Power's weird relationship with records

By Zi-Ann Lum

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WELCOME TO OTTAWA PLAYBOOK. I’m your host, Zi-Ann Lum with Maura Forrest, Sue Allan and Nick Taylor-Vaisey. Former journo-turned-DPM CHRYSTIA FREELAND tests an axiom of her old profession and Public Safety Minister BILL BLAIR says he doesn’t take notes. The view outside the NWT premier’s Toronto hotel window reminds her of inequities at home. Plus, we learn House administration doesn’t track who votes in person vs. virtually.

TELL, DON’T SHOW — CHRYSTIA FREELAND burned the bulk of her 88 minutes at committee Tuesday evening answering questions she wished she was asked.

The deputy prime minister joined MPs and senators on the special joint committee on the declaration of emergency to speak to what motivated the government’s decision to invoke unprecedented measures to clear convoy occupiers from the Hill and border blockades.

— It’s the economy, stupid: “It was clear to me that with each passing hour, our economic reputation with the United States as a reliable trading partner, and as a reliable investment destination was being damaged,” Freeland said.

That situation was “so dangerous to Canada,” the DPM said. “I was deeply deeply concerned that these illegal blockades and this illegal occupation would provoke a whole new wave of protectionism and deeply erode our trading relationship with the United States.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland participates in a media availability to discuss Canadian sanctions on Russia on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. | Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

— Show me the money: Exchanges turned testy when NDP MP MATTHEW GREEN tried to get the DPM to clarify if her concerns of reputational damage were backed with quantifiable numbers. Freeland didn’t offer to share her data.

When Green asked the DPM if she took notes in high-level meetings related to the government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act, she skated.

GREEN: Do you have notes?

FREELAND: I'm speaking to you now about the content of those conversations.

GREEN: I’m asking you if you took notes.

FREELAND: [Silence]

GREEN: That’s unreal.

Conservative GLEN MOTZ lamented: “We've danced for 90 minutes and don't have any answers at all.” When Motz pointed out the large briefing binder Freeland kept referring to during the committee and asked if she would provide it to members, the DPM declined.

“These notes are for my own personal use,” she said.

— The headline the PMO wants you to read: Chrystia Freeland to unveil C$7-billion plan to fight inflation.

— The circle of power’s paper allergy continues: The same dance dragged on into the committee’s second block with Public Safety Minister BILL BLAIR.

The former Toronto police chief spoke frankly about getting info from local law enforcement about challenges they were facing related to the Ottawa convoy and the illegal border blockades.

Those briefings, the committee later learned, were verbal. Here’s an excerpt from when the reveal came about.

GREEN : Would you be willing to share those briefings with this committee, sir, for the clarity that we could perhaps contemplate them in camera?

BLAIR: Unfortunately, Mr. Green, those were verbal briefings to me and I can only provide you with my recollection.

GREEN: And you don't take notes? As a former police officer of decades, you don't take detailed notes on your meetings?

BLAIR: I've always been very careful in carrying any notes or paper with respect to matters of significant confidence.

I received the benefit of verbal briefings from officials, but I do not take and carry notes from those meetings.

GREEN: Do your staff take or carry notes, sir? … You don’t know if your staff take notes on your behalf at meetings?

BLAIR: I'll inquire but I do not believe that, frankly, my staff have access to some of those confidential briefings of which I am privileged to attend.

WALL STREET’S RIPPLES — The U.S. federal reserve is poised to make a supersized interest rate hike today, putting some pressure on the WSJ’s credibility as a fed whisperer.

The fed had set expectations for a 50-basis hike but a story by WSJ reporter NICK TIMIRAOS this week reported officials were chewing on a higher 75 basis point rate increase, citing a string of recent “troubling inflation” reports.

“If the fed doesn’t hike 75 then the WSJ and its reporter are toast as fed whisperers,” wrote Scotiabank economist DEREK HOLT in a note to clients Wednesday.

“If the fed does hike 75 then what ever happened to the requirements set by our regulators to engage in full and open disclosure??” Holt wrote. “Do as I say not as I do, I guess.”

— A case to accelerate rates: The S&P 500’s 20-percent dive this week from its January peak signaled bear market territory for U.S. stocks. Bear markets are read often as harbingers of a looming recession.

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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.

HYBRID MOMENTS — Hybrid Parliament arrangements are slated to expire June 23. Some MPs are thrilled to get back to The Way Things Were while others are weary of rolling back elements of modernity.

One element, for example, is the electronic voting app, a direct byproduct of the House and Senate moving toward a hybrid format to respond to pandemic public health guidelines.

A grand experiment by Parliament — too bad there’s a dearth of data being collected to understand the novel technology’s uptake.

