Crunch time on the Hill

By Maura Forrest

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Welcome to Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Maura Forrest, with Zi-Ann Lum. Today, the House of Commons enters the home stretch. Ottawa is keeping mum on Covid-19 vaccine patent waivers. And does Canada need a national bird?

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On Parliament Hill: The countdown to summer. | POLITICO Canada

SUMMER’S AROUND THE CORNER — Could this be the last week? The House of Commons is scheduled to sit as late as June 23. But we all know MPs start getting antsy around this time of year. The weather’s getting nicer, and the barbecue circuit beckons.

The government doesn’t necessarily have to get anything passed before the summer recess other than the budget bill, which is at second reading in the Senate. Here’s a glance at the other top priorities for the Liberals as the clock ticks down:

Bill C-11: This is the Online Streaming Act, which would require platforms like Netflix and YouTube to prioritize Canadian content. The House of Commons heritage committee has been meeting to discuss the bill for the last three weeks, and Heritage Minister PABLO RODRIGUEZ has accused the Conservatives of filibustering.

— On Friday, the House debated a motion that would effectively force the committee to wrap up its work and send the bill back to the House. That motion will be debated again this morning. The move suggested the government wanted to get C-11 passed before summer, but the Senate has made clear it won’t be rushed. Last week, Rodriguez told the Globe and Mail the government won’t push the Senate to get it done.

Bill C-5: This bill would repeal several mandatory minimum sentences, especially for gun and drug crimes. It’s intended to address the disproportionate incarceration of Indigenous people and other marginalized groups. It’s at report stage in the House.

— On Thursday, the Liberals moved a time allocation motion to shut down debate on Bill C-5. The bill will be up again in the House this afternoon.

Bill C-14: This bill would amend the Constitution Act to lock in minimum seat counts for each province, to ensure no province will ever lose ridings. The bill comes after a proposal from the chief electoral officer that would have seen Quebec lose a seat, based on population changes. The bill is at report stage in the House.

HAPPENING NOW — A high-stakes meeting of the World Trade Organization got underway in Geneva on Sunday. One of the top issues at hand is a possible waiver of Covid-19 vaccine patents, which was first proposed in October 2020 to allow developing nations to access vaccines more quickly.

The proposal has met opposition from the pharmaceutical industry and wealthy countries that have signed bilateral deals with vaccine makers. Canada has been ambivalent about the idea.

— Applying pressure: Last week, several prominent Canadians signed an open letter to Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU, Foreign Minister MÉLANIE JOLY and International Trade Minister MARY NG, calling on the government to support the waiver. The NDP is echoing their call.

Ng, who is at the meeting, tweeted several times Sunday about global food security and support for Ukraine, but didn’t mention the intellectual property waiver. In a speech Sunday, she said only that members “must deliver a response from the WTO to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

— The backstory: In April, POLITICO reported on internal documents showing the government provided detailed updates to the pharmaceutical industry about discussions of the waiver among WTO members, and was sympathetic to the industry’s objections.

— The bigger picture: As POLITICO’s DOUG PALMER and SARAH ANNE AARUP reported ahead of the meeting, the proposed waiver is one of the issues on the table in Geneva. “But the bigger question looming over the gathering is whether the WTO can still forge international cooperation at a time when multiple crises and increasing frictions between the United States and China are upending the world order.”

— In other trade news: 'The IMF is evil': Rich countries take aim at nations adopting crypto.

BOMB SCARE — The security threat that led to a shutdown of Parliament Hill on Saturday was based on bad information, Global News’ MERCEDES STEPHENSON and ALEX BOUTILIER reported Sunday.

On Saturday, Ottawa police said two vehicles and two “persons of interest” were located, but “no public safety threat was identified.”

— According to Global News: “The initial tip was detailed… and included names, photographs and license plate numbers. But multiple sources said Sunday the searches turned up no explosives.”

HEAT RISING — The pressure is mounting for Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO, who may now be regretting all those times he said it was police who advised the government to invoke the Emergencies Act to deal with the Freedom Convoy.

Three current and former police chiefs have now denied explicitly asking the government to enact emergency powers, though they have said those measures were helpful in dislodging the protesters.

Conservative leadership candidate PIERRE POILIEVRE may have been the first to call for Mendicino’s resignation last week, but he wasn’t the last.

— The commentariat: According to the Globe and Mail’s ANDREW COYNE , “If… he knowingly ‘misled’ (to use the polite term) Parliament, well, there is a penalty for this sort of thing. And the penalty, in the conventions of Westminster-style parliaments, is resignation.”

