Eleanor Wand

Eleanor Wand is a political reporter whose Parliament Hill beats include the Bloc Québécois, NDP, Indigenous relations, the environment, and the Senate. She joined The Hill Times in April 2025 after moving to Gatineau from Montreal, where she began her journalism career covering current affairs and local news for CBC. She has also covered provincial and federal politics for rabble.ca. Wand studied journalism at Concordia University after studying philosophy at McGill University. Contact her at ewand@hilltimes.com.

Alberta referendum questions were ‘misleading,’ not ‘plain English,’ say NDP MP McPherson, Senator Simons

Fifty-three per cent of voters said yes to restricting access to provincially funded programs for ‘non-permanent’ immigrants. If a question was posed as ‘‘should refugee children be denied the chance to go to public school?’ I think most people would have voted against that,’ says Senator Paula Simons.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | October 27, 2026

Canada should be ‘careful’ ahead of U.S. midterms, say some political players, but former MP McKay calls interference accusations ‘absurd’

Former Liberal MP John McKay, who co-chaired the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group, says the latest release from the U.S. Embassy is an example of ‘the kettle calling the pot black,’ but other politicos say Canada should be respectful of the country’s upcoming midterms.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | October 22, 2026

Liberals tout support for Alberta after decisive vote rejecting separation referendum

‘Albertans are very pragmatic people. We want to see real, tangible results for Alberta,’ says Tory MP and referendum lead Dane Lloyd.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | October 20, 2026

‘Absolutely, we have a shot’: NDP Leader Avi Lewis eyes upcoming Montreal-area byelections

The NDP Leader was in Montreal for three days, campaigning with local candidates in an attempt to hold the New Democrats’ last seat east of Manitoba and to drum up support in former minister Steven Guilbeault’s riding.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | October 20, 2026

Parliament ‘united in grief,’ pauses to reflect on ‘unimaginable heroism’ following deadly fire at Alberta military base

Senator Rebecca Patterson, a military veteran, says the tragedy is a reminder of the reality that serving in the military is inherently dangerous even during training, after last Saturday’s fire killed four soldiers and injured dozens more.

news | BY MARLO GLASS, ELEANOR WAND | October 19, 2026

‘We can cut red tape, but we can’t cut corners’: Senators weigh concerns, hopes for feds’ massive economic bill

‘You can’t protect the right to strike unless you protect the right to collective bargaining. They’re not separate tracks. They’re two things that go in tandem with each other,’ said ISG Senator Hassan Yussuff.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | October 9, 2026

MPs, feds tout collaboration after Quebec elects sovereigntist PQ government

On the Hill, ministers and MPs push back on suggestions that the new minority Parti Québécois government will affect Ottawa’s relationship with Quebec City, even though the PQ leader has pledged to hold a sovereignty referendum after Donald Trump leaves the U.S. presidency.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | October 6, 2026

Supreme Court opens with chief justice’s call to protect democracy as polarization deepens

‘We need to find new ways to protect our democratic institutions because the pressures facing our institutions are unrelenting,’ says Canada’s Chief Justice Richard Wagner at a ceremony marking the opening of the judicial year.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | October 5, 2026

Expect a more ‘hostile’ government in Quebec City, say strategists, as question of PQ majority-minority looms over election

The Parti Québécois are leading in Quebec’s polls, which could mean a government ‘looking to pick a fight’ with Ottawa is in power come Oct. 5, says Liberal strategist Jonathan Kalles.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | October 1, 2026

Current, ex-Senators talk legislative delays, target public bills for ‘faster’ pace

The Senate’s study doesn’t have to be so ‘painfully long,’ says former senator Ratna Omidvar, adding the Red Chamber needs new committees to study emerging issues, such as AI, to ‘embrace the future.’

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | September 30, 2026

Bill C-39 dismantles Canada’s environmental policy ‘beyond anything we’ve ever seen,’ say climate groups

While one Greenpeace campaigner says the legislation grants cabinet ‘unchecked discretion’ to circumvent environmental laws, for CSG Senator Clément Gignac, it’s ‘a very large positive step in the right direction’ for the economy.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | September 27, 2026

The AI debate comes for political polling, and some say the industry is unprepared

As some pollsters caution that AI bots can invade online surveys, skewing data used for public policy, others say they have safeguards in place to verify respondents are humans.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | September 26, 2026

Unions, NDP decry new bill as attack on labour, but feds say Canada needs C-39 to build major projects

The Building Canada Strong Act, introduced on the first day of the fall sitting, aims to streamline project approval timelines across the country by completing project reviews within a year.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | September 21, 2026

‘Brain gain’ or a ‘remote possibility’? MPs weigh in on Canada’s future with the European Union

Some Canadian politicians are keen about closer ties to the 27-nation bloc, while others critiqued Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech for lacking details on taxation, regulations, and the cost of pursuing ‘associate’ membership.

news | BY MARLO GLASS, ELEANOR WAND | September 21, 2026

Parliamentarians legislating ‘in uncharted territory’ after summer break, say politicos

‘There were so many questions in June that have now been answered that do fundamentally alter the state of, not only the House, but also the Senate,’ says one former PMO policy head.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | September 18, 2026

‘We’re not even part of the discussion,’ says transport union after Carney opens airports to private investment

Canadians need more details on the feds’ proposed model, say observers, as it’s unclear how investors will generate a return on their investment—and if the buck will be passed to passengers.

news | BY ELEANOR WAND | September 15, 2026