Heard On The Hill

Ottawa’s premier hatmaker to the House Speaker and Governor General has died

Also, more events are planned for the 20th anniversary of the first Harper government next month, three politicians make the top 10 list of most-searched Canadians, and former NDP chief of staff Jennifer Howard is a program fellow at Carleton University.

Milliner Madeleine Cormier-Brzezinski, left, died in Ottawa on Nov. 26, 2025. She created the headpiece worn by Governor General Mary Simon, centre, in 2022 for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, and as made the tricorn hats worn by all the House Speakers, including current Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, since 2011. Photographs courtesy of Instagram; by Sgt. Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall; and The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Feature

BY CHRISTINA LEADLAY

January 14, 2026

About 80 former clients, friends, and family members celebrated the life of Madeleine Cormier-Brzezinski, the designer behind the House Speaker’s iconic black tricorn hat, at Ottawa’s Beechwood Cemetery on Dec. 19, 2025.

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