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A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Nick Taylor-Vaisey | Send tips | Subscribe here | Follow Politico Canada Ottawa Playbook will not publish Friday. We’ll be back in your inboxes April 18 at 6 a.m. Welcome to Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey with Sue Allan. Today, the Commons is empty as the government takes CHRYSTIA FREELAND's budget on the road. The circus returns in two weeks. We take stock of the tiny promises buried in the back of the budget book — and shine a light on a moment in the House missed in all the hoopla. Did someone forward Playbook your way? Click here to sign up for your own subscription to this free newsletter.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | TRUDEAU ON CNN — JAKE TAPPER interviewed Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU and European Commission President URSULA VON DER LEYEN. Tapper asked the PM if VLADIMIR PUTIN 's invasion of Ukraine should be considered genocide. Here's how Trudeau replied when pressed by Tapper: "Those are the things that will be determined. Obviously, the messages we're seeing, the stories of what Russian soldiers are doing, not just the murder of civilians, but the systematic use of sexual violence and rape, to destabilize and have the greatest negative impact on Ukrainian people as possible is absolutely unforgivable and unacceptable. And that's why the global community is going to and is responding so strongly.” Watch the clip here. THE LITTLE THINGS — The next stage in the annual push to pass a budget is now coming together behind closed doors. Every fancy fiscal plan is followed up by budget implementation acts that turn tax-and-spend pledges into the law of the land. This is where governments stuff things they'd rather people not notice. Remember the deferred prosecution foofaraw that cost the government a pair of Cabinet ministers in JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD and JANE PHILPOTT, and caused months of headaches in the leadup to the 2019 election? That measure was hiding in plain sight on Page 202 of Budget 2018. You have to dig all the way to Annex 3 for the planned legislative goodies in Budget 2022. The Liberals list 44 items there, some of which have already been tabled. — Future headlines: Internet law prof MICHAEL GEIST found a promise to expand the term of copyright to 70 years from 50 — Geist calls a "hidden tax" , the consequence of USMCA negotiations … Elsewhere in the doc, the feds say they're pursuing employee ownership trusts, which Social Capital Partners claims could create "hundreds of thousands of new employee-owners and hundreds of millions of dollars in new wealth for workers" … International trade prof MEREDITH LILLY found new sanctions enforcement measures, billions for a critical minerals strategy, and "hints" at future policy on border carbon adjustments. WHAT EVEN IS RESTRAINT? — The Globe and Mail's ANDREW COYNE woke up feisty on Saturday. "Somewhat mystified by all these takes describing the budget as “prudent,” “restrained,” even “thrifty,” he tweeted. (Subtweet received.) — How to measure "responsible": To make his point, Coyne went where the econ nerds go: the Fiscal Reference Tables that serve up decades of data on government revenue, expenses and all the derivative measurements they combine to produce. The Liberals project to spend more per capita in the next three years, Coyne writes, than any other government in the modern era. Fair point. The Trudeau era is defined by spending projections their budgets consistently revise upwards. True. — Counterpoints: Is the story of the Liberal fiscal record told so easily? Here are two charts that paint a subtly different picture.
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Canada's deficit-to-GDP ratio since 1966 | Fiscal Reference Tables, Budget 2022 | The fiscal reference tables also track the size of the deficit as a share of GDP. The graph-breaking year of 2020 throws off what we once considered to be normal budgetary balance. But the Liberal projections — if you believe them, which Coyne credibly suggests you might want to reconsider — show a deficit-to-GDP ratio that's historically insignificant.