— Voting data: The House of Commons administration doesn’t keep records of which MPs vote in person and which cast their ballot through the app. Except they do, when the votes are actually happening. For a short time after a vote is counted, the unofficial results are available online, along with a list of which MPs were present and which tuned in virtually.

Playbook took a look at three votes held Monday, and noticed a few interesting tidbits. For one thing, the number of MPs present in the House can vary a lot from vote to vote. During one vote, for example, 75 Liberals and 67 Conservatives voted in person; during another vote that same day, only 36 Liberals and 47 Conservatives were present.

That means MPs aren’t just voting on the app when they’re outside Ottawa — many MPs on the Hill are clearly taking the opportunity to vote remotely and then carry on with their day, rather than trekking into the Commons. And Conservatives are doing this along with all the other parties, despite their opposition to a hybrid Parliament.

Conservative House Leader JOHN BRASSARD wants a full return to in-person Parliament, but acknowledges there are some voices in caucus that are pro voting app — and that there will be continued utility for it in exceptional circumstances.

“I've heard from the majority of my caucus that they want to return to getting back to being in their seat to be accountable, to be identified by way of their vote to their constituents and to Canadians,” Brassard told Playbook.

“I'm not going to tell you that there aren't preferences within our caucus to continue with the voting app,” he said. “But the fact is that we need to get back to where people are taking their seats, rightfully, in the House of Commons.”

Brassard said the voting app served its purpose during the height of Covid-19 when people weren’t too keen on traveling.

“We would consider exceptional circumstances where either by way of proxy voting that may lead to voting by app where somebody is dealing with a very serious medical condition that requires them to be at home to seek medical attention,” he said.

“We want to make sure that all members of parliament are able to participate in the roles that they've been elected to do.”

— More details: To give them credit, the Conservatives had the highest proportion of MPs present in the House for two of the three votes on Monday, except for the Green Party, whose two MPs were present for all three votes.

The NDP ranked second behind the Conservatives for the proportion of MPs present, with the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois making more use of the voting app.

Are you a senator or MP who’s a big fan of hybrid Parliament and thinks it should stay? Tell us why. Or maybe you hate it? Tell us why, too. Email us at ottawaplaybook@politico.com

TITLES WATCH — TASHA KHEIRIDDIN has announced July 5 as the release date for her new book: “The Right Path: How Conservatives can unite, inspire and take Canada forward.”

KHEIRIDDIN, a Conservative commentator and principal at Navigator, had previously mulled a leadership run before throwing her support behind JEAN CHAREST, picking up an official role as his campaign co-chair.

— Timing is everything : The book lands smack in the middle of Conservative leadership races. As of today, the federal Conservative leadership race is 87 days away.

In Alberta, United Conservative Party members will choose their new leader to replace outgoing premier JASON KENNEY on Oct. 6 (that’s 113 days away).

MEANWHILE, AT CITY HALL — Watch out BOB CHIARELLI and CATHERINE MCKENNEY. Playbook hears a new candidate in Ottawa's race for mayor, complete with broad-based political support, is in the offing. Stay tuned.

BARRIER BREAKERS — Today marks the fifth annual Father’s Day on the Hill event, the first in-person one in two years.

Conservative MP MATT JENEROUX is organizing the event, with help from Liberal MP MAJID JOWHARI and NDP MP GORD JOHNS . Jeneroux delivered a member’s statement in the House on Monday to speak more on what goal Father’s Day on the Hill serves.

The event is an opportunity to discuss men’s mental health, a topic that often gets ignored, he said.

“Men account for 75 percent of suicides in Canada. Men are three times more likely to experience addiction and substance abuse, and according to a survey in 2021, right now, 17.6 percent of men are feeling depressed.

“For five years, we have been able to bring together key stakeholders, members of Parliament, senators and notable Canadians, including this year’s special guest speaker, HGTV star BRYAN BAEUMLER, to help break down the stigma around mental health and continue the important conversations."

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.

10 a.m. Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will virtually attend the Liberals’ national caucus meeting. Trudeau is scheduled to attend QP at 2 p.m.

9:30 a.m. Conservative Leader CANDICE BERGEN will attend her party’s weekly national caucus meeting where media have been invited to cover her opening remarks to MPs and senators.

9:30 a.m. NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH will attend his party’s national caucus meeting. He will hold a press conference to discuss cost of living at 12:30 p.m. before attending QP at 2 p.m.

National Defense Minister ANITA ANAND is abroad, participating in the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. U.S. Defense Secretary LLYOD AUSTIN will deliver opening remarks at 9 am (ET).

9 a.m. NDP MP RICHARD CANNINGS hosts a press conference on the Hill with Niagara Falls Mayor JIM DIODATI, Sarnia Mayor MIKE BRADLEY and Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle Mayor ESTELLE MUZZI to call on the government to scrap the ArriveCan app and vaccination requirements at the land border.

