Jesse Cnockaert

Jesse Cnockaert is a reporter for The Hill Times, covering lobbying, federal ministers, and important legislation before the House and Senate. As the policy briefings lead, he also covers must-read federal policy issues across a broad range of sectors. Cnockaert started writing for The Hill Times in July 2021 following three years as editor of The Lobby Monitor. He previously worked for Metro Ottawa, and spent eight years covering news for three different municipal newspapers. He can be reached at Jcnockaert@hilltimes.com.

Defence industrial strategy ‘ambitious,’ but Canada may not have time to wait, say defence sector experts

Capability gaps exist in the Canadian Armed Forces that need to be addressed ‘yesterday,’ according to Joe Varner, a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | May 25, 2026

Lobbying Act review: House Ethics Committee hears transparency and registration burden concerns

The House Ethics Committee began a long overdue review of the federal Lobbying Act on Feb. 12. While it’s a chance to shake up Canada’s lobbying regime, which hasn’t been significantly updated in more than a decade, lobbyists are pushing back on some of the potential changes.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | May 24, 2026

Aerospace industry advocates argue for ‘coast to coast’ supply chain as Ottawa finalizes review of $27-billion fighter jet purchase

Meanwhile, a decision on the submarine procurement is expected this summer, with advocates for both bidders ramping up lobbying efforts with government officials.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | May 18, 2026

Carney can maintain lead by avoiding scandals, doesn’t need to ‘win’ in CUSMA review, but needs movement on trade, a major project by 2027, say top pollsters

Mark Carney is currently in a ‘sweet spot’ because it’s still relatively early in his government. The time when Canadians could start getting hungry to see results from the prime minister on major projects, such as oil pipelines, might not be until next year, says Nik Nanos.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | May 11, 2026

Opposition MPs critical of Liberals’ shakeup of House committees: ‘they stacked them on steroids,’ says Conservative MP Brassard

The Liberals have adjusted the makeup of House committees to reflect their new majority, shifting to a structure of seven Liberal members, four Conservatives, and one Bloc Québécois member on Liberal-chaired committees, compared to the previous four-four-one structure.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | May 11, 2026

Chief government whip wants speedier remote vote notifications after ‘worrisome’ tech issues with current House app: ‘we were literally flying blind’

New notification systems, including for advanced votes, are planned to come online as part of Parliament’s Centre Block revitalization project, which won’t be fully opened until about 2032.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | May 8, 2026

Feds must find balance between climate ambition and affordability, say experts

Canada is not on track to meet any of its climate targets, according to a February Canadian Climate Institute report, but Conservative Senator David Wells says it’s time to ‘let free enterprise flourish.’

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | May 6, 2026

Solomon an ‘ambassador’ for AI, with commercialization among major challenges in modernized AI strategy, say experts

In a preview of what’s to come, the Liberal government unveiled six ‘pillars’ of its forthcoming AI strategy in the April 28 spring economic update.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | May 3, 2026

Carney needs Alberta and Quebec referendum questions ‘put to rest’ to focus on economic challenges, say politicos

‘Even if these votes don’t pass, the uncertainty that the sentiment exists could impact the appetite for companies to invest in Canada,’ says pollster Nik Nanos

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | April 26, 2026

Former Liberal MP warns of unintended consequences to MP rights in Lobbying Act review: ‘if we continue down this road, you know where it ends? Ankle bracelets for lobbyists’

On April 23, the House Ethics Committee held its third meeting as part of a review of the Lobbying Act, which regulates the lobbying of designated public office holders with the goal of ensuring transparency and accountability.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | April 24, 2026

Data interoperability, pharmacare should be among health priorities as Liberals begin majority government, say health experts

The Liberals leading a majority Parliament creates ‘additional opportunities to streamline things,’ according to former Canadian Medical Association president Alika LaFontaine, pointing to the issue of data interoperability.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | April 22, 2026

Anti-hate bill has some ambiguity, but won’t stop legitimate symbol displays, say lawyers

Bill C-9’s proposed removal of the ‘good faith defence’ in religious speech ‘doesn’t mean that there’s going to be a chilling effect on religion or religious speech,’ says criminal defence lawyer Kyla Lee.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | April 19, 2026

AI in the skies: Canada can’t afford slow procurement process any longer, say experts

Historically, Canada is ‘too risk-averse, and we’re too slow at contracting,’ says Alex Salt of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | April 15, 2026

Religious books displayed during Bill C-9 vote in House ‘over the line,’ according to critics

It is ‘generally not appropriate to hold up objects during votes’ in the House, and there is ‘no exemption’ for using a Bible as a prop, says Olivier Duhaime, spokesperson for Office of the Speaker.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | April 13, 2026

Feds’ $20-billion submarine choice must go beyond economic concerns, say experts: ‘possibly one of the biggest defence procurement decisions Canada will make in decades’

A decision is expected by the end of June on which of two bidders—Hanwha Ocean of South Korea or TKMS of Germany—will supply submarines to replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s existing Victoria-class submarines.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | April 6, 2026

Feds’ $27-billion F-35 fighter jet contract remains top choice for defence experts, despite NDP push for Gripen

Canada made a deal in 2023 for American defence contractor Lockheed Martin to supply 88 F-35 aircraft to replace its aging CF-18 fleet at a projected cost of $19-billion. That cost later increased to more than $27-billion. However, in March 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered a review of that deal amid deteriorating bilateral relations with the U.S.

news | BY JESSE CNOCKAERT | April 6, 2026