Tory on the Tories and Ottawa’s big night out

From: POLITICO Ottawa Playbook - Thursday Mar 24,2022 10:00 am
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Ottawa Playbook

By Nick Taylor-Vaisey

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Welcome to the Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey. We were at the Met with the Hill crowd, and have all the spotteds to prove it. Plus, a sit down with Toronto Mayor John Tory at his city hall office. Also, what is the B.C. Liberal voter coalition?

Driving the Day

Toronto Mayor John Tory on Dec. 13, 2021.

Toronto Mayor John Tory on Dec. 13, 2021. | Cole Burston, The Canadian Press

GREETINGS FROM CITY HALL — Playbook sat down with the mayor of Canada's biggest city at his office overlooking Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square.

JOHN TORY spoke a mile a second about whatever we wanted to talk about. So we naturally talked about where Toronto fits into CHRYSTIA FREELAND's next federal budget, expected in a few weeks. We also took his temperature on how much he was thinking about the Liberal-NDP deal (spoiler: not much).

He claims no party allegiance today, but we had to know what the longtime Progressive Conservative backroomer-turned-politician thinks about a certain leadership race.

— Rep by pop: It's not lost on the mayor that every time Toronto is on the receiving end of federal funding for cities, his hometown breaks the graph because it's so much bigger than everywhere else. "People will think I'm sort of boasting about that. I'm not. I'm just stating a fact," he says, fully aware that most of the country doesn't like hearing that.

Tory is quick to mention solid working relationships with Cabinet ministers who hail from within city limits, including AHMED HUSSEN on housing, MARCI IEN at gender equality and MARCO MENDICINO at public safety. Having Freeland as finance minister with a Summerhill address helps, too.

So does a caucus of 25 Liberal MPs, one for every single riding in the city.

— Budget priorities: But just because Tory gets a lot doesn't mean he doesn’t want more. He's got a long list for Ottawa's consideration, and a loud microphone down the hall. "I have a platform, and they know that. I think they know I'd rather not use it," he says. "I don't say that in any kind of a threatening way, because it's not in my nature."

What's on Toronto's wish list? The transit system faced a nearly C$600-million budget shortfall in the last year thanks to reduced ridership. The city also deferred capital spending to cover hugely expanded shelter costs for the homeless population — and needs federal help there, too.

Tory also wants more money for affordable housing programs, and singled out the Rapid Housing Initiative, which created 2,800 affordable units in Ontario alone, as something worth renewing. (The Liberal-NDP accord includes a one-year renewal of that program.)

— More priorities: Climate-related infrastructure and retrofits. Electric vehicles. Mental health and addiction support. Improved productivity. Support for immigrants.

— About that Liberal-NDP deal: Playbook sat down with Tory a few hours after Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU and NDP leader JAGMEET SINGH announced their blockbuster cooperation pact.

Did that news make waves at city hall? The short answer: no. The slightly longer answer:

"I don't look at it as a big deal. It will provide a degree of stability. And that's good. But otherwise, to me, it's politics."

— Tory on Tories: The mayor's long interest in Conservative circles traces to the aftermath of the race to replace JOHN DIEFENBAKER in the 1960s. Tory recalls the nasty spats between Diefenbaker's successor, ROBERT STANFIELD, and rivals like JACK HORNER who undermined party unity.

Tory's resume of politicking includes stints as former Ontario premier BILL DAVIS's principal secretary, co-campaign manager of the PCs' disastrous 1993 election, and then his own run in provincial politics as PC leader. That adds up to a lot of leadership contests.

"I never liked leadership conventions when I was a partisan, because it had people in the same family fighting with each other and they inevitably got carried away in the things they said about each other," he told POLITICO.

But it doesn't have to get to a dark place. "If they can contain themselves in terms of how they criticize each other, I think it actually could be quite a healthy and much necessary discussion about the soul of the party," he said.

"What is the soul of that party? I don't think it knows."

THE MET GALA — Well, sort of. Ottawa's hottest event of the post-mandate era didn't scream avant-garde fashion, but SARAH CHOWN’s Metropolitain was jammed late into Wednesday night with a Hill crowd desperate for a night out with everyone they haven't seen without a mask since the world shut down two years ago.

Just about every GR firm within a stone's throw of the Met sponsored the welcome-back bash, which doubled as a fundraiser for staff who lost untold hours thanks to Covid lockdowns and trucker protests that kept the doors locked and patrons away.

— Joke of the night: "We'll all be sick in four days."

— Who was there: This is a partial list of spotteds. Listen, it was packed in there and it's been a couple of years and Playbook was born in the Zoom era.

— The Cabinet: Government House Leader PABLO RODRIGUEZ, Transport Minister OMAR ALGHABRA, Treasury Board President MONA FORTIER.