12:15 p.m. Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND will join Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON in Toronto to attend the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention 2022.

SOUTHERN COMFORTS — When Northwest Territories Premier CAROLINE COCHRANE looks out her Toronto hotel window, she’s struck by all the people driving, traveling to unknown destinations.

The thought of an expansive all-season network of roads and highways rolls around Cochrane’s mind as an example of basic infrastructure southern Canada takes for granted.

The NWT premier is in the Big Smoke this week to attend PDAC 2022 with the territory’s Industry Minister CAROLINE WAWZONEK . Cochrane and Wawzonek talked about the NWT’s decades-old catch up with the south for basic infrastructure with Playbook on Tuesday and how “geopolitical interests” have thrown new attention over the territory and its mineral deposits. The NWT is home to 23 of 31 critical minerals on Canada’s list.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

PLAYBOOK: What does a successful territorial critical mineral sector look like?

WAWZONEK: That there's always going to be new projects coming up behind the next one … If the state that we're in right now continues, we'll get there. It would be nice to have more projects that are at the actual production stage, but there's a few that I think are close enough that this vision of having that continual cycle will actually come to fruition.

COCHRANE : We have half of the critical minerals that are listed by the federal government as necessary for a green economy. And if we do not take [climate change] seriously, then we're damaging [the] work. This is our obligation as political leaders to make sure that we leave the resources in the earth in a shape that would benefit our children and our grandchildren and generations to come.

PLAYBOOK: Take me into your conversations with industry and politicians. How is climate change factoring into your decision-making on natural resource development?

WAWZONEK: In terms of the decision-making, you know, I think it's driving a lot of the interest right now, in terms of the critical minerals and metals space. … I think it's also driving the conversation around greener energy and greener mining.

Climate change isn't the only thing that is leading to the interest in critical minerals and metals right now that we are seeing. I think there’s geopolitical interest in general … it drives the federal government's interest in this area.

PLAYBOOK: What kind of federal infrastructure investments do you want to see from Ottawa by the end of the year?

WAWZONEK: The next step is to figure out how that [federal budget] money [for critical minerals] is going to be spent and when it's going to be spent.

Talking about the end of the year, our winter road season starts generally in January, running till about early April. And pending on climate change, the construction season is in the summer … So anything you need for the 2023 construction season comes up on the winter roads. If we can see whatever investments there might be in infrastructure to support critical minerals and metals projects, if we understand where that's going sooner rather than later then there's a much stronger possibility so they can capitalize on the next winter road season and the next construction season that moves those projects along faster.

COCHRANE: What I’d like to see very soon is the implementation of the Arctic and northern policy framework … The federal government actually initiated that project and the northern territories took the time to develop our chapters.

This is the time we're supposed to be talking about implementation of it. We need to hold them to that and make sure that they are implementing. When we talk about mineral resources, we talk about the need for infrastructure — and it's not extra infrastructure. We're talking about basic infrastructure, such as transportation, communications and energy, things that people in the south take for granted but we don't have access to in the north.

PLAYBOOK: What’s an example of a basic infrastructure need that either doesn’t exist or exists in poor shape in the NWT?

‘WAIT AND WAIT AND WAIT’ — Auditor General KAREN HOGAN was back at the House public accounts committee Tuesday for MPs studying the watchdog’s 2021 report on safe drinking water. 

“Actions have to catch up to words,” she said in reference to the Liberal government’s pledge to eliminate water advisories on First Nations reserves by March 31, 2021.

Indigenous Services Deputy Minister CHRISTIANE FOX, also at committee, spent almost all of her time on defense.

— Status report: Fox told MPs that since 2015, 132 long-term drinking water advisories have been lifted. “Work is underway to lift all 34 remaining long-term drinking water advisories affecting 29 communities on public systems on reserves,” she said.

— For the record: During his turn of questioning, NDP MP BLAKE DESJARLAIS thanked Hogan for her work, then trained on Fox. Here is just some of what he had to say:

“All we're left with is responses of, ‘We're just going to have to wait. Wait and wait and wait — and more delay. That's unfair for community members. That's not a good answer. That's unfair to people who are waiting right now. It's just not okay.

“These are real people — relatives of mine — that just don't have clean water. And Miss Hogan’s right, we're all going to leave this committee room and we're all going to enjoy a glass of water not knowing where it came from, or the kind of privilege that is.

“And it's unfortunate that that's the reality we're living in because these communities don't get it. I'm frustrated and upset that Indigenous communities have to continue to always wait.

“If this were Montreal or Toronto, this would be done in a second … but because these are Indigenous communities, who've been sounding the alarm forever, we're still not acting fast enough.

