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A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Nick Taylor-Vaisey | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Nick | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading the Ottawa Playbook. Today we size up Canada's political discourse with YVES CÔTÉ, outgoing commissioner of Canada elections. Plus, the latest on Tory caucus endorsements. And guess how many Canadians can name Parks Canada unprompted? Read on for the sad, sad reality.
|  | EXIT INTERVIEWS | | | 
Outgoing commissioner of Canada elections Yves Côté | Photo courtesy the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections | THE ELECTION ENFORCER RETIRES — YVES CÔTÉ is retiring in August after a decade as commissioner of Canada elections — the man who for a decade punished Canadians who dared do funny business during a federal election. In his earlier days, Côté investigated allegations of illegal robocalls, a complex process that ended up convicting one person in a court of law: Tory operative MICHAEL SONA. During his tenure, Côté observed the rise of misinformation and disinformation, both of which he says should preoccupy his successor, CAROLINE SIMARD. Here's part of our conversation with Côté, which has been edited for length and clarity. Erin O'Toole recently claimed that foreign interference was a problem in the last campaign. He declared that foreign interference played a significant role at the ballot box in several ridings. How do you see the impact of foreign actors in 2021? Foreign interference in 2021, based on the complaints we have received, does not seem to have been a major problem. That is not to say it was not a problem at all. This did not generate that many complaints. That said, we know some foreign countries have an axe to grind. And they try to pursue their objectives in various ways, some of which we may not know anything about. Some others, we have some inkling about what it is. But we are a country of freedom of expression, to the extent it stays within the bounds of the acceptable, and within the bounds of the law. If a country was to use threats or blackmail, to try and force or convince expatriates to vote one way or the other, that would be something different. From where I sit, we have not been informed of things of that nature. But you know what Rumsfeld used to talk about: the unknown unknowns. They exist. Things may have happened that we know nothing about. People did not file a complaint because maybe they were afraid or for other reasons. Canada's political discourse is suffering from serious disagreements not just about policy, or what's best for the country, but about what constitutes reality and a shared set of facts. What do you make of those growing divides? A fairly sizable percentage of people are simply closed to facts, to evidence, and they just believe what they believe. And that's the way it is. This is really unfortunate. And, of course, it presents all kinds of dangers to society and to the democratic process. The big issue is what can be done to try and address that. That is a job for so many different people in so many different places. Starting with how you educate your children and the school system and universities and media and politicians, of course. It's very diffuse. Whether we'll be able to turn in the right direction, or to prevent the situation from getting worse, is an open question. How optimistic are you that any of these concerning trends will reverse? I am not a sociologist. I'm not a social psychologist. I'm not a political scientist. I'm just a lawyer who happened to be here for 10 years. And when I look into the future, I think what I would say is I find it difficult to be optimistic. But despair is evidently not the answer.
| | CONSERVATIVE CORNER | | POILIEVRE'S MAJORITY WIN — … of caucus support in the House of Commons, that is. PIERRE POILIEVRE crowed about hitting 60 endorsements , good enough for 50.4 percent of the Tory caucus — and an even higher share after weeding out the handful of neutral players on the leadership team. — The standings: In second place, JEAN CHAREST has 16 MPs behind him. LESLYN LEWIS has 10. PATRICK BROWN has two. SCOTT AITCHISON has one. — Here's who remains: A rump of 16 MPs, or 13.4 percent of the flock, haven't taken sides. They are MICHAEL CHONG, LAILA GOODRIDGE, RACHAEL THOMAS, MIKE LAKE, EARL DREESHEN, GREG MCLEAN, BOB BENZEN, TONY BALDINELLI, BEN LOBB, ALEX RUFF, TERRY DOWDALL, RAQUEL DANCHO, KEVIN WAUGH, RANDY HOBACK, GARY VIDAL and JACQUES GOURDE. — In the other place: 16 Tories still sit in the Senate. Eight have endorsed Charest, six are with Poilievre, and two are siding with Brown. Four remain neutral: Senate opposition leader DON PLETT, ELIZABETH MARSHALL, JUDITH SEIDMAN and FABIAN MANNING. CENTRIST ANXIETY — First, MARJORY LEBRETON wrote about the Conservative Party's "make or break moment" in a June 29 Policy magazine column. Four days later, the former Harper Cabinet minister penned a National Post op-ed about the party's "existential identity crisis." On Monday, the former government leader in the Senate was quoted in the Hill Times as being "fearful" of a fourth-straight loss to the Liberals.
| | SUMMERTIME READS | | WASHINGTON's BOOKSHELF — Every year, our colleagues in D.C. ask cultural icons, philosophical thinkers and political changemakers — from novelists and journalists to military generals and politicians — to share the books that are fueling them this summer. Here's the 2022 list: From Chelsea Clinton to David Petraeus, here’s what Washington politicos are reading this summer. Here in Ottawa: Reader JENN JEFFREYS sent her summer list our way: — “Across That Bridge” by John Lewis — “Border and Rule” by Harsha Walia — “Policing Black Lives” by Robyn Maynard — “Can You Hear Me Now?” by Celina Caesar-Chavannes — “Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me” by Anna Mehler Paperny — “The Right Path” by Tasha Kheiriddin — “Teardown: Rebuilding Democracy from the Ground Up” by Dave Meslin We’re keen to share Ottawa Playbook VIP summertime bookshelf selections. Send us your reading suggestions — your brain food, and your guilty pleasure. We'll share your picks here.
