Samantha Wright Allen is digital editor of The Hill Times. She has been with Hill Times Publishing since 2017, first working at The Lobby Monitor, before moving desks that same year to cover federal politics for The Hill Times. Born in Coquitlam, B.C., she previously worked for The Ottawa Citizen, The Telegraph-Journal in Saint John, N.B., and the B.C.-based Prince George Citizen. She has a master’s in journalism from Carleton University.
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.
The Liberal, NDP, and Conservative parties say Parliament must assert its jurisdiction over regulating federal parties, as privacy and data advocates urge Senators to pull parts of the ‘privacy-busting bill’ C-4.
‘For a cartoonist, when the world burns we are at our most successful,’ says Michael de Adder, who rounds up his top picks of political cartoons for The Hill Times.
Editor Patrice Dutil’s collection of essays in ‘The Enduring Riddle of Mackenzie King’ dives into the former prime minister’s personality, relationship with society, and policies—and why Canadian politicians ‘need to re-learn King’s statecraft.’
‘We keep shifting the goalposts as we miss the goalpost,’ says Yves Giroux of the Liberal government’s fiscal anchors that seem to move based on ‘where the wind was blowing.’
After fears of sizable cutbacks, the money only came ‘because frontline organizations fought for it,’ says NDP MP Leah Gazan of the $660.5-million coming in the budget for Women and Gender Equality Canada.
‘It seems there’s a new government in place that wants to be fiscally more responsible,’ says Conservative Senate Leader Leo Housakos, and the Red Chamber ‘can help them achieve those goals.’
Bill C-11, which strips military jurisdiction over the investigation of sexual offences and puts them under civilian authority, is long overdue, say opposition MPs.
Senators also agreed to review the ‘co-ordinated travel’ policy to potentially bring in new rules after recent ‘familiarization’ tours to provinces during peak tourism season drew media attention.
Independent Senator Paula Simons says the bill does nothing for national unity: ‘It does seem strange to allow a separatist party to set Canada’s national trade policy to such an extent, and at the expense of Western Canadian producers and agricultural exporters.’
In its 2024 annual report, the Military Police Complaints Commission urges the government to change the laws governing the office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal.
One-quarter of the ridings across the country were won by margins greater than 25 percentage points, and Conservatives swept the 50-plus point category.
An analysis of the campaign itineraries shows the Liberals, Conservatives, and NDP sent their leaders to Ontario at least 88 times, followed by 44 stops in B.C., 32 in Quebec, 10 in Alberta, nine in Nova Scotia, and six in Manitoba.
Canada’s correctional investigator says the 2019 law was flawed, leading to an increase of poorly monitored segregation-like conditions.
