks in Ottawa, which works out to be about 130 sitting days a year. It’s not a lot of sitting days. As well, MPs are talking about cutting out Friday sittings altogether. But if they do away with Friday sittings, our federal legislators who take three-month summer breaks and five or six week Christmas breaks, should sit a few more weeks a year in December and January and they could be accomplishing so much more. “I think getting rid of Fridays is a good idea because a lot of legislatures do that, but if you get rid of Fridays, get rid of some of the break weeks as well,” Carleton University professor Gary Levy, the former longtime editor of the Canadian Parliamentary Review and a former Library of Parliament researcher who worked on several parliamentary committees over the years, told The Hill Times. “The numbers they have now of break weeks, I think, is obscene, frankly.” The House Affairs Committee, meanwhile, is looking at the merits of doing away with Friday sittings, among other reforms, but, as Prof. Levy told The Hill Times, MPs should re-examine their overall use of time in Ottawa. “The MPs will tell you they work hard during break weeks and they hate when you call it a holiday, but it is a holiday from Parliament. They go out into the constituencies and they have all kinds of meetings and they’re very busy and they work hard, I don’t deny that, but it’s a holiday from their parliamentary duties and I think that’s a problem,” he said. The most number of days the House sat in a year in the last decade was 129 days, EDITORIAL ASSISTANT DEPUTY EDITOR Abbas Rana NEWS REPORTERS Tim Naumetz, Rachel Aiello, and Laura Ryckewaert PHOTOGRAPHERS Steve Gerecke, Jake Wright, and Andrew Meade EDITORIAL CARTOONIST Michael De Adder CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Denis Calnan, Simon Doyle, Christopher Guly, Leslie MacKinnon, and Cynthia Münster COLUMNISTS Keith Brooks, Karl Bélanger, Andrew Cardozo, John Chenier, David Coletto, Sheila Copps, David Crane, Murray Dobbin, Michael Geist, Greg he said, and many years it’s been less than 100. By comparison, in the 1980s, in a normal year, the House sat about 160 days. That’s a big decline over the last 30 years. Moreover, Prof. Levy said he thinks the patchy House calendar this year is “detrimental to the legislative process,” which will lead to more obstruction and more use of time allocation to avoid and delay. As well, he said with parties now in permanent campaign mode, constituency weeks are also a “huge advantage to incumbents” and have already encouraged parties without representation in certain ridings “to set up alternate structures,” like the NDP’s satellite offices in Montreal and Saskatchewan. He’s right. The Procedure and House Affairs Committee is currently studying“initiatives toward a family-friendly House of Commons,”including potentially removing Friday sitting days and reallocating those hours to a four-day week with one double sitting day, prompted by a motion tabled by Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc on Jan. 28. Acting House of Commons Clerk Marc Bosc suggested to MPs on Feb. 2 three areas the House Affairs Committee could explore, including the timing of votes, the days and times of sittings, and the impact of not sitting Fridays, as well as the possible usefulness of a parallel Chamber as exists in the U.K., for example. It makes sense to eliminate the Friday sittings in order for MPs to get to travel to far-flung ridings and to have more family time, but as Prof. Levy rightfully pointed out, MPs should also consider the use of time as a whole, not just the so-called family friendly aspect. And as it stands, there are too many break weeks. MPs should change that in 2017. Elmer, Alice Funke, J.L. Granatstein, Éric Grenier, Dennis Gruending, Cory Hann, Tim Harper, Chantal Hébert, Jenn Jefferys, David T. Jones, Joe Jordan, Warren Kinsella, Camille Labchuk, Gillian McEachern, Arthur Milnes, Nancy Peckford, Kate Purchase, Tim Powers, Michael Qaqish, Jeremy Richler, Susan Riley, Ken Rubin, Sarah Schmidt, Evan Sotiropoulos, Rick Smith, Ian Wayne, Nelson Wiseman, and Armine Yalnizyan ADVERTISING VP OF ADVERTISING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Don Turner ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Amanda Keenan e: “Number of break weeks ‘obscene’ ‘MPs should re-evaluate use of time,’ says parliamentary expert,” (The Hill Times, Feb. 15, p. 1). I may be a rookie MP, but I’ve been an “on the ground” municipal councillor for the better part of a decade. The majority of politicians I have met take their jobs very seriously. In Laura Ryckewaert’s story Prof. Gary Levy called constituency weeks a “holiday from… parliamentary duties.” I’m sure many MPs wish constituency weeks were akin to holidays. In the article, Prof. Levy used the antiquated term “break week” when constituency weeks are anything but. Admittedly, in the beginning I expected that constituency weeks would allow for life/work balance. I thought I would have time for the office and more time for my wife and two children. I still miss family time and events even though I am in the riding. During constituency weeks we still have many of our parliamentary duties on top of constituency work. Committee prep doesn’t go away. Hard work on private members’ bills and research still takes place. We have numerous meetings with constituents, events to attend and never-ending outreach. That’s the way it’s Conservatives anything but dead W hen Justin Trudeau in an interview with an influential BBC current affairs show in London right after his stunning election victory said, “I left them in the dust,” this was more impulsive optimism than reality. Not quite! Actually, Mr. Trudeau won his majority with 39 per cent of the vote, precisely as did prime minister Stephen Harper in 2008, which means that 60 per cent of voters did not vote for the Liberals. The truth is Mr. Harper left his party in very good shape and in so doing has restored normal politics to Canada by building the Conservative Party as a credible alternative to the Liberal Party who like to think of themselves as the ruling party in Canada. Who could ever say that 70 years of Liberal rule in our short history is healthy democracy. It’s about as healthy as the Communist Party ruling the Soviet Union for 74 years. The Conservatives have more than a few reasons to be optimistic. Mr. Harper has clearly distinguished himself from John Diefenbaker and Brian Mulroney who both left the Conservatives devastated. The Conservatives received nearly 32 per cent of the vote and still have a healthy 99 seats in Parliament. Dark economic realities are already clouding the “sunny ways” agenda of the new government. Sagging oil prices and a low loonie will reduce revenue for the DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Steve Macdonald CORPORATE ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Craig Caldbick, Martin Reaume, Ulle Baum PRODUCTION PRODUCTION MANAGER Benoit Deneault SENIOR GRAPHIC, ONLINE DESIGNER Joey Sabourin JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Melanie Brown WEB DESIGNER Kobra Amirsardari ADMINISTRATION supposed to be. The good MPs work hard in Ottawa, but by the time they get back to their constituency—the meetings have piled up and their schedules are crammed. An MP is split between Ottawa and their constituency—and our house schedule reflects that adequately this year. In the article, Prof. Levy stated that the view of Parliament “is just there to hear your constituents”—and he disapproved. If you aren’t listening and engaging your constituents you cannot act on their behalf. I don’t want to be a “leap year” politician, who’s only seen every four years looking for votes. I want to be part of my community. Sure, Parliament isn’t “just” there to hear constituents. During constituency weeks we engage the public—we listen. Then we evaluate,we research, and we take action in Ottawa based on that outreach. Effectively, we bring our constituents’ voices to Ottawa. That’s the job. Although Parliament isn’t just in existence to hear constituents—it is there solely for them. As MPs we cannot forget that human aspect—this job is about the people. Liberal MP Darren Fisher Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, N.S. FINANCE/ADMINISTRATION Tracey Wale RECEPTION Alia Kellock Heward Liberals making it much more difficult for them to keep some of their irresponsible election promises. Hardly seems the right time to institute a national carbon reduction strategy. The cost of the Syrian refugee resettlement pledge was supposed to be $200-million but will likely come in at three or four times that amount. Mr. Trudeau’s blind commitment to all 94 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for First Nations could prove very expensive. Higher deficits, payroll taxes, carbon taxes and increased income taxes will be needed to finance irresponsible promises. Mr. Trudeau will provide a gold mine of ammunition for a capable Conservative opposition with his mistaken, shortsighted and reckless management of the finances of the nation and the government’s non-existent foreign policy. The new government has hurt seniors and families by cutting the tax-free savings account level in half and eliminating the universal child care benefit. Conservatives must resist the temptation to go back to “Progressive” Conservatism, learn from mistakes made in the election, regain votes from Canada’s major cities and continue to embrace sound economic and security policies and prove they are “a government in waiting.” Gerald Hall Nanoose Bay, B.C. DELIVERY INQUIRIES circulation@hilltimes.com 613-688-8822 CIRCULATION SALES MANAGER Chris Peixoto PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY BY HILL TIMES PUBLISHING INC. 69 Sparks Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5A5 (613) 232-5952 Fax (613) 232-9055 Canadian Publications Mail Agreement No. 40068926 • www.hilltimes.com The Hill Times also relies weekly on the valuable research of the Library of Parliament. Please send letters to the editor to the above street address or e-mail to news@hilltimes.com. Deadline is Wednesday at noon, Ottawa time. Please include your full name, address and daytime phone number. The Hill Times reserves the right to edit letters. Letters do not reflect the views of The Hill Times. Thank you. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40068926 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: CIRCULATION DEPT. 69 Sparks Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 5A5 CMCA AUDITED 2012 Better Newspaper Winner 9 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 COPPS’ CORNER TOM MULCAIR Mulcair may have difficulty staying out of the numbers game If it takes more than two-thirds of a party to affirm a leader, how can you not ask the same for a country? SHEILA COPPS O TTAWA—New Democratic Leader Tom Mulcair may have difficulty staying out of the numbers game. He is doing his best to avoid the trap, saying he will work to secure the support of all party members. But Mulcair may not have a choice, with NDP Party President Rebecca Blaikie tossing around a challenge even more onerous than the one that sunk former Conservative leader, ousted prime minister Joe Clark. When the party president cites a number, the die is cast. No one can blame Mulcair for staying away from the numbers game. Many before him have suffered from that fatal mistake. But it also begs the question on the silent killer of sitting New Democrats in the last election. Why does it take 70 per cent of a party to affirm a leader and only 50 per cent to break up a country? Mulcair’s orchestration of the Sherbrooke Declaration and the killing of the Clarity Act was a deadly electoral mistake in most of the country, except Quebec. It was the one error he did not even mention in recent interviews providing an autopsy of his own mistakes. Mulcair’s biggest challenge will be to re-establish socialist credentials. The voting public may prefer the moderate middle. But the New Democratic Party base tilts definitely leftward. Party insiders are not very happy about an election where their leader deliberately positioned the platform to the right of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. Mulcair acknowledges that mistake, saying it was his decision to play it safe, an electoral choice that turned out to be fatal. He also says he has cleaned house. Some of his longest-serving allies have headed West to work for Premier Rachel Notley. That is hardly a demotion, but a recognition that those who have tasted the potential sweetness of power actually want to work in government. Languishing for four more years in a rebuilding mode on the federal scene is certainly not as attractive as actually delivering policy today. Mulcair has his own nemesis out in Alberta with former rival Brian New Democratic Leader Tom Mulcair may have difficulty staying out of the numbers game. He is doing his best to avoid the trap, saying he will work to secure the support of all party members. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Topp running the operation for Premier Notley and recruiting the castoffs from the good ship Mulcair. They have a good three years to hone their governing skills in Alberta with the hope of coming back to be part of a winning national team in the next election. Meanwhile, if Mulcair really wants to dig deep, he has to acknowledge a couple of flaws in his own post-election post mortem. The leader put a tremendous amount of emphasis on his principled stand in favour of the niqab, pointing to insider polling that saw his party drop 20 points overnight. For sure the decision hurt, but the winning party also had the same position. So reading too much into that call is not borne out by overall election results. Mulcair’s statements on the niqab were more pointed than those of Justin Trudeau. But his speaking style in general was more aggressive. Trudeau ran a very positive campaign, while Mulcair admitted his lawyerly rational approach was not appreciated. It goes deeper than that. And that is why the referendum question cannot be overlooked when New Democrats reflect on their choice for future leader. Mulcair was the architect of the Sherbrooke Declaration, which became his way of demonstrating to nationalist Quebecers that he was one of them. That is probably why they were so shocked to witness his support for multiculturalism by way of the niqab. They knew the Liberals were strong supporters of multiculturalism, so the Grit head-covering stance was expected. But not so for Mulcair, who was supposed to be “one of them.” Nowhere was the nationalist streak more visible than when Mulcair attacked Trudeau’s father for his position on the War Measures Act. The timing couldn’t have been worse, as it was the anniversary of Pierre Trudeau’s death, and Justin hit him right between the eyes on that, and on the number that Trudeau considered definitive for referendum purposes. Nine Supreme Court judges validated the Clarity Act and contradicted Mulcair. Most anglophone Canadians who could remember supported Trudeau’s 1970 actions. By attacking him and by vowing to repeal the Clarity Act, Mulcair lost seats in Atlantic Canada and Ontario that otherwise might have survived the purge. By refusing to reflect on the problem that he created with the Sherbrooke Declaration, Mulcair ignores a big factor in his defeat. If it takes more than twothirds of a party to affirm a leader, how can you not ask the same for a country? Sheila Copps is a former deputy prime minister and a former Jean Chrétien-era Cabinet minister. She is a registered lobbyist. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times POST-PARTISAN PUNDIT MANNING CONFERENCE Conservative activists and thinkers are back in Ottawa, congregating this week for the annual Manning Centre Conference, hosted by Preston Manning, pictured. If you’ve never heard of it, the Manning Conference is an event where people on the right side of the ideological spectrum meet to discuss and debate everything from mundane political tactics to lofty philosophical ideals. The Hill My conservative manifesto Not that long ago, Conservatives, stinging from electoral defeat and unceremoniously dumped from power, staged an agonizing retreat from our nation’s capital. But now they’re back. GERRY NICHOLLS O AKVILLE, ONT.—Not that long ago, Conservatives, stinging from electoral defeat and unceremoniously dumped from power, staged an agonizing retreat from our nation’s capital. But now they’re back. Or at least conservative activists and thinkers are back in Ottawa, congregating this week for the annual Manning Centre Conference. If you’ve never heard of it, the Manning Conference is an event where people on the right side of the ideological spectrum meet to discuss and debate everything from mundane political tactics to lofty philosophical ideals. And oh yeah, there’s also tons of gossiping. At any rate, one topic that’s sure to get lots of play at this year’s Manning Conference is the future of the once mighty Conservative Party. After all, as the Conservatives prepare for the hard work of rising up from the ashes, thinkers and activists who support the party will need to ask themselves lots of key questions. Questions such as: What will the Conservative Party stand for? What values will it represent? What will be its priorities? Should the next Conservative leader take lots of selfies? What I’m trying to say here is, activists must help the party define and articulate a modern, 21st century brand of “conservatism.” And since we’re talking about a political party here, they also need to come up with a brand of conservatism that’s not only true to its ideological principles, but which is also capable of winning enough broad public support to win elections. Is such a balance between principle and politics achievable? Absolutely. Ronald Reagan’s Republicans; Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives, Mike Harris’ Progressive Conservatives—all these parties won elections by running on strong, principled conservative platforms So it can be done. And for what’s its worth (which is probably not a lot) I’d like to offer my own suggestions as to what a Conservative Party should bring to the table in terms of its values. It’s actually a simple five-point manifesto: •A Conservative Party should place the power of the individual over the power of government. •A Conservative Party should promote free markets and free speech. •A Conservative Party should advocate for government that is smaller, less costly, and less intrusive. •A Conservative Party should support a strong, well-equipped military. •A Conservative Party should oppose too much government interference and regulation in businesses and in our individual lives. In my view, these are conservative values Canadians will Times photograph by Jake Wright support, these are values which will help the Conservative Party win the next election and, most importantly, these are values which will make Canada a better, freer, more prosperous place. Will every conservative out there agree with my take? Of course not. Elements exist within the conservative movement and within the party which will have a different vision as to what constitutes “true” conservatism. Some will argue conservatism is more about imposing moral values than it is about individualism, others will claim conservatives must embrace Liberal-style big government economic policies, still others will equate conservatism with fanning the flames of populist resentment. That’s fine. Debate is healthy and should be encouraged. Yet, I know where I stand in any such debate: I stand for individualism, I stand for tolerance, and I stand for free markets. Indeed, I believe now more than ever Canada needs a principled Conservative Party in Ottawa, which will present a stark and clear ideological alternative to the left-wing, pro-big government, big spending Liberals. So to all you conservatives attending the Manning Centre Conference, please keep my five points in mind when pondering the future. If activists don’t stand up for true conservative principles and values, then who will? Gerry Nicholls is a communications consultant. www.gerrynicholls.com news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times 10 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 IMPOLITIC NDP Mulcair may survive, but for how long? While Tom Mulcair may prevail in April, a less than 70 per cent endorsement will be seen as tepid, or provisional. Whether he is the one to lead his party into the next election in four years will become a matter of constant, covert conversation. SUSAN RILEY G ATINEAU, QUE.—Politics is a cruel and unusual business. It squanders too much attention on colourful clowns. It prefers charm, or novelty, to depth and experience. It rewards sloganspouting bullies and undervalues kindness, intelligence and quiet competence. Most politicians, no matter how impressive their resumes, emerge from years in office with their reputations diminished—in tatters, even—until history recasts them in a more flattering light. Unlike other professions, the longer you’ve been around, the less welcome you may be. (Ask Jean Chrétien. See Jim Prentice.) None of this bodes well for Thomas Mulcair. In April, the New Democratic Party leader must apply for his job all over again at a federal party convention in Edmonton, the first since the NDP’s devastating collapse in October. It seems unfair, but Mulcair’s long experience in public life will count for little—indeed, it could be held against him. He will look, in an era of fresh faces, too familiar. Nonetheless, early speculation is that he will survive the mandatory leadership review, largely because no serious challenger has yet emerged. He may also benefit from the weary indifference of lifelong New Democrats, like columnist and pundit Gerry Caplan, who confessed recently that he doesn’t care what happens in Edmonton. Like many party veterans, Caplan chides Mulcair for running a cautious, conservative and uninspiring campaign—for ceding Jack Layton’s moving deathbed message (“Love is better than hanger. Hope is better than fear.”) to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. But most of Mulcair’s critics are silent for now, too broken-hearted, perhaps, to push for change. Meanwhile, Mulcair has offered what is advertised as an apology—an acknowledgement, at least, that the campaign failed and that he bears responsibility. But he doesn’t say what, exactly, went wrong. In fact, he reports “a strong feeling that the campaign we put together can be repeated. We got very close—closer than we’ve ever been—and people are convinced it is there for us the next time.” This does not sound promising. In fact, this is delusional. The NDP’s problem was not “messaging,” as some have argued. It certainly wasn’t the leader’s work ethic; he, and his wife, were everywhere. And Mulcair can discourse articulately and insightfully on the problems facing the country; he is far more precise and confident, still, than Justin Trudeau. It certainly wasn’t the beard— although Mulcair’s personal style does not scream “generational change.” (As he has pointed out, American progressives are currently enthralled with a 74-year-old Senator from Vermont, who isn’t exactly a newcomer to politics.) The reason the NDP failed was a lack of originality, hope and daring—in their campaign iconography and in their message. What did they propose to do about climate change—and why did they rarely mention it? Why did they oppose Trudeau’s modest income tax hike on the richest Canadians in favour of a corporate tax hike? Why not both? And, when Mulcair refused to participate in any debate—including the big, English-language network debate—unless Stephen Harper did, he only looked arrogant; more interested in bigfooting the prime minister than in talking to Canadians. Nor is there any indication, in the first weeks of the new Parliament, that Mulcair is about to change his style, or his preoccupations. If anything, he is comfortably settling into the NDP’s traditional role: national scold, humourless fault-finder, perpetual outsider. Mulcair’s prosecutorial style in Question Period was effective against the cold and authoritarian Stephen Harper, but it works less well against Trudeau’s feel-good Liberals. The two parties are closer on the issues, too. Is Mulcair going to lambast the Liberals for running larger-than-expected deficits, after Mulcair’s no-deficit pledge during the campaign disillusioned so many in his own party? Even his attack on Trudeau’s much-delayed policy on ISIS— withdraw the planes, triple the number of advisors, significantly increase humanitarian aid—falls short. Mulcair insists on an “exit strategy” where none is possible; he barely acknowledges the $1-billion in new humanitarian aid, long an NDP preoccupation; he belabours the distinction between “combat” and “non-combat” as if the war on ISIS was unfolding at a university debating club. The Conservative opposition is hitting false notes, too—complaining about Liberal interference in National Energy Board decisions, for instance, is pretty rich—but interim leader Rona Ambrose, less fierce but no less pointed, is doing at least as well as Mulcair. The reason Tom Mulcair’s NDP failed was a lack of originality, hope and daring—in their campaign iconography and in their message. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright While Mulcair may prevail in April, a less than 70 per cent endorsement will be seen as tepid, or provisional. Whether he is the one to lead his party into the next election in four years will become a matter of constant, covert conversation. The Liberals are not invulnerable and a winsome smile will only carry them for so long. But, for now, Mulcair’s intense, combative personality is a liability against this youthful, idealistic, buggy crowd—a government less concerned with policy detail than with marketing hope. Unfortunately for Mulcair, his job description has changed underneath him. But that’s politics. Susan Riley is a veteran political columnist who write regularly for The Hill Times. