Bad + New book Workplace 3.0? Bitchy captures p. 10 cartoonist’s art of political critique Public service could shift to Andrew home office for the long haul p. 4 Caddell p. 9 Parties of the past p. 21 THIRTY-FIRST YEAR, NO. 1727 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 $5.00 News Procurement News Conservatives & Quebec Quebec CPC ‘Hard decisions are going to membership votes more have to be made’: can vital important than low leadership defence procurements survive donations, say politicos in a post-pandemic world? BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN ll four Conservative leader- Lockheed Martin's Aship hopefuls have reported ‘When you are F-35, pictured, is low fundraising numbers in one of three potential Quebec to start the year, amount- trying to fix a fiscal options that could ing to three per cent of all funds problem, inevitably replace Canada's raised this race in a province that fleet of CF-18s with will be key to the next leaders’ national defence 88 new fighter jets. coronation. That doesn’t mean The procurement they aren’t active and recruiting is part of the way process for the new support in Quebec, suggest some governments planes has already Conservative politicians, who say been delayed by the membership, not money, is most have tended to ongoing coronavirus important, with donors distracted pandemic. Photograph by COVID-19, fatigued by repeat try and fix that,’ courtesy of Wikimedia says defence Commons Continued on page 16 procurement expert David Perry. News Conservative leadership BY NEIL MOSS years to come, questions remain defence procurement projects 15 new warships that will serve on how the COVID-19 pandemic with another delay in the replace- as the backbone of the Canadian Experienced n the midst of critical procure- will affect the oft-delayed projects. ment of Canada’s fighter fleet as Navy for decades to come. Iments that will set the frame- The pandemic has already im- well as a reduced capability at the team returns to work for the Canadian military for pacted the two most high-profile shipyard that will be building the Continued on page 18 back O’Toole in leadership bid News Sponsored travel Publications Mail Agreement #40068926 BY LAURA RYCKEWAERT the summer as they switched into onservative MP Erin O’Toole MPs claimed $230,000 in free travel from campaign season. Thirty-seven Cis once again gunning for the MPs accepted a total of 43 trips in party’s helm and supporting him 2019, according to Ethics Com- is a familiar team of experienced organizations, foreign governments in 2019 missioner Mario Dion’s March hands, including national cam- 2020 report. paign manager Fred DeLorey. That’s significantly fewer BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN side groups and foreign govern- But this year’s race is unlike With a breakneck end to the than the 95 trips in 2018 valued ments in 2019, halving the value any other, being waged amid the session in June, MPs stopped tak- at $520,700 for transportation, Ps accepted $230,000 worth of free trips MPs have accepted in ing sponsored travel and contin- Mof travel sponsored by out- recent years. ued in that vein over the course of Continued on page 17 Continued on page 14 2 WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 | THE HILL TIMES Senator Paula Simons held conversations with five Albertans Heard on the Hill from differing backgrounds by Neil Moss for Alberta Unbound. Photograph courtesy of Liberal MP Kamal Khera Paula Simons joins nursing ranks after Gord McIntosh is pictured with Hill Times editor Kate Malloy in 2013. The Hill Times file photograph COVID-19 recovery hen, a communications and public affairs media background to help Canadians hear firm, as its senior Ottawa consultant. the voices of all kinds of Albertans—and Mr. McIntosh was the president of the not just the ‘usual suspects’ who tend to Parliamentary Press Gallery from 1996 be featured on/in the news,” Sen. Simons to 1998 and a member of the gallery as a tweeted about the podcast on May 11. Canadian Press reporter on the Hill from Sen. Simons is a former Edmonton 1986 to 2001. Journal columnist. She was appointed to After leaving journalism, he became a the Senate in 2018. lobbyist and was most recently a senior adviser for the Canadian Medical Associa- tion. Craig Dalton departs “Brown & Cohen lobbies at all levels of government which was a large factor in my veterans ombudsman office wanting to join this team,” Mr. McIntosh said in a statement. “I am excited to provide Canada’s third veterans ombudsman them with an expanded presence in Ottawa has left the post after 18 months on the job, using both my media and government rela- Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence Ma- tions experience.” cAulay announced earlier this week. The former wire service reporter has Liberal MP Kamal Khera, second from right, is working alongside military