Sadness, Hope, and Grace
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EXCLUSIVE POLITICALAL COVERAGE: NENEWS, FEATURES, AND ANALYSIS INSIDEDE POWERS: PSAC WHAT WOULD LANDS BLOW LAYTON TO LIBERALS SOFTWOOD THINK OF ON PHOENIX P.10 LUMBER P. 3 NDP NOW? P. 10 ELECTORAL REFORM PP. 5 & 12 TWENTY-SEVENTH YEAR, NO. 1364 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016 $5.00 NEWS ASIA NEWS THE TRAGICALLY HIP NEWS PUBLIC OPINION Liberals edge Pollsters starting towards new SADNESS, HOPE, to see uptick Pacifi c trade AND GRACE, TOO in government agreement work BY PETER MAZEREEUW BY MARCO V IGLIOTTI The Liberal government took the fi rst step towards a possible free trade agree- The Trudeau government is reinvesting in ment with a collection of Southeast Asian public opinion research after it was virtu- countries earlier this month, as the future ally abandoned in the fi nal years of the last of the Trans-Pacifi c Partnership agreement Conservative government, though spending remains mired in doubt. remains far below historical averages, ac- The offi ce of Trade Minister Chrystia cording to veteran pollster Frank Graves. Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.) quietly “They’ve committed to doing more and announced in a press release earlier this more work...but it’s certainly nowhere near month that Canadian offi cials would be the levels it was historically both with the instructed to begin working on the terms of a early stages of the Conservative govern- “feasibility study” on the merits of a Canada- ment, certainly the Liberal government ASEAN free trade agreement. before that, and the Mulroney government The press release came after Ms. Free- before that,” he told The Hill Times. land co-chaired a meeting of the economic Mr. Graves, founder and president of ministers of the 10-country trade bloc, Ekos Research, said in an interview that which stands for Association of Southeast the federal government has contracted Asian Nations, on Aug. 8. more public opinion research work from his company since the election last fall. He Continued on page 5 linked this to the Liberals’ push to what they see as a return to evidence-based decision-making. NEWS IMMIGRATION Continued on page 7 The Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie embraces Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before last Feds reviewing Saturday’s concert in Kingston, broadcast live on CBC to 11.7 million viewers. The show closed the Hip’s Man Machine Poem tour, possibly its last given Mr. Downie’s terminal cancer diagnosis. NEWS LOBBYING ACT inland refugee For more on the PM’s appearance and what it means for him politically, read Heard on the Hill, page 2, and Les Whittington, page 11. The Tragically Hip photograph by David Bastedo system, under Ethics critic pushes for better pressure to scrap NEWS DISARMAMENT enforcement ‘safe countries’ list Trudeau government’s commitment of ‘20 per cent’ BY PETER MAZEREEUW to nuclear disarmament questioned lobbying rule The Liberal government is re-evaluating after UN vote the way it treats refugee claimants who ask for BY CHELSEA NASH AND MARCO V IGLIOTTI protection after arriving in Canada, but won’t BY MARCO V IGLIOTTI beginning negotiations on a potential U.N. say whether it will scrap some of the widely An ethics watchdog wants stronger treaty banning nuclear weapons, though criticized restrictions on some refugee claim- oversight from Ottawa to ensure organiza- Critics are accusing the Trudeau govern- the Liberals say these talks would likely ants brought in by the previous government. tions are complying with rules requiring ment of failing an important test of global prove fruitless. Government offi cials met with refugee public disclosure of lobbying activities. leadership by siding with the U.S. and advocacy groups and researchers July 14 Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democ- other nuclear powers and voting against to gather suggestions on what to do with Continued on page 15 racy Watch and a visiting professor at the Canada’s asylum system, which is used to University of Ottawa, is calling on the process applications for refugee status by federal government to stop letting organi- people who have already arrived in the coun- zations determine themselves if they are try. People brought in from refugee camps compliant with rules mandating registra- abroad are processed in a different way. In Canada turns back on UN plan to tion as lobbyists if advocacy efforts go 2014-15, the tribunal that decides on refugee beyond a pre-determined threshold. claims in Canada was referred 13,500 claims, ban nuclear arms: ex-senator “Self-regulation has been proven not to and the next year that creeped up to 16,500. Doug Roche, p.14 work at