TWENTY-NINTH YEAR, NO. 1543 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2018 $5.00 Transport Out with media Ex- Minister bus, old-style ambassadors Garneau campaign weigh in onTrudeau’s names new strategy: Conservative fortunes approach to chief of Delacourt benefi t from Scheer, Trump p. 4 staff p.18 p. 11 Bernier on same team: Powers p. 11 News Phoenix pay systemNews Foreign aff airs News Legislation Unions Canada seen to ‘dial Extreme swamped partisanship by Phoenix, back’ UN Security to blame for hiring staff to sustained keep afl oat Council bid, say insiders, spike in time ‘It’s just been allocation, overwhelming,’ says all ‘rhetoric,’ no action ex-MPs say CAPE leader Greg Phillips as government ‘The challenge is for announces a union people to actually act partnership to fi nd like grown-ups, work a new pay system. behind the scenes,’ says former Conservative BY EMILY HAWS House leader Jay Hill. everal public sector unions Ssay they’re struggling to deal BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN with the fallout of the Phoenix pay system, needing to bring on more The Liberal government’s staff to help manage the workload increasing use of time allocation brought on by their members having to shorten debate, combined with pay issues for more than two years. opposition parties’ procedural tac- Public Service Alliance of tics to eat up time reveals a broken Canada (PSAC) national president relationship between House lead- Chris Aylward said in an emailed ers, say some of their predecessors statement that handing Phoenix is who described a more collegial having a “monumental impact on atmosphere in their day. As of June 18 the Liberal gov- the work we do every day for our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have to roll up his sleeves and take more action on the international stage, observers ernment has used time allocation members.” PSAC represents 189,000 say, if Canada wants a chance at a UN Security Council seat, where it faces stiff competition against Norway and Ireland. federal and provincial members. at least 41 times in 319 sitting days, The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Both PSAC and Canadian the second highest in the history Association of Professional While some say there’s BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of the practice. The procedural Employees (CAPE) said they have (Papineau, Que.) announced in the tool, which allows the governing hired several additional staff to still time ahead of Canada is behind on its bid spring of 2016 Canada would be party to limit debate time, spiked deal with the problem. CAPE to win a United Nations Security seeking one of the 10 two-year ro- during Conservative PM Stephen president Greg Phillips said he is the 2020 vote, many Council seat, say former diplo- tating seats opening up in 2021 on Harper’s last term to the highest also registering to lobby to ensure question whether mats and foreign affairs offi cials, the 15-member body that votes on it’s ever been—used 91 times over Parliamentarians know the cost which they suggest shows a lack matters of international peace and 507 sitting days. A recent Samara Phoenix is having on employee there’s political will of political will to backstop a security. It last held a seat in 2000. Canada report found that MPs Liberal promise that has now Continued on page 3 to get the job done. become a low priority. Continued on page 14 Continued on page 13 Phoenix is a News MP expenses symptom of leaders, whips, the Speaker, Publications Mail Agreement #40068926 centralization of House offi cers spent $18-million national caucus chairs, and na- power: Caddell p. 10 tional caucus research offi ces. Last June, the Board of Inter- last year, fi rst spending tallies reveal nal Economy—a group of seven MPs chaired by House Speaker MPs react In MP spending, Liberal BY CHARELLE EVELYN under budget, though some outli- Geoff Regan (Halifax West, N.S.) to AG- ers spent much less than they that make fi nancial and admin- PCO clerk Terry Sheehan was the most The offi ces of the top players were allowed to and the NDP istrative decisions for the House in the House of Commons spent House leader’s offi ce spent more. of Commons—changed the dust-up frugal, and caucus colleague $18.3-million last year, according A report released June 12, rules so that in addition to the outlines the spending for the p. 7 to the fi rst public report on their Continued on page 15 Bob Nault spent the most. expenses, with most coming in 2017-18 fi scal year for House 2 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2018 | THE HILL TIMES The event is held in appreciation of do- premier in September 2014, but