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Presented by Meta Canada: A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Zi-Ann Lum and Maura Forrest | Presented by Meta Canada | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Nick | Follow Politico Canada Welcome to Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey with Maura Forrest in Ottawa and Zi-Ann Lum in Washington. Today, a certain premier who likes to do battle in one nation's capital is testifying in another. Plus, Ottawa VIPs dress to the nines tonight. Yes, it's the return of an IRL Politics and the Pen gala. Did someone forward Ottawa Playbook to you today? Are you ready to be a forwarder, not a forwardee? Click here to sign up to this free newsletter.
| | | | A message from Meta Canada: Meta, in partnership with Journalists for Human Rights, is honoured to announce the Afghan Journalist-in-Residence Project, a US$1.1 million program that will create 10 one-year placements for Afghan journalists in newsrooms across Canada. Participating newsrooms include The Canadian Press, CTV News, Global News, the Toronto Star and Hamilton Spectator. | | | | | | D.C. DETOUR — Alberta Premier JASON KENNEY is stateside today, where he'll make his province's case to the Senate energy and natural resources committee. He was invited to testify at the committee by Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.V.), a key cross-border energy ally who visited Alberta in April. Kenney's trip to that other nation's capital comes the same week that his political future is in flux. On Wednesday, United Conservative HQ will livestream the results of a high-stakes leadership review that follows more than a year of internal discord. — Also at the table: Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON will appear at the Senate hearing virtually. Also appearing: NATHALIE CAMDEN, Quebec's energy and natural resources associate deputy minister, and Electricity Canada President and CEO FRANCIS BRADLEY. Kenney will have five minutes for an opening pitch to U.S. lawmakers to stop what he calls the country’s “addiction to OPEC conflict oil.” Playbook co-authors NICK TAYLOR-VAISEY (in Edmonton) and ZI-ANN LUM (in Washington) write this morning: With his political future uncertain, Jason Kenney is in D.C. on a mission to save the oil patch. FIVE KEY QUOTES — LUM joined a clutch of Canadian reporters at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington on Monday for an hour with the premier. With Alberta’s Energy Minister SONYA SAVAGE, Environment Minister JASON NIXON and his province’s envoy JAMES RAJOTTE by his side, Kenney aired his grievances against the Biden administration and ruminated on why his province doesn’t have stronger U.S. ties. — What a victory in D.C. would look like: “We're not going to win some huge policy decision this week. This is part of a longer term strategic effort to build relationships and raise awareness about the critical role of Alberta energy in the American economy — and this is going to be a big issue in the midterms … we got allies like Senator Manchin, who understand this issue and we want to expand that in the U.S. Congress and elsewhere.” — KXL is dead but he’s not over it. Kenney said TC Energy “could have and should have done things differently. … They should have started by committing to order U.S. steel. They should have started with deeper Indigenous engagement … they learned a lot about land use and permitting issues and environmental sensitivities through all of that.” Alberta has the supply but needs infrastructure, he said. Kenney estimated a hypothetical Keystone 2.0. project would probably be “in the range of C$10 billion.” — On why Alberta doesn’t have better ties with America: “I’ve thought a lot about that over the years. I think part of the answer is our charming Canadian tendency to be apologetic and not to stand up for ourselves, to be a little passive aggressive.” Kenney’s government is responding by ratcheting up the province’s advocacy and lobbying efforts in the states. They’re taking a page from Quebec’s hydropower-diplomacy playbook to open new provincial offices in Chicago, Seattle and Denver. His government has an ally in Manchin but wants to make more friends in Congress. The Canadian Press’ JAMES MCCARTEN asked how a Republican Congress would change the dynamic. Kenney sidestepped. “That's for American voters to decide who will lead Congress,” he said before pointing to the Congressional Black Caucus as a group open to Alberta’s message “because they're representing people living who are most vulnerable to energy poverty.” — On what happens Wednesday and in the days after: “I'm very confident about an endorsement from the membership of my party this week. And moving on, I just want to get it behind us … I've never lost an election, and I don't plan on doing so now.”