— MPs: Liberals YASIR NAQVI, ALI EHSASSI and JAMES MALONEY. Tory DAVE EPP was in the house. So was former parliamentarian LEONA ALLESLEV.

— The lobbyists: Um, so many. So many. Let's start with organizer-in-chief JOHN DELACOURT from Hill+Knowlton. Playbook also caught up with H+K's ERIC DILLANE, who so happens to have created the firm's "H+Killers" moniker for successive virtual trivia nights, and new recruit ANDY SINGH.

Other conversations: Navigator's MATT TRIEMSTRA, Rubicon's RYAN SPERO, The Park Group's TINA PARK, Sussex Strategy's INGRID RAVARY KONOPKA and LIAM DALY, Proof's GREG MACEACHERN and CHRIS MCCLUSKEY, and BlueSky's JANICE NICHOLSON. We also spotted Sandstone Group's KEVIN BOSCH but couldn't squeeze past the crowd.

More convos: MICHELE CADARIO, LESLIE SWARTMAN and NICK MASCIANTONIO.

— The journalists: The Star's STEPHANIE LEVITZ and SUSAN DELACOURT, CBC's DAVID THURTON, The National Post's RYAN TUMULTY and ANJA KARADEGLIJA, CTV's GLEN MCGREGOR and JOYCE NAPIER, photojournalist DAVE CHAN, and the Western Standard's RACHEL EMMANUEL. Plus, iPolitics VP LAURA PENNELL .

Were you at the Met and rudely snubbed from this list? Did we forget a big shot whose presence was game-changing? Shame us by emailing us.

CONSERVATIVE CORNER

PATRICK BROWN named a second campaign co-chair: 80-year-old JOHN REYNOLDS, a longtime Tory who once co-chaired STEPHEN HARPER's 2004 leadership campaign. Reynolds also co-chaired the Conservative campaign in 2005-06.

Reynolds offered an elevator pitch for the Brown campaign: "He will restore fiscal sanity in Ottawa, champion religious freedom, and give Justin Trudeau the fight of his life."

JEAN CHAREST picked up an endorsement: Rookie MP DOMINIQUE VIEN, who served with Charest in Quebec's National Assembly.

SEAN SPEER suggests tuning in to the generational divide in the Conservative leadership race. Gone, he writes, are the old regional and ideological factions: “These generational insights transcend individual candidates and reflect deeper trends within Conservative politics.”

DARRELL BRICKER, CEO Ipsos Public Affairs served up advice via Twitter: “Lesson for CPC in Lib-NDP deal — no minority scenario works. They did this when [they] didn’t have to. It will happen again if CPC doesn’t win majority in next election. Would have happened to Scheer and O’Toole too. Abandon wedges, open tent or get used to opposition status forever.”

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ALSO FOR YOUR RADAR

GAS TANK POLITICS — It's not every investment announcement that racks up 10 VIP quotes on a press release. Everybody wanted a piece of the action when Stellantis and LG went public with plans to build a C$5-billion EV battery manufacturing facility in Windsor, Ont.

Premier DOUG FORD was onsite for what he billed as the largest-ever single investment in Canada's auto industry. The new plant will come at some cost to both federal and provincial governments. But it's not clear at all how much.

"Details of this agreement are subject to commercial confidentiality and cannot be disclosed at this time," reads the press release fine print. "More details will follow once due diligence is completed." Word to the wise: Don't hold your breath.

— No help for drivers: That's what the Tories are saying after Liberals and New Democrats voted against a motion in the House to cut gas prices by 5 percent — what the party estimated at 8 cents per liter. The Bloc, for the record, also voted against.

Said the CPC: "Unfortunately, the NDP-Liberal government continued with their ideological and activist agenda and voted against this solution." A reminder: The NDP is not part of the government. Semantics, we know.

THE WILD WEST — A couple of updates from Calgary. Alberta’s United Conservative Party announced Wednesday that it is changing the format of JASON KENNEY’s April 9 leadership review. More than 15,000 party members have registered to vote — about 12,000 more than anticipated. Rather than having members descend on the Cambridge Hotel in Red Deer to vote in person, the party plans to distribute mail-in ballots.

The newly re-elected BRIAN JEAN, who is after Kenney’s job, said he’ll have more to say on this today.

— Blockbuster reading: The CBC’s CAROLYN DUNN has new details about the so-called kamikaze campaign in the 2017 UCP leadership race.

HALLWAY CONVERSATION

SPEAKING OF COALITIONS — Much of the country didn't realize it, but a major political party elected a new leader last month. KEVIN FALCON, a former British Columbia finance minister and deputy premier who was runner-up to CHRISTY CLARK in a 2011 leadership race, beat six challengers for the B.C. Liberal crown.

