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A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Maura Forrest and Zi-Ann Lum | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Nick l Follow Politico Canada Welcome to the Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey with Maura Forrest and Zi-Ann Lum. Today is Showdown Day for five Tory leadership candidates. Plus, does the Royal Canadian Mint ever have the deal for you.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | DEBATE NIGHT — The race for the Conservative leadership is only a few months old, but it feels like we've all been waiting forever for the candidates to actually face off onstage. Thank god for the Canada Strong and Free Network (formerly the Manning Centre), who beat the party to the punch and persuaded five verified candidates to debate each other in Ottawa. Here's your primer for the leadership race's first major battle of wits. — The 5 Ws: The festivities get underway at 5:30 p.m. at the Shaw Centre. The debaters are SCOTT AITCHISON, ROMAN BABER, JEAN CHAREST, LESLYN LEWIS and PIERRE POILIEVRE. The moderators are CANDICE MALCOLM and JAMIL JIVANI. The debate lasts 90 minutes. — The frontrunner: It's hard to know how many members each candidate has enlisted, and fundraising numbers are only available until the end of March, but Poilievre's rallies are unmatched, and his early fundraising lead — not to mention a consistent polling advantage — give the impression that he's top dog. What happens to frontrunners? Their competitors attack them — or, as politicos prefer to say, "draw distinctions." Expect the seasoned Charest, who would never admit that he's not leading the pack, to dismiss Poilievre as a divisive politician who has bad ideas on childcare and supported illegal protesters. Poilievre's counter-attacks are well-known and well-rehearsed. He'll label Charest as nothing but a carbon-taxing Liberal — i.e. not a freedom-loving Conservative. — The kingmaker: Watch any Poilievre rally, or scroll through any of his social feeds, and you'll find as many attacks on Charest and PATRICK BROWN as on JUSTIN TRUDEAU. But Team Poilievre is steering clear of LESLYN LEWIS, the darling of social conservatives who finished a strong third in the 2020 campaign. Lewis has cultivated a devoted core of social conservative supporters, who seem particularly energized this week by news of the U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that indicates an end to federal protection of reproductive rights. If she drops off the ballot, those votes are up for grabs in the party's ranked ballot system. Her supporters aren't likely to pick Charest or Brown. If Poilievre picks them up, they could seal his victory. If Poilievre wins the first round and only needs a few points to go over the top, he'll be just as happy if most of Lewis's voters leave their second choice blank. That would shrink the overall pool of votes and help secure his win. — TL;DR: Poilievre wants Lewis as a strong candidate. . (Just not strong enough to threaten him.) — The voice of reason: Aitchison, an MP from rural Ontario, has carved out a space as the collaborative consensus-builder whose policies focus on words like "together" and "reasonable," not "force" and "gatekeepers." That's been his differentiator since Day 1, so look for him to avoid the squabbling — or try to get a peacemaking word in edgewise. — The anti-Covid candidate: And then there's ROMAN BABER, the former DOUG FORD Progressive Conservative MPP who quit that party and now wants to lead the federal Tories. Baber appeals to the anti-mandate crowd, and his challenge will be to broaden his base. — The elephant in the room: The leadership campaign can't cover its ears and avoid this week's massive POLITICO scoop on the draft U.S. Supreme Court ruling that would overturn Roe v Wade. There are pro-choice Conservatives. Charest and Brown both sit in that camp. There are anti-abortion Conservatives. Lewis is the top pick among those Tories. If abortion comes up in the debate, Poilievre will have to confront it. His campaign reiterated to POLITICO that a Poilievre-led government would never legislate on abortion. That may be all he has to say. After all, that worked for STEPHEN HARPER. — The lone absence: The only one of the six candidates not on the stage is Brampton Mayor PATRICK BROWN. He's currently in Atlantic Canada. Brown's campaign told Playbook that he's "criss-crossing the country focused on bringing thousands upon thousands of new members into the party as the cut-off to do so, June 3rd, is quickly approaching." He'll be at the two official debates in Edmonton and Laval. — In related reading: Rejected Conservative leadership hopeful demands to be let back into race as party defends vetting process.
