EXCLUSIVE POLITICAL COVERAGE: NEWS, FEATURES, AND ANALYSIS INSIDE HEALTH HEARD ON POLICY HILL PARTY WARREN BRIEFING PP. 19-29 CLIMBERS P.37 CENTRAL P. 36 KINSELLA P. 10 THE HILL P. 2 TWENTY-SEVENTH YEAR, NO. 1337 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER MONDAY, MAY 9, 2016 $5.00 NEWS CONSERVATIVES NEWS PCO Proposed rules Fort Mac catastrophic Meet the PM’s could help ‘deliverology’ Conservative wildfi re ‘far-reaching guy, and PCO’s incumbent MPs and utterly devastating’ Mendelsohn avoid nomination doesn’t waste time challenges BY DEREK ABMA One of the key roles of Matthew Men- delsohn—who’s been a Privy Council Offi ce BY ABBAS RANA deputy secretary to cabinet in charge of “re- sults and delivery” for about four months— All 98 incumbent Conservative MPs can is helping ministers and deputy ministers avoid nomination challenges for the 2019 prioritize their time so the government can federal election if they have $150,000 in their achieve its most important goals. riding association bank accounts and if at Mr. Mendelsohn demonstrated his time- least one per cent of eligible voters are riding prioritization skills during an interview association members by April 2018, accord- last week with The Hill Times. Before the ing to the proposed new rules by the national conversation began in a boardroom in Lan- council of the Conservative Party. gevin Block, he let it be known that he had “National Council’s intention was to 20 minutes for the interview. Not much more ensure that the hard work that’s needed to than 20 minutes later, he was out the door. be done on the ground in order for the party to be competitive in the next election gets Continued on page 32 done,” Cory Hann, director of communication The wildfi re destroyed 2,000 buildings and homes in the city and forced the evacuation of more than 80,000 people from Fort McMurray last week. Considered Canada’s largest natural Continued on page 41 disaster, it’s estimated the losses are $9-billion. Photograph courtesy of Twitter NEWS PUBLIC SERVICE BY CHRISTOPHER GULY NEWS ASSISTED SUICIDE Conservative MP David ‘Hundreds of Yurdiga, who represents ike the thousands of displaced residents Lin fi re-ravaged Fort McMurray, Alta., Liberal MPs, Fort McMurray, opened a rookie Conservative MP David Yurdiga, public servants’ new riding offi ce in Lac who represents Fort McMurray-Cold Lake, Senators set is literally waiting for the smoke to clear still waiting to La Biche and is trying before he knows if his constituency offi ce or to help out, after 88,000 the homes of three of his riding staffers are get paid, struggle to amend left standing after a wildfi re destroyed 2,000 people were evacuated buildings and homes in the city and forced continues with controversial from the city last week. Continued on page 30 doctor-assisted new pay system implementation suicide bill NEWS SEXISM & POLITICS BY DEREK ABMA BY RACHEL AIELLO Progress made in fi ght against The automated pay system known as MPs from all sides are preparing to Phoenix is now deployed to almost every introduce amendments to the government’s sexism on Hill, but more must be federal government employee outside of physician-assisted dying bill this week, the military, RCMP, and Crown corpora- including Liberal MPs who want the law tion workers, and bugs in the system are clarifi ed. done, say female MPs continuing to leave hundreds of workers Meanwhile, Senators are working on short of money they are owed, according to their own set of recommendations for BY LAURA RYCKEWAERT years, but sexist attitudes and behaviour federal public service union offi cials. amendments that they hope to have adopt- remain—as in society in general—and it Last Wednesday marked the fi rst ed by the House in time, but if not say they When it comes to sexism and sexual will take efforts from all male and female government payday in which the Phoenix aren’t worried about amending Bill C-14 in harassment on Parliament Hill, female MPs MPs to change that. system applied to more than 300,000 em- the Senate in time for the June 6 deadline. say there has been some progress in recent “Not just in Parliament, but women ployees in 101 departments. continue to face sexism and harassment in Continued on page 34 Continued on page 17 the workplace and in society,” said Liberal Continued on page 33 2 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 9, 2016 FEATURE BUZZ ON HEARD THE HILL BY DEREK ABMA Friends gather to This poster marked an annual celebration of Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose the life of Doug Finley, the late Senator and speaks at a dinner honouring the late Doug Conservative operative, held last week at Fat- Finley. His widow, Diane Finley, in the front row boys Southern Smokehouse in Ottawa’s Byward second from the right, was among those pres- celebrate Doug Finley Photograph Photograph courtesy of Chad Rogers