EXCLUSIVE POLITICAL COVERAGE: NEWS, FEATURES, AND ANALYSIS INSIDE HARPER’S TOOTOO HIRES HOUSE LATE-TERM GEORGE COMMITTEES PARTY APPOINTMENTS P.20 YOUNG P.28 PRIMER PP. 30-31 CENTRAL P.35 TWENTY-SEVENTH YEAR, NO. 1322 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSWEEKLY MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 $5.00 NEWS SENATE REFORM NEWS FINANCE Monsef, LeBlanc LeBlanc backs away from Morneau to reveal this expected to shed week Trudeau’s whipped vote on assisted light on deficit, vision for non- CIBC economist partisan Senate dying bill, but Grit MPs predicts $30-billion BY AbbaS RANA are ‘comfortable,’ call it a BY DEREK ABMA Senators are eagerly waiting to hear this week specific details The federal government is of the Trudeau government’s plan expected to shed more light on for a non-partisan Red Cham- Charter of Rights issue the size of its deficit on Monday, ber from Government House and one prominent economist Leader Dominic LeBlanc and Members of the has predicted it will be at least Democratic Institutions Minister Joint Committee $30-billion—about three times Maryam Monsef. on Physician- what the Liberals promised dur- The appearance of the two Assisted ing the election campaign—due to ministers at the Senate stand- Suicide, lower-than-expected tax revenue ing committee will be the first pictured at from a slow economy and the time the government has pre- a committee need for more fiscal stimulus. sented detailed plans to reform meeting on the “The $10-billion [deficit] was the Senate. Also, this is the first Hill. The Hill the figure that was out there official communication between Times photograph based on the projection that the the House of Commons and the by Jake Wright economy was growing faster Senate on Mr. Trudeau’s views on and revenues would be coming the Senate’s future. in faster,” CIBC World Markets chief economist Avery Shenfeld— Continued on page 4 Continued on page 15 NEWS SENATE NEWS PUBLIC SERVICE Senate Short-term Modernization work Committee assignments formed, RACHEL AIELLO on doctor-assisted suicide saying The Hill Times earlier in the week it’s too early to determine how that they were “comfortable” with stymie federal chairman Liberals late last week were the vote will go without see- the whipped vote. Sen. McInnis backing away from whipping the ing the bill, but Liberal MPs on public service vote on the government’s upcom- the Special Joint Committee on Continued on page 24 chosen without ing and controversial legislation Physician-Assisted Dying told renewal: union leaders election NEWS LIBERAL RESEARCH BUREU BY DEREK ABMA BY AbbaS RANA Liberals’ $2.4-million research Union leaders are calling on After months of delay, the the federal government to provide Senate last week formed a special bureau headed by Thalmann, Bosch younger employees with clearer committee to modernize the Red BY LAURA RYCKEWAERT a party is in government or paths to long-term careers as a Chamber, but already some com- opposition, the parliamentary- way of making the public service mittee members are questioning The Liberals’ $2.4-million funded caucus research bureaus a more attractive place to work why the Senate’s caucus leaders research bureau is now “fully are a “very important part of for millennials. functioning” with almost 30 Continued on page 6 staffers hired, and whether Continued on page 26 Brett Thalmann and Kevin Bosch. Continued on page 17 2 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2016 FEATURE BUZZ y’s Steakhouse’s Ottawa location is up winning a landslide victory in that vote. Hpoised to close after Feb. 27, putting an In a blog posting earlier this month, Mr. end to an establishment that for more than Cleary said if he could do it over again, he ON three decades has been a regular gathering would not have run for the Tories provincially. THE place for politicians, their staffers, lobby- “I knew a few days into the election that I HEARD HILL ists, journalists, and other players on the didn’t have a chance,” he wrote. “The anti-To- Y EREK BMA Ottawa political scene. ry tide was too strong, combined with voter B D A After failing to come to an agreement anger at my decision to ‘betray’ the NDP. with its landlords at the Queen Street “If I had my time back would I have building it occupies on the ground fl oor, made the same decision? No, the public it became public in September that the backlash—particularly on social media— Ottawa Hy’s would close after its lease was absolutely devastating to my family.” expired in February. Yet, explaining his decision, Mr. Cleary Last Thursday, a crew from CBC’s This talked about his close relationship with