BARINDER S. BHULLAR is senior vice-president of corporate affairs at Brains Bioceutical. He's a long-time B.C. Liberal who played senior roles in the GORDON CAMPBELL and CHRISTY CLARK governments — including director of policy to Clark. He worked on campaigns in 2009, 2013 and 2017.

Playbook asked Bhullar to give us a primer on the party's past, present and future:

A lot of federal Liberals and Conservatives who don't see eye to eye in Ottawa are part of the B.C. Liberal coalition. And they get along. Explain how that's possible to mystified readers.

It's hard to believe until you live it. I have many colleagues, who are now friends, who came to B.C. to work for the B.C. Liberal coalition, and they all admit, until you come out here and engage, it seems like such an odd concept.

The B.C. Liberals have been driven by a "free enterprise" coalition, realizing that we need to work together if we want a strong economy, low taxes, investment into our province, and jobs to support government services. The party succeeds when the B.C. Liberals put British Columbia first and ahead of any federal allegiances.

Outside of B.C., the party’s leadership race really flew under the radar. There was a lot going on in the world. How lively was the contest for party members?

The leadership race did not get too much attention. There was a federal election in the middle of it. In addition to the pandemic, B.C. saw a heat dome with record-high temperatures, and Lytton completely burned down. We also had a 'bomb-cyclone,' an atmospheric river that caused devastating floods, leading to Canada's worst economic crisis due to a natural weather event and some of the coldest winter temperatures and snow dumps in decades.

Leadership races are an opportunity to rejuvenate and renew. It is tough to do that when people have more important priorities affecting their livelihood.

What surprised you along the way?

It was surprising that none of the candidates dropped out. I believe this may be the case for future leadership races in a ranked ballot system, where you never know who will come up the middle.

What is Kevin Falcon’s greatest strength as he takes over the leadership?

He understands grassroots organization and community building, while bringing an intimate knowledge of British Columbia. Kevin has represented the Lower Mainland suburbs as an elected MLA, which is critical for the B.C. Liberals to win back again to form a government.

While in the private sector, Kevin maintained his relationships around the province and also opened the door and provided opportunities for minority groups to participate in large-scale projects. Kevin will make tough decisions, and not shy away from answering the media's tough questions. People may disagree with him, but people respect him.

What weaknesses might his opponents try to exploit?

What his opponents have been attempting to exploit is "baggage" that Kevin and most party members see as a strength. During the leadership race, Kevin did not shy away from his record as transportation minister, health minister, and finance minister.

What are the greatest risks the party faces as it redefines itself for a new era?

The party needs an identity and genuine grassroots renewal, which includes renewing its elected members of the Legislative Assembly. Step one is to end the debate of the party's name; come this fall, I believe the party will have a new name and move away from any optics related to federal parties.

The free enterprise coalition in British Columbia has come together and adapted, from the Social Credit Party onto the BC Liberal Party. Now we'll see what the next chapter holds. The BC Liberal party was a party that had a big vision, and now needs to get back to a clear and identifiable vision for the province.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

— PM Trudeau is in Brussels for the NATO Summit. At 10 a.m. local time, he'll participate in the North Atlantic Council meeting. At 1:30, he'll bilat with European Council President CHARLES MICHEL. G7 leaders will meet at 2:15. And the PM will hold a presser at 5:30.

9 a.m. The PBO will post a new report: “A distributional analysis of federal carbon pricing under a healthy environment and a healthy economy.”

9 a.m. Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT will be at the Senate committee on energy, the environment and natural resources. He’ll then head to the House environment committee for an 11 a.m. meeting with Deputy Minister CHRISTINE HOGAN and Associate Deputy Minister PAUL HULUCHA.

9 a.m. Tory MPs MICHAEL BARRETT, LUC BERTHOLD, MELISSA LANTSMAN, and MICHELLE FERRERI will hold a presser on a Conservative motion to lift all federal vaccine mandates.

10 a.m. NDP leader JAGMEET SINGH will hold a press conference.

10 a.m. Government House Leader PABLO RODRIGUEZ will announce the winning design of the LGBTQ2+ National Monument in Ottawa.

11 a.m. Immigration Minister SEAN FRASER is due at the House immigration committee. To be discussed: "Differential outcomes" in the department's decisions.

11 a.m. Fisheries and Oceans Minister JOYCE MURRAYwill be at House Committee with department officials.

11 a.m. The House public accounts committee will hear from the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development as MPs consider his report on Health Canada’s oversight of natural health products.

11:30 a.m. Trade Minister MARY NG hosts a presser with her U.K. counterpart, ANNE-MARIE TREVELYAN. (Expect them to talk free trade.)

11:30 a.m.The Senate Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee is studying Bill S-217, An Act respecting the repurposing of certain seized, frozen or sequestrated assets. MEREDITH LILLY, associate professor and Simon Reisman Chair in International Affairs at Carleton University is scheduled to appear with professor FEN HAMPSON and officials from Global Affairs Canada. IHOR MICHALCHYSHYN, chief executive officer and executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, is also on the roster.

