Abbas Rana

Abbas Rana is the assistant deputy editor at The Hill Times. He reports on parliamentary caucuses, nomination contests, party leadership campaigns, Prime Minister’s Office, and cabinet. Rana loves to chat with sources on the record or on a not-for-attribution basis, especially when they have verifiable story tips that could be followed as news stories. Born and raised in Pakistan, Rana speaks Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi. You can reach him with news tips or comments at arana@hilltimes.com.

‘Rushed return’: with Liberals now in a majority, former cabinet staffers and past Grit MPs ‘want back in’

Former B.C. Liberal MP John Aldag wants the party to begin nominating candidates as soon as possible so they can start campaigning.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | April 27, 2026

After Terrebonne byelection win, Carney Liberals eye Quebec’s lone NDP riding when Boulerice exits for provincial run

With ongoing momentum and the Conservative and NDP vote collapse in Terrebonne, pollster Greg Lyle says the Liberals have a good shot at winning in Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, a riding represented by the same NDP MP for the last 15 years.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | April 25, 2026

‘Breaking down the doors’: Carney’s Liberals draw strong nomination buzz, but critics flag appointment trend

Mark Carney’s Liberals risk repeating the Pierre Poilievre Conservatives’ past mistake by bypassing contested nominations, say Liberal sources.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | April 20, 2026

While Carney’s Liberals face backlash over floor-crossings, political players say switching sides is not new

In the past, the Conservatives welcomed Liberal MPs crossing the floor, but are now criticizing the same moves as Conservatives join the governing Liberals, says former MP Bill Casey.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | April 20, 2026

Carney’s high-speed rail ‘very perilous territory’ for Liberals, say some pundits and pollsters

The government should instead focus more on transit in major urban centres as it would address residents’ immediate concerns about traffic while also delivering electoral benefits, says Innovative Research president Greg Lyle.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | April 13, 2026

Winning close ridings comes down to a strong ground game, effective constituency work, and early get-out-the-vote efforts, say Liberal MPs

To energize campaign volunteers and voter base, candidates must point out what’s at stake and show how their efforts can directly influence the election outcome, says Liberal MP Corey Hogan.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | April 11, 2026

Terrebonne no longer ‘determining’ factor for a majority, but Carney Liberals still going ‘all in’ to win the riding

In the final two days before the byelection, the focus shifts chiefly to get-out-the-vote efforts, which will ultimately determine the outcome, says Health Minister Marjorie Michel.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | April 10, 2026

Welcome to the Carney-val

Reporters’ Notebook: Amid selfies and glowing smiles, the question dominating conversations among Liberals at the party’s policy convention is whether they will secure a majority before Prime Minister Mark Carney takes the stage Saturday afternoon.

feature | BY MARLO GLASS, ABBAS RANA, STUART BENSON, RIDDHI KACHHELA | April 10, 2026

‘We’re an open party’: Liberals kick off Montreal convention praising floor crossers and eyeing a majority

‘The fact is, we’ve had people from different parts of the political spectrum join our party at this particular moment, and there’s energy and excitement’ for a ‘big tent’ Liberal Party, says MP Vince Gasparro.

news | BY STUART BENSON, MARLO GLASS, RIDDHI KACHHELA, ABBAS RANA | April 9, 2026

After April salary boost, Carney now earns $435,400, Poilievre $321,300, and Blanchet $291,100

Conservative MP Mike Dawson is continuing his fight against accepting the annual pay raise, and says the issue will be discussed at this month’s Commons Board of Internal Economy meeting. Meanwhile, former Liberal MP Joe Jordan says competitive salaries are critical to attract top talent to Parliament.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | April 7, 2026

Grits ‘throwing everything at that seat’ as 48 candidates and ‘adapted ballot’ could influence result of nail-biter Terrebonne byelection, say pollsters and Liberal sources

Two weeks before byelection day, pollsters Nik Nanos and Quito Maggi are predicting a Liberal advantage in the riding of Terrebonne, Que.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | April 6, 2026

Cabinet shuffle talk intensifies as Carney’s Liberals look to a majority

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet is due for an overhaul, say several Liberal MPs, cabinet staffers, and political insiders, and a potential shift to a majority government would significantly change the political dynamics and would likely be reflected in cabinet.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | March 30, 2026

The Hill Times’ 100 Most Influential People in Politics and Government in 2026

The Hill Times spoke with political insiders over the last month to nail down the list of people who are leading and influencing federal government policy and shaping public opinion this year. Here is our Top 100 Most Influential People in Government and Politics in 2026, organized by politicians, pollsters, political influencers, staffers, public servants, and media.

news | BY ABBAS RANA, LAURA RYCKEWAERT, NEIL MOSS, MARLO GLASS, STUART BENSON, KATE MALLOY, SAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN, JESSE CNOCKAERT, IREM KOCA, ELEANOR WAND, PETER MAZEREEUW | March 30, 2026

Liberal MPs descend on Terrebonne as party seeks narrow majority

With the April 13 byelection approaching, Liberals are rallying around incumbent Tatiana Auguste who is running again against former Bloc MP Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné in Terrebonne. The Supreme Court nullified the Liberals’ single-vote win in May. It’s going to be a nail-biter.

news | BY AIDAN RAYNOR, ABBAS RANA | March 27, 2026

‘From disaster to dominance’: Carney Liberals enjoy decade-high polling, but unpredictable events could undermine electoral fortunes, say political players

Pollsters point to affordability challenges and the potential for rising unemployment rates as circumstances that could derail the Liberals’ popularity. ‘There are a lot of, I’ll call it, negative uncertainties out there that will start to pile up. That’s why I said it’s going to be interesting to see how patient Canadians will be with Mark Carney,’ says Nik Nanos.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | March 23, 2026

Idlout’s floor-crossing to Liberals takes pressure off in Terrebonne byelection, but managing caucus could be challenging for Carney in a slim majority, say politicos

The likelihood of an early federal election depends largely on how smoothly the government functions in the House and in committees, given a slim majority, says former Liberal MP Joe Jordan.

news | BY ABBAS RANA | March 16, 2026