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Program expenses as a share of GDP since 1966 | Fiscal Reference Tables, Budget 2022 | 2020 broke the program expenses chart, too. Coyne might point out that even the Liberals' projections show them outspending most governments since the 90s — except for a tick upward during the Great Recession of the Harper years. But program spending is on a downward track as a share of GDP. "Canada has a proud tradition of fiscal responsibility," Freeland said in Thursday's speech. "It is my duty to maintain it — and I will." What counts as fiscally responsible, though, is in the eye of the beholder. — Counter-counterpoint: In The Hub, former senior Harper adviser SEAN SPEER pokes holes in the Trudeau government's fiscal restraint narrative : "Just because the budget may not have been an immediate expression of its big-government thinking doesn’t mean it has seen the light on the road to Damascus." — The PBO's view: Parliamentary Budget Officer YVES GIROUX tells ANDY BLATCHFORD that the perception of what qualifies as a big deficit isn’t what it used to be. The government just unveiled a budget with a huge shortfall by historical standards — 4.6 percent of Canada’s GDP — but the number barely caused a stir. “Three or four years ago, had you mentioned, or had anybody told me, that the government would table a budget with a deficit of C$114 billion and people would be not talking a lot about that — I would have thought it would be totally unthinkable,” he told POLITICO on Friday, referring to the government’s revised 2021-2022 projection. “People have changed their perspective ... because of the pandemic and the extraordinary spending and revenue decreases that were brought about by the pandemic.” s to POLITICO Pro can read the rest of that interview here.
| | ALSO FOR YOUR RADAR | | LEST WE FORGET — Veteran Affairs Minister LAWRENCE MACAULAY was in Vimy over the weekend to commemorate the 105th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge with Conservative MPs FRANK CAPUTO and ALEX RUFF, a retired infantry Colonel in the Royal Canadian Regiment, along with NDP MP RACHEL BLANEY and Bloc MP LUC DESILETS. “On a cold Easter Monday in 1917 in northern France, after carefully planning and preparing their attack, Canadian soldiers stormed uphill through sleet, mud and machine-gun fire to capture Vimy Ridge,” Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU said Saturday in a statement. “While Canada was victorious at Vimy Ridge, this success did not come without great loss. Nearly 3,600 Canadians were killed, and over 7,000 more were wounded. It remains one of the bloodiest battles in our country's military history.” — Here in Ottawa: A quiet ceremony at the National War Memorial began with a prayer led by Anishinaabe elder ALBERT DUMONT, Ottawa's poet laureate. There was no direct mention of the trucker convoy or protesters who climbed on the cenotaph and danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but the event opened with a smudging ceremony. “There's good energy. And there's energy that's not so good,” Dumont said. “When it's bad energy, we need to get rid of it.” Defense Minister ANITA ANAND, Gov. Gen. MARY SIMON, Chief of the Defense Staff WAYNE EYRE and Treasury Board President MONA FORTIER were in attendance. “We must always, all of us, treat this place with the greatest respect,” Simon said off the top of remarks that featured English, Inuktitut and a little bit of French. Conservative MP ERIN O’TOOLE took in the ceremony with his kids — JACK in a pint-size air force bomber jacket. Standing on the sidelines, the former party leader and military veteran at least twice declined invitations to move his family into VIP seating.