ASK US ANYTHING

TELL US WHAT YOU KNOW — What are you hearing that you need Playbook to know? Send it all our way.

MEDIA ROOM

POLITICO rounds up the key moments from U.S. Supreme Court nominee KETANJI BROWN JACKSON’s second day with senators on Capitol Hill.

ROSA SABA and SARA MOJTEHEDZADEH report on former Unifor president JERRY DIAS. Here’s the headline: Jerry Dias accused of accepting $50,000 from COVID test supplier, says he’s going to rehab facility.

Bloomberg’s DANIELLE BOCHOVE writes from Pond Inlet on a new wave of climate science informed by Inuit knowledge and perspective.

— Former MPs LISA RAITT, LIBBY DAVIES and WAYNE EASTER explored the meaning of the NDP-Liberal deal on CBC’s The Current.

— We shared this Wednesday with our Pro s. Re-upping for the morning crowd: The Narwhal’s CARL MEYER reviewed the positions of more than 100 companies and organizations and found the majority opposed to climate financial transparency.

PROZONE

For s, here’s our Pro Canada PM memo: Joly on Budget 2022: ‘Everything changed Feb. 24.’

In other headlines for Pros:

Health data breaches swell in 2021 amid hacking surge, POLITICO analysis finds.
Fighting energy supply disruptions and climate change is 'not a binary choice.’
Biden administration eyeing booster shot recommendation within weeks.
Democrats want to crack down on Wall Street. Guess who's getting in the way.
Senate Commerce Committee approves shipping rule changes.

Playbookers

Birthdays: HBD to OLIVIA CHOW, LYNNE YELICH, ROSEMARIE KUPTANA and DAVID SUZUKI. Birthday greetings also to LIAM DALY.

Spotted: SARAH CHOWN with Winston and Bruce, Poli LEGO edition OTTAWA CITY COUNCIL, in real life for the first time in two yearsGARRY KELLER, a former chief of staff to foreign minister JOHN BAIRD, ribbing PM Trudeau about a lack of bums in seats for his Brussels speech … UNIFOR's presser, interrupted by a fire alarm.

The SENATE, taking applications for Senate appointments. Canadians in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan are invited to apply.

Movers and shakers: Sen. SALMA ATAULLAHJAN has been honored with the Sitara-e-Pakistan — the country’s highest civilian honor — “in recognition of my humanitarian work,” she shared. Senators VICTOR OH and MOHAMED-IQBAL RAVALIAjoined her at the ceremony.

ADAM BIRNBAUM is lobbying for Rogers Communications, which hopes to nab a grant from the federal Universal Broadband Fund … Coca-Cola lobbied PMO senior policy adviser REBECCA CALDWELL … Maple Leaf Strategies' ALIK ANGALADIAN made Enbridge's case in a meeting with MATHEW HALL, a senior policy adviser in Freeland’s office.

NADIR PATEL , a former Canadian high commissioner to India, joined Norton Rose Fulbright as senior strategic adviser. He's still managing director of Fairfax Consulting.

Former Winnipeg Blue Bomber OBBY KHAN (PC) beat out former Blue Bomber and Liberal WILLARD REAVES in a race to fill the seat vacated by BRIAN PALLISTER. “I have the honor of being the first Canadian Muslim elected in the history of Manitoba,” he said after the votes were counted in Fort Whyte.

Media mentions: DAFNA LINZER is joining POLITICO as executive editor. Linzer grew up in Canada and became a U.S. citizen in 2011. When asked how she got her start in journalism, she once replied: “By writing poems and short stories for the kid’s section of my local paper, the Edmonton Journal, when I was 5 years old.”

CARYS MILLS announced that she is leaving Shopify to return to journalism. She will join The Globe in Ottawa as an interactive editor.

Farewells: Former U.S. secretary of state MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, the first woman to hold the position, died Wednesday at 84.

TRIVIA

Wednesday’s answer: Conservative MP RICHARD MARTEL was a coach in the Quebec Major Hockey League. In February 2010, he won his 570th game to become the QMJHL’s winningest head coach. Here’s The Globe’s interview with Martel from that time. 

Props to KRISTA OUTHWAITE, PETER MCKINNEY, SEAN WEBSTER, JOHN GUOBA, BOB GORDON, JOHN ECKER, BILL PRISTANSKI, CHRIS MCCLUSKEY, BEN ROTH, JOANNA PLATER, ANDREW HOLLAND, PIERRE JURY, and ROBERT MCDOUGALL.

Thursday’s question: On this day in 1975, a private member’s bill championed by Hamilton MP SEAN O’SULLIVAN and seconded by JOE CLARK received royal assent. What did it establish?

Send your answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com

 

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