Irem Koca

Irem Koca is a Turkish-Canadian journalist who joined The Hill Times in late 2023. She got her start in Canadian media in the Toronto Star's Ottawa bureau, covering federal politics and national stories under the paper's year-long fellowship. With a background in broadcast journalism, she spent several years as a world news reporter at CNN Turkey. Her freelance work on Turkish politics has been featured in The New York Times and Reuters. Notable highlights of her career include coverage of the 2020 U.S. presidential elections under a Reporting Tour fellowship awarded by the U.S. State Department, and her coverage of the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan in 2019. Koca holds a master's degree in religious extremism from Queen's University, along with a journalism degree from Istanbul Bilgi University and Kingston University, London. She is fluent in English and Turkish.

Feds roll out new cybersecurity certification for defence procurement

The first of three levels of certification will be implemented for select defence contracts starting this summer.

news | BY IREM KOCA | April 23, 2026

‘A growing gap between funding and outcomes,’ says defence union as feds push to spend billions in defence procurement

‘If we do not fix the system, its structure, its accountability and its capacity, we risk sending money out the door that does not achieve outcomes for our country,’ says June Winger, national president of the Union of National Defence Employees.

news | BY IREM KOCA | April 22, 2026

‘This is not a political problem’: watchdog wants fixes to decades-long issues in Indigenous procurement put on fast track

Procurement Ombud Alexander Jeglic told MPs on April 16 that revisiting the issue in the usual two-year timeline would make his office ‘part of that failure’ already plaguing the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business.

news | BY IREM KOCA | April 16, 2026

‘We’re selling to our allies, but we’re not selling to ourselves’: Canadian defence companies tell Senate National Security Committee

As Ottawa moves ahead with plans to spend $81.8-billion on defence, a Senate committee studying Canada’s defence procurement heard from industry representatives that firms are finding it challenging to sell to their own government due to issues with procurement policies.

news | BY IREM KOCA | April 15, 2026

Push to secure Canadian IP in defence procurement needs a ‘clear plan’ of execution, say experts

The Defence Industrial Strategy recognizes the importance of intellectual property to sovereignty, but observers say the government does not seem to have a solid plan to implement its goals.

news | BY IREM KOCA | April 15, 2026

Liberal, NDP MPs support Turkish earthquake survivors’ plea to extend visas before having to return to disaster-hit country: ‘this is our last chance’

A petition asking to extend temporary work permits by 24 months ‘will ensure people are not forced into uncertainty after already enduring significant hardship,’ says NDP MP Jenny Kwan.

news | BY IREM KOCA | April 13, 2026

It’s Carney’s world: proximity matters for the top 50 influencing Canadian foreign policy

The Hill Times spoke with nearly 20 insiders, including current and former senior government officials, past diplomats, and analysts to determine who has the most influence in the prime minister’s foreign policy sphere.

feature | BY NEIL MOSS, STUART BENSON, IREM KOCA, MARLO GLASS | April 8, 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

‘Deeply disappointing’: procurement ombud’s probe into federal management of Indigenous contracts reveals ‘misleading data’

Federal departments and agencies have a mandate to award at least five per cent of the total value of federal contracts to Indigenous-owned and led businesses, but departmental reporting overstated the actual benefit to Indigenous businesses, says the Office of the Procurement Ombud.

news | BY IREM KOCA | March 26, 2026

PBO nominee Ryan says she hopes to help MPs ‘hold the government’s feet to the fire’ in a singular term

There are roles in the ‘senior public service that should not be eligible for reappointment in the interest of maintaining the integrity and independence 100 per cent beyond reproach,’ Annette Ryan told MPs. But Conservatives maintain the decision to not hire the interim PBO raises questions.

news | BY IREM KOCA | March 24, 2026

Conservative push to reinstate Jacques as interim PBO as Carney’s nominee moves through approval process

Before they can evaluate the new nominee, the Tories have ‘a lot of concerns’ about the process by which the government dealt with the interim parliamentary budget officer and the choice to leave the post vacant until a permanent appointment was named, says Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie.

news | BY IREM KOCA | March 19, 2026

Volkswagen rebuffs ‘speculation’ that it will support German-Norwegian bid for Canadian submarine contract

The German automaker ‘focuses on what makes sense for us,’ says a Volkswagen Group spokesperson, which Canadian industry leaders say is unsurprising given the ‘high stakes’ of the negotiations.

news | BY IREM KOCA | March 17, 2026

Feds on track with immigration cuts, but policy’s long-term impacts remain unknown, say observers

A PBO report shows that the government is following plans to slow population growth after a recent surge in temporary workers and foreign students, but critics say future effects are not measured, and the fate of many temporary residents remain uncertain.

news | BY IREM KOCA | March 12, 2026

Navy commander, SecState kibosh mixed submarine fleet that experts say would be ‘more complicated’ and ‘inefficient’ to operate

Despite new reports Ottawa is considering splitting the contract for 12 new submarines, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee says it’s more efficient to have one supplier, but notes that the Navy does and can operate mixed fleets and would follow whatever decision the government makes.

news | BY IREM KOCA | March 5, 2026

Veteran rehab contract under scrutiny as observers call on government to return the work in-house

The five-year, $572-million contract with Partners in Canadian Veterans Rehabilitation Services should not be renewed because it ‘does nothing to promote the continuity of care,’ and ‘push[es] bureaucracy to the point of absurdity,’ MPs on the Veterans Affairs Committee are told.

news | BY IREM KOCA | March 5, 2026

Feds are ‘silencing’ an agent of Parliament by leaving post vacant, says ex-budget watchdog Giroux

Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie says the PBO is ‘unable to do its job of providing government oversight.’ But another former budget watchdog Kevin Page says the prime minister has ‘deep respect for the legislative budget offices,’ adding that the next PBO will be faced with ‘enormous challenges’ in the months and years ahead and will be playing a critical role.

news | BY IREM KOCA | March 3, 2026