The National Post’s REX MURPHY managed to write 540 words of an 800-word column about Mendicino before actually getting to Mendicino, but when he did, he also called for him to resign.

— And the Conservatives, while they haven’t yet played the “resign” card, are fundraising off the controversy. “Help us get to the truth behind the Liberals’ unprecedented invocation of the Emergencies Act, and chip in today,” public safety critic RAQUEL DANCHO said in a fundraising email Saturday.

— Related: Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND and Emergency Preparedness Minister BILL BLAIR will appear Tuesday evening before a parliamentary committee studying the use of the Emergencies Act.

LIGHT RAIL DEBACLE — A public inquiry into Ottawa’s problem-plagued light rail transit system kicks off today. Here’s a little amuse-bouche from the Ottawa Citizen’s JON WILLING, who took an early look at documents filed with the inquiry commission:

“French train maker Alstom has told the province’s LRT inquiry that the city of Ottawa and contractor Rideau Transit Group knew the $2.2-billion Confederation Line wasn’t ready to fully launch, but the city went ahead anyway.”

For more background, from the sinkholes to the lawsuits, here’s the Narwhal’s FATIMA SYED.

DON'T MISS THE 2022 GREAT LAKES ECONOMIC FORUM:  POLITICO is excited to be the exclusive media partner again at the Council of the Great Lakes Region's bi-national Great Lakes Economic Forum with co-hosts Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot. This premier, intimate networking event, taking place June 26-28 in Chicago, brings together international, national and regional leaders from business, government, academia and the nonprofit sector each year. "Powering Forward" is this year's theme, setting the stage to connect key decision-makers with thought leaders and agents of change to identify and advance solutions that will strengthen the region's competitiveness and sustainability in today's competitive climate of trade, innovation, investment, labor mobility and environmental performance. Register today.

9:30 a.m. Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON will deliver remarks at the opening ceremony of PDAC 2022 in Toronto. He will also speak publicly at PDAC events happening at 1:45 p.m. and 2:25 p.m.

10 a.m. (CT) Innovation Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE and Agriculture Minister MARIE-CLAUDE BIBEAU are in Saskatoon to make an announcement to support the mineral and agriculture sector.

2 p.m. Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND will attend Question Period.

4 p.m. Conservative MP PHILIP LAWRENCE holds a press conference to discuss his private member’s bill, the International Human Rights Act. He will be joined by Conservative international development critic GARNETT GENUIS.

7:30 p.m. Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will speak at the Laurier Club summer reception and garden party, an annual Liberal fundraiser in Ottawa.

POPULIST VOTE — When it comes to raising children, which is more important: Strength or wisdom? Morality or reason and evidence? Creativity or good behavior? Order or openness? Trust in science, or skepticism of experts and elites?

Your answers might hint at your inclination to support populist politicians like PIERRE POILIEVRE or DOUG FORD, PHILIPPE J. FOURNIER reports for POLITICO this morning . According to data from EKOS Research Associates, people with a more ordered authoritarian outlook are more likely to oppose abortion rights and bans on firearms, were more reluctant to wear masks at the height of the pandemic, and are more vaccine-hesitant. They also tend to vote for conservative parties.

— Something to consider: In this month’s Ontario election, Ford swept the all-important Toronto suburbs, which are just as critical to the federal Conservatives. The message? “As we can see,” EKOS senior associate JOSEPH ANGOLANO told Fournier, “Ford can hold the authoritarian populist segment just fine without going the oratorical road that Pierre Poilievre has chosen to go down.”

FOR THE BIRDS — Does Canada need a national bird? A group of ornithologists has just sent an 80-page (!) book to all 338 members of Parliament making the case for why the Canada jay should receive the honor.

— Among their arguments: Americans seem pretty proud of their national bird, the bald eagle, so why shouldn’t we have one? Canada already has a national animal (the beaver), a national tree (the sugar maple), two national sports (lacrosse and hockey), and a national horse (because the beaver wasn’t enough?), but no national bird. And the Canada jay is friendly, tough, and found in every province — just like us.

— Oh, the drama: Lest you think this is all a bit of fun, let us enlighten you. There is some serious backstory here. Back in 2015, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society founded the National Bird Project, with the aim of having an official bird declared by Canada 150 in 2017. The society asked Canadians to vote for their top pick, and the common loon won by a landslide.

Naturally, the society disregarded the popular vote and selected the lesser-known gray jay instead. The common loon, you see, is already the provincial bird of Ontario. Outrage ensued.

