CBC news’ longtime senior producer Sharon Musgrave’s retirement party is taking place at the end of this month.

“After 35.5 years at the CBC, Musgrave is ready to travel, sit on the dock and ski her butt off. Come and raise a glass to our friend and colleague,” reads the retirement party invitation sent out to press gallery members on June 4. The party is set for June 26 at 6 p.m. at the Ottawa’s Métropolitain Brasserie, 700 Sussex Dr.

Musgrave will be missed on the Hill, especially in the CBC bureau, said Rosemary Barton, CBC’s chief political correspondent and host of Rosemary Barton Live.

“I will miss Sharon’s keen sense of politics, her institutional knowledge, her ability to know what is going on in every election across the country and how she knows when to tell me to ‘Suck it up buttercup,'” Barton told Heard on the Hill. “She is invaluable and I am not sure what we will do without her.”

Marc Garneau remembered as ‘an exceptional human being,’ ‘a symbol of national pride’

Condolences poured in over social media last week for former Liberal cabinet minister and the first Canadian in space Marc Garneau who died on June 4 in Montreal, aged 76, following a short illness caused by cancer. 

A former naval officer and astronaut, Garneau served as a Montreal-area Liberal MP from 2008 until his retirement on March 8, 2023. He was minister of transport from 2015 to 2021 and then minister of foreign affairs for nine months in 2021.

“I first met Marc as a schoolboy in the early 1980s,” wrote former prime minister Justin Trudeau on X on June 4. “I was in awe of his service and his courage then, and continued to be as I had the privilege to serve alongside him in Parliament and in government.  

“To those who worked alongside him, Marc was a trusted colleague and friend. To Canadians, he was a symbol of national pride and possibility,” said Prime Minister Mark Carney in a June 4 statement. 

Canadian Space Agency president Lisa Campbell remembered Garneau as “an exceptional human being: thoughtful, principled, and deeply committed to serving others. His integrity and generosity of spirit touched everyone who had the privilege to work with him.”

Secretary of State for Children and Youth Anna Gainey, who succeeded Garneau in the riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount, Que., praised Garneau for having elevated “Canada on the world stage,” and for inspiring generations of Canadians. “His leadership set a standard that continues to guide us today.”

And Garneau’s former Liberal cabinet colleague Maryam Monsef mused: “I guess something happens to you when you see Earth from space, because Marc Garneau came back to it determined to serve and make it a better place.” 

Senator Richards gets honorary degree, joins Tories

New Brunswick Senator David Adams Richards had two newsworthy items to share last week. First, the award-winning author received an honorary doctorate from McGill University during its June 2 commencement ceremony. Then on June 3, the Conservative caucus announced that Richards had joined their group, making this the third Senate affiliation he’s aligned himself with since his appointment to the Red Chamber in 2017. 

In addition to two stints as a non-affiliated Senator, Richards has been a member of both the Independent Senators Group (from September 2017 to April 2018) and the Canadian Senators Group (from November 2019 to May 2024). Now that he’s with the Conservatives, will he have time to fill his proverbial dance card with the Progressive Senate Group? Not likely, as Richards’ mandatory retirement is later this year on Oct. 17.

Senator Farah Mohamed joins ISG

In other Senate moves, recently appointed Ontario Senator Farah Mohamed joined the Independent Senators Group last week, bringing that group’s total membership to 46. A social entrepreneur and charity executive by background, Mohamed was appointed to the Red Chamber in March. The ISG remains the largest grouping in the Senate, with Canadian Senators Group at 21, the Progressive Senate Group at 18, the Conservatives at 12, and 8 non-affiliated Senators. There is one vacant seat in Manitoba.

All-party soccer at the Supreme Court

Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden recently helped to organize an all-party, staff and MP parliamentary soccer event on the lawn of the Supreme Court. “Sport brings us together across party lines and helps us realize that we ALL have more in common than we might often think. See you all again next week!” he posted on Instagram on May 30.

A case for proofreading before you print

The Belleville Intelligencer reported last week that the area’s new Liberal MP, Chris Malette, has a spelling mistake on his new constituency office sign. The error is made more egregious as Malette is the newspaper’s former editor. 

“Malette posted a picture of his shiny new Member of Parliament sign at his Sidney Street office in Belleville but there was a slight problem. The ‘a’ in Parliament is missing on the sign painted Liberal red,” Derek Baldwin wrote on June 4. While Baldwin was unable to reach Malette for comment, he wrote that “those who know and worked with Malette for years at The Intelligencer are well aware of Malette’s exacting attention to detail when it comes to the printed English language.”

Samara Centre has entered the chat

The Samara Centre for Democracy is launching a new podcast on June 12. Called Group Chat, the pod’s hosted by Samara Centre CEO Sabreena Delhon and “it’s where we bring people together to make sense of this moment of democratic uncertainty—with a few friends,” according to an email from the Centre last week. These friends include political leaders, journalists and lawyers who will discuss with Delhon topics “including diaspora politics, use of the notwithstanding clause and whether technology can support democracy.” New episodes will be out every Thursday starting later this week on samaracentre.ca, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Omar Alghabra returns to his engineering roots

Former Liberal cabinet minister Omar Alghabra has landed his first post-politics gig. “I’m pleased to announce that I’m joining Bechtel as their Vice President, Public Infrastructure – Canada. Bechtel is a global leader in engineering and infrastructure,” he posted on X June 3. Alghabra is a professional engineer by training. Alghabra was a Liberal MP first from 2006 to 2008, and again from 2015 until this past election when he did not reoffer. He served as Justin Trudeau’s transport minister from 2021 to 2023.

“Based in Toronto, Omar will lead Bechtel’s business development efforts across Canada for our Public Infrastructure business, with key focuses in rail and Aviation,” posted Bechtel’s VP of Infrastructure for North America Tony Ryan in a June 3 LinkedIn post.

CBC named radio ‘Broadcaster of the Year’

The CBC was named Broadcaster of the Year late last month at the New York Festivals 2025 Radio Awards, and Matt Galloway, host of CBC’s The Current, received a Gold Tower award for his excellent hosting abilities. In a May 22 press release, New York Festivals called Galloway “Canada’s most trusted radio voice, whose interviews offer clarity and depth on today’s critical topics.” On behalf of CBC/Radio-Canada, its president and CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard said in the same release that the national broadcaster was “immensely proud” of the achievement. This year’s virtual Storytellers’ Gala celebrated “exceptional storytelling and audio innovation” featuring entries from 26 countries on a variety of audio formats.

Rick Mercer to bring stand-up show to Ottawa this fall

Canadian comedy legend Rick Mercer announced he’s bringing his new Stand-Up for Canada tour to Ottawa on Sept. 27 for one night only. “Excited to hit the road in these interesting times. Come say hello,” he posted on X on May 30 with a poster of his 21-city tour which starts in Saskatoon on Sept. 11 and wraps up in St. John’s—his hometown—on Oct. 19. The Ottawa performance will take place at the National Arts Centre.

cleadlay@hilltimes.com

The Hill Times