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Presented by General Atomics Aeronautical: A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Nick Taylor-Vaisey | | | Send tips | Subscribe here | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey. We speak to the Cabinet minister whose riding faced some of Fiona's worst devastation. Plus, we get to the truth about a border-delay anecdote gone viral. And Canada has two new senators.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
Fiona's aftermath: A scene from Rose Blanche, Newfoundland — 45 kilometers from Port aux Basques. | AP | 'THAT'S WHAT SMALL TOWNS DO' — Catastrophic barely begins to describe the devastation in and around Port aux Basques, a coastal Newfoundland town of 4,000. Seventy-six homes and counting were flattened by Fiona's lethal combination of wind, rain and waves. The full extent of damage is not yet clear on the southwest coast of Newfoundland. Playbook caught up with GUDIE HUTCHINGS, the rural economic development minister who represents dozens of towns, including Port aux Basques. That's where we spoke to her Monday, on a "gray, foggy day" when it was still "teeming down rain." This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Describe the storm's impact on the people who lived through the worst of it. People are scared. When you talk to people who were sitting in their homes, and you get a knock on the door, "You've got to go because this is worse than usual." And you're seeing waves just coming in, 80 or 100 feet high. And then you see houses literally being swept out to sea and destroyed, just like they were made out of Lego blocks. There's visions that these people have seen that, my god, they'll never erase from their mind. You must know a lot of the hardest-hit families. I do know a lot of these people. Tragically, today, I spent a little bit of time with a gentleman who lost his wife. Bricks and mortars can be replaced. The loss of life can't, so that was a hard day. A very hard day. How has Port aux Basques come together in the aftermath? Well, that's what small towns do. We're Newfoundland people. We persevere. The volunteers in the town are incredible, from all the church groups to the Red Cross, of course, and the Salvation Army, and the local Lions Club and the local Legion. There's everything coming in to support these people. I met with the town a few times today, and the province as well. It's how do we all work together on all levels to make sure that we're addressing the immediate concerns people have. Shelter and food and clothing and toys for the kids. The immediate and then the short term, long term and the very long term. What happens after the immediate recovery? We know climate change is real. We know the impact on community infrastructure is going to be challenged as we get these storms. We have to make sure that we are building better, that we're building for well into the future. If you had a two-meter culvert before, maybe we need a four-meter one now. Maybe we need to work with municipalities to say if that's a flood zone, you shouldn't be building there. In related news: Trudeau to visit Atlantic Canada in wake of Fiona The Globe reports: Insurance claims from Hurricane Fiona could reach C$700-million, but flood damage from storm surge won’t be covered
| | | | A message from Team SkyGuardian Canada: Leveraging the well-proven MQ-9 platform that has supported Five Eyes and NATO missions for more than a decade, Team SkyGuardian brings together the best in business and technology to serve Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces, and the many industries that support them. Our government and industry team will help ensure Canada’s safety and security for the long term. | | | THAT'S A WHOOPSIE — The Commons ranged from tragic to farcical as MPs reflected on East Coast disaster scenes — and then attempted to shame the government with an ArriveCAN anecdote that later turned out to be fictitious. — Oh, what could've been: Playbook expected jubilant Conservatives to spend question period taking extended victory laps. Earlier Monday, a phalanx of federal ministers announced an end to all of Canada's border Covid measures. Vaccination? No longer required to enter the country. Mask mandates on airplanes? Kaput. Testing and quarantines? Sayonara. ArriveCAN? Bon voyage. The Tories had been waiting months for this day. PIERRE POILIEVRE quickly took credit on Twitter: "After constant pressure from Conservatives & people across Canada, Trudeau Liberals finally back down on the disastrous ArriveCAN app, unscientific vaccine mandates & forced mask-wearing." The stage was set for QP theater, birthplace of countless clips curated for virality on YouTube channels and Facebook pages. The win was there to be claimed. — Instead, they went with this: With hundreds of thousands without power in Atlantic Canada over the weekend, somebody at Nova Scotia Power claimed to somebody who ran with it that the ArriveCAN app somehow delayed Maine-based crews at the border who were on the way to help. On Sunday, a spokesperson for the utility pegged the delay at "a few hours" in a statement to Global News. Nova Scotia Premier TIM HOUSTON lent credence to the rumor, telling reporters he had been made aware of a "situation" in which "some crews from Maine were having an issue at the border.” The nature of the delay, though, was always vague. Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO 's office insisted there was no issue. They'd asked the Canada Border Services Agency, which reported no incident. They assured reporters the rules did not apply to first responders in an emergency situation. Emergency Preparedness Minister BILL BLAIR complicated matters Sunday when he told reporters he’d been "advised that there was a concern." — The question: Poilievre did rise in QP with a question about the oh-so-maligned ArriveCan. But it was not to stomp all over its demise. No, the Tory leader was more concerned with those crews from Maine. He demanded the PM suspend the app immediately — not this coming Saturday, as announced — to ensure no cross-border crews face delays getting help to "those in desperate need." Four other MPs pressed the government on the same apparent snafu: ROB MOORE, LUC BERTHOLD, DANE LLOYD and RAQUEL DANCHO. (Here's a clip with thousands of views.) — The truth: The delays weren't a thing. Playbook asked Nova Scotia Power for details on Monday afternoon. JACQUELINE FOSTER fired off a quick reply. "On Friday, we understood there was an issue related to ArriveCAN and that crews may not be able to cross the border, and so we reached out for government help. "We now know there were not any issues with ArriveCAN. Our contractor crews have made their way over the border and we are grateful to have them as part of our restoration efforts here in Nova Scotia." Like we said: Whoopsie. Did someone forward you this free newsletter? Sign up for your own copy to keep up with the latest insights and analysis from inside Ottawa politics.
