Irem Koca

Originally from Turkey, broadcast journalist Irem Koca spent several years reporting for CNN Turkey, and freelancing for The New York Times and Reuters before arriving in Canada in 2021 where she obtained a master’s degree in religious extremism from Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. After a year-long fellowship at The Toronto Star’s Ottawa bureau, Koca joined The Hill Times in 2023 where she now follows federal procurement, defence, and immigration issues, as well as House committees. Koca is fluent in English and Turkish. Contact her at ikoca@hilltimes.com.

Feds’ new ‘neoliberal’ immigration measures fail to address labour shortages, say critics

A list of 186 eligible occupations ‘fails to recognize many occupations where there are significant labour shortages in Canada,’ says immigration lawyer Adrienne Smith.

news | BY IREM KOCA | October 21, 2026

‘There’s a danger in removing transparency’ amid questions about Defence Investment Agency oversight: ombud

Bill C-40 won’t extend the ombud’s mandate to cover the DIA, but Alexander Jeglic says ‘there’s the possibility’ regulations under C-31 would give his office some authority to look at elements of Crown corporations.

news | BY IREM KOCA | October 17, 2026

Canada’s economy ‘won’t grow as fast’ in the future due to less immigration, Bank of Canada analysis says

‘This should be a wake-up call for the Carney administration,’ says NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan, who argues that Canada should reset its immigration levels to ensure long-term growth.

news | BY IREM KOCA | October 14, 2026

It’s ‘time for results’ in procurement fixes, ombud says in new report

‘What the system now requires, and what Canadians rightly deserve, are demonstrable outcomes and clear accountability for results,’ says procurement watchdog Alexander Jeglic.

news | BY IREM KOCA | October 12, 2026

‘Unprecedented’: Crown corp model for Defence Investment Agency raises oversight questions with multibillion-dollar contracts in play

‘Putting a Crown corporation in charge of something as fundamental as defence procurement, and involving tens of billions in taxpayer dollars, is unprecedented and a leap of faith,’ says Eugene Lang, a former chief of staff to two ministers of national defence.

news | BY IREM KOCA | October 8, 2026

Feds table bill to set up Crown corporation for defence procurement to streamline military acquisitions

The new legislation, if it passes, would create the Canadian Corporation for Defence Investment, which would continue to operate under the existing name of Defence Investment Agency. However, it would have more independence, its own board of directors, and greater authority to negotiate and manage contracts, according to the government.

news | BY IREM KOCA | October 6, 2026

FINTRAC redacted details for $26.7-million in contracts since 2021, as watchdog warns ‘there is no oversight’ over disclosures

‘Contracting information should be transparent by default, with only limited’ exceptions, says Procurement Ombud Alexander Jeglic, while ex-Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick questions the ‘flimsy’ rationale that disclosing supplier names in 100 contracts could compromise FINTRAC’s work.

news | BY IREM KOCA | October 4, 2026

Feds ‘should run as fast as’ they can from Alto project, say opposition MPs, as PBO estimates construction alone could cost $113-billion

‘There is no remotely believable scenario under which Alto will break even. So, the best thing to do is to stop spending taxpayer dollars on it,’ says Conservative MP Scott Reid.

news | BY IREM KOCA | October 2, 2026

Feds decide not to recoup $34-million spent on ineligible ‘green slush fund’ under investigation, Conservatives call it an ‘admission of gross mismanagement’

Conservative Michael Cooper, one of the MPs who took part in the parliamentary investigations of the case, says the government’s decision is ‘an admission of gross mismanagement that occurred at SDTC under this Liberal government’s watch.’

news | BY IREM KOCA | September 29, 2026

Feds should reconsider ‘blanket reductions’ of temporary residents, say critics as new data shows record drop

Statistics Canada’s Sept. 23 report says the number of non-permanent residents dropped by 154,614 people between July 2025 and July 2026, the largest decline since data collection began in 1971.

news | BY IREM KOCA | September 29, 2026

EU ‘not a substitute’ for U.S. procurement, say industry sources eyeing Trump’s ban on Canadian goods

Neither the U.S.’s push nor the EU’s pull mean anything tangible to Canadian businesses yet, and it’s too soon to tell what domestic firms can gain from accelerated access to European markets, say experts.

news | BY IREM KOCA | September 23, 2026

‘Canada is moving forward’ says defence minister, as feds partner with ‘trusted allies’ amid U.S. trade tensions

Defence Minister David McGuinty did not mention U.S. President Donald Trump or the United States in his speech to defence manufacturers in Ottawa, but later told reporters that Canada has a ‘productive’ relationship with the U.S. and that it will continue.

news | BY IREM KOCA | September 22, 2026

Renovation of 24 Sussex could cost taxpayers up to $150-million, say sources

The government established a two-stage competitive procurement process using a design-build delivery model where a builder who would be responsible for both the design and construction partners with architects and consultants. The competition and procurement process that will be open to eligible Canadian firms is under scrutiny for its limitations.

news | BY IREM KOCA | September 19, 2026

Canada should consider a ‘tit-for-tat’ response to U.S. procurement ban that ‘breaches’ international trade agreements, say experts

Although there are still questions about U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent order, ‘Canada should respond quickly with its own countermeasures, preventing American companies from bidding on Canadian procurements in selected sectors,’ says Lawrence Herman.

news | BY IREM KOCA | September 15, 2026

First Nations procurement authority aims to help feds’ Indigenous contracting woes, support Buy Canadian and defence spending targets, says new CEO Jamieson

First Nations Procurement Authority’s new CEO Darrin Jamieson says the organization has received $240,000 funding from Indigenous Services Canada ‘to get things rolling to operationalize,’ but the total operating budget will be more than a $1-million.

news | BY IREM KOCA | September 12, 2026

‘Unprecedented’ speed of procurement still complicated by bureaucracy, say observers as DIA head reportedly eyes exit

‘You can only bypass [the bureaucracy] so much. You need to change the way it works if you really want to make really substantial reform,’ says David Perry.

news | BY IREM KOCA | September 8, 2026