Author: Cam Holmstrom

Sunday mornings are times that I look forward to; it’s a nice time to usually take it somewhat easier, spend some time with the family and given the person who I am, usually taking in the Sunday political shows. It’s usually interesting to see everyone different takes on the week,

Today I sat down to record Episode 5 of Season 1 of the Magpie Brûlé podcast, but with the developments from late yesterday, I decided to do this episode a bit different. I decided to take a deep dive into the SNC/PMO Scandal and go through the recording of Jody

What a way to end a week in political Ottawa, right? The news of this recording by Jody Wilson-Raybould has the power to have a big effect on this story and on the future of Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister. With the SNC/PMO Scandal, the Liberals have gone from a

Late this afternoon we finally got to see the documents that Jody Wilson-Raybould submitted to the House of Commons Justice Committee in regard to the SNC/PMO Scandal. Given that the governing Liberals have made a point of keeping Wilson-Raybould from testifying again, that has left her with fewer options to

When most people think about government ministries, many well earned stereotypes come to mind. People think about long lines, fees, being passed from person to person to person, and normally a certain degree of frustration. Yes, we do get good experiences too, but those are the stereotypes. There are also

Having worked in politics and with politicians for a decade, there are some things you learn on the job that you might not have thought that you would have going into it. One such thing that I discovered over my time is that politicians, like everyday people, have quirks, ticks,

This year the election that most Canadians will be focused on will be the big Federal election in the Fall, but this isn’t true all over the country. Last week Alberta’s provincial election kicked off, setting up a mid-April vote to see if Rachel Notley or Jason Kenney will lead

Over nearly two months now, the whole SNC/PMO Scandal has had some ups and downs, and that’s understandable. With all the pressure this has put on the government and the effect it’s having on their poll numbers, it’s understandable that some people inside the caucus would start to get antsy

Working on Parliament Hill is a unique experience and it’s an environment that’s very hard to compare to other work places at times. This is especially true if you work in a partisan position, either as an MP, Senator or political staff. The pressures are unique and really, the reactions

Being Métis working in political Ottawa is an experience that can be trying at times. Let’s face facts, there aren’t many Indigenous peoples who work in Canadian political circles and our histories and experiences are things that are not always well known, or at least not well understood. Granted this

We are now just a bit more than a day past the Federal Budget, and normally this would be a time when government ministers would fan out across the country talking about the virtues of the document. Being an election year, this would especially be the case. And of course,

I believe I’ve noted it here a few times already, but to me one of the amazing things about the whole SNC/PMO Scandal has been the amount of new news that keeps coming out from it. It’s been a near daily barrage of details leaking or flooding out, depending on

Yesterday was Budget Day in Ottawa, a usually crazy day that usually brings some drama along with it. Well thanks to the Liberal members of the Justice Committee meetings killing the study into the SNC/PMO Scandal, that got cranked right up to 11, leading to threats of procedural shenanigans from

Mondays in Ottawa can be some of the most boring days you can get anywhere at anytime. When Parliament is in session, usually Mondays are one quiet day that when combined with quiet Fridays bookend the week. Usually many MPs are still en route to Ottawa, committees sit later, and

In my decade and a half in volunteering and working on political campaigns, I’ve been blessed to get to have many amazing experiences. Those experiences have taught me a lot and given me the chance to live out some childhood dreams and honestly, get to see things that a Métis

Back on Wednesday when the Liberal majority in the House of Commons Justice Committee shut down Opposition attempts to call Jody Wilson-Raybould back to testify for a second time, it seemed to be done in an attempt to try to shut this story down. Given how this scandal has hurt

This morning I woke up and started my day with my usual Friday routine; I got cleaned up, got myself ready for work, took out the garbage and the recycling as I do on this day of the week. Having spent a couple of days wrapped up in my own

This afternoon the House of Commons Justice Committee sat to reply to an emergency meeting request from the Opposition. The topic of the meeting was straight forward; calling Jody Wilson-Raybould back to the committee to testify. Given the fact that at the last meeting the Liberals shot down a motion

One thing that is consistent about politics just about anywhere in the World at any level is the rumours; people love a good political rumour and in this digital age, they can come from anywhere. With the House of Commons Justice Committee coming back to meet today to talk about

Earlier today I posted a piece on why the whole PMO/SNC Scandal matters in the political discourse and why we must pay attention to it. In that post I said something that I think bears some repeating for another big reason, which I will get into in a moment. But