Patrons Circle Dinner with Robert Fife, Former Ottawa Bureau Chief for The Globe and Mail

Robert Fife recently stepped down as  The Globe and Mail's Ottawa Bureau Chief.  He has broken numerous stories over a 48 year career covering national politics.  Recently, he and colleague Steven Chase, led the way into an investigation into Chinese foreign interference in Canadian elections and domestic affairs.  Based on top secret and secret information from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Mr. Fife’s reporting contributed to the establishment of a judicial inquiry and legislation that resulted in the establishment of a foreign agent registry and changes to the Criminal Code to make foreign interference a criminal offence.  His reporting on Canadian universities cooperating with Chinese military institutions led the federal government to ban such research cooperation.

In 2018, Mr. Fife broke the SNC-Lavalin affairs that led to resignations of two senior cabinet ministers, a top lieutenant to the prime minister and the Clerk of the Privy Council – the country’s top civil servant.

In 2016 he and his Globe and Mail colleague Steven Chase wrote a series of stories about Liberal Party cash-for-access fundraisers that resulted in Prime Minister Trudeau modifying all party fundraising.   Mr. Fife uncovered the Senate expense scandal that cost Nigel Wright his job, setting the course for an RCMP investigation, audits and reform of Senate expense rules. 

As CTV’s Ottawa Bureau Chief, Mr. Fife set the political agenda in 2014 when he uncovered the Senate expense scandal that resulted in the resignation of the prime minister’s chief of staff and significant reform of Senate expenses. In 2012, he exposed the E. coli contamination of some XL Foods products, forcing the company to recall 1500 tainted meat products.  The government subsequently moved food inspections from agriculture to the health department.

He is the former Ottawa Bureau Chief of the National Post and CTV National News and host of CTV's Question Period. He worked as a senior political reporter for United Press International (Canada), The Canadian Press and was Ottawa Bureau Chief for the Sun Media chain. Mr. Fife, who has won many awards for his journalism, is also the author of several books: A Capital Scandal: Politics, Patronage and Payoff; Why Parliament Must Be Reformed; and Kim Campbell: The Making of a Politician