“This is an emergency, this isn't something that can wait.”

— Top of POLITICO this morning: Trump takes down his first impeachment victim: 5 takeaways from a big primary night.

— The New Yorker’s SHEELAH KOLHATKAR writes on the fight to make Pornhub accountable. 

— The Nation Post's BRYAN PASSIFIUME reports: Governor General, guests rack up $100K in-flight catering bill during Dubai trip.

— MAURA FORREST writes: Canada and Denmark settle ‘Whisky War’ with a bottle exchange.

— Professor THOMAS JUNEAU joined SEAN SPEER on Hub Dialogues to discuss Canada’s lack of clear foreign policy priorities.

— Former Liberal Cabmin LISA RAITT shared thoughts on the Conservative leadership race with PETER MANSBRIDGE. Fun fact: She recorded her side of the pod at a Halifax bus stop.

— RAISA PATEL joined FATIMA SYED on The Backbench pod in an episode titled, “Does voting have to suck?” 

— The Globe shared a timely video explainer: Why the Bank of Canada aims to curb prices by raising rates.

If you’re a POLITICO Pro , don’t miss our latest policy newsletter by ANDY BLATCHFORD and MAURA FORREST: Freeland has some explaining to do.

In other news from Ottawa: Canada drops vaccine mandates for domestic travel.

In more headlines for Pros:
— Biden strains for a message on deteriorating economy.
— WTO chief urges countries to avoid all-or-nothing approach.
— Wyden to unveil bill taxing oil company 'excess' profits.
— Armed drones for Ukraine? Not so fast.
— Natural gas prices plunge on prolonged outage at Texas export facility.
— Is monkeypox a world health emergency? The WHO will decide next week.

Birthdays: HBD to Liberal MP NATE ERSKINE-SMITH. Former Liberal MP BARRY CAMPBELL also celebrates today. HBD + 1 to ERIN MILLAR.

Send birthdays to ottawaplaybook@politico.com.

Spotted: MP SHELBY KRAMP-NEUMAN wishing her father — former MP and now retired MPP DARYL KRAMP — a happy birthday. “My Dad is a thinker, a compassionate leader, a statesman and a man of his word,” she told the House on Tuesday.

Former Senator BETTY UNGER, implying that rather than self-isolating with Covid, the PM had “gone underground” to avoid questions. (The PM is expected to be in QP today.)

Ambassador BOB RAE, "first night out of quarantine."

Media mentions: Props to the Carleton journalism grads of 2020 and 2021.

APRIL FONG has been named the executive editor of The Logic.

Farewells: CLAUDE ST-GERMAIN, assistant sergeant-at-arms and risk management and investigations officer, is retiring after 35 years with the House of Commons. “His professionalism, dedication, commitment, kindness and vast knowledge of this place is deeply appreciated and will be greatly missed,” Liberal MP DAVID MCGUINTY said Tuesday in the House.

Send Playbookers tips to ottawaplaybook@politico.com.

Keep up to House committee schedules here.

Find Senate meeting schedules here. 

3:30 p.m. Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett is at the House health committee, along with six department officials, to answer MPs’ questions about her file.

3:30 p.m. The impacts of ArriveCAN is the topic of the day at the House international trade committee . CBSA and PHAC officials are on the witness list, as well as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Mark Agnew.

3:30 p.m. Official Languages Commissioner Raymond Théberge is in the hot seat, plus three senior officials from his office, at the House official languages committee to talk about Bill C-13.

4 p.m. The Senate social affairs, science and technology committee meets to study Bill S-208, respecting the declaration on the essential role of artists and creative expression in Canada.

4:15 p.m. The Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee will go through clause-by-clause consideration of Bill S-210, Sen. Julie Miville-Dechêne’s bill proposing to restrict young person’s access to online porn.

6:30 p.m. The Senate transport and communications committee meets to discuss Bill C-11 and to plot out a draft agenda for “future business.”

Behind closed doors:

1 p.m. The House liaison committee meets in camera to discuss “committee business.”

3:30 p.m. The House natural resources committee meets in camera to review a draft report of its greenhouse gas emissions cap for the oil and gas sector.

6:30 p.m. The Senate banking trade and commerce committee meets in person to consider two separate draft reports covering cryptocurrency and “business investment.”

Tuesday’s answer: Canada’s horse is the Canadian Horse, or Le Cheval Canadien.

Props to SHIFRAH GADAMSETTI, STEPHEN HARRIS, BOB GORDON, DOUG RICE, JOHN ECKER, ELIZABETH BURN and ROBERT MCDOUGALL. 

Wednesday’s question: June’s full moon is known as a Strawberry Moon. What’s the next one called — at least according to the Farmer’s Almanac?

Send your answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com

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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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