| | For your radar | | THE ULTIMATE — On May 31, you — yes, you! — could be the proud owner of an “exclusive numismatic masterpiece of exceptional craftsmanship,” a “piece of perfection” that represents “the pinnacle of refined beauty and rarity,” a work of art “destined for the most fortunate and discerning of collectors.” OK, yes, it’s a coin. But it’s so much more than a coin. This is The Ultimate, the standout piece from a new collection announced Wednesday by the Royal Canadian Mint, and believe us, the Mint has spared no superlative. It’s a “bejewelled masterpiece,” it’s “the best of the best,” it’s a thing of “mesmerizing beauty.” And it can be yours! For C$900,000 or so. The new “Opulence collection” features some lesser coins as well (Treasure, Grandeur, Splendour), all featuring rare pink diamonds from Australia’s Argyle Mine, which closed in 2020. You can buy those ones online, if you like, for prices ranging from a paltry C$13,000 to C$250,000. According to the Mint, they all feature “high-value precious materials and covetable enhancements.” Who wouldn’t want covetable enhancements? They also all come with a pair of nifty coin-handling gloves — an extra perk! But the Ultimate is the signature piece, the only one of its kind, the only one that “blurs the line between coin and jewellery art.” If you’d like to take a closer look, you should really check out this promotional video — the music alone makes it worth your time. The live auction is scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 31.
| | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | | — PM Trudeau will chair Cabinet at 10 a.m. He'll also speak with the president-elect of South Korea, YOON SUK-YEOL. 9 a.m. The Parliamentary Budget Officer will post a pair of costing notes on the mobility tax deduction for tradespersons and indentured apprentices, and Tax-Free First Home Savings Accounts. Read them here. 9:55 a.m. LAWRENCE SCHEMBRI delivers his last speech as deputy governor of the Bank of Canada at the NACCA’s Indigenous Prosperity Forum. 11 a.m. (Mountain) Infrastructure Minister DOMINIC LEBLANC will make a funding announcement alongside Alberta's infrastructure minister, PRASAD PANDA, Calgary mayor JYOTI GONDEK and Glenbow Museum president and CEO NICHOLAS BELL. 12:30 p.m. Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT will hold a virtual presser after a funding announcement in Regina. 2 p.m. Senators will pay tribute to the retiring TERRY MERCER, whose 75th birthday is tomorrow. Watch the chamber's proceedings here. 2:30 p.m. Trade Minister MARY NG and U.S. Trade Representative KATHERINE TAI will hold a joint press conference in Ottawa. They'll head to Toronto on Friday. 4 p.m. Foreign Minister MÉLANIE JOLY will hold an armchair discussion with Swedish Foreign Minister ANNE LINDE at the National Arts Centre. They'll hold a presser at 5. (Linde was also in Washington this week, talking about NATO membership.)
| | ASK US ANYTHING | | WHAT ARE YOU HEARING that Playbook needs to know? Send it all our way.
| | ALSO FOR YOUR RADAR | | THE FIRST PMB — The Commons took its inaugural vote on a private member's bill Wednesday. Tory MP KYLE SEEBACK's Bill C-242 , which would "allow a parent or grandparent who applies for a temporary resident visa as a visitor to purchase private health insurance outside Canada and to stay in Canada for a period of five years," passed second reading by a vote of 330-1. — Order of precedence: Last November, Seeback nearly won the lottery when his name came up second in the private members' business draw that determined the order in which MP's would get a chance to debate their very own bill in Parliament. — The only nay: That belonged to Liberal MP PETER SCHIEFKE. Playbook reached out to ask if it was a case of mistaken voting. In fact, it was.
| | PERSPECTIVES | | IT’S A (TWITTER) TRAP — Conservative MP MIKE LAKE is tired of cheap political games to score ephemeral adrenaline rushes on social media. Lake made an SO31 statement in the House Wednesday to mark mental health week, delivering some food for thought for colleagues in the chamber. This year’s theme, he said, is empathy. His full statement below: “Now, of course, this is an interesting place in time to be making a statement on empathy. How do we, not just politicians, but all Canadians passionately debate critical issues in a way that doesn't relentlessly chip away at our collective mental health? “For starters, I'd argue that we all need to scale down the verbal bombardment of one another from behind the digital barricades. We need to listen. And listening needs to be more than skimming through responses to our social media posts, virtually high fiving those who agree and cleverly smacking down those who challenge us. “This is not healthy for our democracy and it's not healthy for us as human beings. “We all long for meaningful connection. We need to be heard and understood. True understanding doesn't have to imply agreement. We can strongly disagree and still work hard to understand each other. This builds connection. It helps us identify even limited common ground. It's good for our mental health, and it's good for our country. And this is a great week to start.” You can follow Mike Lake on Twitter here for spicy tweets like this banger.