| | For your radar | | | 
President Biden to host a state dinner for President Macron. | Phil Noble/Getty Images | SNUBBED — White House press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE told reporters U.S. President JOE BIDEN will host the first state visit of his presidency on Dec. 1. His guest? French President EMMANUEL MACRON . Not his guest? A certain Canadian PM. THE NEWEST SENATORS — Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU appointed IAN SHUGART, a former clerk of the Privy Council, and GIGI OSLER, the former president of the Canadian Medical Association, to the Red Chamber. Shugart's long career in government started in the 1980s, when he worked as a political adviser on such mundane files as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Meech Lake Accord. He entered the public service and spent 10 years as a DM. He'll rep Ontario in the Senate. Osler was the first woman surgeon and first racialized woman ever elected president of the Canadian Medical Association. She'll represent Manitoba, where she was born (in Winnipeg) to parents who hailed from the Philippines and India. LOBBYING DIVERSITY — It's no secret that the small army of consultants in Ottawa is overwhelmingly white. The Government Relations Institute of Canada knows it, too. So they commissioned Abacus Data to survey the GR landscape. — Survey says: Abacus polled 96 GR and advocacy worker bees in March and April, enough to provide a snapshot of the industry — though a drop in the bucket of the more than 8,000 registered lobbyists in 2021–22. Here's what they found. → 51 percent were woman, 82 percent were white, 80 percent were straight, 5 percent report a disability, and zero percent self-identified as transgender. → 57 percent disagreed that management at their firm was "as diverse as the broader workforce." → 41 percent experienced "unwelcome comments or conduct" at the workplace in the past 12 months. → 26 percent say they experienced discrimination. — A 'first step': Playbook asked ALANA BAKER, the chair of GRIC's future of GR committee, for her biggest takeaway from the survey. "We are starting to see some progress, but there is still much more work to do," she said. "While some feel diversity is supported and respected, we’ve also seen that unwelcome comments/conduct and discrimination are happening in the workplace." Baker noted that 80 percent of respondents felt "people with my identity or identities are welcome in the government relations sector" — but 82 percent were white. — Baker's ultimate goal: "One of our core objectives is to ensure that the government relations industry reflects Canada’s diversity and that people of all backgrounds are provided with meaningful opportunities to succeed."
| | | | A message from Team SkyGuardian Canada:   | | | | | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | | — PM Trudeau will spend the day in Stanley Bridge, P.E.I. and Sydney, Nova Scotia. He'll be joined by regional Cabinet ministers and local MPs. 10:15 a.m. NDP leader JAGMEET SINGH speaks about affordability. 11:20 a.m. The next scheduled launch attempt for Artemis I. 3:45 p.m. Singh meets with the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association.
| | ASK US ANYTHING | | TELL US WHAT YOU KNOW — What are you hearing that you need Playbook to know? What are you watching this fall? Send details.
| | MEDIA ROOM | | — Poilievre lashed out at JEREMY MACKENZIE, the founder of the far-right group Diagolon who joked on video about threatening to sexually assault Poilievre's wife. "This kind of garbage has no place in Canada," he said, referring the threat to the RCMP. The National Post's CATHERINE LÉVESQUE has details. The Star's ALEX BALLINGALL has more. — Finance columnist ROB CARRICK offers a timely explainer: Uh, Mr. Poilievre? Canada Pension Plan premiums are not a tax. — The CBC's CATHERINE CULLEN reports via sources: Poilievre has replaced the Conservative Party's top lawyer with his own pick. Out: ARTHUR HAMILTON. In: MICHAEL WILSON. — DARREN MAJOR of the CBC reports: NDP calling for probe of grocery store profits. — For The Narwhal, STEPHANIE WOOD reports on Mamalilikulla First Nation's unilateral declaration of an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area — and subsequent invitations to federal and provincial governments to take part. — Top of POLITICO this morning: Freedom Caucus poised to pull its hardest McCarthy punch. — The Toronto Sun editorial board calls for TIFF MACKLEM's resignation. — GILLIAN PETIT, LINDSAY TEDDS and JENNIFER ROBSON write in Policy Options that the Liberals' temporary doubling of the GST/HST credit "will help its intended targets but will not be enough to lift many over the poverty line." Also: It's not inflationary. — ANDREW TUMILTY with the metaphor of the day at The Line: "Liberals need to understand that Poilievre is like Nickelback. Plenty of people think he sounds awful, but the people who don’t are more likely to sing along than they are to tune him out."
| | PROZONE | | For POLITICO Pro s, our latest policy newsletter: Bon voyage, ArriveCAN. In news for POLITICO Pro s:
— New trade weapon gives EU countries the jitters.