before that nors who contribute $1,500 or more annu- was the senior executive vice-president ally, or $750 if you’re under the age of 35. and vice-chairman of CIBC. During his remarks, Mr. Trudeau also Prior to his death in the crash that Heard on the Hill suggested the Conservative Party was still killed three others, he was an adviser at Stephen Harper’s party, and separately the private-equity fi rm Warburg Pincus added Canadians must reject the popu- and spent fi ve months as a global fellow by Shruti Shekar list and nationalist movements sweeping at the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute in other countries. His wife, Sophie Grégoire Washington, D.C. Trudeau, and Liberal Party president Su- zanne Cowan introduced him. Journalists were given access to Liberal Ryerson University Luck is on the Hill as Party fundraisers in April 2017 after nega- creates centre to tive media coverage about so-called “cash- for-access” fundraisers, which saw donors protect whistleblowers MPs celebrate Irish Day shell out upwards of $1,000 in exchange for closed-door access to cabinet ministers. Ryerson University’s Centre for Free It seems nothing has changed since Expression created a new initiative that journalists called out the party for the new will aim to protect whistleblowers and Liberal MP restricted access, as media attending the create a safe space for future whistle- James Maloney War Museum event were still only al- blowers. turned Centre lowed to cover the remarks and had to stay David Hutton, one of the members of Block green on within a cordoned-off area, accompanied the CFE Whistleblowing Initiative steer- June 12, hosting by an escort. ing committee, said in a phone interview the fi rst ever that the initiative was founded in March Irish Day on the All-party Aviation and helps whistleblowers that are “putting Hill. Photograph themselves at risk to protect others.” courtesy of James Caucus lifts off “Our goal is to help them,” he said Maloney’s offi ce According to the centre’s website, the iberal MP James Maloney hosted the Senator Terry Mercer, Indigenous Services Lfi rst Irish Day on the Hill on June 12 Minister Jane Philpott, and Liberal MP and it was a pretty huge hit. Brenda Shanahan. Mr. Maloney, who is the chair of the Cana- “We also had a strong representation da-Ireland Friendship Group, said he came up from the [Irish-Canadian] community with the idea of hosting an event on the Hill from Ottawa and people from Toronto,” Mr. a couple of years ago, but time seemed right Maloney said. “There were also so many given he is looking to introduce his motion to local sports and cultural organizations, declare March as Irish Heritage Month. and the Irish Chamber of Commerce all Showing off some style at the new Aviation Caucus were, from left, incoming Canadian Federal Pilots That motion, M-139, has been on the no- participating.” Association national chair Mark Laurence, outgoing national chair Greg McConnell, Conservative MP tice paper since May 30, 2017 and, if moved Ted Falk, Liberal MP Stephen Fuhr, Conservative MP Jim Eglinski, Conservative MP Todd Doherty, forward, it would “recognize the important Trudeau pumps up top Conservative MP Dane Lloyd, Conservative MP Kelly Block, Conservative MP Bob Benzen, Liberal MP contributions that Irish-Canadians have Larry Bagnell, and Conservative MP Tony Clement. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia made to building Canada, and to Canadian donors ahead of 2019 society in general.” In the aftermath of former Alberta pre- initiative will “enable Canadians to live and “In conjunction with mier Jim Prentice’s death in a small plane work with integrity and to combat miscon- that, I’ve also been crash in October 2016, MPs from several duct that may threaten the well-being of working with the Irish parties have created the Aviation Caucus to our communities and our democracy.” community in Toronto look into aircraft safety regulations. There is limited whistleblower protec- for a while and I wanted Conservative MP Jim Eglinski and tion in Canada, and Ontario is the only to celebrate Irish heri- Liberal MP Stephen Fuhr are the co-chairs province with laws that pay people to come tage on the Hill,” he said of the group that is planning to study the forward about violations to securities laws, in a phone interview the shortage of qualifi ed pilots in September according to a June 2017 Yahoo Finance day after the event. after the House comes back from the sum- article. Those rules include offering protec- The party was or- mer break. tion and rewards based on the degree of ganized with the help During the fi rst meeting on June 13, the the information that is leaked.