— Moot point: It all came to naught when Ottawa made clear the government wasn’t going to pick a national bird for Canada 150 anyway. But team gray jay never gave up the fight. They were instrumental in getting the bird’s name officially switched from gray jay to Canada jay in 2018, just to make it a little bit more patriotic.

— And now: On the eve of another Canada Day, they’re making another pitch. An 80-page pitch, to be precise.

What do you think? Should Canada have a national bird? What should it be? Let us know at ottawaplaybook@politico.com.

PLOT LINE BLING — Conservative BEN LOBB delivered a memorable zinger in the House government operations and estimates committee in April when he pressed for more info about a C$750,000 kitchen renovation at Harrington Lake, the country residence used by Canada’s PMs.

“Not even DRAKE’s kitchen in Toronto was C$750,000,” Lobb said.

Public Services and Procurement Minister FILOMENA TASSI responded with a pledge to get more details about said reno, and the committee published a written response late last week.

The kitchen refers to the “entire service area of the main building, which underwent significant rehabilitation,” read the response. The service area, it outlined, includes kitchen, pantry, laundry, storage areas and housekeeping areas “for both personal and official uses.”

Complete rehabilitation of Harrington Lake’s main cottage was originally estimated to cost C$6.1 million “but was completed for C$5.8 million,” read the department’s response package.

— The other place: Additional details were included about renos at Rideau Cottage, a residence on the grounds of Rideau Hall where the Trudeaus have lived since 2015.

From 2015 to September 2021, the department said total expenditures for operations and maintenance costs were roughly C$344,360.

That line item is separate from C$3,166,191 to pay for total capital expenditures during the same timeframe — the bulk of which, according to the department, is due to security costs for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

“If those costs are excluded, the total capital expenditures for Rideau Cottage for that time period are approximately C$388,103 for the following items: basement washroom (C$26,507), paving and landscaping (C$306,671), roof replacement (C$54,925).”

— Top of POLITICO this morning: Biden’s Power Broker: How Susan Rice Defied Critics and Created a White House Policy Fiefdom.

— STEVEN CHASE and BOB FIFE report: Canada apologizes for sending official to Russian embassy party.

— Here's KYLE BAKX of the CBC: From $0 to $120 in 2 years — and the price of oil could climb higher.

— “Ottawa is a city caught for decades in a struggle between what should be the grandeur and charm of a national capital, and the harsh realities of conflict between three levels of government, a lack of vision and poor decision-making by leaders at all levels,” architect Toon Dreessen writes in Policy Options.

— CHRISTINA FRANGOU puts questions to Moderna’s PATRICIA GAUTHIER on Canada’s next pandemic.

— Culture writer and podcaster ELAMIN ABDELMAHMOUD is on The Bad & Bitchy pod to discuss his new book, Son of Elsewhere.

— POLITICO’s CHRIS CADELAGO and JONATHAN LEMIRE have the wrap on Biden’s Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.

For POLITICO Pro s, our latest policy newsletter by ZI-ANN LUM is jam-packed: The week ahead: Silly season crescendo.

In other headlines for Pros:
— NASA launches a study seeking clues about UFOs.
— Hot mess: There’s a problem with Trump’s Air Force One paint job.
— Left fears Biden’s vaccine diplomacy will be a bust.
— Ukraine wants guarantees Russia won’t attack ports if grain corridor opens.
— Globalization's gut check: World Trade Organization gathering offers a test of free trade system.

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

Birthdays: HBD to PENNY OLEKSIAK, Canada’s most decorated Olympian — 22 today!

Also celebrating: TONY BURMAN, former head of Al Jazeera English and CBC News, former MPs ROB ANDERSON and JEAN-YVES LAFOREST.

HBD + 1 to Conservative MP DAVE MACKENZIE and former MP CATHY MCLEOD.

HBD + 2 to Star columnist SUSAN DELACOURT, Ontario MPP CAROLINE MULRONEY and Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON.

And ANDREW MACDOUGALL celebrated 47 (45+1+1) over the weekend.

Spotted: The Parliamentary Press Gallery executive meeting with House Speaker ANTHONY ROTA. … MP MICHAEL KRAM, ready for Game Day.

Conservative interim leader CANDICE BERGEN, paying tribute to former MP CATHY MCLEOD … Cabinet Minister CAROLYN BENNETT with a book recommendation.

LOUISE BLAIS, *not* waiting in line at Pearson Airport … TASHA KHEIRIDDIN, testing positive for Covid.

The team at Crestview Strategy, holding their summer party at Campbell House in Toronto.

Media mentions: Congrats to all the RTDNA Canada award winners for excellence in digital and broadcast journalism.