|  | For your radar | | 'I. AM. EUROPEAN!' — Foreign Minister MÉLANIE JOLY tried to burnish Canada’s Euro cred Monday on the sidelines of her meetings with her EU counterparts. Standing beside JOSEP BORRELL , EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joly told reporters how Canada has been working with European partners to impose sanctions on Russia and isolate the Kremlin diplomatically and economically. She then went further: “And, of course, Canada is one of the most European countries in the world while being fiercely North American.” TOP COURT — Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will soon appoint another justice to the Supreme Court of Canada, and a read of the tea leaves suggests the top court could soon have its first Indigenous judge. The government on Monday announced the members of the advisory board that will recommend candidates to the PM, and for the first time, the list includes a member nominated by the Indigenous Bar Association. DAVID NAHWEGAHBOW is the founding partner of law firm NAHWEGAHBOW CORBIERE, and is Anishinaabe from Whitefish River First Nation. The board also includes KONRAD SIOUI, former grand chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation in Wendake, near Quebec City. The other members are: PAULETTE SENIOR, president of the Canadian Women’s Foundation; former Supreme Court justice LOUISE CHARRON; CHARLENE THEODORE, former director of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers; JACQUELINE HORVAT, founding partner of Spark Law; and RICHARD JOCHELSON, dean of the University of Manitoba’s law faculty. A news release notes the board members come from “diverse backgrounds” and will identify candidates “representative of the diversity of our country.” The board is chaired by former P.E.I. premier WADE MACLAUCHLAN. — The back story: The Liberal government is facing mounting pressure to appoint Canada’s first-ever Indigenous Supreme Court justice. Trudeau’s pick, to come from Ontario, will replace Justice MICHAEL MOLDAVER, who is retiring in September. Critics have suggested Trudeau’s bilingualism requirement for top-court justices is an impediment to potential Indigenous candidates, but the Liberals haven’t budged on that count. The application process closed Friday, and the board will submit a shortlist of candidates to the PM. — Who will it be? Playbook can’t tell you that (yet). But one name that’s been floating around for a while is JOHN BORROWS , a law professor at the University of Victoria and a member of the Chippewas of the Nawash First Nation in Ontario. Who should Trudeau appoint to the bench? Are you a lawyer with your ear to the ground? What are you hearing? Tell us tell us tell us: ottawaplaybook@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Meta Canada:   | | | | | CONSERVATIVE CORNER | | THE AFTERMATH OF BUFFALO — Tory MP MICHELLE REMPEL GARNER condemned the “great replacement” conspiracy theory that now connected to the horrifying shooting rampage on Saturday as "murderous, hate fueled, white supremacist propaganda." The crackpot theory argues that a nefarious plot advanced by [insert theorizer's non-white target demographic] is looking to diminish the influence of white people in society. Like we said: crackpot. "If you espouse this belief," Rempel Garner tweeted on Sunday, "I stand against you." Rempel Garner co-chairs PATRICK BROWN's leadership campaign. On Monday, Brown played the wedge politics card, calling on PIERRE POILIEVRE to condemn the conspiracy once championed by Freedom Convoy organizer PAT KING. The strong inference? Poilievre supported the truckers, the truckers were loosely led by King, and King is a conspiracy theorist. Therefore, Poilievre is a conspiracy theorist. — Unequivocal: The frontrunning campaign wasn't silent for long. "I condemn the attack in Buffalo and the ugly racist hatred that motivated it," the frontrunner said in a statement. "Any and all racism is evil and must be stopped. I also denounce the so-called 'white replacement theory' as ugly and disgusting hate mongering. I also condemn Pat King and his ugly remarks." — A tale of two Liberals: A former Cabinet minister was torched Sunday for tone deafness on social media in the aftermath of the Buffalo shootings. On Monday, a member of Parliament delivered a powerful statement in the chamber. Quite a juxtaposition. CATHERINE MCKENNA, on Twitter: "Reading the news today, I'm feeling very fortunate to live in Canada — a diverse and tolerant country that values freedom while respecting human rights. We aren't perfect and building our country is an ongoing project but I wouldn't choose anywhere else." An hour later, McKenna added: "I get that we need to do better & more in Canada in many ways including to address discrimination against