THIRTY-SECOND YEAR, NO. 1783 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020 $5.00 News News News DND says NDP’s spring budget for Tick tock: Liberals call convention Surface for swift implementation offers chance Combatants to pit party’s remains of new Canada-U.K. vision against unchanged; trade pact as legislative governing PBO report Liberals’, say expected in process remains murky members late February BY BEATRICE PAEZ There are 13 sitting days left before the House rises on Dec. 11. Liberals he NDP is holding its next BY NEIL MOSS say the text of the new Canada-U.K. transitional deal may not be Tpolicy convention this spring, coincidentally overlapping the he Department of National available for another two to four weeks. Liberals’ own virtual gathering, TDefence says there hasn’t which party experts say could been an increase in cost to the Prime Minister serve as a helpful vehicle to largest defence procurement proj- Justin Trudeau, contrast policy priorities, lending ect in Canadian history, which right, and U.K. leader Jagmeet Singh a platform will serve as the backbone of the Prime Minister to make the case he’s sought to Canadian Navy for years to come, Boris Johnson build to peel voters away from the as questions loom over delays, announced the governing party. which could add billions to the completion of Mr. Singh’s (Burnaby South, price tag. negotiations for B.C.) party will hold its three-day Parliamentary Budget Officer a Canada-U.K. virtual convention over the same (PBO) Yves Giroux is expecting to transitional trade days as the Liberals’, which takes release an updated cost projection pact on Nov. 21. place over two days, both start- for the purchase of 15 Canadian The new deal ing April 9. According to an NDP Surface Combatants (CSC) in late is set to come spokesperson, the dates, which February 2021. into force on were announced more than a The 15 warships are replacing Jan. 1, 2021, month after the Liberal Party’s Canada’s current fleet of Halifax- but first, an went public, had already been class frigates. implementation “locked” for weeks before they The project is still pegged by bill has to were announced. DND to cost between $56- and be passed. Its last convention, held in Ot- $60-billion. Photograph tawa in 2018, attracted more than “There have been no budget courtesy of Pippa 2,000 delegates, and the party changes,” a DND spokesperson Fowles/No. 10 says it anticipates drawing a simi- told The Hill Times. Downing Street lar crowd size online, if not more. The ships were originally and The Hill Times Next year’s convention will also budgeted to cost $26-billion photograph by feature a mandatory review of Mr. before their price was doubled by Andrew Meade Singh’s leadership performance. DND following a 2017 PBO report Brian Topp, former NDP that estimated the costs to be president and national campaign BY NEIL MOSS $61.82-billion. deal through Parliament before Opposition MPs have ques- director under the late former The most recent projection of those provisions expire at the tioned whether there’s enough leader Jack Layton, said the the cost of the CSC was done by fter completing negotiations end of December, with opposition time to pass the deal reached on convention offers an opportunity the PBO in February 2019, which Afor a rollover of Canada-U.K. Parliamentarians accusing the Nov. 21 before the House rises on to “contrast the two parties” and trade provisions, the Liberals government of once again ignor- Continued on page 14 have little time to pass the new ing their role. Continued on page 4 Continued on page 12 p. 6 Ifill Bastarache Feds Economic, p. 7 finally industry report bring Publications Mail Agreement #40068926 spotlights concerns order top RCMP's to data October systemic Wild lobbying Diabetes and West p. 11 COVID-19 failures Whittington p. 6 2 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020 | THE HILL TIMES Independent Senator Murray Sincair has been Heard on the Hill a member of the Red Chamber by Neil Moss since 2016. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Veteran MP Kent Meade won’t seek re- election, becoming mates for 2020-21, the exchange kicked off ing and worldview,” according to a press when Ms. Rempel Garner asked whether release. third CPC MP to or not the government has the legislative “Where do I come from? Where am I means to bring about better aggregation of going? Why am I here? Who am I?” COVID-19 data from the provinces. Sen. Sinclair has been a member of the Addressing her question to Les Lin- Red Chamber since he was nominated to bow out of next race klater, the federal lead for COVID-19 test- the post by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ing, contact tracing and data management in 2016. strategies within the government’s health “Our history has been about stealing Conservative portfolio, Ms. Hajdu interjected prior to Mr. our identity as Indigenous people. It’s time MP Peter Linklater’s answer, prompting an immedi- we changed that. This country has tried to Kent has ate response from the Conservative critic. change us into something we are not. So been a “No, you might not start, minister. You’re here is a story about who we are, about high-profile a witness, minister, so it’s my time,” said Ms. how my experiences have shaped who I member of Rempel Garner, calling for a point of order. am, and what I see is a path forward for us his party's In response, Mr. McKinnon said “it’s ap- all,” he said in the release. caucus propriate of us to treat the witnesses with Sen. Sinclair tweeted on Nov. 22 that since respect and courtesy, and I believe if the he is “so pleased to have this opportunity entering minister wishes to answer questions, and to share my experiences and what I’ve public life it’s put to her officials, I think she’s entitled learned.” in 2008. to do so.” He recently Ms. Rempel Garner responded by say- announced Conservative MP Barrett ing: “This is my time to question witnesses.” he won't “And quite frankly, to suggest that it welcomes son seek another is not respectful for me to be asking for Tory MP Michael Barrett‘s family grew term next information on how data is being used and by one after his wife, Amanda, gave birth election. The collected on interventions that are costing this week. Hill Times millions of jobs and thousands of lives is … “Our boy Nathan has arrived [and] he photograph frankly, as a woman, I find it kind of sex- and Amanda are healthy!” announced Mr. by Andrew ist,” said Ms. Rempel Garner. Barrett in a tweet on Nov. 22. Meade “These are tough questions, and I get to ask them to who I want to ask them to,” said Ms. Rempel Garner. “It is my job as a Parliamentarian, and I’m tired of this. I understand onservative MP Peter Kent has an- not seek re-election, joining Ontario CPC that the minister may not Cnounced he won’t seek re-election in MPs Diane Finley and Bruce Stanton, and like the question, but it’s a safe blue riding in the Greater Toronto now-former Liberal MPs Bill Morneau and me who gets the floor, am Area next time Canadians go to the polls. Michael Levitt. I clear?” The former journalist has represented Ultimately, Mr. Thornhill, Ont., since 2008. He was in the ‘Point of order’: Health Linklater answered cabinet of past-prime minister Stephen the query posed by Ms. Harper, where he served as environment Committee gets heated Rempel Garner, after Ms. minister from 2011 to 2014 and was as Exchanges between Liberal Health Hajdu said, “in the inter- minister of state for foreign affairs for the Committee chair Ron McKinnon, Health est of time, why don’t we Americas from 2008 to 2011. Minister Patty Hajdu, and the Conserva- just have Mr. Linklater Mr. Kent took a line from American tive Party’s health critic, Michelle Rempel answer the question.” singer Peter Seeger in explaining his deci- Garner, got heated during a recent Nov. 20 “Relief programming sion not to throw his hat back in the ring committee meeting. is beyond the ambit of next election. the department of health, “For everything there is a season,” he many departments, in- said in a Nov. 19 Facebook video, “and it’s cluding the department of time to prepare for the end of my active finance and others would Michael Barrett and his wife Amanda recently welcomed their fifth political season.” be intimately involved in child, Nathan. Photograph courtesy of Twitter/Michael Barrett The 77-year-old said he will continue to developing those types of serve as an MP until the next election. programs based on various data sets,” said Nathan is the couple’s fifth child, join- Two Conservatives have already an- Mr. Linklater. ing Luke, Ama, Michaela, and James. nounced their intention of running for the —by Mike Lapointe “Thanks to everyone at [Brockville party’s nomination: former Tory staffer General Hospital] for their care and Melissa Lantsman and Progressive Conser- service. Special thanks to RN Kate, Dr vative MPP Gila Martow. Independent Sen. Sinclair to Finkenzeller, & their colleagues. We are Ms. Lantsman has already received the release book in 2022 thankful for the blessing of Nathan and the backing of former Hill boss John Baird. The former chair of the Truth and Rec- pros who ensured his [and]Amanda’s good She served as Mr.