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times IN PROGRESS CPP REFORM CPP expansion crucial test for new finance minister Canadians can’t afford another four years of ragging the puck on pension reform. New numbers, released last week by the Broadbent Institute, show us why. SARAH SCHMIDT O TTAWA—During the Harper years, we got used to hearing the well-worn line about why now was not the time to expand the Canada Pension Plan. The economy was still too fragile, the Conservatives told us over and over again—leaving the distinct impression that the economy, even if firing on all cylinders, would just never be quite strong enough to move on increasing CPP contributions and payouts. So you can imagine how Canadians who voted for change felt when they woke up in December to these headlines following Liberal Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s first meeting with his provincial counterparts: “Finance ministers go slow on CPP reform as economic concerns bite,” reported CBC. “Trudeau government wimps out on Canada Pension Plan reform,” bellowed The Toronto Star, noting the Liberals had campaigned during the same sluggish economy on a promise of enhancing CPP. A mere seven weeks later, Morneau is striking a different tone, saying CPP enhancements are coming “this calendar year.” We don’t know if these mixed-messages reflect a communications failure on the part of a rookie finance minister still trying to find his groove. And it’s too early to tell if the impression Morneau left in December reflects the government’s thinking or if his more recent musings do. What we do know is Canadians can’t afford another four years of ragging the puck on pension reform. New numbers, released last week by the Broadbent Institute, show us why. Statistician Richard Shillington has been studying poverty and the design of social supports for seniors for over 30 years. The Institute commissioned him to look at an under-studied cohort of Canadians—near-retirees aged 55 to 64 without an employer pension. Drawing on the most recent data available from Statistics Canada, what Shillington discovered is alarming. Among this group of Canadians nearing retirement with no accrued employer pension benefits—representing about half or 47 per cent of this cohort—the median value of their retirement assets is just over $3,000. If that number doesn’t shock you, consider this: among those earning between $25,000 and $50,000, the median value of their retirement assets is just $250. Those earning between $50,000 and $100,000 are doing better, but not nearly well enough, with median retirement assets totalling $21,000. With these numbers, it’s little wonder over half of Canadians aged 55 to 64 without a workplace pension—55 per cent—have savings that represent less than one year’s worth of the resources they need to supplement government programs, namely Old Age Security (OAS), Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and the Canada Pension Plan/Quebec Pension Plan. And fewer than 20 per cent have enough savings to support the supplemented resources required for at least five years. Already, the seniors’ poverty rate in Canada stands at 11.1 per cent, up from 3.9 per cent in 1995. The situation is particularly dire among single seniors—28 per cent of single female seniors and 24 per cent of single male seniors are living in poverty. Just imagine what the poverty rate among seniors will be in 20 years if this cohort of near-retirees moves into retirement without an enhanced CPP and improved government benefits. Imagine the effects on the economy if the purchasing power of seniors plummets along with their financial security. According to Statistics Canada, seniors are projected to represent between 23 and 25 per cent of the population by 2036, up from 14 per cent in 2009. Back in 2013, before Morneau entered politics—while serving as an executive at Morneau Shepell, a human resources consulting company and the largest administrator of retirement and benefits plans in Canada—he co-authored The Real Retirement: Why You Could Be Better Off Than You Think, and How to Make That Happen. Following the December meeting of Canadian finance ministers, The Toronto Star’s Thomas Walkom pointed out that in the book, Morneau writes, “there is no retirement crisis in Canada, that the elderly may work past 65 if their pensions are skimpy and that most seniors can live perfectly well on 50 per cent of their pre-retirement income.” Walkom posited that “this may explain his laissez faire approach to the CPP. But it isn’t exactly what his party and leader campaigned on.” Seven weeks later, Morneau is sounding less laissez faire. Let’s wait and see what he sounds like in June when he meets again with provincial ministers to discuss CPP. Here’s to hoping we don’t hear Tory talking points about why a sluggish economy means we need to push off enhancing CPP. Again. Sarah Schmidt is the director of communications for the Broadbent Institute. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times 11 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 FEATURE PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS ‘It’s a very small building, but it’s very rich,’ new Hill space opens with Sir John A. Macdonald Building addition There’s now an extra 33,400 squarefeet of space for Parliamentarians. Before construction, it was simply an empty courtyard with some parking space beside the Old Bank of Montreal building. Now it’s so much more. BY LAURA RYCKEWAERT T here’s some new square footage available on the Hill with the new addition to the historic Sir John A. Macdonald Building, which includes a multi-purpose room and was designed to be a contemporary, modern match to the main heritage hall, say architects involved in its design. “It’s a very small building, but it’s very rich,” said David Clusiau, a senior principal at NORR Ltd., who was head of the building design team. The final product, specifically the glass atrium connecting the new infill addition to the heritage building, came together even better than expected, he said. “The glass roof is supported on glass blades, glass beams. … It casts this series of bands across the whole façade of either the existing building or the new, depending on the time of day, and it is stunning,” he said. “Even if you’re walking down the street and peek in at the right time, you’ll see it. It’s pretty dramatic.” “We always did the glass for this idea of an outdoor space, but not recognizing that the structure itself would create this beautiful pattern on that wall; that is a pretty neat discovery.” Previously the Old Bank of Montreal building—and originally the bank’s main Ottawa branch, built between 1930 and 1932—the building at 144 Wellington St. was renamed in January 2012. Construction on the Sir John A. Macdonald Building began a few months later in April 2012 and included asbestos removal, stripping back the old interior including teller booths, seismic upgrades, masonry restoration, replacing electrical and other systems, and the construction of a new two-storey infill addition in a courtyard to the west of the building. The renovation cost about $99-million and is part of Public Service’s plan to fix up the entire parliamentary precinct. The building has been a classified heritage space since 1986 and was used as a bank until 2005. EllisDon Corp. was awarded the contract for construction management for the building, while NORR was awarded the main design contract and worked with MTBA Associates Inc., which focuses on heritage conservation. Mark Brandt, senior conservation architect at MTBA, said his job was to ensure the design of the new addition “was in harmony” with the original building, meaning it needed to be “physically and visually compatible with, subordinate to and distinguishable from” it. “We don’t want to make it like Disney World and just kind of do the same architecture over again,” he said. The addition, with limestone and bronze dominating its façade, was intended to be an expression of “its own time,” said Mr. Brandt, but with a similar “big stone box” look as the original building. Complimenting an historic space is “much harder when you’re putting an addition on, like, a Greek temple, which the original building is,” said Mr. Brandt. While it was a “huge concern” whether the addition would blend with the street-scape, he’s happy with the result. Construction wrapped up last spring, and the building was officially handed over to the House of Commons administration for management in the summer. It opened for use in September. Since then, about 50 events have been held in the building, including orientation sessions for new MPs, ministerial briefings, and legislative associations have also met in the space. Already, the renovation of the building and the design of its addition have been lauded by Canada’s architectural community with four awards, including the National Trust for Canada 2015 Cornerstone Award for Heritage Rehabilitation/ Adaptive Use and the City of Ottawa 2015 Urban Design Award for Excellence of Urban Infill—Low Rise. Overall, the building has been renovated to replace West Block’s old Confederation Room as the go-to spot for special parliamentary and ceremonial events on the Hill. The addition serves as the main entrance through which Hill visitors enter the building, as it’s where the security screening is set-up. It also includes space for the “support functions” required for The glass atrium of the new addition that connects to the main hall is pictured. The twostorey addition sits between the historic Sir John A. Macdonald building and the National Press Theatre, previously an empty courtyard with some parking. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright the building to function like a conference facility, such as food storage and new bathrooms. It also includes a loading dock facing Wellington Street, which is easy for pedestrians to miss behind bronze doors that match the overall façade. “It’s got such a prominent location across from Parliament Hill, we couldn’t just create an ordinary loading dock. We had to do it in a very discreet manner,” said Mr. Clusiau. It’s now an extra 33,400 square-feet of space for Parliamentarians. Before construction, it was simply an empty courtyard with some parking space beside the old bank, largely blocked from view by a screen wall. “It fills in a missing tooth in the streetscape of Wellington. … We were able to fill that in with something that I think is quite complimentary to the buildings on either side,” Mr. Clusiau said. A glass atrium connects the two-storey addition to the original building and serves as a lobby for building guests to mingle as they enter. The atrium was designed as an all-glass enclosure, with glass walls to the north and south, and a glass ceiling supported by glass beams, allowing the original eastern exterior of the Sir John A. Macdonald Building to still be visible, including from street view. Glass technology has come a long way in the last 10 to 15 years, said Mr. Brandt, and it’s a“very exciting time for glass in architecture.” Bronze wall-length panels along the back west wall of the atrium can be moved to accommodate food serving stations or tables. Large doorways connect the atrium to the gold-toned and limestone- and marble-filled heritage hall. Up stairs wrapped around a large, red Cape Breton marble slab, on the top floor of the addition is a large multi-purpose room that can fit as many as 200 people, with a “crush room” in front featuring a large floor to ceiling window facing the Hill. On the right is a smaller multi-purpose space (including a kitchenette), built above and into the old heritage building. As well, the addition is topped with a green roof. “It’s got a million-dollar view looking out over the Parliament buildings,” said Mr. Brandt of the addition’s view. lryckewaert@hilltimes.com The Hill Times 12 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 THE WAR ROOM MEDIA PARTY Where’s Ezra when I need him? Ezra Levant likes to rail against the Media Party, but where is he in my fight against André Marin? WARREN KINSELLA T ORONTO—It being Lent and all, I was canvassing Scripture and— bear with me here—I was reminded of Ezra Levant and his Rebels. Rona Ambrose may think she is the leader of the opposition, but she isn’t. Ezra is. As a lawyer, a political assistant, a magazine publisher, a newspaper columnist, a TV talk-show host, Ezra has always done one thing: get under the skin of the purportedly progressive establishment. If you are a Liberal, a New Democrat, or a “Progressive” Conservative—if you work for the CBC or The Toronto Star or a gov- ernment—the chances are pretty good that Ezra has taken a run at you. He’s good at it. Over the years, Ezra and I have (briefly) been friends, and we have (mostly) hated each other’s guts. He’s sued me, I’ve sued him. He’s gone after me professionally, I’ve done likewise. It’s been nasty. In 2011, however, our mutual friend Kory Teneycke was starting up Sun News Network, and he wanted us on it. But not if Ezra and I were going to keep fighting with each other. So we agreed to stop fighting. We didn’t become besties and start hanging out together, naturally, but we laid down our arms. He did his thing, I did mine. Now, this is where the Bible stuff comes in. Pay attention. On two occasions, I have tried to be a good Catholic, and I have come to Ezra’s defence. Almost exactly three years ago, then, Ezra went on TV and said various horrible things about the Roma people. Or, as he called them, gypsies. Among other things, he said the Roma “a culture synonymous with swindlers…one of the central characteristics of that culture is that their chief economy is theft and begging.” He went on like that for a while. Now, I’m married to a person who is Roma. I’m not neutral on the subject. But when I learned that the attorney general of Ontario was getting close to having Ezra (and likely Kory) charged criminally— for on-air promotion of hatred against an identifiable group—I intervened. Instead of being on spring break vacation with my wife and kids, I spent hours on the telephone trying to calm the waters. And get Ezra to apologize on-air, which, eventually, he and Sun News did. No charges laid, Ezra doesn’t go to jail. Fast-forward three years, to example number two. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley takes leave of her senses, and decides she is going to pick a fight with Ezra and his Rebel TV online start-up thing. She is going to bar him and his ersatz rebellion from press conferences. Now, Ezra likes to call guys like me “the Media Party.” He says, over and over, that most of Canada’s journalists and editors aren’t media—they’re an actual lefty political party, conspiring to impose a One World Latte Government, human rights commissions, political correctness, Volvos, and month-long Sean Penn film festivals. The Media Party, in other words. Well, guess what? When socialist overlord Rachel Notley made her dumb decision, guess who rallied to the defence of Ezra and the Rebel TV gang?Yep. Me. On my website, on Twitter, on Facebook, in various media interviews, I angrily said that governments shouldn’t ever decide who is a journalist—and that they should leave Ezra and Co. alone. After a day or so of this, the Alberta NDP executed a whiplash-inducing reversal. Ezra would be allowed in. At this point, you are probably wondering (a) why I kicked off this column with the biblical references and (b) why I went to the wall for Ezra et al. Well, on the latter point, I’m kind of wondering the same thing myself, but here’s why. Ontario’s now-former ombudsman, Andre Marin, doesn’t like me. There’s a reason for that. In the past, I’ve been pretty critical of Marin because I thought he was a vain, thin-skinned bully. Because I thought he didn’t act like a representative of the legislature, he acted like a six-year-old with a bad temper. Because Marin and his senior team have been the subject of several human rights complaints, all settled with secrecy agreements. Because he used public money to buy himself wide-screen TVs for his home and body wash and whatnot. Because he has given contracts worth a quarter million dollars to a friend. And because he—a quasi-judicial officer of the legislature, with more power than any judge or MPP—repeatedly acted like a child on social media. After I voiced those criticisms, Marin went after me at the Law Society of Upper Canada. I’m a lawyer, and Marin and his acolytes apparently want me disbarred. For being, you know, critical of Marin. Because I’m fighting them off all on my lonesome, I have reluctantly asked for help. Some folks have made donations to a puny legal defence fund, and some have spoken up on my behalf. I’m grateful to them. But from Ezra and the Rebels— the ones who, you know, talk about the importance of free speech all the time? The ones who I have gone to the proverbial wall to defend? Nada. Zero, zippo, zilch. Not a peep. They refuse to say a word— a single word—in the Marin v. Kinsella battle, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the Notley v. Levant battle, which leads me to my biblical analogy, and to my conclusion. The Rebel folks demand crucifixion. And, when they get it, they always complain about the view. And, if you’re up there too, being crucified with them? Well, too bad, so sad. You’re the Media Party. Warren Kinsella is a Torontobased lawyer, author, and commentator. He has been a special assistant to prime minister Jean Chrétien. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times OPINION BIOTECHNOLOGY Canada’s biotechnology industry ready to take centre stage, now Now is the time to explore measures that will support and reward innovation and entrepreneurship. With a competitive innovation agenda and accompanying hosting conditions, Canada’s biotechnology industry is well positioned to build on its natural strengths to become a global leader and support Canada’s economic competitiveness more broadly. ANDREW CASEY W ith the Canadian dollar and the price of oil hitting historical lows it is not surprising that while at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about Canada’s economic prospects in the face of this economic headwind. Trudeau quite correctly noted Canada’s economic strength lies in its diversity, which includes being home to great science and innovation, which has led to the development of a world leading biotech sector. This represents an important recognition of the biotechnology sector as both a stand-alone economic engine but also one which can be the catalyst for Canada’s global economic competitiveness. The world’s population is predicted to grow to over nine billion people by 2050. This exponential growth brings with it enormous challenges as nine billion people will require new medicines, food, energy, and material goods. Moreover, as populations and economies grow, it will be essential to develop more efficient and less impactful ways for humans to grow, manufacture, and live. Within the social imperative of addressing this daunting global challenge lies the enormous economic opportunity for the innovative solutions biotechnology delivers. Canadian biotechnology can play a central role in addressing these global challenges but also in helping key domestic industries such as forestry, mining, oil & gas, manufacturing and agriculture maintain their competitiveness in the global bio-economy. The Prime Minister’s comments in Davos were underscored recently in The Hill Times opinion piece penned by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Navdeep Bains, who wrote,“innovation is about new ideas and approaches that can improve our lives.” In this regard, Canada is excelling. Canadian scientists and biotech companies are presently working to: develop cancer treatments using shrews and mosquitos; develop new vaccines using tobacco leaves; produce jet fuel from mustard seeds; turn soybeans into auto parts; improve farming and aquaculture productivity; reduce dependence on petroleum-based products, to name some of the innovations emerging from Canadian scientists and being developed by Canadian biotech companies. The comments of both the Prime Minister and the minister of innovation reflect Canada’s long and successful history in the development of modern biotechnology. Indeed, as a result of past success and innovation, Canada is now home to a thriving biotech ecosystem consisting of clusters in every province which bring together: world-class universities and research institutes; biotech entrepreneurs; large multinational players; and a highly-educated workforce. All told, the Canadian biotech ecosystem is an economic strength that positions Canada well to successfully deliver innovation to a world looking for solutions. Importantly, in achieving his stated objective of making Canada a “nation of innovation,” the minister highlighted the important strategic role government plays to “cultivate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship” by “providing the necessary conditions to enable a thriving innovation ecosystem across Canada is essential.” The industry will continue to develop new science and innovation but tax policy, regulatory efficiency, programs such as IRAP and SR&ED all combine to establish the hosting conditions necessary to attract the talent and investment needed to successfully commercialize innovation. In recognizing the strategic economic asset biotechnology represents, Canada is not alone. Other nations are also acutely aware of this economic opportunity and are quickly moving to develop and support domestic innovation by establishing policy frameworks supportive of innovation and investment. Bains has correctly identified developing the innovation agenda as an important step to keeping pace with other nations. At its very core, biotechnology is built on a transformative idea and its supporting science. Unlike many other industries with large infrastructure or immovable assets, the “idea” at the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains recently wrote in The Hill Times, ‘innovation is about new ideas and approaches that can improve our lives.’ The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright core of biotech is very mobile. If Canada is not establishing itself as a place supportive of investment and commercialization then entrepreneurs will have no choice but to commercialize in more supportive jurisdictions, taking with them the economic benefits that accompany commercialization. These are certainly important considerations as the government prepares the 2016 budget and develops its innovation agenda going forward. With the dollar and energy prices showing no signs of an early recovery, Canada will be counting on other sectors to create economic growth and jobs. Accordingly, now is the time to explore measures that will support and reward innovation and entrepreneurship. With a competitive innovation agenda and accompanying hosting conditions, Canada’s biotechnology industry is well positioned to build on its natural strengths to become a global leader and support Canada’s economic competitiveness more broadly. Andrew Casey is president and CEO of BIOTECanada. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times 13 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 OPINION AGRI-FOOD SYSTEM Five steps to redefine Canada’s agri-food system for the future BY DAVID MCINNES AND DON LENIIHAN their part. So are food providers. They compete for each customer and depend on reliable sources of ingredients and foods; many grocery stores now offer “sustainably-sourced” seafood. Ethics, health, and provenance are also influencing people’s decisions. Consumers can buy “cagefree” eggs, “low sodium” soups and “shade-grown” coffee. The array of choices is impressive. But a deeper concern is being signalled. The foods we have been enjoying have come at a cost. At the forum, delegates heard about the declining nutritional quality of food and agriculture’s significant environmental footprint. Confidence in the global food production system is being tested. This actually creates a huge opportunity for Canada. If Canada could build even greater trust, it could redefine and leverage the country’s agri-food “brand.” Strengthening consumer trust while not disrupting our competitiveness could be the cornerstone of a new food strategy. This is the route to raising the bar on our competitors both in the Canadian market and abroad. However, trust cannot be blind. Consumer trust must be based on fact, not faith—and that requires reliable information and transparency. There are five steps to build genuine trust in Canada’s agri-food system. These measures provide the basis for a Canadawide action plan. First, demonstrating trust is the foundation. We already measure food safety incidents. Credible, national measures should track the agri-food sector’s performance on environment, nutrition and other factors. Industry and government can decide on the right benchmarks and disclose them. This is a key way to help secure the “social licence” to operate: avoiding restrictive regulations and minimizing public criticism and consumer skepticism. Second, our efforts to reinforce the Canadian food brand could be more sophisticated. Canada is often thought of for its clean water and good soil but what demonstrates this? Ireland, for example, has pledged that its exports will be 100 per cent sustainable. It’s time to back up our claims. Given our natural advantages and sound governance practices, Canada can aim high. We could be the food “supplier of choice” for consum- ers and customers because of this credibility. Third, being sustainable is not just good “PR”; it’s about productivity. The food sector has been improving water use, optimizing fertilizer application and lowering energy costs. Waste is generating new revenue streams for some, who are using manure to produce electricity in bio-digesters. Managing natural capital has real economic value and reinforces the positive image of the sector. Sustainability should drive business and government decisions and strategies across the food system. Fourth, innovating differently is vital. Considerable cross-cutting scientific challenges face all countries’ food production, such as adapting to climate change and sequestering more carbon. A new innovation system must better coordinate our scientists so that research and investment are focused and reach beyond their organizational silos. Setting shared national research priorities, with public and private sector involvement, would be an excellent start. This will enable Canada to remain a reliable and high quality food supplier. Fifth, the sector’s economic importance should be recog- Seven political winners for Trudeau to strengthen environmental protection nants. Toronto recently became the 100th municipal government in Canada to pass an environmental rights declaration since 2014, illustrating a groundswell of public support for this approach. W ith one of the safest food systems anywhere, Canadians can trust the food they eat. But consumers here and abroad are pushing the bounds of what “trust” means to them. Can Canada lead the world in redefining trust for the future? Food costs are a primary concern for many consumers. Nevertheless, a wide range of other issues is increasingly important, from the quality of animal care to the impact of food production on the planet. The agri-food sector is grappling with the best ways to meet these rising expectations and remain competitive. Enhancing trust could be the key to both. This was the finding of a recent forum in Ottawa attended by agrifood specialists and leaders from across the country and abroad. Food systems around the world, they said, are under pressure. Climate change is one reason. The challenge of increasing food production without depleting “natural capital” (such as water) or ruining ecosystems is another. Consumers are conscious of these threats and want to do nized. Canada’s food system is an economic engine that generates wealth. It can improve our ecosystems and the health of our citizens. But the sector shies away from embracing a common purpose. It certainly doesn’t speak with “one voice.”“Enhancing trust” offers up a goal that most can rally around. As an increasingly important sector, this should help it win more supportive policies at home. The sector’s value can be leveraged abroad, too. By being global leaders in the management of natural capital, for instance, Canada could better influence international food rules and standards in ways that would support our national interests. The issue of trust—when broadly considered—is redefining food systems for the future. The strategic opportunity for Canada is embracing this change and building on our advantages. Canada could become a global leader in producing food that actually enhances the health of our ecosystems and improves the nutrient-quality in our food. The question now is whether stakeholders are willing to work together to make this happen. David McInnes, president & CEO, Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), and Don Lenihan, senior associate, Canada 2020. This article is based on CAPI’s report Achieving What’s Possible for Canada’s Agri-Food Sector. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times OPINION ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Canada is the only wealthy industrialized country lacking a national plan to reduce the terrible toll that environmental hazards, from air and water pollution to contaminated food and toxic substances, inflict on our health. DAVID R. BOYD P ENDER ISLAND, B.C.—In Ottawa, the machinery of government is reversing course after a decade of environmental backsliding. Newly-minted Cabinet ministers and reinvigorated public servants are scrambling to fulfill the extensive green commitments set forth in the Liberal platform, Throne Speech, and mandate letters. Barring some unexpected cataclysm, it seems likely that most of these pledges will be fulfilled over the course of the next 18 to 24 months. Yet, other vitally important environmental policy issues have been deferred. Work needs to begin shortly in order to lay the foundations for ongoing progress in the second half of this government’s term. Here is a wide-ranging list of seven political winners that fulfill Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s objective of finding solutions that advance Canada’s economic interests while concurrently strengthening environmental protection. 