| | For your radar | | STREIK, GRÈVE, STRIKE — In Brussels, tensions have boiled over between the European Parliament and the people who make sure everyone can understand each other. Reports POLITICO's MAÏA DE LA BAUME: Parliament interpreters walked off the job last week, angry at deteriorating health conditions from spending hours trying to translate people calling into meetings from cars and restaurants over bad connections. They were suffering from tinnitus and ear fullness, they said, not to mention insomnia, nausea and vision deficiencies. “It’s like driving at night under the rain versus traveling by day under good weather,” said one EU interpreter. “You get to your destination at the same hour, but in the first case, there’s a growing risk of accident and increased fatigue once you get there.” — In Canada: Parliamentary interpreters have long complained of similar pandemic-era workplace injuries. When Tory House leader JOHN BRASSARD argued forcefully against a continued hybrid House, he cited translator health as a key consideration. VAXX POPULI — The Public Health of Agency of Canada wants to know how many Canadians are vaccinated. And they're asking about more than Covid. A new tender says PHAC's Vaccine Coverage and Effectiveness Monitoring Division wants a pollster to survey the country's uptake for shots that protect against the flu, invasive pneumococcal disease, tetanus, pertussis, varicella/chickenpox, Hepatitis B, human papillomavirus and shingles. — Drilling down: The survey will target both the general adult population and, more specifically, healthcare workers — a "data gap" in the agency's understanding of vaccine uptake across Canada. — It's been a minute: The adult National Immunization Coverage Survey — that's aNICS to everyone in the know — first launched in 2001, and has typically been administered every two years. But the most recent polling dates to 2016, and a dog's breakfast of smaller vaxx uptake surveys — for Covid, the flu, and pregnant women — don't "provide sufficient data on vaccine hesitancy and knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding vaccines." — The state of play in 2016: That year's aNICS found that a mere 39.6 percent of adults got the previous year's flu vaccine. Nearly two-thirds of the 65-plus set got the shot, but only one-in-four males aged 18-44 did the same. PHAC has for several years aimed to persuade 80 percent of adults over 65 — and those under 65 years old who live with chronic medical conditions — to accept a flu vaccine. In 2016, uptake among that group was just 41 percent. The agency's word for that discrepancy: "suboptimal." And it hasn't improved. The 2020-21 flu survey, conducted by Leger and published online in April, showed similar numbers. — Covid comparison: As of June 27, PHAC reports 86 percent of eligible Canadians — that's everyone over 5 years old — have received two doses of Covid vaccine. And 56 percent of the 12-and-over crowd have lined up for a booster. Almost 45 percent of the 70-and-over population have two boosters. — Also in the news: The feds are aware of at least 300 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Canada.
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A scene from the passport line. | Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press | GET COMFORTABLE —The federal government is taking action to help address the chaos at the country’s Passport Canada offices via the rushed purchase of 801 plastic chairs. Time is of the essence for a government taking heat. The deadline for bids is 2 p.m. ET on Thursday. Deliveries to two locations in the Montreal area — a warehouse and a Passport Canada office — are required by Friday. The feds made the request last Thursday for 535 “armrest-free” chairs as well as 266 seats with armrests in a tender entitled “URGENT FOR PASSPORT OFFICES.” ANDY BLATCHFORD has the story.
| | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | | 9:15 a.m. HELENA JACZEK, FedDev Ontario's minister, will be at Stratford’s Tom Patterson Theatre for an announcement on community infrastructure and tourism. 9:30 a.m. The Center for Strategic and International Studies will hold a virtual discussion: Assessing the 2022 G-7 Summit: The sherpa perspective. With acting U.S. deputy national security adviser and G-7 and G-20 sherpa MICHAEL PYLE and German G-7 and G-20 sherpa JÖRG KUKIES. 10 a.m. Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will participate in a roundtable discussion on gun violence with Greater Toronto Area community leaders. MASAI UJIRI, the vice-chair and president of the Toronto Raptors — and Giants of Africa co-founder — will also attend. 10 a.m. Minister of Indigenous Services PATTY HAJDU will be at Cambrian College in Sudbury to announce FedNor funding for battery electric vehicle technology. 10 a.m. MP RUBY SAHOTA will make a low-emissions transit announcement in Brampton at the Brampton Transit Sandalwood Facility. 10:30 a.m. Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON will address the St. John's Board of Trade. 11:30 a.m. (8:30 PT): The Assembly of First Nations holds its 43rd Annual General Assembly, a three-day event. 11 a.m. (Pacific) NDP leader JAGMEET SINGH is in Nanaimo, B.C., to visit Maffeo Sutton Park with MP LISA MARIE BARRON. 2 p.m. Jaczek will be at the London Children’s Museum for an announcement on infrastructure and tourism. 2 p.m. (Pacific) Singh is in Victoria to meet B.C. Premier JOHN HORGAN. 2:30 p.m. Liberal MP JOËL LIGHTBOUND will be at Ferme Langlois et fils with an announcement to support the ÉCONOMUSÉE Network Society. 2:45 p.m. Trudeau will meet with Toronto Mayor JOHN TORY. 4:30 p.m. (Pacific) Singh visits Victoria's Beacon Hill Children's Farm with MP LAUREL COLLINS.