Market. Mr. Finley died in 2013. ent. courtesy of Chad Rogers his Wednesday will mark the third Attendees included Finley’s widow and new fundraising project for scholarships tics were credited as playing a key role Tanniversary of the death of Doug current Conservative MP Diane Finley, in- in Finley’s name to help young partisans to in bringing the Conservatives victory in Finley, who was a Senator at the time of terim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose, get political training. elections in 2006 and 2008. In 2009, he was his death in 2013 and had previously been Conservative MP and former cabinet min- Finley was appointed director of politi- appointed a Senator, representing Ontario. a political operative credited with helping ister Gerry Ritz, Conservative Party presi- cal operations under the former Canadian He died in 2013 of colorectal cancer. the Conservatives win government under dent John Walsh, National Post columnist Alliance party in 2003, and later was given the Stephen Harper. John Ivison, and Frank Parker and Chad same job with the Conservative Party in 2004 Last week, more than 100 people gath- Rogers from Crestview Strategy. after it was formed from of a merger between Going-away party for ered at Fatboys Southern Smokehouse in Ot- A spinoff from what is becoming a tra- the Alliance and Progressive Conservatives. tawa’s Byward Market to mark the occasion ditional gathering—the third of such events Nicknamed as Mr. Harper’s “pit bull,” veteran Hill writer Harper with the second annual Doug Finley Dinner. is already planned for May 2, 2017—is a Mr. Finley’s aggressive campaign tac- set for month’s end nunanununavutv athathabascbasaasca golgoldg uraniuuran m thomtho psonson flinfl flolon nickelnickelkel, cobacobo ltlt yellyel owknk ifefe gold,d copperco e , zincnc diamondiamonds at tawapiskatt diamoniamonamonamoo ds raglaglaan nwtwtw nickelnicke , copperer tungsttungtunngstg en rouyyn-nooranda yukoukokon coppercoppp , allial edd indin ustrieustr es coppercopp , goldg , silvver val-d’Or’Orr gold,gold coppercopper, zinczinn , alliall edd industrieri s fort mcmcmmurraray oil saands, alliedd undustndndusts riesr happha yyva valleyllel /gooo see bayay coppercop r, nicknici ele kitikitk imatat aluminalumu nuumm labrlabl b adorado citity/sesseept-iptt- leses Say it ain’t so: Toronto Star writer Tim Harper, iron,ron aluminuminu um left, seen here with CTV’s Don Martin and Rich- kamlkamm oopsoops ard Madan, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth copperpe , gold, molymol bdenmudenmun grangrgra ddf faf lls-llsls-windw soror coppercoppppe , zinc May. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright vancouveouv r sagusas enayenay alliedllied indusustries,triest aluminum um,nioum n biumumm juniojunioru explol rationo /minen financing Tim Harper, a Hill columnist for The bathb ursturst Toronto Star whose syndicated columns trait a l zinc,inc,n leadea lead,ead, zinczin also in The Hill Times, is leaving the Par- windwinn sor liamentary Press Gallery, and as a result, a gypsumgypsgypsumm elklk vallal ey reded lakelaakk /hemlo shindig is being thrown for him at the end steelmste lmakingkini coaloal goldo d thetthhetfordford miness chryschrysochhrysolitelit of this month. fortforort sassa katca hewaew n timmmmminsns It’ll happen on Tuesday, May 31, at the nickelnicknickel zinc,n copperopperr, torooronto BécaBéBécé ncouncocour saska atooa on/ese terher azyzyy lead,ead goldo alliedaalliellied indusindudustries,triestries, aluminum um,um magnesium Métropolitain Brasserie, starting at 6:30 potashotash, salt seniorior exploexpplorationion/ minem financiinannc ng montn realreeea p.m. Mr. Harper has spent two decades sudbudburyu alliedliedd indusu tries,triess nickelickee , copcoppo er, cobalt,baltb headead officesfices, reser earcharc covering politics in Ottawa, and has also gold,old,ld pgm,pgmgm, a lliedlli industindusn ries done six years in Washington, D.C., cover- ing U.S. politics. Mr. Harper’s colleague at the Star, In CanC adada mim ning issa a trruly nationalnaa inndusu try, withh a richhh histis ory of grg owtoww h across ourur cocountun ry.ry Bruce Campion-Smith, joked about doubts Today,a Caanada a’s ecconoonomym iss grog wing fastas er than manyy oto herhe coountu ries.s MinMining iss a big reasoon why.hyy he has that Mr. Harper can stay away from the Ottawa political grind. “Toronto Star scribe Tim Harper is leaving the gallery. Or so he says. After Mining Week in Canada. past dalliances with the U.S. capital, major league ballparks and Star management, A good opportunity to say thanks. he has always come back. But just in case it’s for real this time, we’re throwing him Thanks to the 375,000 folks who work in mineral extraction, processing and manufacturing. a party,” he said in a note distributed to Thanks to the 3,700 businesses in Canada that supply the goods and services we need.