And happy Fifth Anniversary to the West End Phoenix. 

Movers and shakers: RICHARD FLORIZONE picked up a Visionary Leadership Award from the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) Manitoba.

Farewells: Veteran Conservative staffer MARTIN BÉLANGER is leaving the opposition leader’s office after 16 years in politics.

Columnist ELIZABETH RENZETTI has left the Globe: “After nearly 30 years, it’s time for a new chapter in my life.”

ICYMI, Citizen columnist KELLY EGAN has also retired after 2,500 columns and four decades in the journalism industry. “What an honour it’s been, to witness, and serve,” he wrote in his final column.

In memoriam: KEN SUNQUIST has died. He was Canada’s first chief trade commissioner from 2003 to 2011.

DEBORAH CHATSIS, former ambassador to Vietnam, Guatemala and Belize, passed away last week. “She was a Canadian leader, trailblazer and inspiration to me and so many others. I was lucky to have known her,” Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. KIRSTEN HILLMAN tweeted.

There will be a memorial today for beloved political scientist DAVID TARAS. His obituary is here, which includes a link to a livestream of the service.

LORETTA ANNE ROGERS died Saturday.

Keep up to House committee schedules here.

Find Senate meeting schedules here.

11 a.m. “Certificate of nomination” is on the agenda for privacy commissioner nominee PHILIPPE DUFRESNE’s appearance at the House access to information, privacy and ethics committee.

11 a.m. The House agriculture committee continues its study of global food insecurity.

Oxfam Canada will be first up, followed by Ukraine MP LESIA ZABURANNA.

11 a.m. It’s a “review of statutory instruments” day at the joint parliamentary committee for the scrutiny of regulations.

11 a.m. The House human resources committee (HUMA) will hear from experts as it studies the Housing Accelerator Fund.

11 a.m. The Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee meets for clause-by-clause consideration of Bill S-4.

2 p.m. The Senate national security and defense committee meets for clause-by-clause consideration of Bill S-7.

3:30 p.m. The House health committee continues its study of the emergency pandemic situation facing Canadians. COVID Long-Haulers Support Group Canada’s SUSIE GOULDING is on the witness list.

5 p.m. Parliamentary Budget Officer YVES GIROUX will be at the Senate official languages committee to take questions on Bill C-13. Also on the witness list: Former senator JOAN FRASER.

5 p.m. The Senate human rights committee will delve into the topic of Islamophobia in Canada. Witnesses include MUSTAFA FAROOQ of the National Council of Canadian Muslims and Canadian heritage and public safety officials.

6:30 p.m. “Election of chair” is agenda item No. 1 at the inaugural meeting of the new House special committee on the Canada-China relationship.

Behind closed doors:

11 a.m. The House transport committee meets in camera to review a draft copy of a report about its study of the state of Canada’s supply chains.

3:30 p.m. The House international trade committee meets in camera to consider a draft report of its Canada–U.S. relationship study related to EVs, softwood lumber and “other sectors.”

3:30 p.m. The House official languages committee meets in camera to talk “committee business.”

3:30 p.m. The House heritage committee will consider a draft report on Covid-19 in its first hour.

3:30 p.m. The House national defense committee meets to review a draft report of their study delving into recruitment and retention in the Canadian Armed Forces.

6:30 p.m. The joint parliamentary committee on medical assistance in dying meets in camera to review a draft report about its statutory review of Criminal Code provisions related to MAiD.

Friday’s answer: “I don't know why there is this prurient interest in my private life …” That was KIM CAMPBELL. 

Props to ANNE-MARIE STACEY, DIANNE SHERRIN, BOB GORDON, TOM CORMIER, BRAM ABRAMSON, DOUG RICE, MICHAEL SUNG, MICHAEL MACDONALD, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, SHEILA GERVAIS, GUY SKIPWORTH, VICTOR KRISEL and JOANNA PLATER. 

Monday’s question: Speaking of Campbell, on this day in 1993, she beat JEAN CHAREST to win the leadership race for the Progressive Conservative Party. Who else was on the first ballot?

Send your answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com

Correction: Thursday's Playbook misstated the endorsement status of two MPs. In fact, Robert Kitchen has endorsed Pierre Poilievre and Ted Falk has endorsed Leslyn Lewis.

Playbook wouldn’t happen without Luiza Ch. Savage and editor Sue Allan.

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Nick Taylor-Vaisey @TaylorVaisey Sue Allan @susan_allan Andy Blatchford @AndyBlatchford Maura Forrest @MauraForrest Zi-Ann Lum @ziannlum POLITICO Canada @politicoottawa

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