While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Eleanor Wand.
Two Indigenous parliamentarians say talk of abolishing the Indian Act is being used as a distraction by the federal government to shift attention away from two other pieces of legislation affecting Indigenous rights.
While a new fact sheet from the United States Embassy in Ottawa listing examples of Canadian interference with America’s upcoming midterm elections is being called “absurd” by one former MP, one Senator says the U.S. has a point—“to some extent.” “I, frankly, couldn’t see any activity by [Industry Minister] Mélanie Joly or any other Canadian official that even remotely looked...
Environmental groups are sounding the alarm on the federal government’s Building Canada Strong Act as an “astonishing undermining of environmental law,” saying it gives cabinet the authority to approve virtually any project—across the country—regardless of its environmental impacts. “The package of changes to environmental law over the last year-and-a-half … since this government first tabled the Building Canada Act has...
The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees says it wasn’t consulted on the prime minister’s plan to open Canada’s airports to private investment, and is “concerned” about the approach, with observers highlighting that privatization could open the feds to “political risk,” depending on the model’s details. “We’ve been reaching out for months now to the transportation minister to get some insights...
The Liberals held onto their slim majority in the House after sweeping three byelections on Aug. 31—something strategists say is “no surprise” as two of the seats were Liberals strongholds, with the loser of the night being the Conservatives, who decreased their vote share across all three ridings. “Pierre Poilievre had a very bad night,” Brad Lavigne, former NDP national...
With the window for the public to give feedback on widespread changes to environmental regulations and impact assessments for major project developments now closed, non-profits say most Canadians aren’t aware of the ongoing consultation, despite the government intending to table new legislation in the fall. “We were made aware of this simply because we have some level of engagement with...
As part of a series of changes to the Senate’s ethics code and guidelines that came weeks before Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed a longtime Liberal insider and a Conservative MP to the Upper Chamber, Senators are now permitted to directly partake in political fundraising, among other changes. “This is in line exactly with the fact that there’s now going...
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first-ever Senate appointments tap two partisan picks from both sides of the aisle—a sitting Conservative MP and the Prime Minister Office’s principal secretary—signifying a return to a more partisan Upper Chamber, says one former PMO staffer. “This signifies … a realization from Mr. Carney and his team that they needed more certainty in the Senate, and...
Former Liberal cabinet minister Stéphane Dion says he would not change a word in the Clarity Act—which he wrote and tabled in 2000—as the legislation is once again in the spotlight over separatist movements in Alberta and Quebec. Speaking to The Hill Times on June 3, Dion, the intergovernmental affairs minister under then-prime minister Jean Chrétien, called the legislation “perfect,”...
Former Liberal environment minister Stéphane Dion says Ottawa’s recent proposal to streamline major project reviews—which some environmentalists say could result in “the most consequential change to the fabric of Canadian environmental law in a generation”—is the latest in a trend of “backlash against climate policies.” “There is the sense that we went too far,” said Dion in an interview with...
'It’s a security concern for people like me who are in the public eye and who deal with angry constituents all the time,' says Alberta Senator Paula Simons of an Elections Alberta data leak that exposed the personal details of nearly three million people.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is a 'better political practitioner' than he’s given credit for, and the committee’s makeup could be another 'proof point' of that, says Conservative strategist Cole Hogan. The Liberal government’s new Canada-United States economic advisory council brings in corporate and industry heavy-hitters with “very powerful Rolodexes” who are most impacted by American tariffs, note observers, who add...
Prime Minister Mark Carney has turned his minority government into a majority with two seats to spare after sweeping two Ontario byelections and narrowly winning a Quebec contest, but the Liberals are likely pushing for a “four- or five-seat cushion” while their popularity lasts and Conservatives pull fewer votes, says a Liberal strategist. “A one or two seat majority today...
A crowd of tearful supporters joined Avi Lewis as he took the stage as NDP leader for the first time to address the party faithful after a resounding electoral victory at the party’s convention on Sunday morning. “Canada, mark your calendar: the NDP comeback starts now,” Lewis said to raucous cheers. Lewis, 58, held hands in a chain that included...