| | PAPER TRAIL | | NEW RIDING ALERT — Playbook delved into Nova Scotia's riding redistribution commission on Wednesday. Today we're on the other side of the country, where British Columbia's commission is proposing a raft of changes to boundaries all over the province. British Columbians stand to gain a brand-new seat by the time the dust settles, and commissioners labored over where to put it. Two regions are underrepresented: Vancouver Island and the southern interior. The proposal hands the seat to voters between Vernon and Kelowna called Vernon–Lake Country. — Consequences: The commission notes the new borders set off "a cascade of boundary change proposals" that ripple across much of the province's vast interior. The lower mainland's districts are also in for a boundary overhaul. Commissioners, prepare yourselves for motivated constituents armed with maps and opinions. — Vox populi: The commission roadshow will hold hearings in 24 communities, plus a virtual session, between June 6 and Sept. 28. — The commissioners: The chair is Justice MARY SAUNDERS, who's working with poli sci prof KENNETH CARTY and STEWART LADYMAN, a retired teacher, principal and superintendent who also served on a past provincial boundary commission. — Meanwhile, in P.E.I.: The island province's constitutionally guaranteed four ridings likely won't change much, but commissioners did propose subtle tweaks. Voters in Lower Bedeque, North Bedeque, Central Bedeque and Bedeque could move from HEATH MACDONALD's Malpeque to BOBBY MORRISSEY's Egmont. If they have a problem with that, they can air their grievances at the Loyalist Country Inn & Conference Centre in Summerside on June 7.
| | MEDIA ROOM | | — The first episode of "It's Political with ALTHIA RAJ" drops today with an interview with NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH — for a check in on that agreement. Raj teased to Playbook the episode includes BTS deal-making details and “some news.” ( Listen to the new Toronto Star pod here). — The latest from PAUL WELLS: We need to talk about Davos. — Tory MP MICHELLE REMPEL GARNER joins the Bad + Bitchy pod for the first time since before the pandemic. "Let’s just say we got deep," says co-host ERICA IFILL. (They did. Example: "NSICOP sounds like a rectal procedure." Also, more serious things. Listen here.) — In the Post, CHRIS SELLEY writes: The Ontario election campaign is already a festival of vote-buying. Shop wisely. — From AARON HUTCHINS in Maclean’s: AHMED HUSSEN has a plan to solve Canada’s housing crisis.
| | PROZONE | | For s, here’s our Pro Canada PM memo: What's in the way of a net-zero electricity supply In other headlines for Pro readers: — A to-do list for USTR’s visit to Ottawa.
— Senate chair needs to be ‘reassured' about new ICBM
— Crypto enters primary season with Ohio victories
— Why Newsom is talking about saving California's last nuclear plant
— FDA updates guidelines for prescribers using Paxlovid
| | On the Hill | | 9 a.m. The Senate committee on energy, the environment and natural resources will be looking at Bill S-5, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act. 11 a.m. The House committee on public safety and national security continues its look at ideologically motivated extremism in Canada. B'nai Brith Canada and the Center for Countering Digital Hate are on the witness list. 11 a.m. The House committee on the environment will hear from department officials as it continues to study fossil fuel subsidies. 11 a.m. The House committee on fisheries and oceans is focused on “Science at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.” Expert witnesses include GIDEON MORDECAI, GREIG OLDFORD and DOMINIQUE ROBERT. 11 a.m. Chief Electoral Officer STÉPHANE PERRAULT and senior Elections Canada officials will be at the House procedure committee to discuss Main Estimates. 11 a.m. Auditor General KAREN HOGAN and Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development JERRY DEMARCO are up at the House public accounts committee to discuss Main Estimates. Also on the agenda: Lessons Learned from Canada's Record on Climate Change. 11 a.m. Former Afghan interpreters GHULAM FAIZI and HAMEED KHAN will be at the House committee on citizen and immigration as it studies application backlogs and processing times. 11:30 a.m. The Senate foreign affairs and international trade committee is discussing Part 9 of Bill S-6, An Act respecting regulatory modernization. 11:30 a.m. The Senate committee on internal economy, budgets and administration is meeting on financial and administrative matters. 3:30 p.m. The long list of organizations in front of the House transport committee as it studies Canada’s supply chain includes the Canadian Ferry Association, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Chamber of Shipping, Food and Beverage Canada, Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority, National Cattle Feeders' Association and Western Grain Elevator Association. 3:30 p.m. The House foreign affairs and international development committee meets with the Central Tibetan Administration. 3:30 p.m. The House agriculture and agri-food committee will meet in camera to discuss its study on Canada’s food supply chain. 3:30 p.m. The House human resources committee plans to spend its first hour studying the Housing Accelerator Fund before moving in camera talk committee business and its report on Covid-19’s impact on seniors. 3:30 p.m. The House finance committee is scheduled to hear from Canada Border Services Agency, Canada Revenue Agency, Correctional Service of Canada, Department of Citizenship and Immigration, Department of Employment and Social Development, Department of Finance, plus foreign affairs, Indigenous services, industry, justice, financial institutions, Privy Council Office and Treasury Board Secretariat. On the agenda: Bill C-19. 3:30 p.m. Microsoft’s OWEN LARTER, along with MUSTAFA FAROOQ and RIZWAN MOHAMMAD, are at the House ethics committee to talk about facial recognition technology. 5:35 p.m. Conservative leadership candidates debate at the Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference. 6:30 p.m. The House science and research committee is studying top talent, research and innovation and will hear from the Council of Canadian Innovators and other interested individuals and organizations. 6:30 p.m. The Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying will hear from Dying with Dignity Canada along with academics and lawyer and ethicist Pierre Deschamps. Keep up to House committee schedules here. Find Senate meeting schedules here.