minorities, advance the recognition of rights & reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, tackle climate, address inequality. But that doesn't take away from how far we've come. "And we need to fight every day to protect the progress we've made and to continue the work. I'm certainly not stopping — especially on the biggest challenge that threatens our very existence and hurts us all, especially the most vulnerable: climate change." TALEEB NOORMOHAMED, in the House: "Canada is not immune from this threat. We saw this in the horrific killings at the mosque in Quebec City and again last summer in London, Ontario. We see extremist organizations continue to foment discord, hate and threaten violence here in Canada, yet there are many who question why we should focus our attention on ideologically-motivated, violent extremism perpetrated by the far right and by white supremacists. This weekend’s murders in the United States are a perfect example of why this focus is necessary. "We must remain vigilant and set aside our differences to curb all forms of ideologically-motivated, violent extremism here in Canada. I ask that all members of this House work together to ensure that Canadians know that we are united when it comes to recognizing and addressing the threat we face from white nationalism and far-right extremists." — In related reading from CATHERINE CULLEN: Conservatives condemn racist conspiracy theory, attack each other over Buffalo shooting.
| | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | | — 9 a.m. Parliamentary Budget Officer YVES GIROUX will release a report that will assess the prospects of the Canadian government’s goal of maintaining a declining debt-to-GDP ratio and of achieving the medium-term deficit target of 1 percent of GDP. — 10 a.m. NDP leader JAGMEET SINGH will talk about his plan to "help Canadians getting gouged by oil and gas companies." — 10:15 a.m. (Nfld Time) PM Trudeau joins Newfoundland and Labrador Premier ANDREW FUREY for a visit to a child-care facility in St. John's. — 1:40 p.m. (Nfld Time) The PM attends the official welcome ceremony for Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. — 2 p.m. Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in Toronto, but will virtually attend QP. — 3:30 p.m. The Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange Executive Director BOB GORDON is a panelist at the 7th annual Hemispheric Security Conference hosted by Florida International University. Organizers will set up a livestream for the event.
| | | | A message from Meta Canada: Together, Journalists for Human Rights and the Meta Journalism Project will help to open up new career opportunities for these veteran journalists and contribute towards their resettlement in Canada. Journalists for Human Rights and the participating newsrooms will review applications and select the 10 placements later this year. We hope these new positions will enrich our newsrooms and communities, further enhancing Canada’s diverse and vibrant news ecosystem. For more details on the program, please see our blog post. | | | | | AROUND THE HILL | | PARTY TIME — Tonight is a big night for people in Ottawa who like to look fancy and celebrate excellence in political writing. SEAMUS O'REGAN and MARCI IEN , a pair of former broadcast news pals who now share a Cabinet table, emcee the annual Politics and the Pen gala — in-person for the first time since the Before Times. At stake at the Chateau Laurier is the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, handed out by the Writers' Trust of Canada. — The finalists are... → MIKE BLANCHFIELD and FEN OSLER HAMPSON for "The Two Michaels: Innocent Canadian Captives and High Stakes Espionage in the US-China Cyber War" → JOANNA CHIU for "China Unbound: A New World Disorder" → The late FLORA MACDONALD and GEOFFREY STEVENS for "Flora!: A Woman in a Man's World" → STEPHEN POLOZ for "The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the World Can Adapt to a Riskier Future" → JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD for "'Indian' in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power" — Bring the funny: JIM ARMOUR, a member of the night's organizing committee, hinted at some of what's to come: "I can't really share jokes in advance, but SONYA BELL and I had a lot of material to work with. ROB ROSENFELD passed along some zingers and there are some hidden comedians in Minister Ien's office. Our two co-hosts will be in fine form. RODGER CUZNER is also back with another video.” — IRL schmoozing: Playbook will be in the room at the Chateau. Come and say hi!
| | 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 | | — Here's the CBC's MIKE CRAWLEY on what the Ontario leaders' debate means for the rest of the election campaign.