1. Develop a National Health and Environment Strategy Canada is the only wealthy industrialized country lacking a national plan to reduce the terrible toll that environmental hazards—from air and water pollution to contaminated food and toxic substances— inflict on our health. Experts from the Canadian Medical Association and World Health Organization estimate that thousands of prema- ture deaths, millions of cases of preventable illnesses, and billions of dollars in wasted health-care expenditures could be prevented every year through a comprehensive and preventive approach. 2. Establish a national pollution tax Economists and environmentalists find common ground on the need to correct the free market’s failure to put a price on pollution. Canada trails all other wealthy western nations in using taxes to discourage pollution, despite evidence that this approach is environmentally effective while spurring innovation and competitiveness. If Canada applied pollution taxes at just the average level of OECD nations, it would generate an additional $8-billion in annual revenue. 3. Recognize that every Canadian has the right to live in a healthy environment Such a law would be a catalyst for a comprehensive strengthening of Canadian environmental standards, many of which lag behind world leaders in protecting human and ecosystem health from pollutants and contami- 4. Amend free trade deals to remove special rights for foreign investors Investor State Dispute Settlement mechanisms provide foreign investors with powerful legal rights to challenge government policies and actions that they allege adversely affect their investments. Already sued 38 times under NAFTA, Canada will face additional lawsuits for billions in damages if it lives up to its promises to tackle climate change. Canada should not ratify any more trade deals including ISDS, including the Trans Pacific Partnership and the Canada-EU Trade Agreement, until these provisions are removed or reformed. 5. Create a national solar schools initiative The price of solar panels has fallen dramatically, transforming solar from an off-grid hippy niche product into the fastest growing renewable energy technology in the world. Putting solar roofs on schools will have educational, employment, and innovation benefits. Australia did this for thousands of schools, while communities from British Columbia to Nova Scotia have demonstrated that these projects can succeed in Canada as well. Simultaneously supporting solar training programs for electricians and roofers would ensure that there are qualified workers to do the jobs. 6. Establish a sovereign wealth fund Many countries endowed with extensive reserves of oil, gas, coal, and minerals have allocated a portion of revenues from these nonrenewable resources into funds that provide economic resilience, stabilize currencies, and ensure benefits for future generations. Norway has a fund generated from oil and gas revenues that is worth more than $1 trillion, while other major oil producers have funds worth more than $750-billion. The Harper government rejected the International Monetary Fund’s recommendation that Canada establish such a fund but Prime Minister Trudeau should heed the IMF’s advice. 7. Lead an international initiative to phase out developmental neurotoxins While claiming nothing is more precious than our children, we continue to allow the use of toxic chemicals that can irreversibly damage the developing brain. Developmental neurotoxins including lead, manganese, and toluene should be phased out globally by an international treaty based on the successful model of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Taking these seven steps in addition to fulfilling existing commitments would catapult Canada into a position of global leadership, saving lives, protecting the environment, and transforming our economy into a shining model of sustainability. Dr. David R. Boyd teaches environmental law and policy at the University of British Columbia and at Simon Fraser University. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times 14 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 CANADA & THE 21ST CENTURY FEDERAL BUDGET Morneau’s budget will set path for Trudeau government’s full term in office Finance Minister Bill Morneau will need to get his budget right, which means putting what’s best for Canada ahead of what the federal Liberals promised in their platform. DAVID CRANE T ORONTO—When Finance Minister Bill Morneau finally gets around to presenting his budget—and so much seems to be on hold until he does—he will be setting the path for the Trudeau government’s full term in office. Unfortunately for him, there are few, if any, rabbits he can pull out of the hat to get the economy roaring again. The Liberal platform contains many promises, some of them wise—such as spending more on infrastructure—some highly dubious—such as cancelling plans to bring the retirement age for the Old Age Security pension back down to 65 from the Harper government’s plan to slowly raise it to 67—and others that were simply shameless pandering for votes—such as lowering the small business tax rate. In fact, there is almost universal agreement that the Liberal platform’s fiscal plan—with three years of deficits followed by a fourth (in an election year) with a balanced budget, is dead. Indeed, after finding that its calculations for the middle-class tax cut were off by an annual $1-billion and making new spending commitments since the election, the Liberals have shifted their pledge from balancing the budget to lowering the federal debt to GDP ratio every year for four successive years; an easier, though far from easy, target. The Liberal platform boasts that its stimulus measures would significantly boost economic growth and that this in turn would “translate into additional billions of dollars per year in the fiscal bottom line.” But seeing will be believing. The latest employment numbers show that in January, 61.2 per cent of Canadians of working force age were employed, that 65.9 per cent of Canadians of working force age were actually participating in the workforce, and that the unemployment rate was 7.2 per ON FEBRUARY 22 SEE GENOMICS ON THE HILL ND YOUR RIDING YOUR RIDING YOUR RIDING YOUR RIDING YOUR RIDING CHANCES ARE, LEADING GENOMICS RESEARCH IS HAPPENING IN YOUR REGION TODAY. Come to “Genomics on the Hill” to learn about the groundbreaking discoveries being made in health, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, environment, energy and mining. Meet the scientists behind the research and see how local businesses in your riding are benefiting from it. WHEN February 22nd 2016, 4-7pm WHERE Centre Block, Room 256-S RSVP Lucy Sorensen 613-751-4460 EXT. 210 genomicsonthehill@genomecanada.ca cent. A decade ago, in January 2005, 62.6 per cent of Canadians of working force age were employed, 67.3 per cent were actually participating in the labour force, and the unemployment rate was 6.9 per cent. We are still playing catch up. If 62.6 per cent Canadians of working age had been employed last month, instead of 61.2 per cent, an extra 424,000 Canadians would have had jobs. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, in its latest forecast, has projected growth in the Canadian economy this year of a measly 1.4 per cent, compared to the two per cent projection for 2016 it made last year. For next year, it has lowered its forecast to 2.2 per cent, from 2.3 per cent. These forecasts, of course, do not include any additional growth that may be generated by Morneau’s budget. The fall update Morneau presented shortly after assuming the Finance portfolio forecast growth of two per cent this year, though this also did not include any impact from Morneau’s forthcoming budget. Clearly, Morneau has to introduce a stimulative budget. Indeed, the need for stimulative fiscal policy has been evident since 2010-11, when the Conservatives opted for a balanced budget strategy instead. But this was a lastminute conversion by the Liberals to budget deficits. Until this past summer, Liberals had been attacking the Conservatives for running budget deficits. As with much of the Liberal platform, this conversion was born more of political expediency than any sustained committment to Keynesian economics. Too much reliance on fiscal policy, if there is an excessive build up of public debt, can create problems for the economy and the financial system.“But these costs,” Timothy Lane, deputy governor of the Bank of Canada said in a recent speech,“needed to be assessed against concerns that prolonged monetary policy stimulus may result in an excessive build-up of private sector vulnerabilities.” Loose monetary policy has indeed contributed the build-up of household debt, overpriced housing, over-leveraged investments, corporate takeovers instead of new investments, and increased inequality as the wealthy have seen a sharp rise in the value of their financial and other assets. The problem looking ahead is that there are few signs of confidence that conditions will improve. Business in not investing or spending on R&D, compared to a decade ago or longer. A crucial indicator of the lack of confidence is the low rate of interest for 10-year Government of Canada bonds, currently at about 1.8 per cent. This is surely an indication that financial markets expect weak investment, low inflation, and low interest rates to continue for some time. This implies weak demand for capital because business does not see new investment opportunities. Morneau’s first budget, then, has to be to increase demand. But it needs to be done in a smart way. He has to bring in measures to accelerate innovation and business investment and to get more money into the hands of those who are most likely to spend, those with the lowest incomes rather than just the middle class. Boosting the federal minimum wage would put pressure on provinces to follow suit, for example. Unfortunately, the Liberal platform does little to encourage business investment or to accelerate innovation. But Morneau’s first budget will need to show that the government takes the innovation challenge much more seriously than the Liberal platform did. Morneau’s first budget will tell us much on what we can expect over the next four years. He needs to get it right, which means putting what’s best for Canada ahead of what the Liberals promised in their platform. David Crane can be reached at crane@ interlog.com. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times 15 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 NEWS ECONOMY & DEFICITS Morneau expected to shed light on deficit, CIBC economist predicts $30-billion Economists are urging the federal government to spend money on infrastructure as a way to boost the economy. Finance Minister Bill Morneau is facing a deficit of at least $30-billion in the coming year, according to economist Avery Shenfeld, which is three times what the Liberals promised during the election campaign. Continued from page 1 one of about a dozen external economists Finance Minister Bill Morneau (Toronto Centre, Ont.) recently met with as part of prebudget consultations—told The Hill Times. “That projection is now out the window. “Even to do the stimulus that the Liberals talked about during the campaign would be on the order of a $20-billion deficit, and that doesn’t look like enough medicine now, given the state of the economy. I think we’re looking at something like $30-billion, or higher.” Last Friday, reports indicated that Mr. Mourneau would reveal more information about the size of the deficit on Monday, according to government sources. Earlier in the week, the office of Mr. Morneau referred to the minister’s remarks in the House of Common on Tuesday, Feb. 16, when asked for comment on this deficit estimate. During Question Period on this day, Mr. Morneau declined to say—when asked by Conservative MP Lisa Raitt (Milton, Ont.), her party’s finance critic—what the government’s “deficit cap” is for the coming budget. “Mr. Speaker, we believe that the right question to ask is what we are going to do in order to improve the economy for all Canadians,” Mr. Morneau said in response. “We were elected on a plan to grow the economy in order to help those Canadians who are struggling, who are most vulnerable, and those middleclass Canadians to do better.” Mr. Shenfeld said a $30-billion deficit is reasonable. He said this would represent about 1.5 per cent of the Canadian economy, which compares favourably to the federal deficit in the United States, “and their economy’s much stronger than ours.” He added that with currently low interest rates, now is a good time for the government to borrow money in order to spend more on the economy. “The alternative is that provincial governments end up borrowing more, and they would do so at a higher cost,” Mr. Shenfeld said. He said that it’s safer for government to borrow more money than for the private sector and individuals to become more indebted, which would happen if the economy failed to grow adequately. “We already have a household sector that’s run up their own debt levels, and at this point, it might be safer to have the government doing a bit more borrowing and spending,” Mr. Shenfeld said. A report from National Bank Fi- The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright nancial, meanwhile, is forecasting $50-billion in deficits over the next two years, or $25-billion in deficits in each of the next two years. Craig Wright, chief economist for Royal Bank of Canada, also met with Mr. Morneau this month. Mr. Wright said the government is on track to run deficits in the range of $20-billion to $25-billion over the next couple of years, factoring in likely initiatives that go beyond the Liberals’ campaign promises. While he supports stimulus spending, Mr. Wright said he would prefer a “fiscal anchor” in form of a target for when the budget is expected to return to balance. “Increasingly, it’s looking less likely we’ll get a [balanced budget] over the [government’s] fiscal projection,” Mr. Wright said. The Liberals had said during last year’s election campaign that they would balance the budget by the fourth year of their mandate. However, in the House last Tuesday, Mr. Morneau said: “We will work to lower the debt-to-GDP ratio throughout our term. We will be disciplined in our spending. We still want to achieve a balanced budget, but we also recognize that it is not going to be easy in this economy.” Mr. Wright said the commitment to lower the debt-to-GDP ratio has become the government’s fiscal anchor, instead of a projected balanced-budget date. “I like [to see a balanced budget] out there on the horizon … but the next-best outlook is a trend decline in the debt-to-GDP ratio. But the challenge with that is that you have some control over debt and you have no control over GDP.” Ted Mallett, chief economist with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, estimated the government’s first deficit would hit $15-billion, if based just on promises the Liberals have already made, due to the dampened economic outlook. Mr. Mallett, who was also among the economists meeting with Mr. Morneau this month, said that while deficits are sometimes appropriate, the government should minimize the budget shortfall as much as possible. “To the degree that deficits help spark economic growth, it does so at the cost of future growth because that money has to be paid back,” Mr. Mallett said. While interest rates are low now, they won’t always be and debt incurred now will be vulnerable to future interest-rate hikes, Mr. Mallett said. The federal budget is expected to come down in March. Many economists are calling on the government to spend significantly on infrastructure to stimulate the economy in the short term and fulfill long-terms needs. “Find infrastructure projects that the economy needs in the longer term anyway, and put people to work doing them,” Mr. Shenfeld said. When asked what type of infrastructure the government should spend money on, Mr. Shenfeld said: “This is a national government so it’s important that they look at national priorities. What it isn’t is giving every mayor their wish list for a new garden or hockey rink. It’s about fixing infrastructure that’s broken and needs repair in any event, and building what’s needed to support economic growth in the private sector over time. “It’s roads, bridges, but there’s a pretty broad range of projects that could be looked at.” Mr. Shenfeld said priority should be given to projects that are deemed most beneficial, as opposed to worrying about which ones are “shovel-ready.” “I think it’s less imperative to find the project that can be started the earliest and more imperative to find the project that will have the longest-lasting impact on the economy.” Mr. Shenfeld said that “infrastructure isn’t just boring roads and bridges; it would include infrastructure and support of the tech sector and the service sector as well,” though he declined to elaborate on whether this meant things such as broadband networks in rural and remote areas. Mr. Wright said that beyond “roads and rails,”the government could make investments in things such as worker-retraining programs and technology such as broadband networks, which would help improve the economy’s productivity. “If you look at the long-run speed limit for Canada, it’s driven by labour-force growth and productivity growth,” he said. “And labour-force growth, with the aging demographics, is slowing, so our speed limit is going to move along with our productivity numbers. So I would like any new initiatives to be looked at through that productivity lens.” Asked about how near-term infrastructure spending should compare with how the previous Conservative government responded to the recession in 2008-09, Mr. Shenfeld said: “I think if you look at the list of what was done the last time, it had some important projects, but it also had a bit of a flavour of, ‘We get a gazebo here and a curling rink there.’ So I think there’s going to be an effort made to perhaps concentrate some of the money in perhaps some larger projects rather than sprinkling fairy dust over the economy in every single riding.” Mr. Wright also warned against making “shovel-ready” a major factor when assessing opportunities for government investment, which he said happened too much when the government initiated stimulus spending in response to the 2008-09 recession “This will be, I hope, more thought out and less focused just on what’s shovel-ready,” he said. Glen Hodgson, chief economist for the Conference Board of Canada, was also among the economists that met with Mr. Morneau and also spoke before the House Finance Committee last week. He agreed investments are needed in infrastructure, and some attention needs to be paid to what kind of projects will provide the economy with the most effective long-term impact. “I think we need to separate between the short-term spend, sort of a one-year stimulus package, and the long-term structural needs of our economy,” Mr. Hodgson told The Hill Times.“It’s been our view, as an organization, that we’ve under-invested in infrastructure for a long time, like for decades.” Mr. Hodgson said when assessing various proposals, the government needs to look at ones that have “a clear payback in terms of strengthening the performance of the local economy. … Clearly, there are always going to be potholes and hockey rinks that need to be repaired, but shouldn’t we be doing things to get goods and services to the border faster, to allow more small businesses to engage in international commerce, things like that?” Specifically, Mr. Hodgson cited things such as “border crossings, the adequacy of our port system, transportation infrastructure,” as well as “urban infrastructure and public transit” as areas that should be considered for federal investments. “We’ve been doing the research showing how much time people are wasting stuck in traffic in cities,” he said. “So getting them to work and saving them half an hour of their lives every day is another form of payback for us as a society.” Mr. Mallett warned that when governments spend on infrastructure as a way of stimulating the economy, poor decisions can be made. “The temptation is to hurry up and plant some infrastructure in there,” he said. “It may mean that you’re not putting the right amount of money into the right kind of projects. You’re hurrying the process and, as a result, it may not be the best investments over time.” Mr. Mallett said the longerterm benefit of an investment should take priority over the shorter-term economic boost. “There’s no point in spending a lot of money on a spark that doesn’t start a fire,” he said. dabma@hilltimes.com The Hill Times The life-changing power of university research in Canada and around the world Dr. Bessma Momani is an Innovator to Know. Dr. Bessma Momani’s research and intervention will inform public policy about promoting responsible citizenship among Arab-Canadian youth and engaging them as citizens within a healthy multicultural society. Dr. Momani is an associate professor of political science at the University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs. She is Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance and Innovation, a 2015 Fellow of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, and a regular media analyst and contributor to national and international media on the Middle East and on global economic governance issues. Dr. Momani and other Innovators to Know are coming to Ottawa on Feb. 24, 2016. For more information, please contact smitton@univcan.ca univcan.ca/innovators @univcan 17 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 NEWS PUBLIC SERVICE Short-term work assignments stymie federal public service renewal: union leaders Officials with PSAC and CAPE says increasing rates of casual and term employment within the federal government is preventing the recruitment of younger workers for the long term. Continued from page 1 As government officials, such as Treasury Board President Scott Brison (Kings-Hants, N.S.), wrestle with the problem of large cohorts of public servants approaching retirement age, leaders from both the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) tell The Hill Times that increasing use of “precarious” employment— such as term and casual job positions—is a key element limiting the government’s appeal as a career choice for younger workers. “We’re forcing [new employees] into casual positions and into very precarious situations,” said Emmanuelle Tremblay, president of CAPE.“It definitely puts them at a disadvantage, and when you hire them through a temp agency or something, it’s not giving them stability. And they have high student debt, they can’t buy their first home, they can’t start planning for a family.” Ms. Tremblay said if the government does not step up with better opportunities, a lot of young talent will be lost to the private sector. However, given the vast amount of young people she sees working in these temporary positions throughout government, Ms. Tremblay said she’s convinced there is much interest among millennials—generally those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s—to have careers with the federal government. “I’m absolutely positive about that, that there’s a lot of young people in those workplaces that are eager to get those jobs … and to be able to replace people who are planning to retire,” she said. “And if they are given the opportunity to get a stable job rather than just a casual contract with no benefits, with no stability, of course they’ll jump on that occasion.” Marianne Hladun, PSAC’s regional executive vice-president for the Prairies, who’s also in charge of issues concerning young workers, said: “Having people come in as a term doesn’t allow them to really invest in their positions. So [the government has] to look at creating full-time positions where millennials can come in and see themselves progressing through the organization.” The annual report from former Privy Council clerk Janice Charette to former prime minister Stephen Harper last year on the state of the public service said the proportion of government workers who are in permanent positions fell to 86.6 per cent as of March 2014 from 87.6 per cent one year earlier, or to 222,721 indeterminate workers overall from 230,238. The proportion of term workers rose to 8.3 per cent from 8.1 per cent over that time, while the percentage of casual workers rose to 3.1 per cent from 2.5 per cent. Ms. Tremblay said when she started in the public service 16 years ago, co-op students could be “bridged in” to permanent positions after two or three semesters in a placement. “That bridging stopped happening around 2010,” she said.“Austerity measures were brought in, so we were not giving students the opportunity to just seamlessly move into a public-service careers. … What has happened is that people were not offered bridging into indeterminate positions anymore, so young people are either not bridged in at all or they’re offered term positions. “So I think if there’s one place to start— and it’s a quick win—it would be for the government to establish a policy again that when you bridge students in, you bridge them into indeterminate positions.” Ms. Hladun said one result of the increasing use of short-term positions for government work is that people often end up spending shorter periods of time in any one department before finding another temporary position in another department. “If you’re moving around, you don’t have time to participate in any kind of additional training and really get some of that knowledge from the other workers that are there,” she said.“If you’re going to be able to stay for a longer time, it’s going to enhance the public service that’s delivered for Canadians.” Linda Duxbury, a professor with Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business who specializes in workplace issues, agreed that the prevalence of temporary positions is a turn-off to many younger workers in terms of sticking around for careers with the public service. Those that do take such jobs tend be on the verge of leaving whenever they can get more stable employment, she said. “The government seems to expect loyalty and that people will want to wait around, but young people don’t see it that way,” she said. “So yes, it’s a massive issue.” Ms. Hladun said other issues that are detriments to attracting younger workers to the public service include unreasonable workloads, forced overtime, a lack of provision for reasonable work-life balances, and not enough training. “It really puts [new employees] at a disadvantage coming into a workforce where everyone is basically just trying to keep their head above water,” she said. The Privy Council clerk’s report from last year said the average age of all federal public employees was 44.9 in 2014. The average age of executives was 50.4, it was 54.6 for associate deputy ministers and 58 for deputy ministers. The report said the proportion of federal employees aged 25 to 34 fell to 17.9 per cent in 2014 from 18.6 per cent a year before. The percentage who were of the age of 55 to 64 rose to 17 per cent from 16.7 per cent, and those 65 or older rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 1.9 per cent. Grouped into 10-year cohorts, the report said the largest proportion of federal workers, or 32.7 per cent, was between 45 and 54 in 2014. That was down from 33.1 per cent a year earlier. The next highest proportion of workers was between 35 and 44, representing 27.5 per cent of the federal workforce, up from 27 per cent a year earlier. The report said the total number of federal government workers declined to 257,138 in 2014 from 262,817 in 2013. “I think in light of the cuts that the federal government has gone through in the last number of years, bringing new workers in, bringing young workers in that have a different perspective is critical to keep the vibrancy of the public service,” Ms. Hladun said. Ms. Hladun said if the government cannot renew the public service ranks with younger workers to replace those who are poised to retire, “there is nowhere to transfer that knowledge, and it makes it difficult to maintain a level of service to Canadians when you lose that type of knowledge.” In an op-ed published in the Ottawa Citizen last week, Mr. Brison wrote about the need to attract more millennials to the public service “to help address the challenges of an aging workforce.” PUBLIC SERVICE FIGURES FROM PRIVY COUNCIL CLERK’S 2015 REPORT ON PUBLIC SERVICE As Treasury Board President Scott Brison deals with the issue of attracting younger workers to the public service, union leaders are recommending that more people be hired into permanent positions, rather than term or casual roles. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright To do this, he said: “We need less rigid hierarchies, fewer layers of bureaucracy, more open and transparent decision-making, a culture of intelligent risk-taking, more opportunity for continuous learning, and greater mobility in and out of government.” The issue of short-term employment was not directly addressed in this article. Mr. Brison was not available for comment, and his office did not respond to an emailed question about whether increasing the proportion of permanent positions within the public service is part of the government’s plans for attracting younger workers. dabma@hilltimes.com The Hill Times Number of federal employees in 2014: 257,138, down from 262,817 in 2013 Proportion of federal workers in permanent positions in 2014: 86.6%, down from 87.6% in 2013 Proportion of federal workers in term positions in 2014: 8.3%, up from 8.1% in 2013 Proportion of federal workers in casual positions in 2014: 3.1%, up from 2.5% in 2013 Average age of federal workers in 2014: 44.9 Proportion of federal workers in 2014 by age groups: Under 25: 3.1% 25-34: 17.9% 35-44: 27.5% 45-54: 32.7% 55-64: 17.0% Over 64: 1.9% ECONOMIC CLUB OF CANADA Leading Disruption: Building Resilient Students, Universities, and Communities Feridun Hamdullahpur the resources — talent and research — Canada needs with speed and scale. President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Waterloo The historic role of the university is sacrosanct: develop and disseminate knowledge. But as the knowledge economy intensifies its demand for intelligent, innovative university graduates, stakeholders are asking hard questions: is a university education in its current form relevant to the needs of the 21st century economy? Does it develop skills employers value, abilities alumni can market, and research and innovation that communities can leverage for broadbased prosperity and the common welfare? Yes it does, but mostly through a 20th century model that leaves too much opportunity on the table. Canadian universities need to embrace deep positive change to supply University of Waterloo President Feridun Hamdullahpur, leader of Canada’s most innovative university, will talk about an enhanced role for universities in today’s economy that drives regional innovation and responds to challenges facing the traditional university model. By leveraging the “additive” approach to post-secondary education, leading universities can build more resilient students, academic institutions, and communities. Tuesday, March 8th, 2016 11:45 am - 1:30 pm , The Fairmont Chateau Laurier, 1 Rideau Street, Ottawa ~ Individual member ticket price $89, Individual Non-Member ticket price $110. Tables of 10 available. Lunch will be served. Advance registration is required – numbers are limited. For tickets call (613) 369-4363, visit www.economicclub.ca Official Presenting Sponsor: Thank you to our Annual Sponsors: Ottawa Partners: FR EE RE AD ER EV EN T EVENTS A DISCUSSION ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM MARCH 10 | 7:30-9:00 AM DELTA OTTAWA CITY CENTRE PRESENTED BY: Hill Times Events is pleased to bring you a free Policy Panel reader event on March 10, to discuss suggested reforms to Canada’s criminal justice system. Howard Sapers, Correctional Investigator for Canada will open the event and provide his insights that will frame the ensuing discussion. Following, Catherine Clark will moderate a substantive discussion with Stan Stapleton, National President Union of Solicitor General Employees, Kim Pate, Executive Director, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, Dawn Lovell-Harvard President Native Women’s Association of Canada and Louise Bradley, President The Mental Health Commission of Canada. Speakers: Howard Sapers Correctional Investigator for Canada Presented By: Stan Stapleton National President Union of Solicitor General Employees Kim Pate Executive Director, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies Louise Bradley President The Mental Health Commission of Canada Dawn Lovell-Harvard President of NWAC Moderated by Catherine Clark Supported By: hilltimes.com/events/CJR.html 19 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 DIGITAL WORLD ONTARIO Why the Ontario Music Fund is in need of tuning As the Canadian cultural sector faces new challenges and opportunities in the digital age, there is unquestionably an important role for government support.Yet the secrecy associated with the Ontario Music Fund and the results to date provide a cautionary tale on the need for greater transparency, oversight, and accountability in public funding programs. MICHAEL GEIST O TTAWA—Earlier this month, the British Columbia government unveiled a new $15-million dollar music fund to support the local music industry. The fund matches a similar Ontario initiative that has doled out nearly $30-million over the past two years with a commitment from Premier Kathleen Wynne to make the Ontario Music Fund a permanent program to support the industry. The millions of taxpayer dollars earmarked for the music industry represents a major success for the industry lobby, which shifted several years ago from focusing on digital copyright reform to identifying new sources of government financial support. Yet despite the industry accolades, the Ontario program suffers from a surprising lack of transparency with virtually no public information on how the money is actually spent. Moreover, according to documents obtained under provincial access to information laws, the Liberal government has exaggerated the impact of the first round of funding with the creation of relatively few new full-time positions and limited international investment in the province. The Ontario Media Development Corporation, which administers the program on behalf of the government, announced the first round of Ontario Music Fund recipients in September 2014. The big recording company winners were the three major foreign record labels (Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada, and Warner Music Canada), who averaged over $830,000 per company. By comparison, the 36 successful Canadian record companies garnered an average of $115,000. The OMDC identified the recipients and the total grant amount, but it provided no details on specific projects, programs, or how the money would be spent. I subsequently filed an access to information request for the records associated with ten of the largest funding awards. The OMDC responded with a fee estimate of $11,659.10 for the information, which was only reduced after an appeal to the provincial Information and Privacy Commissioner. After months of delay, the released documents excluded virtually all relevant information about the funding applications. The OMDC redacted the objectives of the funding, the planned activities, recipients’ track record, communications plan, timeline of activities, anticipated outcomes, and financing. An appeal is currently before the Commissioner. When asked about the appropriateness of the lack of disclosure, a ministerial spokesperson responded that, “program guidelines and evaluation criteria are made public. Applications are evaluated according to this criteria and applicants are provided with feedback if they request it once the funding decision is communicated to them.” In other words, the Ontario government supports the secretive approach in which the public has seemingly no right to know how its money is spent. Not only is the lack of transparency surprising, but government documents suggest that the initial results are underwhelming. When asked about the results in an interview last year, Michael Coteau, the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, claimed that the fund created 2,000 jobs and that over $24-million in revenue was brought into the sector in the first year alone. Those claims led to a second access to information request on the program results. Once again, the OMDC was unwilling to release specific details on the results of any funded organization. Instead it provided a spreadsheet with de-identified data on all program recipients. The data indicates that contrary to Coteau’s claims, there were only 263 new full time jobs created by the fund, a cost to taxpayers of $57,000 per new full-time Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne created the Ontario Music Fund a permanent program to support the industry. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright job. In addition to the new full-time jobs, another 569 full-time jobs were retained, still well short of 2,000 figure. The investment results were not much better. Recipients reported spending less than $7 million in private equity and support, under half of the provincial government investment. Moreover, while Coteau promoted the benefits of attracting recording to Ontario, the data indicates that only 15 international artists recorded in the province and that the total international investment in Ontario recording studios was $213,277. As the Canadian cultural sector faces new challenges and opportunities in the digital age, there is unquestionably an important role for government support.Yet the secrecy associated with the Ontario Music Fund and the results to date provide a cautionary tale on the need for greater transparency, oversight, and accountability in public funding programs. Michael Geist holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. He can be reached at mgeist@uottawa.ca or online at www.michaelgeist.ca. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times • Canada’s largest annual conference for conservatives • Panels on: Government debt, marijuana legalization, electoral reform, and more! • Fun social activities – Don’t miss it! manningcentre.ca 20 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 THE FULL NELSON HARPER’S ORDERS IN COUNCIL Stephen Harper’s disputed lateterm appointments all about politics The appointments had been published in the Canada Gazette before the election campaign began. If the appointments were as flagrant an abuse as the Liberals claimed, they ought to have raised the issue during the election campaign. NELSON WISEMAN T ORONTO—Relatively few Canadians know what an order-in-council is. Few may realize that an O-in-C, proclaimed by the Cabinet, has the same force in law as an enactment by Parliament. Many will be surprised to learn that Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories became parts of Canada through O-in-Cs of the British government. More than a month after the October election, there were news reports that not long before the election campaign had begun, Stephen Harper’s Conservative government had made 49 O-in-C patronage appointments to various boards including the National Energy Board, and to some senior positions such as CEO of Canada Post. Many of the appointments were renewals, some taking effect during the election campaign. Other appointments are to take effect in the future, including one in 2019. The well-established caretaker convention prohibits governments from making such appointments during election campaigns. About 1,500 positions are subject to Oin-C appointments by the federal government. Most get little attention but this batch by the late Conservative government raised many eyebrows and drew the condemnation of Justin Trudeau’s new Liberal government. Many of the appointments were made “at pleasure,” that is, at the discretion of the government; they can be terminated as easily as they were made, by another O-in-C; the rest of the appointments were made subject to “good behaviour,” requiring that a cause be demonstrated for dismissal. Past Liberal governments have also made late-term pre-election appointments, but they have not been future appointments, so this lot of Conservative appointments may have broken new ground. Gov- ernment House leader Dominic LeBlanc condemned them as an “abuse of process,” although they were approved and signed by the Governor General. With much unnecessary fanfare, LeBlanc went on to take the unprecedented step of publicly calling on most of the appointees to submit their resignations, or voluntarily withdraw, and giving them a deadline to respond. One could speculate that the Liberals wanted to impress even more firmly in the public’s mind that Harper was a schemer, far from transparent, and that underhanded and unsavoury methods were the standard modus operandi of his government. There is substantial evidence to support the charge. However, the Liberals in this case protest too much. Liberal Senator Percy Downe, who handled appointments for Jean Chrétien, has noted that the new government is free to rescind the appointments, most of which had not come into force before the swearing in of the new Liberal government in November. No one can contend that withdrawing an “at pleasure” appointment is problematic. As for those “good behaviour” appointees, some of whom may litigate if they are denied their position, their success in a court of law is questionable, and in the court of public opinion it is doubtful. It may be difficult to claim “good behaviour” if the position and term to which you’ve been appointed has not yet involved any behaviour at all. Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose has made clear that her party has no problem with the government cancelling the appointments, so there was no need to beat up on the Conservatives any more than the public had already beaten them down. There was even less need to make a public show of writing the appointees and asking them to withdraw voluntarily. The new government’s commitment to an “open, merit-based appointments system” is laudable, but the government’s action inappropriately shames the appointees, many of whom clearly merited the positions to which they had been appointed. LeBlanc’s letter was not consistent with the “sunny ways”Trudeau has been preaching. The late-term appointments by the Conservatives are troubling because of the disregard shown for Parliament, something of which past Liberal governments have been guilty as well. Parliament has no opportunity to discuss an O-in-C before it is signed by the Governor General. Under the Standing Orders, the government is required to table O-in-C appointments in Parliament within five sitting days of their publication. Because Parliament and its committees were not sitting at the time, they were denied the opportunity to weigh in. Although it cannot revoke O-in-C appointments, Parliament, through its committees, may call on appointees or nominees to appear and answer questions about their competence and qualifications for the positions. The Conservatives’ skirting of the spirit of the rules, and their denial of any opportunity for Parliamentary scrutiny, made LeBlanc’s attack appear at first glance spot on, but the appointments had been published in the Canada Gazette before the election campaign began. If the appointments were as flagrant an abuse as the Liberals claimed, they ought to have raised the issue during the election campaign. Perhaps they did not do so because they had learned that campaigning on an abuseof-Parliament issue is not a vote-getter. In 2011, the minority Conservative government was brought down on a contempt-of-Parliament motion, something that had never happened before. In the subsequent election campaign, Michael Ignatieff and Liberal ads made much of the government’s disdain for Parliament. The public responded by returning a Conservative majority. This was a comment, perhaps, on the public’s understanding and estimation of the dignity of Parliament. Nelson Wiseman is a professor in the Department of Political Science and the director of the Canadian Studies Program at the University of Toronto. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times L’énorme pouvoir de la recherche universitaire au Canada et dans le monde Bessma Momani est une « incontournable de l’innovation ». Les travaux de recherche et les interventions de Bessma Momani contribuent à l’élaboration de politiques publiques qui favorisent un comportement civique responsable chez les jeunes arabo-canadiens et leur engagement citoyen dans une société multiculturelle saine. Mme Momani est professeure agrégée de science politique à la University of Waterloo et à la Balsillie School of International Affairs. Elle est agrégée supérieure de recherche au Centre for International Governance and Innovation, et lauréate 2015 de la fondation Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Elle collabore avec divers médias nationaux et internationaux en tant qu’analyste et experte du Moyen-Orient et des questions de gouvernance économique mondiale. Mme Momani et d’autres « incontournables de l’innovation » seront à Ottawa le 24 février 2016. Renseignements : smitton@univcan.ca univcan.ca/innovation @univcan 22 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 INSIDE POLITICS LIBERALS Liberals sidelining Rae, perhaps unfairly He is not miffed, he does not feel snubbed, they say. Is he owed something by a party that wouldn’t be where it is if Bob Rae didn’t roll up his sleeves and don a hard hat when it was needed? So far, I guess not. TIM HARPER Before Justin Trudeau arrived to rebuild the foundation, the Liberal house was sagging badly and threatening to collapse. It remained standing because Bob Rae held it together. The Hill Times photographs by Jake Wright O TTAWA—Before Justin Trudeau arrived to rebuild the foundation, the Liberal house was sagging badly and threatening to collapse. It remained standing because Bob Rae held it together. Now that Trudeau has moved that Liberal house into an elite neighbourhood, many are wondering why there is no room at the inn for Rae. Rae, a political survivor with the stitches to prove it, would likely be the first to tell you there are no obligatory rewards for those who ply his trade, but what makes this case rare is that the former interim party leader and Ontario premier has let it be known through associates he would have welcomed the chance to represent this government in Washington or at the United Nations. Liberal sources say Rae offered to make any contribution the new government might find helpful. There have been discussions, although not directly between Trudeau and Rae. No promises or offers have been made and Rae is certainly not campaigning for a job. But his view, on the outside looking in, is a subject of much speculation. “Rae almost guaranteed a role in Trudeau government, insiders say,’’ blared one headline in the wake of the Liberal victory and Can saliva from a shrew help improve healthcare? Only one way to find out: Biotech the heck out of it. Can spit from a shrew help treat cancer? Yes. This is one great example of a biotech solution. From stem cell treatments to vaccines preventing illness, from manufacturing bioplastics to growing a sustainable food supply, Canada’s biotech industry is changing the world. More solutions at biotech.ca Canadian biotech. The science of amazing. it quoted senior Liberals crediting Rae with the hard work that led to the Trudeau victory, touting him for Washington, the UN, London, Israel, or as head of the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women. He was passed over for Washington and the UN. Trudeau, who took the baton from Rae, rebuilt the moribund party, invigorated its fundraising and took it to last October’s improbable majority, has the unfettered right to choose—or reject—anyone he wants in his inner circle or as a representative abroad. Our political culture seems to know what to do with former leaders or leadership rivals. We make them travel. Brian Mulroney made Joe Clark his external affairs minister. Former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion shows signs of becoming a shining global affairs minister for Trudeau. Barack Obama made Hillary Clinton his secretary of state. But what about those who held the undermanned front lines of battle until the white knight could saddle up? Trudeau reached back into the comfortable Dalton McGuinty bullpen and chose David MacNaughton for Washington. MacNaughton co-chaired Trudeau’s Ontario campaign last autumn. He was once the principal secretary to McGuinty and was succeeded by Gerald Butts, who now holds that post for Trudeau. The UN post went to Marc-André Blanchard. Rae, the son of a diplomat, spent part of his youth in Washington and would have been a natural fit for a job that has gone to politicians in the past, including Stephen Harper appointees Michael Wilson and Gary Doer and Jean Chrétien appointee Frank McKenna. He would have been the same natural fit at the UN, where in recent years former politicians Stephen Lewis (a Mulroney appointee) and Allan Rock (a Paul Martin appointee) served with distinction. There had been suggestions that Rae may have alienated some around Trudeau by resigning his Toronto Centre seat, but senior government officials adamantly deny there is any bad blood and say this rather awkward dance is merely a matter of finding the right fit. Rae’s resignation actually allowed Trudeau’s team to reach out to a hand-picked candidate—International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland. Jobs are being filled and senior government officials still laud Rae, even if his postelection contribution is unfilled. Nobody is saying never, they maintain. Previous interim leaders Bill Graham (who stepped down to allow Rae to run) and Herb Gray had better fates after holding the fort, but Rae is 67 and this government is focused on generational renewal. Rae did Trudeau and his team the biggest of favours by getting out of the way, bowing to the inevitable and realizing it was time for the younger, flashier Trudeau. Until then, in his interim post, he expertly grilled the Harper government, made himself endlessly available to the media, spoke out on many progressive issues Trudeau inherited and travelled to sell the Liberal brand—something he continued right through the 2015 election. The job as interim Grit maintenanceman-in-chief fell to him after the Michael Ignatieff debacle. Friends say Rae is not sitting by the phone. He has a full plate, as a lawyer working as a negotiator for First Nations, work on diplomatic and international commissions and public speaking. He has written a book since leaving politics. He is not miffed, he does not feel snubbed, they say. Is he owed something by a party that wouldn’t be where it is if Rae didn’t roll up his sleeves and don a hard hat when it was needed? So far, I guess not. Tim Harper is a national affairs writer for The Toronto Star. This column was released on Feb. 19. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times EVENTS FR EE RE AD ER EV EN T AN INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY DISCUSSION ON GENDER EQUALITY PRESENTED BY: MARCH 8 7:30-9:00 AM DELTA OTTAWA CITY CENTRE Hill Times Events is pleased to bring you a free reader event on March 8, International Women’s Day, to discuss gender equality and the important role ZRPHQSOD\LQSROLF\PDNLQJ-XOLH'HODKDQW\([HFXWLYH'LUHFWRU2[IDP&DQDGDZLOORXWOLQHKLJKOLJKWVLQWKHˋQGLQJVRIWKHLUODWHVWUHVHDUFKUHSRUW written in conjunction with The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Making Women Count: The Unequal Economics of Women’s Work. Following, Kathleen Monk, Former Executive Director of the Broadbent Institute, will moderate a substantive discussion with the report’s authors: Brittany Lambert with Oxfam Canada and Kate McInturff with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Joining in the discussion and sitting on the panel will be Nancy Peckford, Executive Director Equal Voice and Anita Vandenbeld MP (Ottawa West-Nepean). Speakers: Kathleen Monk Former Executive Director of the Broadbent Institute Presented By: Brittany Lambert Oxfam Canada Kate McInturff Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Nancy Peckford Executive Director Equal Voice Anita Vandenbeld MP (Ottawa WestNepean) Supported By: hilltimes.com/events/GE.html 24 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 NEWS PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED DYING LEGISLATION LeBlanc backs away from whipped vote on assisted dying bill, Oliphant says ‘it’s good’ Pictured top left and clockwise at the Joint Committee at Physician-Assisted Dying Committee: Benoit Pelletier and Lib MP René Arseneault; Lib MP Rob Oliphant; Lib MPs Brenda Shanahan, Julie Dabrusin, Denis Lemieux, and John Aldag; and NDP MP Murray Rankin and Mr. Pelletier. Continued from page 1 Two weeks ago, Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc (Beauséjour, N.B.) declared the vote on the eventual right-to-die legislation will be a whipped vote for the Liberal caucus because it’s a Charter of Rights and Freedoms issue, but he told The Globe and Mail on Friday that the government will now decide whether MPs will be forced to vote for the legislation after the parliamentary committee releases its report and not until the bill is drafted. “We decided to delay the decision about whether or not it’s a whipped vote. It’s premature to come to a final conclusion like that,” Mr. LeBlanc told The Globe and Mail. “We’re going to discuss the bill and the committee report in our caucus and we will make the decision as to how the bill be handled once the bill is introduced in the House.” House Chair of the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying and Liberal MP Rob Oliphant (Don Valley West, Ont.) told The Hill Times that he was relieved the Liberals have backed off on the whipped vote, for now. “When I watched the news on television or read the articles and it’s mostly about the whipping of a vote. … Having spent really hundreds of hours in the last month on making sure that we have a careful substantial report that is thorough and everything I want the discussion to be about our ideas,” Mr. Oliphant told The Hill Times. “My first reaction is good,” he said. Liberals late last week were backing away from whipping the vote on the government’s upcoming and controversial legislation on doctor-assisted suicide saying it’s too early to determine how the vote will go without seeing the bill. But Mr. Oliphant and other Liberal MPs The Hill Times spoke with earlier in the week say they are “comfortable” with the whipped vote, because as they were told at the start of the session, the Liberal caucus will have whipped votes on: Charter issues, platform issues, and confidence matters. “Obviously it’s a Charter issue so I expect, and we’ve been told there are three things that will be whipped: Charter issues, platform issues, and confidence matters, and this is a Charter issue,” Mr. Oliphant said before the news broke on Friday, but later he expressed relief. “So that takes this off the table for now and we can have that discussion later and we’ll be presenting a report in the House on Thursday,” said Mr. Oliphant. “My hope is that all MPs in the House and every party will see in the work that the committee has done and in the legislation that is The Hill Times photographs by Jake Wright presented, something they want to support.” Mr. Oliphant wouldn’t comment on whether this was discussed in caucus, or speculate on why the Liberals backed off, but he said he wasn’t involved in any discussion about the whipped vote. He also said no one in the Liberal caucus has discussed with him the content of the report. Mr. Oliphant told reporters last week that he is confident Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould (Vancouver Granville, B.C.) will “pay attention to our, our report and will do her best to find a way to make sure that the law is balanced.” The Joint House and Senate Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying is due to report back to the House with legislative recommendations by the end of this week, it was given a Feb. 26 deadline when the committee was struck in early December, but according to Mr. Oliphant, the report is now almost finalized and will be ready by Thursday, Feb. 25. The government will then have to draft legislation, consider the committees findings, and table the bill in the House with enough time to have it pass through the House and Senate