AT LONG LAST, CAUCUS — If any idealists out there were betting on a more cooperative post-election Parliament, two men who could make that happen likely dashed those dreams on Monday. JUSTIN TRUDEAU attacked ERIN O'TOOLE for harboring anti-vaxxers in his caucus. O'Toole told reporters that Trudeau was so desperate to govern that he'd share power with a "radical" NDP even if it destroyed the economy. So much for a softer tone. — Applause line: “Even as Canadians are continuing to get vaccinated at record rates, the Conservatives are actually moving backward," Trudeau told his flock before they closed the doors to journalists and met for the first time since the election. "More and more Conservatives are now stepping up to stand against vaccinations, to stand against science.” It's still unclear how many Tories are unvaccinated. At his own Monday presser, O'Toole chose his words extremely carefully when reporters asked him if his full caucus would show up for the first sitting of the House on Nov. 22. He said every MP who takes their seat will be vaccinated. The obvious follow-up: Will his unvaxxed colleagues stay home? He didn't directly respond. Not a great start to the week for Erin O'Toole. — Another headache: Sarnia–Lambton MP MARILYN GLADU, the unofficial spokesperson for an informal "civil liberties" caucus within her party, hoovered up the weekend's headlines after an appearance on CTV's Question Period. Gladu repeated what she recently told Playbook about the cluster of Conservatives who will take a hard look at vaccine policy in Canada: it's not a threat to O'Toole's leadership. She said he was cool with it, even. O'Toole was, er, unimpressed Monday: “It’s important for members of Parliament to advocate for their constituents who may be losing a job or may need reasonable accommodation, we do that all the time on a range of issues. But it’s very different to cause confusion with respect to the health and well-being of Canadians and Ms. Gladu’s interview did that yesterday." — Madame chair: Liberals picked Quebec MP BRENDA SHANAHAN as caucus chair. (Cue a few lame joke tweets about the Toronto Maple Leafs and their president, BRENDAN SHANAHAN, failing to win a Cup.) The Toronto Star's TONDA MACCHARLES reported the Liberals declined to empower the caucus to boot out colleagues or trigger a leadership review. Only the Conservatives gave themselves those powers under the MICHAEL CHONG-championed Reform Act. "COALITION!" — O'Toole wasn't subtle about his message of the day. The Conservative leader valiantly attempted to distract from his intraparty insecurity with an upfront fear-mongering sesh about the evils of a "radical" "coalition" of Liberals and New Democrats that would be a "disaster" for the economy with a "devastating financial impact." O'Toole said Trudeau's message to Liberals on Monday was that they'd "have to accept" the coalition. (Trudeau didn't say that.) JAGMEET SINGH 's NDP caucus probably chuckled a bit when O'Toole mused they'd "help cover up Trudeau's corruption." Trudeau's PMO likely chuckled when O'Toole accused the PM of "pledging a coalition to hide from Canadians." — Ummmm: There is no Liberal-NDP coalition. There could be, maybe, some sort of agreement, possibly only informally, to work together for a few years on shared priorities and pass laws and avoid non-confidence votes. Maclean's STEPHEN MAHER was first to report on those talks, which he characterized as explicitly not a coalition. The Globe and Mail said the parties would each mull the idea internally. NDP MP CHARLIE ANGUS , a veteran of the opposition benches who feasts on Liberal scandals, told the newspaper his party won't treat the government with kid gloves: “No matter what, we will still hold them to account. If there is an SNC-Lavalin scandal, that ain’t getting pushed under the rug.” — A walk down memory lane: There's a certain logic to the Tory rhetoric that requires a brief history lesson. Way back in 2008, when STEPHEN HARPER 's minority Conservatives tabled a controversial economic update weeks after winning their second election, the three opposition parties attempted to join forces and pitch an alternate government — complete with a governing agreement. It all eventually fell apart (it's a long story). But the Tories learned a key lesson in that foofaraw: Canadians did not like the coalition on the table. Harper campaigned hard against it almost three years later on his way to a majority win. — Key differences: In 2008, the Liberals and New Democrats would have shared power according to the terms of a written agreement. In 2021, nobody's signed anything (yet). GILLES DUCEPPE's Bloc Québécois was a key player in the failed arrangement, because JACK LAYTON and STÉPHANE DION couldn't maintain the confidence of the House on their own. The Bloc isn't in on current talks. Oh, also this distinction: The Layton-Dion-Duceppe crew wanted to replace a sitting government. The Trudeau-Singh talks include the governing side. In 2008, former Tory operative STEPHEN TAYLOR launched a series of political demonstrations — styled as Rally for Canada — that bolstered support for the Tories as the most stable governing option in Ottawa. Conservatives across the land riled up peaceful anti-coalition forces. No such groundswell is likely now. Maybe it's all just a fundraising play as Conservatives sort themselves out. But if O'Toole's really onto something, and "coalition" is eventually a serious trending topic on the Hill, he'll need a lot of help. And maybe a real coalition to criticize. Further reading from the Toronto Star: Liberal insiders shrug as rumors swirl about deal with New Democrats — It's right there in his bio: Oddly, O'Toole repeatedly pronounced Singh's name with a short "a" vowel sound (akin to "bag") — a common mispronunciation since Singh entered public life. But Singh's Twitter bio features a handy pronouncer (Jug: rhymes with hug). O'Toole has heard Singh's name countless times since at least 2017. Awkward. TORY NIGHTMARE — Ottawa is months away from a federal budget day, but the keeners at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives aren't waiting for formal consultations. The CCPA drops its annual "Alternative Federal Budget" this morning, a healthy dollop of left-leaning policy that serves up a wealth tax, a corporate super-profits tax, and a minimum tax on multinationals — all of which would pay for a C$90-billion boost in federal spending by 2025. — Screw anchors: CCPA economist DAVID MACDONALD scoffed at the notion of fiscal restraint in these late-pandemic days. "Now is not the time for penny pinching," he said in a release. "It’s time to stay the course on turning what has been an extraordinary public policy intervention during the pandemic into a strong, public-led recovery that leaves no one behind." Read the full report here. APPRENEZ LE FRANÇAIS, S'IL VOUS PLAÎT — Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND wrote a letter to Air Canada that reminded the company of her government's 6-per-cent ownership stake in the airline. She made a few demands. Recall last week's brouhaha in which Air Canada CEO MICHAEL ROUSSEAU really stepped in it by marveling at his ability to live in Montreal for 14 years and get by without mastering the French language — a "testament to the city," he said. (Playbook had the full backstory.) Rousseau pledged to be better, but that didn't stop Freeland from requesting three things from the airline: Rousseau must actually improve his language comprehension; fluency in French should be made an important criterion in promotions; and the company should conduct an internal audit of the French language's place in the corporation. — One view from the ROC: The Macdonald-Laurier Institute's AARON WUDRICK, formerly the voice of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, viewed Freeland's letter with deep cynicism . "Once, official bilingualism was about ensuring Canadians could communicate with federal institutions in the official language of their choice," he tweeted. "Then it mutated into a cudgel wherein federal pols vie to be the most performatively outraged about individuals who aren't bilingual." — Another view from Quebec: Tory MP GERARD DELTELL tweeted a story about Governor General MARY MAY SIMON's lackluster French skills. Deltell didn't exactly accuse the government of a double standard, but he didn't not. | 