Reports of the NDP’s death have been greatly exaggerated. That’s according to current and former politicians and party supporters at the NDP’s three-day convention in Winnipeg, Man., ahead of the crowning of a new leader. They say their path forward with a new leader will include door-knocking, winning seats, bold platforms, and hard work as the Carney Liberals leave an...
The Net-Zero Advisory Body is asking Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin to publicly pause the advisory group until she appoints six new members and agrees to regular meetings, part of an effort to get the body “functional” again, says Karen Ross, one of only four remaining members. “We cannot continue in a state in which we are, functionally and operationally, unable...
Ottawa is likely preparing for the next year of Quebec politics with some “anxiety,” say politicos, as 2026 could see the province revisiting a referendum on separatism with the sovereignist Parti Québécois continuing to lead in the polls.
On the heels of adopting a resolution against Ottawa’s new energy deal with Alberta at an annual meeting of First Nations chiefs, a Manitoba grand chief says engagement with the government is “very limited” on a major project proposed in that province. “There’s a lot more work that needs to be done in terms of consultation; duty to consult; free...
The federal budget’s $1.7-billion investment to hire 1,000 RCMP personnel is being met with optimism from the union and the RCMP advisory board, but the chair says meeting that pledge will require “iconoclastic ideas” from leadership as the force faces an officer vacancy rate that nearly doubles the numbers the government is tasking them with hiring in the coming years.
A House committee’s recently concluded study of the government’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan is shedding little light on the Liberals’ forthcoming climate focus, with Liberal MPs championing clean energy transitions amid climate policy backtracking from Prime Minister Mark Carney. “Electricity has been demonstrated to be up to three times more efficient than fossil fuel, and is increasingly affordable and accessible...
With United States President Donald Trump declaring another pause in trade talks with Ottawa, a former Canadian negotiator says the move is just a tactic being used by the American leader to advance his trade agenda. In a late-night post on Truth Social on Oct. 23, Trump announced that “all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated” in response to...
A slate of new leadership means the tone in the Senate has shifted with an eye to efficiency, says Senator Scott Tannas, as his colleagues champion collaboration while they gear up to tackle the government’s ambitious legislative agenda and hotly-anticipated fall budget. “There’s a new tone being struck,” said Tannas (Alberta), the leader of the Canadian Senators Group. “There’s a...
Canada is joining nearly 160 United Nation members in recognizing the state of Palestine—a move that marks a “significant” foreign policy shift, say two former UN ambassadors, marking a departure from the American approach as Republican politicians warn of repercussions. “I think, from a Canadian perspective, it’s about time that we get there,” said Gilles Rivard, a former deputy permanent...
The Bloc Québécois is less likely to collaborate with the governing Liberals while backing the staunchly sovereigntist Parti Québécois ahead of next year’s provincial election, says one political scientist, but the federal party insists strong provincial ties won’t alter their actions in the House. “It’s just natural and normal that because it’s a brother—PQ and Bloc are two brothers—we work...
The Liberals’ Major Projects Office is now up and running, and two Nunavut project proponents are eager to make the cut for the prime minister’s prized national interest list, but one executive is raising concerns about minimal communication from the government as it eyes a port project in northern Manitoba.
Former NDP staffer Cam Holmstrom says New Democrats need a moderate leader who can ‘counterbalance’ the further-left bent of the party and speak to Canadians’ everyday issues.
The author of a recent report is sounding the alarm on the lack of candidate coverage in the 2025 federal election, where she said some MP hopefuls escaped scrutiny from local media outlets, pointing to the need for more funding, innovation, and data collection to revitalize the shuttering news scene. “I think we can officially say that in some communities...
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Priorities and Planning Cabinet Committee—what strategists are calling his “sounding board” and “inner circle”—is under pressure to produce results and successfully orient cabinet to deliver on the Liberal leader’s campaign pledges in a minority Parliament.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is striking “the right balance” with his single public cabinet mandate letter, departing from his predecessor’s “unfocused,” “rambling,” public relations approach that observers say neutralized the priorities meant to direct ministers and keep them—privately—accountable. In a break from former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s tradition, Carney (Nepean, Ont.) released a sole letter to his 28 ministers on...
With the fewest seats ever won, the NDP is destined for a leadership race—something some political players say presents an opportunity for the party to reposition itself in light of a devastating election defeat.