Justice committees and debate processes by the time the House is scheduled to rise. “It’s kind of a funny conversation to have at this point because we don’t even have the legislation in front of us. I don’t personally have a problem with it,” Liberal MP and committee member Julie Dabrusin (Toronto-Danforth, Ont.) told The Hill Times before The Globe and Mail broke the news on Friday. “I’m comfortable with it in the sense that in Parliament, the decision we’re going to be making is on the structure of the legislation coming out of the Supreme Court of Canada decision, which is a Charter decision,” Ms. Dabrusin said. Both the Conservatives and NDP caucuses have been told it will be a free vote. The news that this wouldn’t be the case for the government members had opposition MPs questioning whether the government already has the legislation drafted. “It’s very disappointing to hear that Dominic LeBlanc would come out and say the vote is whipped before even seeing the contents of this report. It really raises the question in my mind whether this entire exercise is a sham and that the government has legislation in its back pocket that it’s ready to go forward with regardless of what this committee does,” Conservative MP and member of the committee Michael Cooper (St. Albert-Edmonton, Alta.) told The Hill Times. “It raises the question of whether this was a genuine effort to reach a consensus or whether it was a forgone conclusion and nothing more than an exercise in public relations from the standpoint of the government and that would be very disappointing,” he said. Liberal MP Sean Casey (Charlottetown, P.E.I.), parliamentary secretary to the minister of justice, was in attendance at most meetings, according to Mr. Cooper. NDP MP and member of the committee Murray Rankin (Victoria, B.C.) told the committee he’s looking forward to seeing what the Liberals bring forward in terms of legislation. “I’ll be looking to see if that legislation reflects the views of the committee, one hopes that all the work we’ve done has a value,” he said. The committee began its study of the February 2015 Supreme Court decision regarding right-to-die legislation on Jan. 18 and heard from 61 witnesses over 15 meetings, as of the end of last week. It’s expected the committee will meet again on Tuesday to finalize the draft report that it began work on Feb. 5. According to MPs, the report will be in the spirit of the Carter ruling, but will also have to address age, advance directives, including dementia, and psychological suffering. It will be in broad policy language and a “federal framework that looks at the Criminal Code and other issues,” Mr. Oliphant told The Hill Times. The committee members The Hill Times spoke will all emphasized that their biggest challenge is finding an appropriate balance between patients’ rights, vulnerable people, and the conscience rights of physicians. The committee had been given a mandate to consult broadly, taking into consideration existing research, and to review laws in other countries. The committee was granted permission to travel both within and outside Canada, however, that did not end up happening. Witnesses came to Ottawa, in most cases, and others video-conferenced. The Hill Times LIST WITNESSES AT THE SPECIAL JOINT PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED DYING COMMITTEE: Feb. 4, 2016 • As an individual, Lawyer Gerald Chipeur • As an individual, McGill University Professor Margaret Somerville • Alliance of People with Disabilities Who Are Supportive of Legal Assisted Dying Society • Canadian Association for Community Living • DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada • Society of Rural Physicians of Canada • The Canadian Medical Protective Association Feb. 3, 2016 • Canadian Council of Imams • Canadian Paediatric Society • Canadian Unitarian Council • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health • Coalition for HealthCARE and Conscience Feb. 2, 2016 • As an individual Carolyn Ells, associate professor, medicine, Biomedical Ethics Unit at McGill University • Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association • College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia • Criminal Lawyers’ Association • Dying With Dignity Canada • Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada Feb. 1, 2016 • Alzheimer Society of Canada • British Columbia Civil Liberties Association • College of Family Physicians of Canada • Dying With Dignity Canada • Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms • Canadian Cancer Society • First Nations University of Canada Jan. 28, 2016 • As an individual, Bakerlaw Lawyer David Baker • As an individual, Jocelyn Downie, professor, Faculties of Law and Medicine, Dalhousie University • As an individual, Hon. Steven Fletcher • As an individual, Trudo Lemmens, professor, Faculty of Law & Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto • Council of Canadians with Disabilities • Dying With Dignity Canada Jan. 27, 2016 • Canadian Medical Association • Canadian Nurses Association • Canadian Pharmacists Association • Canadian Psychiatric Association • Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians Jan. 26, 2016 • External Panel on Options for a Legislative Response to Carter v. Canada • Provincial-Territorial Expert Advisory Group on PhysicianAssisted Dying Jan. 25, 2016 • As an individual Peter Hogg, scholar in residence, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP • Barreau du Québec • Department of Health Jan. 18, 2016 • Department of Justice’s Jeanette Ettel, senior counsel, Hu man Rights Law Section • Department of Justice’s Joanne Klineberg, senior counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section 25 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 STATUS OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS HOUSE OF COMMONS • C-2, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (second reading) • C-4, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code, the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act, the Public Service Labour Relations Act and the Income Tax Act (second reading) • C-5, An Act to repeal Division 20 of Part 3 of the Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1 (second reading) SENATE • No government bills have passed into the Senate yet this session. Modern Makers of Canada Award, 2016 ROYAL ASSENT RECEIVED • C-3, Appropriation Act No. 4, 2015-16 THE WEEK AHEAD MONDAY, FEB. 22 • The House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure will meet in-camera at 9 a.m. in Room 7-52, 131 Queen St. to discuss committee business. • The House Official Languages Committee will meet at 3:30 p.m. in Centre Block, Room 253-D to discuss committee business. • The House Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities Committee will meet in-camera at 3:30 p.m. in the Valour Building, Room 306 to discuss committee business. • The Senate National Security and Defence Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 2, Victoria Building to discuss Canada’s national security and defence policies, practices, circumstances and capabilities. It will hear from Pierre Blais, chair and Michael Doucet, executive director of the Security Intelligence Review Committee; Assistant Auditor General of Canada Nancy Cheng and AG principals Gordon Stock and Nicholas Swales; From the Office of the Communications Security Establishment Commissioner J. William Galbraith, executive director and commissioner Honourable Jean-Pierre Plouffe; and Retired Lieutenant-Colonel John Selkirk, Executive Director of Reserves 2000. TUESDAY, FEB. 23 • The House Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics Committee will meet at 8:45 a.m. in Centre Block, Room 237-C to receive a briefing from Information Commissioner of Canada Suzanne Legault; Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien; Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson; and Commissioner of Lobbying Karen Shepherd. • The House Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the National Defence Committee will meet in-camera at 8:45 a.m. in East Block, Room 362 to discuss committee business. • The House International Trade Committee will meet at 8:45 a.m. in The Valour Building, Room 306 to conduct a pre-study on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. It will hear from Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, the Business Council of Canada, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. • The House Public Accounts Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure will meet in-camera at 8:45 a.m. in Centre Block, Room 112-N to discuss studies and activities. • The House Status of Women Canada Committee will meet at 3:30 p.m. in Centre Block, Room 253-D to receive a briefing by the Minister of Status of Women Patty Hajdu; and Meena Ballantyne and Anik Lapointe of Status of Women Canada. • The House Government Operations and Estimates Committee will meet at 3:30 p.m. in the Valour Building, Room 306 to discuss committee business. • The House Status of Women Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure will meet in-camera in Centre Block, Room 253-D to discuss committee business. • The House Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Committee will meet at 3:30 p.m. in 1 Wellington St., Room C-110 to receive a briefing from Perry Bellegarde, National Chief of the Assemby of First Nations. It will then go in-camera to discuss committee business. • The House Foreign Affairs Committee will meet in-camera at 3:30 p.m. in the Valour Building, Room 268 to discuss committee business. • The Senate Aboriginal Peoples Committee will meet in-camera at 9:30 a.m. in Room 160-S, Centre Block to consider their draft agenda and to discuss their study on best practices and on-going challenges relating to housing in First Nation and Inuit communities in Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut and the Northwest Territories. • The Senate Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament Committee will meet in-camera at 9:30 a.m. in Room 356-S, Centre Block to consider a draft agenda. • The Senate Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources Committee will meet at 5 p.m. in Room 9 in The Victoria Building to study emerging issues related to its mandate and will hear from Tim McMillan, president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 24 • The House Liaison Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in the Valour Building, Room 268 to elect the chairs and discuss committee business. • The Senate Human Rights Committee will meet at 11:30 a.m. in Room 9, Victoria Building to study Bill S-201, an Act to prohibit and prevent genetic discrimination. It will hear from Dr. Ronald Cohn, and Stephen W Scherer of The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto; the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s Marcella Daye and Marie-Claude Landry; Patricia Kosseim and Daniel Therrien of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner; and Bruce Ryder, professor at the Osgoode Hall Law School. • The Senate Special Senate Modernization Committee will meet in a room to be determined, at 12 p.m. to have an organization meeting. • The Senate Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee will meet at 4:15 p.m. in Room 160-S, Centre Block to continue its study on foreign relations and international trade generally. It will hear from C.D. How Senior Fellow John Curtis; Carleton Professor Emeritus Michael Hart; and John Weekes of Bennett Jones Ottawa. • The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee will meet at 4:15 p.m., in Room 257, East Block to on matters pertaining to delays in Canada’s criminal justice system. It will hear from Kevin Fenwick, Deputy Minister and Deputy Attorney General of Saskatchewan; and Michael Waby of the Attorney General of Ontario. • The Senate Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament Committee will meet at 6:45 p.m in Room 160-S, Centre Block to hear from Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc, and Minister of Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef. • The Senate Transport and Communications Committee will meet at 6:45 p.m. in Room 2 of the Victoria Building. Its agenda has not been made public. THURSDAY, FEB. 25 • The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee will meet at 10:30 a.m. in Room 257, East Block to continue studying matters pertaining to delays in Canada’s criminal justice system. It will hear from Mark Benton, CEO of Legal Aid BC; David Field, president and CEO and Marcus Pratt, acting director general of Legal Aid Ontario; Karen Hudson, executive director of Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission; and Joseph Oliver of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. Denis Coderre Don Iveson Hazel McCallion Naheed Nenshi Madeleine Redfern Gregor Robertson Colette Roy Laroche Mike Savage Jim Watson Brad Woodside Join us in the nation’s capital for one of the most memorable evenings of the year! The Modern Makers of Canada Award has been established by the Institute on Governance to recognize Canadians who have contributed to good governance through transformational public sector leadership. In celebration, the Institute on Governance will honour a group of extraordinary Mayors of Canadian cities. With remarks from: The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi Minister of Infrastructure and Communities The Honourable John McCallum Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Adam Vaughan 7HYSPHTLU[HY`:LJYL[HY`[V[OL7YPTL4PUPZ[LY0U[LYNV]LYUTLU[HS(ɈHPYZ When: Where: 5:00–9:00pm March 7, 2016 Trillium Ballroom, Shaw Centre 55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario For tickets or more information, call Franca Palazzo at 613-562-0090 ext. 218, or visit iog.ca Presenting Sponsors EFFICIENT FRENCH COURSES WITH ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE New Sessions Start: February 16 and February 29, 2016 '2/50#,!33%30!244)-%s).4%.3)6%s7/2+3(/03s3,%02%0!2!4)/. Private courses at your convenience. Official language test centre. Non-profit organisation since 1905! Supplier of the federal government for more than 15 years! REGISTER NOW: www.af.ca/ottawa | 613-234-9470 Silver Sponsors Gold Sponsors 26 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 NEWS NEWS LIBERAL RESEARCH BUREAU Liberals’ $2.4-million research bureau headed by Thalmann, Bosch Parliamentary research bureau offices are discreet entities on the Hill, tucked away in offices a few streets down from the main precinct and providing internal support to each party caucus, as well as the party leaders offices and the offices of House leaders and caucus whips. Brett Thalmann, top, is managing director of the LRB, and Kevin Bosch is deputy director in the office, pictured here with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photographs Continued from page 1 the whole operation,” says Warren Kinsella, CEO of Daisy Consulting and a former Liberal war-room strategist. “The prime minister would be relying on them [research bureau staff], in addition to what they do for caucus and some Cabinet ministers, to assist him on political stuff that you can’t ask the public service to do,” Mr. Kinsella told The Hill Times last week. Caucus research bureaus, as described by House rules, exist to support Members of Parliament in carrying out their parliamentary duties. That includes research on other parties, aiming to dig up political dirt or bombshells to lob at opponents, and providing information to caucus members and their staff. Parliamentary research bureau offices are discreet entities on the Hill, tucked away in offices a few streets down from the main precinct and providing internal support to each party caucus, as well as party leaders’ offices and the offices of House leaders and caucus whips. The Liberal caucus most often refers to its national caucus research bureau by its acronym, “the LRB,” while the NDP has dubbed its bureau “NDP caucus services,” and the Conservatives call it the “Conservative Resource Group” or “the CRG.” Funded by Parliament, each recognized party on the Hill—that is those with at least 12 sitting members—is allocated a budget to support a caucus research bureau based on caucus size. The Liberal research bureau has been allocated a budget of $2.4-million for 201516, while the budget for the CRG is $2.3-million, and the NDP has $1.4-million to work with. courtesy of Facebook and Twitter The LRB offices are located in the Valour Building at 131 Queen St. Last Parliament, Michael McNair oversaw the LRB as director of policy, research and parliamentary affairs to the leader, aided by Marci Surkes as senior manager for policy and research. Ms. Surkes is now chief of staff to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale (Regina-Wascana, Sask.) and Mr. McNair is now policy director in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). This time around, Brett Thalmann is head of the LRB as managing director, aided by longtime Liberal researcher Kevin Bosch as deputy director. As LRB managing director, Mr. Thalmann liaises and coordinates with deputy chief of staff and deputy principal secretary Jeremy Broadhurst over in the PMO. Mr. Thalmann said his office is the “front line” resource for Liberal MPs and their staff, and as a result, focus was put on hiring staff with parliamentary experience right away in November, after the Oct. 19 election. The office is now “fully operational,” with staff largely now in place, he said. There are 28 staffers currently working in the office. “We’re the main office that supports Liberal MPs, and that ranges from assistance with communications products to research above and beyond the available resources from the Library of Parliament,” said Mr. Thalmann. He added that LRB staff help answer “any kind of question” from MPs, help “direct caucus to resources,” help connect MPs to departments, help craft “template responses,” and also recently helped to “lead training of MPs’ staff.” “[In December] we had a bit of a crunch to get a basic [office] framework in place so that we could support caucus,” including in setting up Hill offices. Mr. Thalmann said “some early emphasis” was put on hiring LRB staff with parliamentary experience, but generally he “wanted to build a diverse team that reflects the makeup of the country.” The LRB’s role, as he sees it, is also to help MPs to “effectively” engage and communicate with their constituents, said Mr. Thalmann. For example, he said LRB staff, working with the Finance Minister’s office, helped to put together a “pre-budget consultation kit that MPs could use” in their constituencies, “and then feed that information right into the Finance Department’s big online consultation.” Research bureaus often also share similar talking points and research with pundits who appear on evening political shows, and variably reach out to media with dirt or other leaks, said Mr. Kinsella. But the approach of each research bureau varies, by party and by party standing. “In the Conservative years, [research bureau staff] weren’t even allowed to talk to the media; they were completely invisible,” said Mr. Kinsella. At other times, research bureau staff are regulator communicators to journalists, he added. “When you watch CTV News or CBC News every night, at least once a week there’s a story showing up there that Kevin Bosch came up with. You just don’t know about it. These guys are very important in the larger scheme of things,” he said. With the Liberals now in government, the Liberal research bureau will have a change of pace, said Mr. Kinsella. Unlike opposition parties, government is supported by the non-partisan public service, which provides policy research and helps draft legislation. Opposition parties don’t have similar support in challenging legislation or drafting amendments. “For the opposition, [research bureau’s are] essential. You would not have a functioning opposition without it,” he said. That said, how MPs use research bureaus vary by individual, said Mr. Kinsella: “Some MPs don’t use the LRB at all. They just feel they don’t need to or they know their issues and they’ve got staff they’ve got confidence in. And others depend on them for everything.” Current LRB managing director, Mr. Thalmann, was most recently director of operations for Ontario for the federal party in the lead-up to the 2015 election. Before that, he was part of the 2013 leadership transition team after serving as deputy national campaign director for Mr. Trudeau’s bid for leadership. He’s also previously worked at Queen’s Park for the Ontario Liberals. Originally from Alberta, deputy LRB director Mr. Bosch was a research analyst for the Alberta Liberals in the mid-to-late 1990s before moving to Ottawa to work for the Liberals on Parliament Hill. Over the years, Mr. Bosch has largely stuck to the party’s research bureau and is a former LRB director. He was also previously director of campaign research on Paul Martin’s 2003 leadership campaign. Ashley Wright, who worked in the LRB last Parliament as a special assistant for caucus services, is now director of caucus services and planning in the office. Ian Perkins, who worked closely alongside Mr. Thalmann in organizing in Ontario for the federal party during the 2015 campaign, is director of parliamentary affairs. Mr. Perkins has experience working as a senior adviser to then Liberal Veterans Affairs minister Albina Guarnieri, is a former war room staffer, and is also a former aide to Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis. John Delacourt, brother to Toronto Star reporter Susan Delacourt, is director of communications in the LRB, while Melissa Cotton is director of operations and outreach. A former aide to Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal and former MP Joe Volpe, Mr. Delacourt, who was part of the 2015 campaign team, was previously director of multicultural communications in to Mr. Ignatieff as leader, and also worked on Mr. Trudeau’s leadership campaign. Ms. Cotton was most recently director of operations to the Ontario Liberal Minister for Community Safety and Correctional Services and is also a former Liberal Senate aide. She’s also previously worked for Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long-term Care and is married to Brian Kaufmann, a policy and regional affairs adviser to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett. Lars Wessman, executive assistant to Mr. Thalmann, was until recently associate executive director of Ottawa Riverkeeper. Linda Hooper, who was manager of finance and administration in the LRB before the election and is a former aide to Liberal MP Borys Wreznewskyj, continues in the same role. Thomas Gagné, a former Quebec Liberal, is a special assistant for research, along with Ben Parsons, who was a researcher in the LRB during the last Parliament and worked in the 2015 campaign war room. Emily Trogen, a former aide to Liberal MP Ted Hsu and a former constituency assistant to Liberal MP Peter Milliken, is a special assistant for caucus services and planning, as is Doug VidalHernandez and Frédéric Côté. Andy Singh is deputy director of parliamentary affairs in the LRB, while Marty McKendry is a special assistant for parliamentary affairs. Mr. McKendry worked on digital social media for the 2015 national Liberal campaign and is a former Senate staffer and former policy adviser to Liberal MP Sean Casey. His LinkedIn profile indicates he was a staff writer for the Royal Canadian Air Farce for just over a year in 2008—and on the non-satire side, was a sailor with the Canadian Forces. He also has a background in law. Jenn Kuss is a team lead for communications in the LRB, while Kait LaForce is a writer. Earaj Inam is a design assistant in the communications branch, while Marine Detraz handles francophone communications. Cameron Sabadoz is a policy adviser. Amanda Campbell is a special assistant for the Northern and Western Region, while John Hearn is a special assistant for the Atlantic. Nadine Medawar, who ran as the party’s candidate in Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, Que., in the last election, is now a senior adviser for Quebec. Former Ontario Liberal staffer Tahiya Bakht, who worked in the provincial caucus research bureau, is special assistant for Ontario. Alan Ning, a former field organizer for the federal party, is a special assistant for operations and outreach, as is Angad Dhillon, a field organizer for the party in the Peel region near Toronto in 2015. Kazim Habib, a youth organizer for the federal party in Ontario in 2015 and a former intern, is also a special assistant for operations and outreach. lryckewaert@hilltimes.com The Hill Times EVENTS A discussion on: PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED DEATH SUMMARY On February 16 Hill Times Events presented a substantive discussion on Physician-Assisted Death (PAD). Moderated by Catherine Clark, the panel addressed issues surrounding PAD in Canada and how the government must proceed as it approaches the deadline to implement new legislation. EXPERT PANEL Anne Sutherland Boal CEO, Canadian Nurses Association Ensuring access for patients is crucial. Therefore, federal legislation must ensure that all Canadians have access to PAD. The following points are critical to ensuring this is the case. A change in terminology from “physician assisted death” to “medically assisted death” as the reality is that end of life care is provided by teams involving physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists -- who all rely on each other professionally to deliver end of life care. A consistent approach to PAD across Canada – equally applicable to urban, rural and remote settings - and universal coverage. Amendments to the Criminal Code to ensure that health care providers (in addition to physicians) are protected to be engaged in supporting individuals seeking PAD. The need for the creation of a federal oversight committee consisting of legal and ethics experts, health care providers, other stakeholders and the public to monitor, review and report on PAD. Jeff Blackmer - Vice President, Medical Professionalism, Canadian Medical Association The CMA has been working on issues associated with care at the end of life for the past few years. Starting with a series of crossCanada public town halls hosted in FRQMXQFWLRQZLWK0F/HDQ·VPDJD]LQH the CMA has engaged extensively with the public and with physicians on this FRPSOH[WRSLF+DYLQJUHSUHVHQWHGLW·V over 80000 members as an intervenor in the Carter case, the CMA has been advocating actively at the provincial and federal levels for a consistent pan-Canadian approach to the issue RISK\VLFLDQDVVLVWHGG\LQJ,W·V principles-based framework document lays out its suggested approach for the current and ongoing development of laws and regulations. Maureen McTeer - Author and Lawyer How we die will continue to preoccupy Canadians. The SCC decision in the Carter case last year, struck down the Criminal Code provisions prohibiting physician-assisted death LQFHUWDLQVSHFLÀFFLUFXPVWDQFHVDQG left Parliament (and the provinces and territories), grappling with how to proceed. In just four months, law makers must GHÀQHFOHDUO\ZKRZLOOEHHOLJLEOHIRU physician assistance in dying, and how, where, and by whom such assistance will be provided. They must protect the vulnerable patients from abuse; doctors who object to the procedures; and allied health professionals who will assist. Finally, they must create an effective oversight body that covers all Canadians across the country. Canadians are counting on Parliament and the Legislatures to act decisively on this most important issue of our generation. hilltimes.com/events/ht-upcoming-events.html 28 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 HILL CLIMBERS POLITICAL STAFFERS HILL CLIMBERS B Y L AUR A R Y CK E WA E RT Fisheries Minister Tootoo hires chief of staff, Heritage Minister Joly hires Carr as director Ben Carr, son of new Liberal Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, is now director of parliamentary affairs to Canadian Heritage Miniser Mélanie Joly. F ormer Liberal party national director George Young has been recruited to serve as chief of staff to Fisheries and Oceans Minister Hunter Tootoo, Hill Climbers has learned. Mr. Young, who started last week, was until recently, working for the City of Ottawa as a strategic support coordinator and is a former communications director for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. He has a long history with the Liberal Party, dating back to the early 1990s when he was executive director of the Ontario Liberals after working in the private sector—including for McCain, Kraft Foods, and the National Cheese Company—for more than two decades overall. After a long hunt for a chief of staff to run Mr. Tootoo’s ministerial office—the last of Cabinet without one—Mr. Young has finally been recruited to the role. Over his years of involvement with the Liberals, Mr. Young has served as national director of the federal party (on two separate occasions), as director of operations to Stéphane Dion when Mr. Dion was Liberal leader, and he worked under the former Liberal government in the offices of the ministers for Fisheries and Oceans, National Defence, and National Revenue over the years and was also chief of staff to Tony Ianno when he was minister of state for Families and Caregivers in prime minister Paul Martin’s government. Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly recently welcomed Ben Carr, a former high school teacher, active Liberal and son of Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, as her new ministerial director of parliamentary affairs. Before joining Ms. Joly’s office earlier this month, Mr. Carr spent the last threeand-a-half years teaching at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, Man., and coaching the school’s junior varsity football team, and before that briefly taught Grade 6 French immersion at Robert H. Smith public school in Winnipeg. Mr. Carr served as a senior political adviser on his dad’s 2015 campaign in Winnipeg South Centre, Man., having run his 2014 nomination campaign in the riding. Mr. Carr is a former president of the Young Liberals of Canada Manitoba branch and was a national campaign liaison for election readiness for the federal party in 2008. He also previously was Manitoba campaign manager for Scott Brison’s 2006 bid for federal party leadership, and again for Bob Rae’s 2009 bid—both of which were ultimately unsuccessful. Mr. Carr worked briefly under the former Liberal government as parliamentary assistant to then Treasury Board president Reg Alcock starting in 2005, as indicated by his LinkedIn profile. He’s also a former research assistant with the University of Winnipeg’s Institute of Urban Studies, among other experience. Pierre-Olivier Herbert is now press secretary to Ms. Joly and joins her office straight from a gig as press attaché to Quebec Liberal Minister for Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion, Kathleen Weil. Mr. Herbert was recruited to work in Ms. Joly’s office, having already served in a similar capacity as press aide for Ms. Joly’s 2013 campaign to become Montreal mayor. He has also previously worked for TC Transcontinental in Montreal in a number of roles over the years. Sandra Aubé has been hired as an issues manager to the minister, and Hill Climbers has learned that staffer Victor Esposito is a legislative assistant to Ms. Joly. Public Services and Procurement Minister Judy Foote has recruited Hill and Knowlton senior consultant Jessica Turner to serve as her ministerial press secretary. Ms. Turner is a former communications officer with the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. She briefly served as a communications volunteer for the federal Liberal Party in Ottawa ahead of the party’s 2013 leadership race and in 2012, volunteered as co-chair of communications for the UN Women Canada National Committee, according to her LinkedIn profile. Taras Zalusky, a former executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), which represents the Ukrainian Canadian community, is now director of policy to Public Services and Procurement Minister Judy Foote. Mr. Zalusky was until recently executive director of the UCC since 2010. Mr. Zalusky, also a former Liberal Hill staffer, served as chief of staff for the Canadian observer mission to ensure fair elections in Ukraine in 2012. Lesley Sherban is now a special assistant for Ontario to Ms. Foote while Michelle Delaney is the minister’s executive assistant. Lorraine Stevenson, meanwhile, has been hired as executive assistant to chief of staff Gianluca Cairo. Science Minister Kirsty Duncan has bolstered her ministerial team, hiring John Burnett as director of policy and Stephanie Muccili as a policy adviser. Véronique Perron is now Ms. Duncan’s press secretary, while Diana Mendes, previously Ms. Duncan’s aide as the MP for Etobicoke North, Ont., has moved over to her new ministerial office as a special assistant for parliamentary affairs. Rob Rosenfeld is the minister’s chief of staff. Son of Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, Ben Carr, pictured, works for Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly. Former Harper press secretary Catherine Loubier is now a vicepresident at Citoyen Optimum in Montreal, Que. Photograph courtesy Photograph courtesy of LinkedIn of LinkedIn Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef has hired Jennifer Austin, pictured, as her D.-Comms. Photograph David Clements is communications director to Health Minister Jane Philpott. Photograph courtesy of LinkedIn George Young is back on the Hill as chief of staff to Fisheries and Oceans Minister Hunter Tootoo. Photograph courtesy of LinkedIn Jesse Kancir, pictured, is now a policy adviser to Health Minister Jane Philpott. Photo- Peter Cleary, pictured, is Ms. Philpott’s director of parliamentary affairs. Photograph graph courtesy of LinkedIn courtesy of LinkedIn courtesy of LinkedIn Health Minister Philpott bolsters staff team Health Minister Jane Philpott has also recently welcomed a number of new staff to her ministerial office team. David Clements is now director of communications to Ms. Philpott. Until recently, he was a director at the Canadian Institute for Health Information since 2010 and before that was vice president of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation. Mr. Clements was executive director of Health Canada’s health-care innovation secretariat, an advisory panel that delivered a report, Unleashing Innovation, to the federal government in July 2015. He has previously worked for Nature Canada, the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health and is a former senior communications officer with the B.C. ministry of Health Services. He also spent two years in the late 1990s as a reporter for Black Press in Victoria, B.C. Of late, Mr. Clements has been an adjunct professor with Carleton University’s health sciences faculty. Peter Cleary has been hired as director of parliamentary affairs, scooped straight out of the office of the Ontario Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeff Leal where he’s been chief of staff since March 2015, and a senior adviser before that. Mr. Cleary has been working with the Ontario Liberals for a number of years, including for the minister of Health and Long-Term Care and the minister of Community and Social Services. He worked on Sandra Pupatello’s 2012 bid for the Ontario party leadership, and was the Ontario Liberal Party’s Eastern Ontario regional co-lead for the 2011 provincial election. Mr. Cleary is also a former constituency assistant and community liaison to the Liberal MPP for Northumberland-Quinte West, Ont. Lou Rinaldi. Jordan Crosby is now in Ms. Philpott’s office as assistant to the parliamentary secretary for health, Liberal MP Kamal Khera. Mr. Crosby was a special assistant for operations and outreach in the Liberal leader’s office last Parliament, and briefly helped out in the PMO after last fall’s federal election before landing a spot on Ms. Philpott’s team. Mark Livingstone, who was also a special assistant for operations and outreach in the Liberal leader’s office in the last Parliament, is now a special assistant for the Atlantic regional desk in Ms. Philpott’s office. Former departmental staffer Kathryn Nowers is now a policy adviser in the minister’s office. She’s previously worked at Public Safety Canada, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, and Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Jesse Kancir is also a new policy adviser in the minister’s office. A past-president of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students for a year starting September 2013, Mr. Kancir is also founder of the Medical Humanities Student Working Group at the University of Toronto where is studied a doctor of medicine. Mr. Kancir has been a member of board of directors of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada since April 2014. A 2010 Vancouver Olympic torchbearer, he studied a bachelor in biotechnology and economics at the University of Waterloo, then a master of science in International health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science before earning his MD. He also studied a master’s degree in public policy at the University of Cambridge. Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef has hired Jean-Bruno Villeneuve as press secretary and issues manager and last week was his first in the minister’s office. Mr. Villeneuve previously was working as an assistant director of media relations at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada up until Feb. 12, and he’s also previously worked with Canada’s foreign service. Jennifer Austin is director of communications to the minister. Before joining the minister’s office earlier this month, Ms. Austin was director of marketing and communications at 4-H Canada. She’s previously worked for the Canadian Internet Registration Authority and was director of communications for Scouts Canada for about seven years before that from 2002 to 2009, according to her LinkedIn profile. Ms. Austin’s online profile indicates she’s previously worked as a legislative assistant to an MP on the Hill and is a former Senate aide. Small Business and Tourism Minister Bardish Chagger is up two more exempt staff, having hired Farees Nathoo as a special adviser and Daniel Arseneault as director of parliamentary affairs. Continued on page 29 29 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 HILL CLIMBERS POLITICAL STAFFERS ‘Something about this place’ Continued from page 28 Meanwhile, Justice Minister Jody WilsonRaybould has hired Sebastian Cooper to serve as her assistant, while Joanne Ghiz has been hired as a senior communications adviser. Ms. Ghiz previously worked as a media relations officer at the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation. A former Queen’s Park staffer up to 2011, including to the Ontario Liberal ministers for Northern Development, Mines and Forestry and Natural Resources, Ms. Ghiz is also a former assistant to P.E.I. Liberal Senator Elizabeth Hubley. Ms. Ghiz is former P.E.I. premier Robert Ghiz’s younger sister. Their father, the late Joe Ghiz, was also premier of P.E.I. and relatedly, Ms. Ghiz is married to former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty’s son, Jamie McGuinty. NDP MP Caron hires Soule as a Hill staffer George Soule is back on the Hill after a brief break post-election, now as an aide to NDP MP Guy Caron, the MP for RimouskiNeigette-Témiscouata-Les Basques, Que. “After the election, there were a lot of cuts to the budget which resulted in cuts to jobs, so … a whole bunch of us found ourselves out of work, which, such is politics,” Mr. Soule told Hill Climbers last week. “Guy knew I was looking a little bit and I actually wasn’t sure I was going to come back here, but there’s something about this place and Guy is a great MP.” Director of media for the federal party during the 2015 campaign, Mr. Soule was a senior caucus press secretary for the official opposition NDP last Parliament. Until recently, he had spent his years on the Hill working at the leader’s office and at the caucus services level, starting in 2009 when he was first hired as caucus press secretary. A former chair of the Canadian Federation of Students, Mr. Soule has also worn the hat of regional press secretary and became press secretary to the NDP leader in 2012 after Thomas Mulcair stepped into the role. He stepped away from the Hill for paternity leave in 2013 after his daughter, Madeleine, was born. She became familiar to many on the Hill in the last Parliament, and Mr. Soule joked that while caucus members were happy to see him return, they were “even happier to see Madeleine.” So far, Mr. Soule said working in an MP’s office is a “different” kind of job, compared to central caucus offices. “MPs have constituents directly looking for help and needing their help. … The demands of an MP are different from the demands of a leader,” he said. The NDP is now the third party in the House of Commons, and some have questioned the party’s viability as opposition under a Liberal government. “The result of the election wasn’t what we were hoping for, but when I started we had seven fewer MPs than what we have now, and you build from that,” he said. “I got involved politically in the ‘90s because of Liberal cuts and because of the massive slashing to social programs and Liberals making promises that they never intended to keep.… I think as the years go by people will start to see how important it is to have a progressive opposition to Liberals.” Former CPC Cabinet staffers find their feet Catherine Loubier, former press secretary and senior adviser for Quebec to former prime minister Stephen Harper, began a new job as vice-president of strategic consulting and public affairs at Citoyen Optimum in Montreal, Que., at the beginning of the month. A former marketing adviser with Superior Propane in Calgary, Alta., Ms. Loubier previously worked for Lawrence Cannon, first when he was minister for transport and infrastructure and later when he was foreign affairs minister. She’s worked for international non-profit One Drop in Montreal, Que., and for a time was vice president of corporate and government affairs at Hill and Knowlton’s Montreal office before joining Mr. Harper’s PMO in 2013. Reached by Hill Climbers earlier this month, Ms. Loubier said, “it was a privilege to serve” under the Conservative government and that she’s “delighted” to join Citoyen Optimum’s team. “It’s really a firm that prioritizes excellence and values entrepreneurial spirit, that was important,”said Ms. Loubier.“My goal here will be to advise entrepreneurs and decision-makers so they can achieve the impact they desire and the outcome they desire in public affairs and communications, and I think that’s a way for me to contribute to their growth and their performance and their job creation.” Ms. Loubier said her new job will put to use “all my experience in public affairs and communications.” James Maunder, former chief of staff to former industry minister James Moore in the last Parliament, is now working as director of government and regulatory affairs at Xplorenet Communications, which describes itself online as Canada’s leading rural broadband internet provider, as indicated by his LinkedIn profile. Ted Laking, former communications director to former health minister Leona Aglukkaq, has returned to his home stomping grounds up North and is now in a new political ring as director of planning and strategy toYukon Premier Darrell Pasloski since December. Mr. Laking worked on the Hill for a number of years, including as a policy adviser to John Duncan when he was Indian affairs minister in the Harper government and later as policy adviser and director of communications to Ms. Aglukkaq. Mr. Pasloski is set to chair the Council of the Federation this year, the first territorial premier to do so, and Canada’s premiers are set to meet in Whitehorse, Yukon July 20 to 22. In his new role, Mr. Laking is helping to coordinate this meeting, and has some helpful experience under his belt, having helped organize the Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut last April while working for Ms. Aglukkaq. Myles Atwood, previously a special assistant in the Conservative PMO, is now a manager at Manulife Financial. A former Conservative Party intern, he first joined the PMO in 2010 as executive assistant to the director of tour and scheduling. Ashley McArthur, former director of policy to then minister of state for Western Economic Diversification, began her new gig as manager of research and public affairs at Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) earlier this month, as indicated on LinkedIn. Ms. McArthur began working on the Hill following the 2008 federal election and over the years also worked as a legislative aide to Conservative MPs Deepak Obhrai and Tim Uppal, who was defeated last fall. lryckewaert@hilltimes.com The Hill Times SCHOOL’S OUT... COME AND SEE US THE CANADA SCHOOL OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE is no longer offering retirement seminars The Retirement Planning Institute The largest provider of retirement seminars to the Public Service....established in 1986 is now expanding its offering outside the National Capital Region. www.rpi-ipr.com 30 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 FEATURE HOUSE COMMITTEES A primer on House committees, members, agendas Almost all House committees have elected their chairs, but just 16 per cent, or four of the 25 committees, are chaired by women, and 40 per cent, or 10 of 25 of committee chairs, are rookies. BY RACHEL AIELLO A s of now, almost all House committees have elected their chairs but just 16 per cent, or four of the 25 committees are chaired by women, and 40 per cent, or 10 of 25 of committee chairs are rookies. According to The Hill Times review of committee makeups, male and veteran MPs are still dominating the top roles at House of Commons Committees, despite the influx of new women and firsttime MPs in this Parliament. By the end of last week 25 of the 29 House and joint House and Senate committees had named their chairs, and have begun holding or scheduling meetings with the ministers in charge of their respective files. The four committees still to name their chairs (expected this week) are: the Joint Committee on Library of Parliament; the Joint Scrutiny of Regulations Committee; the House Liaison committee which is made up of all the House committee chairs; and the newly formed House Pay Equity Committee. Other than the House Pay Equity Committee, just one other House committee, Status of Women has more than four female members. There are also two committees—Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics, and Industry, Science, and Technology—that have no women on them at all. There are only being 26 per cent women in the House, and the Liberals appointed 28 of their 50 female MPs to either Cabinet or to be parliamentary secretaries, and four female MPs (Conservative Interim Leader Rona Ambrose (Sturgeon River-Parkland, Alta.) Green Party Leader Elizabeth May (Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.) and Bloc Québécois MPs Marilène Gill (Manicouagan, Que.) and Monique Pauzé (Repentigny, Que.) ineligible to be on committees, that left just 56 eligible female MPs to fill the more than 300 spots on House committees. On most of the standard House committees of 10 MPs, the Liberals have six MPs, the Conservatives three, and the NDP one. All of the available 22 Liberal MPs who have been assigned to at least one committee, and of the 16 Conservative female MPs, 14 are on a committee. Two Conservative MPs, Marilyn Gladu (SarniaLambton, Ont.) and Dianne Watts (South Surrey-White Rock, B.C.), are on more than one, while Conservative MPs Alice Wong (Richmond Centre, B.C.) and Diane Finley (Haldimand-Norfolk, Ont.) do not sit on any. The New Democrats have 18 women in their caucus and 11 of them were given committee roles. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Committee Chair: Liberal MP Andy Fillmore Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP David Yurdiga and NDP MP Charlie Angus Members: Liberal MP Gary Anandasangaree Liberal MP Mike Bossio Liberal MP Rémi Massé Liberal MP Michael V. McLeod Liberal MP Don Rusnak Conservative MP Cathy McLeod Conservative MP Arnold Viersen Work: The committee has not finalized its agenda but it’s expected to be called upon to study any legislative changes that come from the promised Liberal review of all First Nations-related federal legislation as well as likely any changes to the funding cap that First Nations peoples currently experience if included in the upcoming budget. Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics Committee Chair: Conservative MP Blaine Calkins Vice-Chairs: Liberal MP Joël Lightbound and NDP MP Daniel Blakie Members: Liberal MP Bob Bratina Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal MP Wayne Long Liberal MP Rémi Massé Liberal MP Raj Saini Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux Conservative MP Pat Kelly Work: The committee has not finalized its agenda but the government has promised to reform the Access to Information Act in an effort to make government information more accessible, including applying the Access to Information Act to the Prime Minister’s Office and to all Cabinet ministers’ offices and removing the $5 filing fee on access requests. Agriculture and AgriFood Committee Chair: Liberal MP Pat Finnigan Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Bev Shipley and NPD MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau Members: Liberal MP Pierre Breton Liberal MP Francis Drouin Liberal MP Alaina Lockhart Liberal MP Lloyd Longfield Liberal MP Joe Peschisolido Conservative MP Jacques Gourde Conservative MP Chris Warkentin Work: The committee met last week in-camera to discuss committee business and it could be expected to touch on the effects of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement on Canadian agriculture industry, something chair Liberal MP Pat Finnigan has expressed he would like to hear investigated. Canadian Heritage Committee Chair: Liberal MP Hedy Fry Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Larry Maguire and NDP MP Pierre Nantel Members: Liberal MP Pierre Breton Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin Liberal MP Seamus O’Regan Liberal MP Darrell Samson Liberal MP Dan Vandal Conservative MP Peter Van Loan Conservative MP Kevin Waugh Work: This committee will spend at least 10 meetings studying the state of the news industry, including local news, media concentration, and how digital media fits in. As well, it will undertake a review of the state of Canadian museums with a focus on local and community museums. Citizenship and Immigration Committee Chair: Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP David Tilson and NDP MP Jenny Kwan Members: Liberal MP Shaun Chen Liberal MP Ali Ehsassi Liberal MP Randeep Sarai Liberal MP Marwan Tabbara Liberal MP Salma Zahid Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Conservative MP Bob Saroya Work: Liberals plan to introduce changes to the Citizenship Act in the next few weeks to put an age limit on the language test for new immigrants to apply for Canadian citizenship, which was brought in by the Conservatives in 2014 as part of its controversial Bill C-24, Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act. Expect this committee to take on studying those changes. As well, it’s likely it will look into the ongoing Syrian refugee resettlement at some point. Environment and Sustainable Development Committee Chair: Liberal MP Deborah Schulte Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Jim Eglinski and NDP MP Nathan Cullen Members: Liberal MP John Aldag Liberal MP William Amos Liberal MP Mike Bossio Liberal MP Darren Fisher Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen Conservative MP Martin Shields Conservative MP Ed Fast Work: This committee will be the one to study any environmental law changes, like the government’s new climate change plans and national emission reduction targets. As well, the committee is mandated to cover anything related to the Office of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Environment Canada, Parks Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. Finance Committee Chair: Liberal MP Wayne Easter Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Ron Liepert and NDP MP Guy Caron Members: Liberal MP Raj Grewal Liberal MP Steven MacKinnon Liberal MP Jennifer O’Connell Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette Liberal MP Francesco Sorbara Conservative MP Lisa Raitt Conservative MP Phil McColeman Work: The committee is working on drafting a report on their marathon pre-budget hearings last week. Once that is completed this committee’s winter and early spring will likely be dominated by studying the government’s budget bill. Fisheries and Oceans Committee Chairs: Liberal MP Scott Simms Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Robert Sopuck and NDP MP Fin Donnelly Members: Liberal MP Pat Finnigan Liberal MP Ken Hardie Liberal MP Bernadette Jordan Liberal MP Ken McDonald Liberal MP Robert Morrissey Conservative MP Mel Arnold Conservative MP Mark Strahl Work: The committee is expected to head up any study related to the Liberals’ promised restoration of funding to federal ocean science and monitoring programs and bring the percentage of protected marine coastal areas up to five per cent by 2017. Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee Chair: Liberal MP Robert Nault Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Dean Allison and NDP MP Hélène Laverdière Members: Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos Liberal MP Michael Levitt Liberal MP Marc Miller Liberal MP Raj Saini Liberal MP Jati Sidhu Conservative MP Tony Clement Conservative MP Peter Kent Work: The committee is undertaking a study on women, peace and security, including the efforts of the Government of Canada to implement and support the United Nations Security Council resolutions on women, peace and security, as well as sexual violence in conflict and women’s leadership in conflict resolution and peace-building. Government Operations and Estimates Committee Chair: Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski Vice-Chairs: Liberal MP Yasmin Ratansi and NDP MP Erin Weir Members: Liberal MP Ramez Ayoub Liberal MP Francis Drouin Liberal MP David Graham Liberal MP Raj Grewal Liberal MP Nick Whalen Conservative MP Steven Blaney Conservative MP Kelly McCauley Work: The committee is responsible for looking at the annual expenditures of central departments and agencies, as well as overseeing the Privy Council Office, the Prime Minister’s Office, Treasury Board, Public Services and Procurement Canada and Shared Services Canada. Health Committee Chair: Liberal MP Bill Casey Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Len Webber and NDP MP Don Davies Members: Liberal MP Ramez Ayoub Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson Liberal MP Darshan Singh Kang Liberal MP John Oliver Liberal MP Sonia Sidhu Conservative MP Colin Carrie Conservative MP K. Kellie Leitch Work: A work agenda has not been finalized but topics discussed as potential study issues at this committee include: the health impacts of marijuana, palliative and home care, organ donation, the cost of pharmaceuticals, and safe injection sites. Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities Committee Chair: Liberal MP Bryan May Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Bob Zimmer and NDP MP Niki Ashton Members: Liberal MP Wayne Long Liberal MP Yves Robillard Liberal MP Dan Ruimy Liberal MP Ramesh Sangha Liberal MP Filomena Tassi Conservative MP Gérard Deltell Conservative MP Mark Warawa Work: It’s likely that this committee will be charged with studying Bill C-4, the An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code, the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act, the Public Service Labour Relations Act and the Income Tax Act that repeals Conservative union bills. Continued on page 31 31 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 FEATURE HOUSE COMMITTEES House International Trade Committee to study Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Continued from page 30 Industry, Science and Technology Committee Chair: Liberal MP Dan Ruimy Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Alexander Nuttall and NDP MP Brian Masse Members: Liberal MP René Arseneault Liberal MP Chandra Arya Liberal MP Frank Baylis Liberal MP Majid Jowhari Liberal MP Lloyd Longfield Conservative MP Maxime Bernier Conservative MP Earl Dreeshen Work: This committee is in charge of studying everything related to industry and technology capability; scientific research and development; telecommunications policy; investment, trade, small business and tourism; and rules and services that support the effective operation of the marketplace. International Trade Committee Chair: Liberal MP Mark Eyking Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Randy Hoback and NDP MP Tracey Ramsey Members: Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal MP Peter Fonseca Liberal MP Linda Lapointe Liberal MP Karen Ludwig Liberal MP Kyle Peterson Conservative MP Gerry Ritz Conservative MP Dave Van Kesteren Work: This committee has elected to immediately begin studying the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. It decided to conduct at least six meetings on this topic and will be travelling across Canada holding hearings. It will report back to the House by a to-be-determined deadline. Justice and Human Rights Committee Chair: Liberal MP Anthony Housefather Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Ted Falk and NDP MP Murray Rankin Members: Liberal MP Chris Bittle Liberal MP Colin Fraser Liberal MP Ahmed Hussen Liberal MP Iqra Khalid Liberal MP Ron McKinnon Conservative MP Michael Cooper Conservative MP Rob Nicholson Work: This committee will likely take on the study of the government’s legislation on physician-assisted dying, required in response to the Supreme Court of Canada’s Carter ruling. Library of Parliament Joint Committee Members: Liberal MP Angelo Iacono Liberal MP Michael Levitt Liberal MP Eva Nassif Liberal MP Don Rusnak Liberal MP Marc Serré Liberal MP Gagan Sikand Liberal MP Scott Simms Conservative MP Gordon Brown Conservative MP Kerry Diotte Conservative MP Todd Doherty Conservative MP Jim Hillyer NDP MP Anne Minh-Thu Quach Work: This committee is in charge of helping direct the dayto-day functioning of the Library of Parliament, as well as playing a role in the direction of the Library of Parliament. National Defence Committee Chair: Liberal MP Stephen Fuhr Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant and NDP MP Randall Garrison Members: Liberal MP Darren Fisher Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen Liberal MP Jean Rioux Liberal MP Sherry Romanado Liberal MP Sven Spengemann Conservative MP James Bezan Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus Work: This committee will take on any study related to the Canadian government’s involvement in the fight against ISIS, and anything relating to other missions, as well the Canadian Armed Forces, generally. Natural Resources Committee Chair: Liberal MP James Maloney Vice-Chair: Conservative MP John Barlow and NDP MP Richard Cannings Members: Liberal MP T.J. Harvey Liberal MP Denis Lemieux Liberal MP Michael V. McLeod Liberal MP Marc Serré Liberal MP Geng Tan Conservative MP Candice Bergen Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs Work: NDP MP Richard Cannings said he would like to have the committee study the softwood lumber industry, but that hasn’t been decided yet. The committee’s mandate includes the energy, forestry, minerals and metals sectors and the earth sciences sector. Official Languages Committee Chair: Liberal MP Denis Paradis Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP John Nater and NDP MP François Choquette Members: Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger Liberal MP Linda Lapointe Liberal MP Paul Lefebvre Liberal MP Darrell Samson Liberal MP Dan Vandal Conservative MP Sylvie Boucher Conservative MP Bernard Généreux Work: The committee does not have a work plan yet, but it’s expected to study the Liberals’ promises to develop a new official languages plan to support English and French linguistic minorities and to establish a free online service for learning English and French as second languages. Pay Equity Committee Members: Liberal MP Matt DeCourcey Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz Liberal MP Eva Nassif Liberal MP Terry Sheehan Liberal MP Sonia Sidhu Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld Conservative MP Dan Albas Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu Conservative MP Dianne Watts NDP MP Sheri Benson Work: This committee was struck with the task of studying pay equity and is expected to propose a plan to adopt a “proactive federal pay equity regime.” Physician-Assisted Dying Committee Joint Chairs: Conservative Senator Kelvin Kenneth Ogilvie and Liberal MP Robert Oliphant Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Michael Cooper and NDP MP Murray Rankin Members Representing the Senate: Liberal Senator James S. Cowan Liberal Senator Serge Joyal Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth Conservative Senator Judith G. Seidman Members Representing the House of Commons: Liberal MP John Aldag Liberal MP René Arseneault Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin Liberal MP Denis Lemieux Liberal MP Brenda Shanahan Conservative MP Mark Warawa Conservative MP Harold Albrecht NDP MP Brigitte Sansoucy Work: This committee is currently working on its report based on its findings after 13 meetings on Parliament Hill with 61 witnesses on the issue of physician-assisted dying. The committee is due to report back by Feb. 26 and it’s likely expected to be suspended once this occurs, although it’s possible the committee could also play a role in studying the upcoming legislation. Procedure and House Affairs Committee Chair: Liberal MP Larry Bagnell Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Blake Richards and NDP MP David Christopherson Members: Liberal MP Arnold Chan Liberal MP David Graham Liberal MP Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal MP Ruby Sahota Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld Conservative MP Jamie Schmale Conservative MP Scott Reid Work: Currently the committee is studying possible initiatives to make the House of Commons more family-friendly, including doing away with Friday sittings, changing the House’s sitting hours and sitting weeks and using technology to further debate parliamentary business outside the House. Public Accounts Committee Chair: Conservative MP Kevin Sorenson Vice-Chairs: Liberal MP Alexandra Mendès and NDP MP David Christopherson Members: Liberal MP Chandra Arya Liberal MP T.J. Harvey Liberal MP Paul Lefebvre Liberal MP Brenda Shanahan Liberal MP Jati Sidhu Conservative MP Joël Godin Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre Work: Last week, the committee began studying the fall 2015 report of the Auditor General of Canada. As the standing audit committee for Parliament it will also be in charge of reviewing the government’s annual multibillion-dollar public accounts. Public Safety and National Security Committee Chair: Liberal MP Robert Oliphant Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Larry Miller and NDP MP Matthew Dubé Members: Liberal MP Pam Damoff Liberal MP Nicola Di Iorio Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal MP Marco Mendicino Liberal MP Sven Spengemann Conservative MP Erin O’Toole Conservative MP Alain Rayes Work: This committee’s agenda has not been finalized but it’s expected to study the government’s eventual reforms of the anti-terrorism law, Bill C-51. As well, the government has pledged to introduce a bill to get handguns off the street and to repeal changes made by Bill C-42, the Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act. Scrutiny of Regulations Joint Committee: Members representing the House of Commons: Liberal MP Gary Anandasangaree Liberal MP Vance Badawey Liberal MP Shaun Chen Liberal MP Nicola Di Iorio Liberal MP Fayçal El-Khoury Liberal MP Bernadette Jordan Liberal MP Geng Tan Conservative MP Harold Albrecht Conservative MP John Brassard Conservative MP Garnett Genuis Conservative MP Tom Kmiec NDP MP Pierre-Luc Dusseault Members representing the Senate: To be determined Work: This committee has not met yet and has no pending work, but will be responsible for scrutinizing statutory instruments. Status of Women Committee Chair: Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu Vice-Chairs: Liberal MP Pam Damoff and NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson Members: Liberal MP Sean Fraser Liberal MP Karen Ludwig Liberal MP Eva Nassif Liberal MP Ruby Sahota Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld Conservative MP Rachael Harder Conservative MP Karen Vecchio Work: This committee hasn’t finalized an official agenda, but it received a briefing from Status of Women Canada officials last week and will hear from Status of Women Minister Patty Hadju this week. It’s expected the committee will be tasked with the Liberal promise to implement a federal gender violence strategy and action plan. Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Committee Chair: Liberal MP Judy Sgro Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Luc Berthold and NDP MP Linda Duncan Members: Liberal MP Vance Badawey Liberal MP Sean Fraser Liberal MP Ken Hardie Liberal MP Angelo Iacono Liberal MP Gagan Sikand Conservative MP Kelly Block Conservative MP Dianne Watts Work: This committee has not finalized its work agenda but will likely be responsible for studying the Liberals’ $125-billion over 10 years infrastructure spending plans. Veterans Affairs Committee Chair: Liberal MP Neil Ellis Vice-Chairs: Conservative MP Robert Kitchen and NDP MP Irene Mathyssen Members: Liberal MP Bob Bratina Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson Liberal MP Colin Fraser Liberal MP Alaina Lockhart Liberal MP Sherry Romanado Conservative MP Alupa Clarke Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall Work: The committee would like to plan outreach to veterans across Canada and will be responsible for evaluating the Liberals’ promised changes to veterans’ services. During the election the Liberals promised to invest millions annually in education, counselling and training, as well as reopen the nine Veterans Affairs service offices closed under the last government. raiello@hilltimes.com The Hill Times DEFENCE AN EMBASSY POLICY BRIEFING Publication Date: March 9, 2016 As the Trudeau Liberals sink their teeth into Canada’s first defence strategy update in years, questions are swirling about how the new government intends to tackle thorny procurement issues such as new fighter jets and new frigates. Embassy, which broke the news that the Liberals are Booking Date: March 4, 2016 operating an ad hoc cabinet committee on defence procurement, presents a briefing on defence issues as wide-ranging as Canada’s mission in Iraq and Syria, arms exports and the future of the navy. Only in Embassy. Eighty-seven per cent of our readers say Embassy reports and policy briefings are helpful to making informed professional decisions. 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A DAILY EMAIL FOR HILL TIMES SUBSCRIBERS People, politics and policy direct to you SUBSCRIBE TODAY 34 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 FEATURE BUZZ HEARD ON THE HILL B Y D ER E K A B MA Reporters beat parliamentarians in charity hockey game Continued from page 2 The Ottawa Citizen’s Jason Fekete holds the championship trophy after his hockey team of gallery journalists beat a team of parliamentarians in the annual Canal Classic last week. The Hill Times photography by Jake Wright Parliamentary Press Gallery members defeated Hill politicians last week in the third annual Canal Classic hockey game played on the Rideau Canada. The journalists beat the parliamentarians by score of 22-15. It was the third of such events, with each side each having one victory in the previous two years. The media team this year was comprised of Steve Rennie, Andy Blatchford, Barrie McKenna, Hugo de Grandpré, David Akin, Andrew Thomson, Lee Berthiaume, Mike De Souza, Jason Fekete, James Munson, BJ Siekierski, Mike Woods, and Phillipe-Vincent Foisy. They also got some help from Dom Cozzolino of the Canadian men’s sledge-hockey team and former Ottawa Senators captain Laurie Boschman. The parliamentarians team was made up of MPs Rodger Cuzner, Geoff Regan, Adam Vaughan, Matt DeCourcey, John McKay, Marco Medicino, T.J. Harvey, John Barlow, Don Davies, Francis Drouin, Kellie Leitch, Gord Brown, Ben Lobb, Nathan Cullen, and Christine Moore, as well as Senator Jim Munson. Their ringers were Ben Delaney from the national sledgehockey team and Shaun Van Allen, another ex-Senator (as in the hockey team). The event is intended to raise awareness of Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart charities, which help underprivileged kids participate in organized sports and activities. Welding Bureau throws out invitation to stranded journalists From the left, Annabelle Archambault from Veterans Affairs, Josh Arless from the office of Liberal MP Sherry Romanado, Eleanore Catenaro of the PMO, and Alex Howell from the office of Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes enjoy some food and refreshments during last week’s reception of the Canadian Welding Bureau. Photograph by Cynthia Münster As Ottawa struggled with a record snowfall last Tuesday, the Canadian Welding Bureau was offering an alternative to journalists waiting for delayed buses during the evening rush hour. That afternoon, the bureau sent out a notice to members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery to let them know that attending the group’s reception at the Shaw Centre could be a welcome option when compared to waiting out the “transit rush.” Despite the weather, officials reported the event as being “a great success.” During the reception, the group emphasized the need to encourage more young people to get into the profession of welding, as tje average age of a welders in Canada stands at 54. Look who showed up for Flag Day Justin Trudeau was among the guests at last Tuesday’s Flag Day celebration at Centre Block hosted by House Speaker Geoff Regan and the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy . He is joined here by (from left) Greg Stulen, Gary Gladstone, Beatrice Keleher Raffoul, Anthony DiCarlo, Andrew Cardozo, Alicia Natividad, Jonathan Calof, Sharon Fernandez, and Roy Sengupta. Photograph courtesy of the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy dabma@hilltimes.com The Hill Times Customize Your Work Q Track a bill Q Follow a committee Q Get immediate notification when changes happen www.parliamentnow.ca 35 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 HILL LIFE PARTIES PARTY CENTRAL BY RACHEL AIELLO Female politicos, PM, pack Rideau Club for Equal Voice’s welcome to the Hill shindig O kay ladies, now let’s get in formation, as Beyoncé says. And in so many words that was the direction to the dozens of female Members of Parliament filling the room overlooking the Hill at the Rideau Club on Wednesday night as they gathered for an historic photo opportunity organized by Equal Voice, the non-partisan group dedicated to getting more women elected. Many of the 88 female MPs elected into the 42nd Parliament, along with female MLAs and MPPs, staffers, lobbyists, and a few journalists filled the once men-only Ottawa club on Feb. 17 for the party. It was a full house of politicians from all levels of government and where female empowerment was the theme of the evening. Early in the evening, people mixed and mingled, making introductions while anxiously awaiting the arrival of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau. Fashionably late, Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Grégoire-Trudeau arrived, flanked by assistant Tommy Desfossés, photographer Adam Scotti, and PMO press secretary Cameron Ahmad. They made their rounds in the room saying hello and taking selfies with nearly everyone in the room. Party Central watched the swarm of self-facing cameras and smiling women of all ages crowd in to get snaps. It was the first time a sitting Prime Minister has ever attended an Equal Voice event, but just when the rounds of photos seemed to come to an end, Party Central thought,“surely, he will make a speech, or say something, right?” But no, he was off. Throughout the evening, servers circled the room with trays of beverages and delicious snacks, including tomato and bocconcini skewers, a salmon and cream cheese spoonful, vegetarian spring rolls, fish cakes, chicken kebabs, goat cheese tarts, and Party Central’s favourite, a Thai steak and mango square on an ornate twisted spoon. A little after Mr. Trudeau and his entourage left the building, Status of Women Minister Patty Hajdu took to a podium at the front of the space and gave an impassioned speech about why she got into politics, acknowledging the barriers women often face. Ms. Hajdu also brought news to the event, announcing that soon her department would be seeking proposals to bring more women into the public sphere, including how to employ indigenous women to empower their communities and how to remove barriers to women’s civic participation. Ms. Hajdu also called up NDP MP Christine Moore, who she described as the “changing face” of 2016 politics, because she’s bringing her baby Daphnée with her as she does her work. The two were in attendance and Equal Voice provided childcare for those who needed it during the event. There was a full roster of other speakers, including Barbara DumontHill an Anishinaabe community leader who before performing an honour song, declared “it’s 2016 and it’s a great day to be a woman in Canada”; Equal Voice’s National Chair Lynne Hamilton, who said Canadian politics “was due for a makeover”; PC Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa MacLeod who joked that there is only one job in Ottawa that is for men only, “shovelling snow,” and implored the women in the room to consider where they’re standing, a traditionally maledominated, and male founded space; and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May—who in true Liz May style—by the end of the evening got everyone in the room to yell “I am a feminist.” But, by the end of the evening, even the lady-loving, and Spice Girls Girl Power embracing Party Central was feeling like a bad feminist. The speeches, albeit each unique seemed to go on for too long to all come to the same point: more women = better politics. We get it, it’s 2016. A line that to Party Central lost all its genuine sentiment after CBC’s Peter Mansbridge revealed it to be a Gerald Butts creation. House Speaker Geoff Regan and his wife, Nova Scotia Labour and Advanced Education Minister Kelly Regan, Health Minister Jane Philpott and lots of Liberal MPs were at the event. Liberal MPs Karen McCrimmon, Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Salma Zahid and her staffer Jeff Jedras, John Oliver, Sven Spengemann and his staffer Adrian ZitaBennett, Adam Vaughan, Joyce Murray, Pam Damoff, Gudie Hutchings, Yvonne Jones, Karina Gould, Celina CaesarChavannes, Kyle Peterson, Ruby Sahota, Anita Vandenbeld, Bardish Chagger, Iqra Khalid, and Ginette Petitpas Taylor were all there. Conservative MPs Kellie Leitch, Cathy McLeod and Marilyn Gladu, and NDP MPs Christine Moore, Nikki Ashton, Sheila Malcolmson, Georgina Jolibois, Tracey Ramsey, Cheryl Hardcastle, and Rachel Blaney were all there too. Other attendees included: Equal Voice’s Nancy Peckford, Denise Siele, Mary Anne Carter, Scott Thurlow; Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth; United States Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman and his wife Vicki; Johnson & Johnson’s Lesia Babiak; Canada 2020’s Susan Smith; RBC’s George Wamala; NWAC’s Jenn Jefferys; Economic Club of Canada’s Natasha Morano; Environics’ Greg MacEachern; strategist Kathleen Monk; Shaw’s Alayne Crawford; and Actua’s Kristina Martin. raiello@hilltimes.com The Hill Times Members of Equal Voice with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie at the Rideau Club on Feb. 17 for Equal Voice’s celebration of the 88 women elected to the 42nd Parliament. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie with Equal Voice’s Nancy Peckford and some of the children of attendees. Equal Voice’s Denise Siele and Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth. NDP MP Christine Moore and her baby Daphnee with Justin Trudeau. House Speaker Geoff Regan chatting with Raylene Lang-Dion as Lesia Babiak looks on. PC NepeanCarleton MPP Lisa MacLeod. A snapshot of the many female elected representatives in attendance. Mr. Trudeau and Massey Hoveyda. Anishinaabe community leader Barbara Dumont-Hill. Photographs by Cynthia Münster Eva Nassif with Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau. Status of Women Minister Patty Hajdu holding Ms. Moore’s baby Daphnee. Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and Co-Chair of Equal Voice Ottawa Raylene Lang-Dion. Ms. Siele was emcee for the evening. Denise Siele and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. NDP Status of Women critic and MP Sheila Malcolmson. Patty Hajdu. Barbara Dumont-Hill addressing attendees. Johnson & Johnson’s Lesia Babiak. Liberal MPs Anita Vandenbeld and Celina Caesar-Chavannes. Ms. Hajdu and Minister of Small Business and Tourism Bardish Chagger. Conservative Senator David Wells and Raylene Lang-Dion. Liberal MP Joyce Murray and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman. 36 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 FEATURE EVENTS All-Party Ocean Caucus to hold Oceans on the Hill event, Feb. 22 Parliamentary Calendar MONDAY, FEB. 22 House Sitting—The House is sitting on Monday, Feb. 22, and will sit every weekday until Feb. 26, it breaks for one week, returns March 7 to March 11, breaks for one week, returns March 21-25, breaks for two weeks, returns on April 11 and sits until April 22, breaks for one week, returns May 2 for three weeks until May 20, breaks for one week, and returns again on May 30. It’s scheduled to sit for four weeks until Thursday, June 23. Genomics on the Hill—Meet some of Canada’s most renowned genomic scientists and “end users” who are applying genomics to benefit Canadians across many sectors including health, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, environment, and energy and mining. Hosted by Genome Canada. Feb. 22 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Room 256-S, Centre Block. RSVP to Lucy Sorensen telephone: 613751-4460, ext. 210 or genomicsonthehill@genomecanada.ca. Workshop for MPs on How to Maximize Role in Budget, Estimates Process—Geoff Dubrow, a former Liberal Hill staffer who now works as a governance consultant specializing in assessing and training parliamentary oversight committees, is offering workshops for new MPs and their legislative staffers on Feb. 22 in Ottawa. Mr. Dubrow, along with former NDP MP Paul Dewar, former Liberal MPs Peter Milliken and Shawn Murphy, and former Conservative MP James Rajotte, will teach MPs how to maximize their roles as elected officials and how to contribute more effectively to the parliamentary budget and estimates process. The workshops, which are $299 to $349 a pop, depending on when you register, or $500 to $550 for the two, will happen on Feb. 22. Launch of the All-Party Ocean Caucus in the 42nd Parliament—David Miller, president and CEO of WWF-Canada, and the All-Party Ocean Caucus co-chairs, Liberal MP Scott Simms and NDP MP Fin Donnelly will host an ‘Oceans on the Hill’ event. Sustainable seafood and refreshments, Feb. 22, Room 238-S Centre Block, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. RSVP to Gayle McClelland, gmcclelland@wwfcanada. org 613-232-2512. The Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC)—Is pleased to announce that its annual showcase for parliamentarians and Hill staff will take place on Monday, Feb. 22, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Chateau Laurier’s Drawing Room. The Canadian Video Game Industry Showcase is one of the most exciting annual events on the Hill. You’ll be able to play some of the best new video games and technologies and learn more about this dynamic sector of the Canadian economy. If you’d like to confirm your participation, RSVP to jkrpan@theesa.ca or 416-620-7171, ext. 252. TUESDAY, FEB. 23 Cabinet Meeting—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to hold a Cabinet meeting today in Ottawa. For more information, call the PMO Press Office at 613957-5555. Opportunities for Europeans to participate in research activities at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada—Feb. 23, 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Canada’s Public Policy Forum and Universities Canada will host the webinar, which also features the opportunities for Europeans to participate in research activities within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s research centres as Foreign Research Participants (FRP). Speaker: Charles Kounkou, senior planning officer, Science and Technology Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Helping With Furniture & HWF613 Press Conference—The event will highlight the launch of HWF’s services to furnish homes of displaced members of the Ottawa community, including newly-arrived Syrian refugees. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and Refugee 613 director Louisa Taylor will highlight activities, Feb. 23, 10:30 a.m. 1380 Star Top Rd. Confirm attendance catana@ hwfottawa.org or 819-661-9514. Canadian Produce Marketing Association reception with Chef Michael Smith—Join the Canadian Produce Marketing Association and Chef Michael Smith and see how fun and easy eating fruits and vegetables can be. Tuesday, Feb. 23, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Canadian Room, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, 1 Rideau St. RSVP: lscarr@cpma.ca or 613-226-4187. Maclean’s and L’Actualité to Host ‘Welcome to the Hill’ Event—Maclean’s magazine and L’Actualite´ will host a ‘Welcome to the Hill’ event on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa for MPs. This two-hour cocktail reception will feature a speaker and past Parliamentarians who will share their wisdom; as well they will honour the annual Lifetime Achievement Award winner. The event is by invitation only. Annual Food & Consumer Products of Canada Executive Reception for MPs—Meet the largest manufacturing employer in Canada. MPs are invited to meet CEOs from across the industry that employs nearly 300,000 Canadians in more than 6,000 manufacturing sites in every region of the country. Join us for a conversation about how the food, beverage, and consumer products sector has become the top manufacturing industry in Canada and why it should remain a top priority for government. The reception will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Quebec Suite, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, 1 Rideau St., Ottawa. Please RSVP to: dawnk@fcpc.ca or 416-510-2480. “Unmuzzled at the Met”—Debi Daviau, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), invites you to join scientists and other federal public service professionals for some candid conversation and celebration. Tuesday, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Métropolitain Brasserie, 700 Sussex Dr. Please confirm your attendance at gr@pipsc.ca by Friday, Feb. 19. Canadian Health Food Association’s Welcome Reception—Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA): Parliamentarian Welcome Reception, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Parliamentary Restaurant, Rooms 601 & 602, please RSVP to Andrew Stewart at (613) 233-8906 or CHFA@impactcanada.com Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery’s 150th Anniversary Launch— Feb. 23, Foyer of the House of Commons, cash bar. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 24 Liberal Caucus Meeting—The Liberals will meet in Room 237-C Centre Block on Parliament Hill. For more information, please call Liberal Party media relations at media@liberal.ca or 613-627-2384. Conservative Caucus Meeting—The Conservatives will meet for their national caucus meeting. For more information, contact Cory Hann, director of communications, Conservative Party of Canada at coryhann@conservative.ca NDP Caucus Meeting—The NDP caucus will meet from 9:15 a.m.11 a.m. in Room 112-N Centre Block, on Wednesday. Please call the NDP Media Centre at 613-2222351 or ndpcom@parl.gc.ca eBay Canada Reception Celebrating Entrepreneurs—eBay Canada asks Parliamentarians and advisers to come celebrate its 11th Annual Entrepreneur of the Year Awards at the Métropolitain Brasserie (700 Sussex Dr., Ottawa) on Feb. 24, from 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Attendees must register at ebayevent@environicspr.com with their name, title and office. Continued on page 37 ECONOMIC CLUB OF CANADA Closing the Gap: A New Era for First Nations in Canada National Chief Perry Bellegarde Assembly of First Nations Canada is entering a new era when it comes to First Nations. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde put forward a comprehensive and ambitious agenda for fundamental change, progress and partnership aimed at closing the gap in the quality of life between First Nations people and Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said “no relationship is more important” than the one with Indigenous Peoples, declaring the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Canada’s First Nations “a sacred obligation.” National Chief Bellegarde and First Nations across the country are now ready to embark on a new path with Canada, one based on respect, rights and a new nation-to-nation approach to governing. What does it mean for business and the economy? AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde, leader of the national organization representing First Nations in Canada, will speak to the goals and objectives of First Nations and how we can all work together to close the gap, and achieve real change and reconciliation. On March 7, join National Chief Bellegarde to learn what Closing the Gap means for Canada’s future. Tuesday, March 7th, 2016 11:45 am - 1:30 pm , The Fairmont Chateau Laurier, 1 Rideau Street, Ottawa Speech at 12 pm, lunch to follow ~ Individual member ticket price $89, Individual Non-Member ticket price $110. Tables of 10 available. Lunch will be served. Advance registration is required – numbers are limited. For tickets call (613) 369-4363, visit www.economicclub.ca Thank you to our Annual Sponsors: Ottawa Partners: 37 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 FEATURE EVENTS Entertainment Software Association holds showcase Feb. 22 at Chateau Laurier Hotel Calendar Continued from page 36 WEDNESDAY, FEB. 24 Universities Canada presents Innovators to Know – Celebrating Canada’s Research Excellence— What do pulsars, pollution and psychology have in common? Meet outstanding Canadian researchers and innovators who are improving Canadians’ quality of life and contributing to Canada’s prosperity. Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. For more information, please contact smitton@univcan.ca. Samara Canada Shindig—Samara Canada is hosting a shindig on Feb. 24, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the Aulde Dubliner Pub (second floor), 62 William St., Ottawa. Cash bar, light snacks provided. MLI’s Sir Wilfrid Laurier Celebration Dinner—The Macdonald-Laurier Institute will celebrate the life and legacy of Sir Wilfrid Laurier on February 24, 2016 at the Canadian Museum of History, 100 Rue Laurier, Gatineau, Que. MLI’s distinguished speaker panel includes Bob Rae. Tickets $150, tables of eight $1,050. Register at macdonaldlaurier.ca/events or contact Patricia at 613-482-8327 x104. For more information, please contact patricia. bouchard@macdonaldlaurier.ca. THURSDAY, FEB. 25 Manning Centre Conference 2016: Recharging The Right—Ottawa, Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa. Journalist panel: How Does the Conservative Movement Recharge? With panelists Chantal Hébert, Anthony Furey, Paul Wells, and Mercedes Stephenson, moderated by Jim Armour; Focus on Municipalities with Stephanie Kusie; Conservatives on cannabis, with Dr. Karen O’Keefe, Dr. Dean Vause, and Matt Bufton, and moderated by Dr. Daniel Lindsay; Green conservativism, with Ross McKitrick, Chris Regan and Andrew Coyne; youth lunch with Garnett Genuis, Rachael Harder, and Alupa Clarke; The Importance of Political Training, with Morton Blackwell; The State of the Conservative Movement, with André Turcotte; C2C Journal Panel, with Sarah MacIntyre, Lydia Milijan, and Paul Bunner; Wither American Conservatives? With Michael Gerson and Ray Pennings; Future Premiers, with Brian Jean, Patrick Brown, Jamie Baillie and Brian Pallister (video); First Past Its Prime?: Examining Electoral Reform, with Scott Reid, Nick Loenen, Jonathan Rose, and Tasha Kheiriddin; Labour Pains: How to Improve Fairness for Taxpayers, with Charles Lammam; Debt, Deficits, and Deceit, with Ian Brodie, Aaron Gunn, and Adrienne Batra; The Grey Tsunami: Preparing for Canada’s Aging Population, wiht Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Nadeem Esmail, and William Robson; A Win/Win Solution to Aboriginal Affairs, with Brian Lee Crowley, Elmer Ghostkeeper, and Chuck Strahl; Technology and Politics in the 21st Century, with Kady O’Malley; and the Keynote Address, with Interim Conservative Party Leader Rona Ambrose. To register, manningcentre.ca, or call the Manning Centre at 403-255-8100, or email info@ manningcentre.ca Income Inequality: The Canadian Story Book Launch—Feb. 25, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., the Métropolitain Brasserie, 700 Sussex Dr., Ottawa. The Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) is pleased to invite you to join Graham Fox, president of the IRPP, and the editors, to launch Income Inequality: The Canadian Story, Volume V in the series The Art of the State. Rising income inequality has been at the forefront of public debate in Canada in recent years, and it is now among the top priorities of our new government. The guest of honour will be Jean-Yves Duclos, minister of Families, Children and Social Development Canada. TUESDAY, MARCH 1 Statistics Canada Announces GDP for February—Statistics Canada to release the GDP by industry, national, for February on March 1, 2016. Can Canada Become an Innovation Nation and Why Does it Matter? Bell Lecture with Kevin Lynch—Tuesday, March 1, 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m. River Building, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa. Free. Contact information, 613-5202600, ext. 2995, cassie.hodgins@ carleton.ca. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 Writers’ Trust of Canada Announces Shortlist March 2—On Wednesday, March 2, the Writers’ Trust of Canada will announce the shortlist for the $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. The announcement will be made by press release at 6 a.m. EST. On Wednesday, April 20 at 10 p.m. EST, the prize winner will be announced at the Politics and the Pen Gala in Ottawa. Details of the authors and their nominated books will be available on the Writers’ Trust website: writerstrust. com. Last year’s winner was Joseph Heath for Enlightenment 2.0: Restoring Sanity to Our Politics, Our Economy, and Our Lives. THURSDAY, MARCH 3 Nestlé Canada Parliamentary Reception—All parliamentarians are invited to join Nestlé Canada’s business leaders from across the country to celebrate 150 years of Nestlé ‘Good Food, Good Life’. From Nescafé to Kit Kat, Purina Beneful to Nespresso, the event will showcase Nestlé’s brands and product diversity, as well as Nestlé’s proud history and commitment to helping Canadians live healthier, happier lives. May 3, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., Daly’s Restaurant, The Westin Ottawa Hotel. RSVP to Laura Seguin lseguin@summa.ca or call 613-235-1400. MONDAY, MARCH 7 A Taste of the Arctic 2016—In its sixth year, ITK’s A Taste of the Arctic has consistently drawn hundreds of Ottawa foodies and influential decision-makers keen to sample some northern culture and cuisine in the national capital. A Taste of the Arctic will take place on March 7, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., at the National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin St., Ottawa. TUESDAY, MARCH 8 Canadian Chiropractic Association Reception—The Canadian Chiropractic Association, the national voice of the chiropractic profession which represents over 8,500 licensed doctors of chiropractic, will be hosting a reception on March 8 in Room 602 in the Parliamentary Restaurant from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. All Senators, Members of Parliament, and staff are invited to attend. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Cynthia Waldmeier at 613-233-8906 or cynthia@ impactcanada.com. Forum for Young Canadians MP Reception—The Forum for Young Canadians is a unique educational program that brings high school students from across the country to Ottawa for a week-long, behind-thescenes look at federal politics on Parliament Hill. All MPs are invited to join these smart and ambitious youth from all over Canada for an evening reception on Tuesday, March 8, at the Sir John A. Macdonald building (144 Wellington St.), from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. If you have any questions, or to learn more about Forum for Young Canadians, please check out the website http://forum.ca/, or contact Catherine McDonald Tel: (613) 2334086, Email: cmcdonald@forum. ca. To RSVP to this reception, please contact Laura Seguin at lseguin@ summa.ca or call 613-235-1400. Canadian Cattlemen’s Association—Invitation to an evening of Canadian beef, Canadian beer and Canadian whisky—Sir John A. Macdonald Building, 144 Wellington St., Ottawa, Ont. 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. RSVP by email to: rsvp@ cattle.ca by March 4. Climate Action after Paris— Citizens for Public Justice, Ecology Ottawa, and the Polaris Institute co-host a panel discussion of next steps for faith communities on climate change. Wednesday, March 9, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Centretown United Church, 507 Bank Street. cpj.ca/next-steps-climate THURSDAY, MARCH 10 OEA-CABE Spring Policy Conference: “Canada’s Economy: Does it Stay or Does it Grow?”—The Ottawa Economics Association and the Canadian Association for Business Economics will host its annual spring policy conference on Thursday, March 10, 2016 at the Chateau Laurier Hotel. This full-day event will feature keynote addresses from Postmedia’s Andrew Coyne and Glen Hodgson, Conference Board of Canada. The four sessions throughout the day will discuss silver bullets for growth, international trade and investment, green growth, and skills and talent. Click here for more details.” Bacon & Eggheads Breakfast— PAGSE presents a talk ‘Rethinking Cyberattacks: New Strategies to Counter the Mounting Costs to Business and Threats to Canada’s Security’ with Scott Knight, Royal Military College of Canada. Thursday, March 10, 7:30 a.m. Parliamentary Dining Room, Centre Block. No charge to MPs, Senators & Media. All others, $25. Preregistration required by Monday, March 7, by contacting Donna Boag, PAGSE pagse@rsc-src.ca or call 613-991-6369. Prime Minister Trudeau to Attend State Dinner in Washington, D.C.—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau will meet for the first time in Washington, D.C., with U.S. President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. The two will be welcomed for an official visit and state dinner at the White House on Thursday, March 10. It will be Mr. Trudeau’s first official visit to the U.S. since winning office. The two are supposed to focus their talks on economic, climate, security and border matters, according to CNN. For more information, call the PMO Press Office at (613) 957-5555. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23 Chow Down for Charity—Speaker of the House of Commons Salon, Room 216-N, March 23, 2016 12 noon-1 p.m. The Evening in The Maritimes Sponsors and Citizen Advocacy board Members will join invited members of the Senate and House of Commons for a chowder lunch in the House Speaker’s Salon to raise awareness for Citizen Advocacy Ottawa. This is the official launch of Evening in The Maritimes. Citizen Advocacy’s annual gala is raising funds for its Everyday Champions program. This event is by invitation only. For more information, call Virgilia Partridge, Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa, at 613-761-9522, ext. 240 or email to vpartridge@citizenadvocacy.org Forum for Young Canadians MP Reception–The Forum for Young Canadians is a unique educational program that brings high-school students from across the country to Ottawa for a week-long, behind-the-scenes look at federal politics on Parliament Hill. All MPs are invited to join these smart and ambitious youth from all over Canada for an evening reception on Wednesday, March 23, at the Sir John A. Macdonald building (144 Wellington St.), from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. If you have any questions, or to learn more about Forum for Young Canadians, please check out our website http://forum.ca/, or contact Catherine McDonald. Tel: (613) 2334086, email: cmcdonald@forum. ca. To RSVP to this reception, please contact Laura Seguin at lseguin@ summa.ca or call 613-235-1400. FRIDAY, APRIL 8 NDP Federal Convention—The federal NDP will meet for a policy convention April 8-April 10 at the Shaw Centre, Edmonton, Alta. Rick Devereux is the convention’s director. For more information, call the NDP in Ottawa at 1-866525-2555. TUESDAY, APRIL 12 Canadian Life and Health Insurance Industry Advocacy Day—Under the theme “Working Together for a Better Canada,” industry CEOs will be in Ottawa to meet with Parliamentarians about issues of impor- tance to Canadians, such as health care, investing in infrastructure projects and financial literacy. For more information, contact Susan Murray (smurray@clhia.ca). WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 The Agricultural Institute of Canada Conference—It will be holding a conference, April 13-14 on “Disseminating Agricultural Research.” Delegates will be part of a national dialogue on the place of agricultural research to re-establish Canada as a leading developer of innovative and sustainable agricultural products and technologies. Smart Global Development conference—This event will explore the role of higher education in advancing sustainable development goals, April 13-14, at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, Ottawa. Organizers and sponsors: Aga Khan Foundation Canada, Academics without Borders, International Development Research Centre. Undertaken with financial support of: Global Affairs Canada. THURSDAY, MAY 26 Liberal Biennial Convention—The federal Liberals will hold their convention in Winnipeg, Man., Thursday, May 26, to Sunday, May 29, 2016. Conservative Convention—The federal Conservatives will hold their convention in Vancouver, B.C., May 26 to May 29, 2016. TUESDAY, JUNE 7 Registration Now Open CIPMM’s 27th Annual National Workshop—June 7-8, 2016. The workshop fee is $875 plus HST and includes access to all keynote and breakout sessions. More than 400 delegates from PWGSC, ESD, DND, HC, RCMP, CSEC, DFATD, DFO, TBS, NRCan, IC, AAND, CIC, and LAC. Senior government officials from the lead departments and agencies will be at the networking reception. There will be exhibitors, subject matter experts representing both the public and private sectors. https://willow.reg-system.com/login. aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f2016CIPMMNW WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27 MAY 2017 Donner Canadian Foundation Award Ceremony—The 18th anniversary of the Donner Prize to reward excellence and innovation in public policy writing by Canadians for 2015-2016, will be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at 6 p.m. at The Carlu, 444 Younge St. Invitation only. Conservative Party Leadership Convention—The Conservatives will elect their next leader on May 27, 2017, Dan Nowlan, chair of the party’s leadership election organizing committee announced last week. The party is urging Conservative Party members to buy memberships or renew them in order to vote. For more information, contact Cory Hann, director of communications, Conservative Party of Canada, at 613-697-5614. The Parliamentary Calendar is a free listing. Send in your political, cultural, or governmental event in a paragraph with all the relevant details under the subject line ‘Parliamentary Calendar’ to news@ hilltimes.com by Wednesday at noon before the Monday paper. Or fax it to 613-232-9055. We can’t guarantee inclusion of every event, but we will definitely do our best. news@hilltimes.com The Hill Times WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 Canadian Rail Summit 2016— Canadian Rail Summit 2016, Canada’s leading rail event. Explore cutting-edge products and services from 50 tradeshow exhibitors, and choose from a wide variety of technical and conference sessions on key industry issues such as competitiveness, safety and emerging technologies. Register at www. railcan.ca/crs2016 and for more information, contact Janet Greene at 613-564-8109 jgreene@railcan. ca or Lynn Raby at 613-237-3888 or lyn_raby@railwaysuppliers.ca 38 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 EDITOR’S NOTE: NEWSPAPER AWARDS Hill Times finalist for four OCNA Newspaper Awards Laura Ryckewaert’s story, left, about Maher Arar has been nominated for best news story in the OCNA’s Better Newspaper Awards and Mark Burgess’ story, ‘Love, cigarettes and Tories answering NDP phones: takes from the Hill’s lockdown,’ has been nominated for best feature story. TRADE I n this important and WLPHO\SROLF\EULH¿QJ The Hill Times¿QGV out the latest on what the /LEHUDOJRYHUQPHQWKDV done to renew and repair Publication Date: Feb. 29, 2016 Canada’s relationship with Booking Deadline: Feb. 24, 2016 the U.S. and Mexico. We also look into WKH/LEHUDOJRYHUQPHQW¶VSURPLVHWRGHYHORSDQHZH[SRUW SURPRWLRQVWUDWHJ\DQGLWVSURPLVHWRFDUHIXOO\FRQVLGHUDOOWUDGH RSSRUWXQLWLHVFXUUHQWO\RSHQWR&DQDGDLQFOXGLQJWKH7UDQV 3DFL¿F3DUWQHUVKLS$JUHHPHQW:HDOVRORRNDWWKHJRYHUQPHQW¶V HIIRUWVWRH[SORUHGHHSHUWUDGHUHODWLRQVKLSVZLWK&KLQDDQG,QGLD :HZLOODOVRORRNLQWRWKHIROORZLQJWKH)UDVHU,QVWLWXWH¶V UHSRUWRQ&DQDGD¶VUXOHVDQGUHJXODWLRQVRQWUDGHDQHZWUDGLQJ SDUWQHUVKLSEHWZHHQ0DQLWREDDQG0H[LFR&DQDGD¶VQHZIHGHUDO DJULFXOWXUHPLQLVWHURQWKH733DQGWKH8QLWHG6WDWHV¶VWDQGRQ PHDWODEHOOLQJDQGLI&DQDGDGRHVKHOSRXW%RPEDUGLHU,QFDQGLI WKHUHDUHDQ\SRVVLEOHWUDGHFKDOOHQJHV POLICY BRIEFING Be a part of it. Communicate with those most responsible for Canada’s public policy decisions. For more information or to reserve your government relations and public affairs advertising space, contact The Hill Times display advertising department at 613-688-8825. The Hill Times is a finalist for best feature writing, best news story, cartoonist of the year, and best vertical product, or magazine in 2015. KATE MALLOY T he Hill Times is a finalist for four awards in this year’s Ontario Community Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Awards Competition, including best feature writing, best news story, cartoonist of the year, and best vertical product, or magazine. The OCNA recognizes“the outstanding quality of work produced each week”by member newspapers. Mark Burgess’ story,“Love, cigarettes, and Tories answering NDP phones: tales from Parliament Hill’s lockdown,” published Oct. 27, 2014, is a finalist for best feature writing. In this story, Mr. Burgess detailed how MPs and staffers coped with being thrown together and locked up for the entire day on Oct. 22, 2014, the day of the Hill shooting. The story profiled everyone from NDP staffer Karl Bélanger who fielded hundreds of calls from a Conservative MP’s Centre Block office, to NDP MP Anne Minh-Thu Quach who was locked in East Block while her infant baby who needed to be fed was with her spouse in Centre Block. This story was judged primarily on its journalistic merit. Laura Ryckewaert’s story,“Bill C-51 could have been used to prevent Arar from coming back from Syria to Canada, says lawyer,”published March 9, 2015, is a finalist for best news story. The story looked at how the government’s proposed Anti-Terrorism Act, Bill C-51, could have been used against Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen with dual Syrian citizenship who was detained in 2002 by U.S. authorities while changing planes at NewYork City’s JFK Airport after travelling home to Canada from Tunisia. He was transferred to Syria where he was held for a year and tortured. He was released without charge and later cleared in 2006 of any links to terrorism by the O’Connor Commission of Inquiry. Mr Arar received $10.5-million in compensation from the federal government and prime minister Stephen Harper offered an official apology to Mr. Arar for Canada’s role. This story was judged on quality of reporting, significance, clarity, and pictorial treatment. Judges gave greater weight to initiative, research, and reporting. Editorial cartoonist Michael de Adder was nominated for best cartoonist for three cartoons published March 2, June 29, and Aug. 17, 2015. Entries were judged on artistic ability, subject matter, relevance, and impact. And The Hill Times’ spring issue of Power & Influence, edited by Bea Vongdouangchanh, is a finalist for “best vertical product,” or best magazine. For this category, judges looked at the newspaper’s use of existing staff, current and new advertisers, expanded business opportunities, potential as a revenue generator, quality editorial mix, and value to the community. The winners will be announced at the BNC Awards Gala on April 22 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Vaughan, Ont. Last year, The Hill Times won six newspaper awards at the Ontario Community Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Competition and three at the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, including best business news story, best environment story in Ontario, best feature writing, best feature/news series, best editorial cartoonist, and best website at the OCNAs, and at the CCNAs, for the best feature series on government whistleblowers, best photo essay for a two-page spread of the events of shooting on Parliament Hill and at the National War Memorial on Oct. 22, 2014, and for best agriculture issue. The Hill Times One block south of the Hill O Locally Owned & Operated since 1921 3PARKS3T/TTAWAs www.ottawaleathergoods.com ,UGGAGEs,EATHER'OODSs(ANDBAGS "USINESS#ASESs!CCESSORIES 39 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 THE SPIN DOCTORS By Laura Ryckewaert “What do you think of whipped votes in the House of Commons? Do they happen too often? When are they okay?” KATE PURCHASE CORY HANN IAN WAYNE MATHIEU R. ST-AMAND CAMILLE LABCHUK Liberal strategist Conservative strategist NDP strategist Bloc Québécois strategist Green strategist “We made a strong commitment to Canadians that we would bring a new tone—and a new style—of government to Ottawa. An important part of this promise focuses on giving Canadians a stronger voice in the House of Commons. One way to do this is by limiting the circumstances in which Liberal Members of Parliament are required to vote in solidarity with Cabinet. “During the election, we made our position clear. For members of the Liberal caucus, all votes will be free votes with three important exceptions: first, those that implement the Liberal electoral platform; second, those that concern traditional confidence matters, such as the budget; and third, those that address our shared values and the protections guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “Parliament must be a place where people can do serious work on behalf of their constituents, make their voices heard, and hold the government to account. We are working hard to do just that.” “‘We will make free votes in the House of Commons standard practice.’ Where is that from? The Liberal Party’s election platform from just four months ago.Yet we’ve watched as this Liberal government goes on, they clamp down more on their benches. Even their Parliamentary Secretary for National Defence, John McKay, was surprised his boss was telling him he couldn’t vote his own conscience on an issue as important as assisted suicide. Instead he has to follow Justin Trudeau’s lead. “As analysis after analysis has shown in the past, our Conservative Party is the most democratic, allowing more free votes for our MPs than any other party in the House of Commons. For the Liberals, it certainly looked good in their platform, and they received applause for it, but talk is cheap. And when it comes down to actually following through, like with so many of their other big commitments, they’re failing. No balanced budget, no revenue neutral tax hikes, no $10-billion deficit caps and now no free votes. “I’ll give them one thing, they’re consistent. Liberals haven’t yet met a promise they wouldn’t break.” “This question can get complicated really quickly. MPs are elected to represent their constituents. They are also elected on a party platform. Once elected, they have a constitutional responsibility to hold the government accountable. On some issues these different roles are in conflict and must be reconciled before an MP casts their vote. “In terms of holding the government to account, having a free and open debate can be as important as how they vote. When our elected representatives gather to debate important issues, it would be grand if they didn’t just end up in a free for all—where talking points and wedge issues, like pipelines or Israel, are simply hurled at each other across the floor. “For the NDP, free votes have generally not been a big issue. Our caucus has been able to have robust yet respectful conversations that lead to a consensus position. Keep in mind that when you actually agree on things there’s no need for a leader to whip the vote. “I believe more free votes are better, while being mindful of the potential tyranny of the majority. In a democracy, we should never put human rights, or minority rights, up to a vote.” “Physician-assisted dying is the perfect example of a case where we should not impose a party line on a vote in the House. It is an extremely sensitive issue that concerns basic values. In Quebec we created a non-partisan committee to study the subject from all sides and, most importantly, to avoid imposing a predetermined point of view. This approach enabled Quebeckers and elected representatives to make an enlightened decision based on their values. “Why would Justin Trudeau’s Liberals establish a committee to grapple with this subject if the leader was simply going to tell his MPs how to vote? By forcing Liberal MPs to vote the party line on physician-assisted dying, Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc is turning a human issue into a partisan one. In 2016, we expect our legislators to have more freedom in debates of this nature. It would be a breath of fresh air for our democratic system.” “Forcing MPs to vote along party lines restricts their ability to represent their constituents, which is why the Green Party has a long-standing policy against whipping votes. We strongly oppose any attempt to disempower MPs simply for the sake of partisan convenience. Whipped votes are a threat to democracy. “It’s critical to remember that MPs are elected by voters—not party bosses. Yet, in the old-line political parties, MPs are routinely bullied into falling into line through threat of punishment, including not being allowed to speak in the House or even being thrown of the party. Tying the hands of MPs undermines the ability of individual voters to have their perspectives represented in our political institutions. “For the Green MPs, the duty of representing constituents is sacred, and Green MPs will always be free to put their constituents or conscience ahead of orders from the party leader’s office.” ® FROM 2006 TO 2015 illegal tobacco robbed Canadians of over 15 * $ BILLION HOW MUCH WILL IT COST CANADIANS IN THE FUTURE? WHO IS WINNING? WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING? Up to $2 billion per year until the Federal Government takes action to stop illegal tobacco* The 175 organized crime groups involved in contraband tobacco** The Federal Government needs to take action on illegal tobacco NOW *National Academy of Science, Understanding the US Illicit tobacco market (2015), Page 93-94 and Estimate based on federal and provincial contraband levels estimates and projected tobacco tax revenues in federal and provincial budget documents **http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/pubs/tobac-tabac/tobacco-tabac-strat-2008-eng.htm