And here's The Globe's DUSTIN COOK with five takeaways. And another five from The Star. — The first episode of the second season of CONNIE WALKER’s 'Stolen' pod drops today. Here's Walker talking about it with the CBC's SAM MACIAG. Listen here. — Radio-Canada obtained hundreds of pages of email correspondence between the NCC and Ottawa police at the height of the Freedom Convoy occupation. At the heart of their shambolic miscommunication lay a familiar root cause: jurisdictional uncertainty. (Who saw that coming? MICHAEL WERNICK , for one.) — Top of POLITICO this morning: It's Midterm Super Tuesday. Here are the people, places and big political questions at stake. — The Globe's IVAN SEMENIUK interviews climate scientist KATHARINE HAYHOE. Here's how she stays hopeful: "I spend time doing the things I love in the places I love with the people I love because that’s what we’re fighting for, and that’s what gives us hope." — Downtown Ottawa's TERRY FOX statue will be moved elsewhere. CP has the deets on the new building that will fill the space across from the Hill. — From the Narwhal: "The majority of Canada’s big pension funds share board members with fossil fuel companies."
| | PLAYBOOKERS | | Birthdays: HBD to Ontario MPP PARM GILL. Former MPP HOWARD HAMPTON is 70 today. Also celebrating: JORDAN BANKS, MYRA FREEMAN, ANDRE MALTAIS, STAN KEYES and FILOMENA ROTIROTI. HBD + 1 to PHILIPPE J. FOURNIER and to CHRIS SANDS, director of the Wilson Center's Canada Institute. Spotted: CP's PAOLA LORIGGIO , undeterred from journalistic multitasking despite the presence of a budgie resting on her head … HARJIT SAJJAN's dcomm, TODD LANE, sitting on a dock (and reading about power in the Middle Ages) … Average Canadian house prices, falling for the second month in a row amid rising interest rates. JASON KENNEY with JASON KENNEY in D.C. last night. Save the date: The Canadian embassy hosts a spring fling on its Pennsylvania Avenue rooftop with a view of the U.S. Capitol. Ambo KIRSTEN HILLMAN will host. Mark your calendars for June 14 at 6 p.m. There will be spotteds. Quebec's government office in Ottawa has its own Fête nationale event in the same time slot. The quasi-ironic venue is the Sir John A building on Wellington. SONIA LEBEL, the chair of the Treasury Board and minister of Canadian relations, will be a special guest. Movers and shakers: Former ANDREW SCHEER chief of staff MARC-ANDRÉ LECLERC, now at Maple Leaf Strategies, is lobbying for General Dynamics … Fellow ex-OLO'er JOSE SABATINO is repping Google Canada on the Hill. — Volta Energy Solutions Canada has a phalanx of KPMG consultants signed up in the lobbyist registry: CAROLINE CHAREST, HENRY CHUNG, BEGONA BERNARDEZ PADILLA, STEPHANE TREMBLAY, OMAR RAZA, ÉLODIE LUSSIER PICHÉ and MATHIEU OUELLET. The company hopes to tap into ISED's Strategic Innovation Fund for an "extension of its battery copper foil plant in Canada." Copper foil is a key component of EV batteries. — A busy day for the registry: By noon Tuesday, lobbyists had already posted 891 meetings. The number at 5 p.m. ballooned to 1,050. Media mentions: MATT GURNEY penned what is "likely" his final National Post column. "It's a money thing, they told me." Twas ever thus in the newspaper biz. (Gurney is co-founder of The Line, where he writes a lot, and also a regular TVO contributor.)