Hour Has 22 Minutes, including on-air person- Paul Davis—up until recently, the Conser- Ottawa’s popular ality Mark Critch, showed up to fi lm some foot- vative premier of Newfoundland—and how age for an episode scheduled to air March 1. he pressured the former Conservative fed- Karyn Byrne, a spokeswoman for the eral government under Stephen Harper to watering hole, Hy’s, Hy’s chain, which includes other locations in compensate the province for concessions Vancouver, Whistler, B.C., Calgary, Winnipeg, on fi sh-processing made as part of the free- and Toronto, said there are no special events trade deal with the European Union. approaches fi nal day planned as the Ottawa location approaches He also talked about his opposition to its fi nal day, though business is brisk. the extent of infl uence labour unions have “It’s a last hurrah for a lot of people on NDP policy and his support for disaf- who had Hy’s Ottawa near and dear to fi liating the federal NDP from provincial their hearts,” she said. “We don’t have branches, explaining that “the federal NDP anything in particular scheduled, though has an in-it-to-win-it attitude, while the This Hour Has we certainly have lots of our loyal guests provincial NDP was/is content to serve as a 22 Minutes’ coming in to pay a visit.” social conscience.” star Mark Nonetheless, word is getting around that Mr. Cleary said he got along well with Critch, left, former CBC journalist Don Newman and federal NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, though stopped by colleague Andrew Balfour, both of whom he did have “issues with the OLO (Op- Hy’s Ottawa now work for lobbying and communications position Leader’s Offi ce),” which Mulcair location to fi lm fi rm Navigator, are organizing a party at occupied before the last election. a segment last Hy’s for the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 24. week and had On the role Hy’s has played in Ottawa, some fun with Ms. Byrne said: “I think it certainly serves New fi ction book from Global News’ a great place in the community, not just as Tom Clark and a fantastic restaurant, but certainly as a Postmedia’s Maher due CTV’s Don communications hub outside of the norm Martin. The this summer, oh yeah for Members of Parliament, as well as jour- restaurant is nalists. It’s been a great place to come and slated to close exchange information.” Feb. 27. The Hill Ms. Byrne said that while the company Times photograph is not currently seeking another Hy’s by Jake Wright location in Ottawa, “that’s not to say in the future there won’t be opportunities.” 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 Postmedia political journalist Stephen Maher has written a second book coming out later this year about crime and intrigue, and set in Nova Scotia. Former NDP MP Ryan Cleary says he his deci- We benefit. The book is called Salvage, according to sion to run for the Progressive Conservatives a description on the website of publishing Sensible rules for NHPs – Give Canadian consumers safety and provincially in Newfoundland caused a ‘public company Dundurn, and will be available in pa- backlash’ that was ‘devastating to my family.’ choice with sensible rules for NHPs that stop unlicensed internet sales. perback and as a digital download in August. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright It’s based around a character named GMO Labelling – Canadians have a right to know what’s in the Phillip Scarnum who, while sailing along food they eat: Mandate GMO labelling! Former NDP MP Ryan Cleary—who lost the south coast of Nova Scotia, fi nds an two different elections with two different abandoned lobster boat, which he hauls in, parties within two months—has some regret hoping for a hefty salvage fee. about his last decision to run for the Progres- However, a dead fi sherman, full of bul- sive Conservative Party in the Newfound- let holes, ends up washing up on a nearby land and Labrador provincial election. beach, and police start questioning the main Mr. Cleary, who represented the riding character about it. Some Mexican gangsters of St. John’s-Mount Pearl for the NDP who are missing about 100 kilograms of co- between 2011 and 2015, lost the riding to caine also take an interest in Mr. Scarnum. Liberal Seamus O’Regan in the October Mr. Maher has taken leave from Post- federal election. media as he participates in a Nieman Fel- He then chose to run for the Tories in lowship at Harvard University until June. Safe & effective NHPs – look for the NPN. the Nov. 30 Newfoundland election in the His fi rst novel was a political thriller called riding of Windsor Lake, and was soundly Deadline, released in 2013.