Hello,
Amid Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s declarations that he is leading the Liberals into the next election, his office has announced that a prominent media commentator is joining his team as a senior adviser.
Supriya Dwivedi is added to the Prime Minister’s Office several weeks after Trudeau’s team also brought in a new executive director of communications.
Trudeau’s office confirmed Dwivedi will start her new job on Jan.15, and a staffing memo provided by spokesperson Ann-Clara Vaillancourt said Dwivedi will put professional experiences, including a science and legal background, to work for the PMO.
The former radio talk-show host has appeared on CBC’s Power & Politics, on CTV, and written for publications including The Globe and Mail, The Washington Post and Toronto Star.
Most recently Dwivedi worked for McGill University’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy as director of policy and engagement. Dwivedi also has degrees in civil law and common law from the University of Montreal.
She wrote in a Toronto Star column today that she has held memberships in both the Conservatives and Liberals, and is not an overly partisan person but is concerned about the current “toxic hyperpartisanship” in Ottawa.
She said she has, professionally, had the opportunity to speak to Trudeau. “He asks smart questions, listens attentively and affords complex issues with the nuance it deserves,” she wrote.
In November, Trudeau’s office announced that it was bringing in Max Valiquette as an executive communications director for the PMO. Valiquette came to that assignment with years of experience in working for various brands, advertising and marketing.
Trudeau has been prime minister since 2015, and led the Liberals to a minority government in 2021. However, public-opinion research has indicated that support has shifted to the federal Conservatives under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre. The next federal election is not expected until 2025.
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you're reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY'S HEADLINES
Toronto’s proposed budget includes property tax hike of 10.5 per cent: The boost would be the biggest in recent memory, and comes with the prospect of that rising to 16.5 per cent unless the federal government commits money to support refugees.
Alberta drugs bought from Turkey posed serious risks to newborns, documents show: The Alberta government had procured the Turkish acetaminophen from Istanbul-based Atabay Pharmaceuticals to restock empty shelves during a surge in pediatric respiratory illnesses. Story here.
Former Montreal mayor and federal cabinet minister Denis Coderre considering run for Quebec Liberal leadership: LaPresse reports that Coderre has been holding a series of meetings over recent months to gauge his support for a leadership bid, and is encouraged by the outcome.
MPs call for House study of Rogers, Bell plans to raise wireless prices: Four Conservative MPs and one Bloc Québécois MP are requesting a meeting of the House of Commons industry and technology committee they sit on, “to discuss an urgent study on the increasing costs of cellphone packages.” Story here.
Nuclear waste facility approved for Chalk River Laboratories despite opposition from First Nations, municipalities: The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has authorized the $75-million project which involves the construction of a landfill site for nuclear waste at Chalk River Laboratories, a large research facility in Deep River, Ont.
Visa cap on Gaza family immigration program has sown panic, uncertainty, lawyers say: Ottawa is capping the program at 1,000 applicants, a detail confirmed this week on the day of the program’s launch.
Rebel News personality arrested after an encounter with Chrystia Freeland: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre condemned the arrest, reposting a video of the incident with the message: “This is the state of freedom of the press. In Canada. In 2024. After eight years of Trudeau.” Story here.
Conservative critic calls for ethics probe into Trudeau’s Jamaica trip: In a letter to the federal ethics commissioner, opposition ethics critic Michael Barrett questioned whether the Prime Minister violated conflict of interest rules.
PCs in New Brunswick gear up for election with wave of candidate nominations: After backing away from a possible early election call last fall, New Brunswick’s governing Progressive Conservatives are accelerating their preparations for a 2024 campaign.
THIS AND THAT
Commons and Senate on a break: The House of Commons is on a break until Jan. 29. The Senate sits again on Feb. 6.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day: Chrystia Freeland was scheduled to attend the funeral service for former federal cabinet minister John Godfrey.
Ministers on the road: Health Minister Mark Holland and Housing Minister Sean Fraser announced a $355-million bilateral agreement with Nova Scotia to improve health care over three years. Filomena Tassi, minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, announced $3-million for Waterloo Region Economic Development Corp.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Justin Trudeau was also to attend the funeral service, in Toronto, for former federal cabinet minister John Godfrey.
LEADERS
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, in Sidney, B.C., on Vancouver Island was scheduled to attend an evening meeting of the 1st Tsartlip Beavers Troup.
No schedules released for other party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
On today’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, James Griffiths, The Globe’s Asia correspondent, discusses the current situation with Taiwan, which is ramping up to a pivotal presidential election on Jan. 13 amid rising tensions with China. The Decibel is here.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on how Canada’s sexist past echoes in the courts: “At one time, it was impossible for a man to rape his wife in Canada, legally speaking. The Criminal Code stipulated that a man could only be charged with rape if he had non-consensual sexual intercourse with a woman who was not his wife. If instead he sexually assaulted the woman he had married, no crime had taken place.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on how surrendering to the provinces doesn’t bring peace to the federation. It only emboldens them: “The devil made them do it. That current wave of lawless behaviour among the premiers? One claiming the right to ignore any federal law she finds inconvenient, another already defying the law on carbon pricing, still another unilaterally amending the Constitution to annex bits of federal jurisdiction? It’s not their fault. According to some of my Globe colleagues, the premiers can’t help themselves. They have been provoked beyond endurance, and cannot be held responsible for their actions. And the name of the devil that cast this spell on them? Why, Justin Trudeau, of course.”
Marsha Lederman (The Globe and Mail) on how the number of places Jewish Canadians feel unwelcome in keeps growing: “The cops delivering the coffee was the image that went ‘round the world. But long before members of the Toronto Police Department handed over the Tim Hortons goodies to pro-Palestinian protesters who have been targeting a highway overpass adjacent to a neighbourhood with a significant Jewish population, many Canadian Jews have felt unsettled, even unsafe.”
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail) on a B.C. judge reminding us all that drug addiction is an illness: “Many towns and cities in B.C. complain about open drug use, but will not support the opening of a supervised consumption site in their area. You can’t have it both ways.”
Konrad Yakabuski (The Globe and Mail) on how Montreal’s Olympic Stadium needs $1-billion in repairs, but demolition might be a better option: “As white elephants go, the Big Owe is world class. It still shows up on lists of the worst all-time infrastructure boondoggles.”
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
Ian Bailey