nurses at a Brampton long-term appeared on The Hill Times’ list of top care home on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. Photograph courtesy of Twitter/Kamal Khera Veterans Affairs federal lobbyists numerous times. His work Minister Lawrence has included ghost writing for parliamen- he only MP to have publicly revealed nadian Forces] has meant for this LTC and MacAulay tarians and media training for politicos. Tto have tested positive for COVID-19 its nursing staff.” announced Craig Mr. McIntosh also writes a monthly po- and subsequently recovered has joined the Dalton’s departure litical column for Investment Executive. front lines pitching in at a long-term care Senator Paula Simons in a May 11 press home in Brampton, Ont. release. The Hill Rubicon embarks into Liberal MP Kamal Khera, who is a reg- launches five-part Times photograph istered nurse, announced she was joining by Andrew Meade defence procurement the front lines of the health crisis in March, podcast on Albertan but before she could don the scrubs she With the hiring of seasoned lobbyist tested positive for COVID-19. After more identity and culture Louise Mercier, Rubicon is entering the than a month in self-isolation, she recov- world of defence procurement. ered from the virus in late April. To explore what it is to be an Albertan, Ms. Mercier previously was On May 11, she tweeted that since her Independent Senator Paula Simons has Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ group lead on recovery she has been pitching in at a long- launched a podcast to delve into Alberta’s defence procurement in Ottawa. term care home alongside military nurses identity and mythology. deployed to the facility. The five-part podcast features a con- Craig Dalton is a former colonel in the Canadian Forces nurses have been versation between the Albertan Senator Canadian Armed Forces, where he spent posted to five long-term care homes in and University of Alberta political science 25 years as a member of the Army. During Ontario at the request of the provincial professor Jared Wesley, whose research on that time, Mr. Dalton was deployed to Af- government, including Holland Christian Albertans’ self-identification was an inspi- ghanistan, where he served as Task Force Homes Grace Manor in Brampton. ration for the podcast, Sen. Simons wrote Kandahar’s chief of staff. Ms. Khera, who is the parliamentary on Twitter. “As a veteran with more than 25 years secretary to International Development Alberta Unbound also features conver- of service in the Canadian Armed Forces, Minister Karina Gould, has represented sations with Conservative MP Shannon Mr. Dalton demonstrated exceptional lead- Brampton West, Ont., in the House of Com- Stubbs, who represents Lakeland, Alta., in ership and showed care, compassion, and mons since 2015. the House of Commons; as well as Yellow- respect for our veterans and their families. She tweeted that she held a FaceTime head Tribal College president Diana Stein- He will continue to be a respected voice call with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan so hauer, a Saddle Lake Cree Nation elder; within the veteran community, and I am he could thank the nurses for their work. journalist and author Omar Mouallem; and very grateful for his lifetime of service,” Mr. “I can’t put into words what it meant for former Progressive Conservative cabinet MacAulay said in a press release. these brave women & men to hear directly minister Doug Griffiths. He thanked Mr. Dalton, adding that he from [Mr. Sajjan],” Ms. Khera wrote. “I also “I don’t just want to be a ‘voice’ for is beginning a “new chapter in his distin- can’t express what the support of the [Ca- Alberta in Ottawa. I want to try to use my guished career.” Mr. Dalton raised concerns with the in- Louise Mercier was one of the founding dependence of the ombudsman office, and members of Women in Defence and Security in before the last election he had expressed 2005. Photograph courtesy of LinkedIn hope the government would review its mandate. According to a CBC report, he “Louise Mercier has successfully wanted the government to assess whether planned and executed multiple business the office should report to the veterans af- development strategies for military indus- fairs minister or to Parliament. trial programs,” Rubicon managing partner The office was created in 2007 under the Andrew Balfour said in a press release. Conservative government of then-prime “She is undoubtedly one of Canada’s minister Stephen Harper. The last ombuds- leading experts on defence procurement.” man, Guy Parent, served in the role from A veteran of the defence industry, 2010 to 2018. having worked for Lockheed Martin and the ADGA Group, Ms. Mercier served as We provide full service corporate, one of the founding members of Women government and social catering in Former Press Gallery in Defence and Security (WiDS) in 2005.