| | CONSERVATIVE CORNER | | CAPACITY CROWD — When PIERRE POILIEVRE announced a spate of B.C. events, Playbook took stock of the official capacities of each venue . We pegged Kelowna's Sunset Ranch Golf Course at 170, but the facility's website did allude to a tent coming soon that would allow for larger groups. — The tent arrived: And so did a few thousand Poilievre fans, who joined the populist firebrand's growing entourage on Saturday. He found another generous crowd waiting in Vernon. Next up: Calgary on Tuesday, at Spruce Meadows (capacity: 5,000); and Edmonton on Thursday, at the River Cree Resort and Casino (capacity: 2,500). FINALLY, SOME ZEST — Poilievre rival JEAN CHAREST took it to Poilievre in a Sunday interview with CTV's EVAN SOLOMON. His chosen attack: Poilievre's support of the trucker convoy that was eventually declared illegal "disqualifies" him from leading the country. "Here is someone who makes laws, and says I can break laws because I'm above the law," he said. — More endorsers: Charest picked up the support of BARRY FIRBY, a former party national councilor from Saskatchewan who is popular enough in the province to have earned the honor of a retirement roast in 2017 . He also scored a nod from Nunavut Sen. DENNIS PATTERSON. LESLYN LEWIS picked up her seventh caucus endorsement: MP DEAN ALLISON. — Neutral Tory MPs: 41
| | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | | — PM Trudeau takes his budget roadshow to Victoria. He'll make a 10:15 a.m. local time announcement about electric vehicle infrastructure. At 1:30, he'll meet with Victoria Mayor LISA HELPS. Soon after, the city's youth advisory council will get facetime with the PM. — Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY is in Asia this week. 9:30 a.m. Gender Equality Minister MARCI IEN will be in Etobicoke, Ont., for a presser about Budget 2022 investments "in clean air and a clean economy." The scene: Baka Mobile, an independent Bell Mobility dealer just off Highway 427. 11:30 a.m. Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND sits down with MICHEL LEBLANC, head of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, to discuss the 2022 budget.
| | PERSPECTIVES | | | 
Mike Lake and his son, Jaden, at a Canucks Autism Network walk | Photo courtesy of Mike Lake | A PERSONAL TOUCH — When most of official Ottawa was obsessed with the federal budget last week (note: Playbook is guilty as charged), Conservative MP MIKE LAKE carried on an annual rite of passage. Almost every year since the U.N. declared April 2 World Autism Awareness Day, Lake has paid tribute to his son JADEN — and the bond they've shared since he was diagnosed with autism in 1998. Here was Lake's statement in the House last Thursday: Mr. Speaker, last Saturday was World Autism Awareness Day and 24 years since my son, Jaden, was diagnosed. Jaden would normally be in Ottawa with me, but last week, he tested positive for COVID. He has bounced back quickly, but sadly is not able to travel. As the years go by, we learn more about autism and both the strengths and challenges that come with the label; still, so much remains unknown. Thankfully, more and more autistic Canadians are sharing their stories, and mysteries that we once only viewed as problems to be solved we are learning to embrace, as diversity that enriches our entire human experience. Some of my favorite moments are spent sitting beside Jaden and just being with him, looking into each other's eyes with smiles on both of our faces. We are content with the part of each other that remains unknown. There is so much I do not know in those moments, but I am intensely aware that Jaden loves me. Through a connection I could never begin to explain, I know that he knows I love him. There is no knowledge more important to me than that. — A long tradition: Lake has posted most of the statements on YouTube. Playbook couldn't help but notice the changing faces that surrounded Lake on the Tory benches, and the affection they showed Jaden. Keep an eye out for LISA RAITT and JAMES MOORE. — The videos: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017. — Transcripts: 2018, 2019, 2021.
| | MEDIA ROOM | | — Freeland on CBC's The House, with host CHRIS HALL: "Vladimir Putin is the biggest threat to Canada's national security, and to the security of the world. The battlefield today is Ukraine, but talk to the people of Syria to learn what terrible things Putin has done there. Talk to the people of Mali, where very recently Russian atrocities have been committed. "The fact is, we have to stop Putin now, because he personally, and his regime, are dangerous to the world. And if we do not stop him, that sets a terrible precedent for all of the world's other dictators." — “There is something severely wrong when the Canadian government treats clownish civilians as a graver threat to our national security than kleptocrats, money launderers, tax dodgers and convicted terrorists,” RITA TRICHUR writes in The Globe. — For the CBC, JUSTIN LING explains how a QAnon conspiracy theory about Ukraine bioweapons became mainstream disinformation. — On FRONTBURNER this morning: Jason Kenney’s political future on the line. — POLITICO’s SARAH WHEATON and LEONIE KIJEWSKI write: From war crime to conviction — what it will take to bring the Bucha killers to justice. — In related coverage, LILI BAYER, HANS VON DER BURCHARD and CRISTINA GALLARDO report that Western officials are scouring for tanks and heavy weaponry to send to Ukraine as they grapple with a dawning reality: They may need to supply — and resupply — the country’s military for months and even years to come. — In February, Playbook asked pollsters and a historian: Is it true Canada has never been more divided? The CBC’s AARON WHERRY uses a column to explore the sentiment of the day and concludes: “Ultimately, questions about political divisions lead back to politicians themselves.”