| | PLAYBOOKERS | | Birthdays: HBD to former three-term Liberal MP SUSAN WHELAN. Spotted: PMJT, quoting his father amid accusations that Trudeau the Younger dropped a certain f-word in the Commons … Tory House leader JOHN BRASSARD, insisting the PM didn't say fuddle duddle — and dropped another kind of f-bomb. "It was a six-letter reference followed by another word," he said. (The truth may forever remain shrouded in mystery as the word wasn't caught by a mic.) — Global chief political correspondent DAVID AKIN, miraculously guessing Wordle on the first try twice in the same week … Ag Minister MARIE-CLAUDE BIBEAU and Liberal MP JENNA SUDDS with dueling #MayThe4th tweets … Trade Minister MARY NG doing the Star Wars thing on Instagram. ... MPs playing soccer. Movers and shakers: Rubicon's VANESSA LAMARRE is now lobbying for Nordstar Capital LP, the owners of the Toronto Star. Among their priorities: expansion of the feds' digital subscription tax credit. Playbook hinted at former Liberal staffer DAN LOVELL's next stop in the world of GR. Sussex Strategy unveiled Lovell as its newest hire on Wednesday. Former PMO staffer TAHIYA BAKHT started a new gig this week as manager of GR for Loblaw Companies Ltd. Sussex Strategy's ROBERTO CHÁVEZ repped Ontario's Hydro One in recent meetings with four ministerial staffers: Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT's policy director, JOANNA DAFOE, and policy advisor, EAMONN MCGUINTY; and Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON's deputy chief of staff, KYLE HARRIETHA, and policy director FIONA SIMONS. From the ethics files: Housing Minister AHMED HUSSEN policy adviser MERON CHEWAYrecused himself from a meeting with a stakeholder and their rep, Crestview Strategy, because his roommate works for the company. Farewells: Former House Speaker JOHN BOSLEY died on April 28. He was 74. MPs paid tribute to Bosley on Wednesday. Tory MP RICK PERKINS recalled that Bosley, a real estate agent in Toronto's suburbs, had no trouble getting elected in 1979. He already had signs all over the riding, quipped Perkins. CPAC tweeted Bosley's speech to the chamber when he took over the chair in 1984. On Wednesday, NDP MP CAROL HUGHES credited him with championing changes to the House standing orders that forced an improvement to decorum. Bosley ultimately resigned after two tumultuous years as Speaker. "The House of Commons is in a crisis of our own making. Restoring the self-respect of Parliament requires both a fundamental change of attitude and a catalyst," he wrote in a resignation letter. Maclean's chronicled Bosley's raucous ride as the man in the big chair. Here is his obituary.
| | TRIVIA | | VIRTUAL RESULTS — The biggest geeks in all the land gathered for the fourth and final edition of Playbook Virtual Trivia. — The winners: For the second time in a row, #TEAMVANTAGE. — The runner-up: For the second time in a row, BROCK STEPHENSON. — The bronze medalists: A three-way tie, featuring TEAM LPC OF THE '80s, THE HACKS and ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH WAVER? Next up, in-person trivia. If you have a team and burning desire for bragging rights, we're hosting our first night at the Metropolitain on June 9. RSVP here. Wednesday’s answer: Purple saxifrage is the official flower of Nunavut. Props to CULLY ROBINSON, ANNE-MARIE STACEY, BEN ROTH, CHRIS LALANDE, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, BRYAN PASSIFIUME, GORDON PHANEUF and MICHAEL SUNG. Thursday’s question: From last night’s virtual trivia: Canada’s VIP aircraft, an Airbus 310-300, has shuttled PMs and GGs around the world. Officially known as Can Force One, who first saddled it with its nickname — the flying Taj Mahal? 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, Ben Pauker and editor Sue Allan.
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