| | HOUSE BUSINESS | | Keep up to House committee schedules here. Find Senate meeting schedules here. 10 a.m. The Senate Energy Committee will gather on U.S.-Canadian energy, minerals and climate partnerships. 11 a.m. BILL BROWDER is one of many witnesses who will appear at the House committee on public safety and national security. On the agenda: “Assessment of Canada’s Security Posture in Relation to Russia.” Security expert WESLEY WARK shared a preview of his opening statement with our Pro Canada PM memo. 11 a.m. The House procedure committee has a lineup for the ages as it considers expanding federal jurisdiction for the operational security of the parliamentary precinct. Among those scheduled to appear: Interim Ottawa Police Chief STEVE BELL, RCMP Deputy Commissioner MICHAEL DUHEME, Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO and Public Service and Procurement Minister FILOMENA TASSI. 11 a.m. Tory MP KYLE SEEBACK will be at the House citizenship committee to discuss Bill C-242. 11 a.m. The House environment committee is in camera to discuss two reports: One on fossil fuel subsidies, the other on nuclear waste governance. 11 a.m. The House public accounts committee is also behind closed doors to discuss its reports on the AG’s reports. 11 a.m. Ditto the House committee on fisheries and oceans. Their task: A draft report on marine cargo container spills. 3:30 p.m. The House committee on the status of women meets — say it with us — behind closed doors to discuss its report on intimate partner violence. 3:30 p.m. The House industry committee will hear from the Canadian Home Builders' Association, Convenience Industry Council of Canada, Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association of Canada and the University of Toronto’s EDWARD IACOBUCCI. 3:30 p.m. The House justice committee is doing clause-by-clause on Bill C-5. 3:30 p.m. The House government operations and estimates committee will hear from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers as it studies air defense procurement projects. 6:30 p.m. The Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency has a three-hour meeting on the books for “Committee Business.” Here’s how CP previews the session: “They will discuss outstanding motions and air frustrations about the lack of transparency in the testimony they've heard and the difficulty accessing documents.”
| | PROZONE | | For Pro s, here’s our PM Canada memo from ANDY BLATCHFORD, MAURA FORREST and ZI-ANN LUM: Kenney to White House: ‘Get real’ In news for POLITICO Pro s: — 'Fighting a war on two fronts': Guilbeault launches public consultation on climate adaptation
— From worms to war: The unlikely beginnings of NATO’s next top general
— Biden’s politically perilous choice on China trade
— Glasgow climate deal in danger of ‘fracture,’ says COP26 chief
— Democrats' next wedge issue: Tax breaks for businesses
| | TRIVIA | | Monday's answer: JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD wrote: “The PM was late. Building in me was a creeping realization that this was the beginning of the end.” Her memoir, ‘Indian’ in the Cabinet, is up for the 2022 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize. Props to JOHN ECKER, DOUG RICE, BILL DAY, NOAH RICHARDSON, JENNIFER BABCOCK, TIM MCCALLUM, PETER MCKINNEY, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, KRISTIN BALDWIN, MICHAEL SUNG, JENN KEAY, BEN ROTH, JACOB WILSON, JOHN MATHESON and DANIEL PROUSSALIDIS. Tuesday’s question: MP Shaughnessy Cohen served in the House between 1993 and Dec. 9, 1998 when she died tragically after a cerebral hemorrhage. Who shared the following words in the House on the day after her death: “The time she spent in Parliament did not go unnoticed. She was a person of strong convictions but she also knew how to make friends. Although her work was very important to her, she knew there was more to life, like sometimes making time for fun, creating the odd problem for us and getting me to smile anyway. There was always that balance that not everyone has, but she did. She was truly exceptional.” 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. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