| | PROZONE | | For POLITICO Pro s, our policy newsletter: The week ahead: On the road with Budget 2022. A monthslong POLITICO investigation found that the food side of U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been incredibly ignored and grown dysfunctional. HELENA BOTTEMILLER EVICH breaks down the top highlights. In other headlines for Pros:
— Why your website is about to get more expensive.
— World food prices hit record high amid Ukraine war.
— Europe seeks to block U.S. snooping on cloud data with cyber label.
— Next U.S.-EU trade and tech meeting to be held near Paris.
— The U.S. insurance industry's main regulator has approved rules for insurance companies to report climate-related risks.
| | ASK US ANYTHING | | TELL US EVERYTHING — What are you hearing that you need Playbook to know? Send it all our way.
| | PLAYBOOKERS | | Birthdays: HBD to Conservative MP COLIN CARRIE (6-0!) and Sen. YONAH MARTIN. Former MP COLIN MAYES also celebrates today. Belated HBD — and noted for next year — to Conservative MP MELISSA LANTSMAN. Spotted: CATHERINE MCKENNA, on a morning run with SKOKI. The next LIBERAL NATIONAL CONVENTION, just announced: May 4-6, 2023 in Ottawa. (A reminder that when the party last talked resolutions in 2021, delegates called for a basic income — not once, but twice.) The HOLLAND AMERICA KONINGSDAM in Victoria, the first international cruise ship to dock in Canada in more than two years. KRISTYN WONG-TAM, exiting Ward 13 to seek the Ontario NDP nomination in Toronto Centre. Canada’s envoy in Washington KIRSTEN HILLMAN, talking infrastructure and economic development with Premier CAROLINE COCHRANE. Movers and shakers: Starting in May, former Liberal comms pointman BRAEDEN CALEY will be Canada 2020’s new executive director. Media moves: It’s Day 1 for MANUELA VEGA on The Star’s First Up newsletter. … AVIS FAVARO will be the first journalist in residence at McMaster University’s Faculty of Science this fall. … CLAIRE BROWNWELL of The Logic shared that she’s OOO on parental leave until September. Farewells: NDP MP RICHARD CANNINGS expressed condolences to the family of ANDRINA CALVERT, his constituency assistant in Penticton. She was also an assistant to BOB RAE when he was premier of Ontario. “Andrina was one in a million; a kind person with a bright smile and beguiling grin, an almost infinite capacity to listen to people when they had difficult stories to tell,” he told the House. HILARY KILGOUR dropped a note on Twitter in response to all the kind words about her father DAVID, who died last week. MICHAEL PETROU writes an obit for the parliamentarian in the Globe.
| | TRIVIA | | Friday’s answer: What sitting senator worked for ERIK NIELSEN when he was deputy PM? Turns out there are two! We were thinking of Sen. PAT DUNCAN (read more about her here). STEPHEN AZZI of Carleton’s Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management writes: “PETER HARDER worked for Nielsen as his chief of staff.” Props to PIERRE PILOTE, LEIGH LAMPERT, BEN ROTH, SEAN WEBSTER, ROBERT MCDOUGALL and GORDON RANDALL. Monday’s question: Who was the first Korean-Canadian parliamentarian in Canadian history? Send your answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Alejandra Waase to find out how: awaase@politico.com. Playbook wouldn’t happen without Luiza Ch. Savage and editor Sue Allan.
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