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 Sophall Duch.
Five months after the Liberals suffered a shocking byelection loss to the Bloc Québécois in the Montreal riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, the Grits returned to the city this week for two nights of Liberal leadership debates hoping to show voters that the party is heading in a new direction as it replaces unpopular Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge has laid out her government’s long-awaited strategy to reform Canada’s public broadcaster, but faced questions about whether the plan is likely to ever be implemented.“I’m not sure this will survive much longer than the announcement,” Chris Waddell, former director of Carleton University’s Journalism and Communication school, told The Hill Times.
A snap election in Ontario will be a chance for provincial party leaders to define themselves against federal party leaders and Liberal leadership contenders, say politicos.
As Liberals wrapped up their two-day national caucus meeting in Ottawa, MPs faced questions over some leadership candidates pivoting on key government policies. “I think anytime, as elected officials, we need to take a hard look at our policies. And if it’s not working for Canadians, I think Canadians respect you when you look at them and say, ‘We need...
U.S. President Donald Trump also drops numerous bombshells for Canada in his World Economic Forum address as Liberals meet in Ottawa.
The Prime Minister Office confirmed it cancelled year-end interviews following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s crisis-filled week in federal politics. A spokesperson from the PMO confirmed to The Hill Times that year-end interviews were cancelled, but did not provide an official statement for the cancellations. The spokesperson did, however, point to the tumultuous week on the Hill following finance minister and...
Unlike the Oct. 23 national Liberal caucus meeting, at Monday's national caucus meeting, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ‘absorbed the message’ from MPs that it’s time to move on, a Liberal MP told The Hill Times.
The lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the government is accusing the governing Liberals of stalling on addressing anti-Black racism in the federal public service, and warning the next election could jeopardize “progress” on equity measures. “With a federal election around the corner, all of the progress that has been made through our advocacy work is in jeopardy of being...
The House Speaker’s Office said it was an “operational decision” by the House administration to remove Commons pages from an antechamber during a heated late-night House session over the tax holiday bill on Nov. 28. On Dec. 2, NDP House Leader Peter Julian (New Westminster-Burnaby, B.C.) raised a point of order alleging some Conservative MPs of being drunk during the...
New documents reveal federal programs covering vaccines, cannabis, affordable housing, as well as general operations at the Department of National Defence have seen funding cuts as departments scramble to meet the federals Liberals’ plan to refocus government spending. Federal departments and agencies had been asked to find $15.8-billion in savings over five years under the government’s ongoing “Refocusing Government Spending”...
Deputy House Speaker Chris d’Entremont says he was not pressured by Conservative MPs when he barred Liberal MP Yvan Baker from speaking in the Chamber for more than five months. Baker’s (Etobicoke Centre, Ont.) ban was lifted earlier this month after House Speaker Greg Fergus (Hull-Aylmer, Que.) barred Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre (Carleton, Ont.) from speaking in the Chamber for...
The Bloc Québécois is holding firm on its deadline for the government to meet its demands as parliamentary business becomes paralyzed in the House of Commons. “We want things to go forward, and we might play a role in what’s coming in the next few days. Remember that next week is off, so the clock is ticking,” said Bloc Québécois...
The federal government doled out 12.96 per cent less overtime in 2023 to its workforce than the year before.In 2023, the feds paid out over $1.19-billion in overtime (OT) to its employees working across more than 100 governmental departments, agencies, and Crown corporations. In 2022, that OT figure was $1.34-billion.
As the order for public servants to return to the office a minimum of three days per week comes into effect, the public service unions are preparing their members for a long-haul “battle” over remote work. “It’s not about the number of days. For a lot of workers, they want to go back to the office. And for a lot...
As back-to-school gets into full swing this month, a new report reveals there were more students pulling double-duty as public servants in the last year than at any time in the past decade.But with the federal government looking to rein in spending, public service unions are warning against government departments turning to cheap student labour as a solution.
Millennials now form nearly half of Canada’s public service, according to the latest government data, with the demographic shift offering the chance for the federal government to target younger generations seeking a greater sense of purpose in their careers.
Liberals are laying low and seem to be lacking urgency after their Toronto byelection defeat back in June, say pollsters.The political cross-country barbecue circuit has been the calm before the storm as federal party leaders gear up for two byelections on Sept. 16—the same day parliamentarians return to Ottawa for the fall sitting.