| | ASK US ANYTHING | | TELL US WHAT YOU KNOW — What are you hearing that you need Playbook to know? Send it all our way.
| | PAPER TRAIL | | VISIBILITY PROBLEM — Canadians talk a big game about appreciating natural spaces, but the pollsters at Advanis Inc found a stunning lack of awareness about the federal agency that operates world-famous national parks that attract millions of visitors every year. "Off the top of your head," asked Advanis in a survey recently published online, "can you name the organization or government department that operates officially designated national parks and national historic sites of Canada?" How many answered Parks Canada? 37.8 percent. How many didn't? Almost two-thirds. (When prompted, 81 percent of respondents claimed to have heard of Parks Canada.) Quebecers drag down the national number. Only 29.6 percent of respondents from the distinct society could name the agency. A majority of Albertans, about 55 percent, passed the test. (Maybe Banff and Jasper and Waterton Lakes and Wood Buffalo helped a bit.)
| | MEDIA ROOM | | — Top read on POLITICO at this hour: No more whispers: Recession talk surges in Washington. — TASHA KHEIRIDDIN, JEAN CHAREST 's campaign co-chair, joins ANTHONY FUREY's Full Comment pod to talk about her new book, "The Right Path," on how Tories can win. — CTV reports on court records that include text messages between former Saskatchewan premier BRAD WALL and wintertime Freedom Convoy organizer CHRIS BARBER. Wall reportedly advised Barber to condemn racism in the protesting ranks and declare victory after raking in GoFundMe donations. Wall suggested giving the funds to "veterans groups, the Salvation Army and food banks." — FRASER NEEDHAM of APTN News has the latest on attempts by the executive committee of the Assembly of First Nations to oust ROSEANNE ARCHIBALD. — Globe health reporter KELLY GRANT is on The Decibel pod this morning to talk about the explosion of TB in Nunavut. — ANDREW PEREZ writes at TVO.org: Three things the Ontario Liberals must do to rebuild. — CP justice reporter MARIE-DANIELLE SMITH is counting the months since the posting for the federal ombudsman for victims of crime has been left. The number of days: 276. — University of Calgary professor MICHAEL NESBITT joined the Law Bytes pod to discuss Bill S-7 — and what awaits this fall.
| | PLAYBOOKERS | | Birthdays: FRANCE CHRÉTIEN DESMARAIS, MNA GAÉTAN BARRETTE, former Quebec premier PIERRE-MARC JOHNSON (Oct. 3 to Dec. 12, 1985) and former Saskatchewan premier GRANT DEVINE. Movers and shakers: PAUL WELLS is the first journalist fellow-in-residence at the Munk School of Global Affairs. He'll host a new podcast, too, in collaboration with Munk, Antica Productions and the National Arts Centre. Spotted: The procurement ombudsman, ALEXANDER JEGLIC, combing through a cross-section of DND contracts between 2019 and 2021 — and flagging several concerns. Media mentions: CBC reporter DAVID FRASER offers tips on covering convoy protests. "Kind and curious. A lesson for all of us, actually," says Poilievre campaign d-comm GINNY ROTH … Global's RACHEL GILMORE, who faces regular harassment on the beat, offers a polite rebuttal. STEVE PAIKIN is writing “John Turner: An Intimate Biography of Canada's 17th Prime Minister” — due in October from Sutherland House. In memoriam: Broadcaster PATRICK WATSON has died. The CBC’s obituary is here.
| | PROZONE | | If you’re a POLITICO Pro , don’t miss our latest policy newsletter. In news for POLITICO Pro s: — Survey reveals Canadians bracing for years of hot inflation.
— A call to make Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction green.
— Ng to host Tai, Clouthier at USMCA meeting this week.
— Under tight security on Canada Day, Trudeau shows the flag.
— U.S. military’s newest weapon against China and Russia: Hot air.
| | TRIVIA | | Monday’s answer: A total of 13 states run along the Canada-U.S. border, alongside seven provinces — and, as some of you let us know, one territory. (Yes, we're counting both land and water borders.) Props to everyone who replied: BRAM ABRAMSON, JOANNA PLATER, BARRE CAMPBELL, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, JANE DOULL, JOHN DILLON, ETHAN SPENCER and ALYSON FAIR. Tuesday’s question: Name the MP who is playing the Miner’s Tavern on Thursday. 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 | | | | |  |