all,” he told The Hill Times. Continued on page 6 Continued on page 4 2 THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016 FEATURE BUZZ of news and government. Her fi rst day Centre in 2013, though she was defeated by was Monday. author and journalist Linda McQuaig. ON “As lot a people have pointed out, I can’t The subsequent election was won THE think of a more perfect job for me,” she by Liberal Chrystia Freeland, who now HEARD HILL said in an interview. serves as the international trade minister. Ms. Hollett later won the NDP nomination BY MARCO V IGLIOTTI for the new central Toronto riding of Universi- ty-Rosedale in time for the 2015 election. However, she was defeated by Ms. Freeland, who switched to run in the neigh- Final Hip show attracts bouring riding. Bélanger funeral high-profi le attendees scheduled for next weekend diligently to address the challenges facing The funeral for late Liberal MP Mauril the country’s First Nations. Bélanger will be held on Saturday at Ot- “Well, you know, Prime Minister tawa’s Notre Dame Basilica, according to Trudeau’s got me, his work with First Na- reporting by the Ottawa Citizen. tions. He’s got everybody. He’s going to Mr. Bélanger, who represented the rid- take us where we need to go,” the Hip lead ing of Ottawa Vanier, died Aug. 15 after he singer said from the stage, as reported by Former federal NDP candidate Jennifer Hollett was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral the Canadian Press. has joined Twitter Canada as its new head of sclerosis last fall. “It’s going to take us 100 years to fi gure news and government. She described the job The funeral is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. out what the hell went on up there, but it as being a perfect fi t for her. Photograph courtesy isn’t cool and everybody knows that. It’s of Twitter really, really bad, but we’re going to fi gure Former MP Elsie Wayne it out, you’re going to fi gure it out.” “If you look at a Venn diagram of my career, passes away After returning for an encore, Mr. it’s journalism, it’s politics, and tech. This is one Prime Minister Justin Trudeau witnessed live Downie said “thank you to the prime minis- of the few roles that brings it all together.” Former New Brunswick MP Elsie what is likely the Tragically Hip’s fi nal concert ter for coming to our show, it really means She described herself as a huge fan and Wayne has died at the age of 84. Saturday night in Kingston. While there, he a lot to all of us.” user of the site, joking that it will be nice to Her passing was confi rmed Tuesday by had the opportunity to meet with lead singer He then proceeded to laud Mr. Trudeau know she won’t get in trouble for check- New Brunswick’s offi cial opposition, ac- Gord Downie (pictured) and wrote a personal again for making First Nations people a ing Twitter while at work. cording to the Canadian Press. message on a wall outside the arena where the major commitment for his government. The microblogging site, famous for Ms. Wayne began her storied political band performed. Photos courtesy of the offi cial Twitter “We’re in good hands, folks, real good its 140-character limit and hashtags, has career by winning election to Saint John account of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hands. He cares about the people way up “reshaped” news and politics, and is a “big City Council in 1977. She was elected as North, that we were trained our entire lives part of democratic renewal,” she said. the city’s fi rst female mayor in 1983. to ignore, trained our entire lives to hear In the position Ms. Hollett will be respon- Along with Jean Charest, Ms. Wayne hile his cabinet colleagues were milling not a word of what’s going on up there,” sible for fostering relationships with Cana- was one of only two MPs elected under the Waround university dorms in Sudbury, Mr. Downie said. dian media outlets, government agencies, Progressive Conservative banner in the party’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, “And what’s going on up there ain’t and political groups, focusing on new ways disastrous showing in the 1993 federal election. Que.) spent Saturday night hundreds of kilo- good. It’s maybe worse than it’s ever been, to use Twitter, create content and discovering She represented the riding of Saint metres away, enjoying likely the last concert so it’s not on the improve. (But) we’re go- what’s possible with the platform. John until 2004. of arguably Canada’s greatest rock band. ing to get it fi xed and we got the guy to do She said she would work closely with Ms. Wayne sat as a member of the new The Tragically Hip closed out its Man Ma- it, to start, to help.” the media, journalists, politicians, different Conservative Party upon its establishment.