— Rich nations can’t dodge climate damage demands anymore, Germany says.
— France launches a global fertilizer drive in bid to avert a deeper food crisis.
— German government faces legal action over air pollution.
— Iranian drones pose new threat to Ukraine.
| | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: HBD to environmentalist and clean water advocate AUTUMN PELTIER. Also celebrating today: Hockey Night in Canada’s ELLIOTTE FRIEDMAN, former Conservative cabmin PETER MACKAY, Corner Brook MHA GERRY BYRNE, New Brunswick two-term premier BERNARD LORD and ex-Ontario finance minister CHARLES SOUSA.
HBD + 1 to CARL NEUSTAEDTER, journo-turned-comms pro at the Canadian Institute of Health Information. Movers and shakers: The long-serving director of communications to a string of House Speakers, HEATHER BRADLEY, is leaving the gig: "time for a new adventure." NADINE RAMADAN shifts from issues management in Transport Minister OMAR ALGHABRA's office to a new gig as press sec and comms adviser. SCOTT THOMSON has been tapped to be Bank of Nova Scotia's next chief executive.
For thoughts on this, here's TIM KILADZE. CFN Consultants senior partner JOHN TURNBULL is lobbying for Google Cloud Canada, which is targeting its data management business at National Defense … Enterprise Canada's MITCH HEIMPEL has a new client in Airsoft Nation, an American nonprofit curious about the federal definition of "replica" handguns. Cocktail circuit: At 5:30 p.m., Northeastern University hosts a reception at the Met to cap its advocacy day on the Hill … McMaster University holds a competing reception at the NAC with an identical start time … And there's a third option at 5:30: Tech Day on the Hill's reception in the East Block Courtyard. Spotted: The Bank of Canada's Macklem, trying to make the case for rising interest rates — and getting hard questions in response from economist FRANCES DONALD … Olympic gold medalist JAMIE SALE, getting called out for spreading misinformation (again). The new royal cypher for KING CHARLES III (h/t PATRICIA TREBLE). From the ethics files: Three Conservative MPs disclosed paid trips abroad to the ethics commissioner. The Iran Democratic Association flew MICHAEL COOPER, DAN MUYS and LIANNE ROOD to Armenia in July for the Free Iran 2022 Summit.
| | | | A message from Team SkyGuardian Canada: Learn about the remotely piloted multi-mission aircraft building Canadian industrial partnerships that deliver sovereignty and security for Canada. | | | | | AROUND THE HILL | | — A new Twitter bot from the desk of AMEYA CHARNALIA, a legislative assistant to Green MP MIKE MORRICE and "Javascript enthusiast," gives you a morning look at which bills are on the House's agenda each day. Presenting: Billbot. 9 a.m. Canadian YouTuber JUSTIN TOMCHUK, columnist J.J. MCCULLOUGH and WYATT SHARPE will be at the transport and communications committee in the Senate as senators continue their study of Bill C-11. 9 a.m. The Senate rules, procedure and rights of Parliament committee meets. 10:15 a.m. NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH will hold a media availability 11 a.m. APTN CEO MONIKA ILLE and former journalist PETER MENZIES are witnesses at the House heritage committee to take MPs’ questions about Bill C-18. 11 a.m. A day after Ottawa announced plans to scrap Covid-19 border measures, the House international trade committee will meet to discuss the potential impacts of ArriveCAN. 11 a.m. The House national defense committee will continue its study of rising domestic operational deployments and challenges facing the military 11 a.m. The House health committee meets to continue its study of children’s health. Witnesses include representatives from the Canadian Pediatric Society, Association des pédiatres du Québec and Children’s Healthcare Canada. 11 a.m. The House official languages committee meets to study Bill C-13. 3:30 p.m. Backlogs and processing times are the topic of study at the House citizenship and immigration committee. On the witness list: The Hotel Association of Canada’s ADRIENNE FOSTER and Toronto Business Development Centre’s VIKRAM KHURANA and Catholic Refugee Sponsors Council. 3:30 p.m. The House environment committee continues its study of cleantech in Canada. The witness list includes Ocean Networks Canada, Propulsion Québec, Harbour Air Ltd. and others. 3:30 p.m. The House fisheries and oceans committee gathers to hear from department officials on North Atlantic right whales. It then moves in camera to discuss its report on marine cargo container spills. 6:30 p.m. The Senate energy, the environment and natural resources committee meets to study Canada’s hydrogen economy. Environmental Defence Canada's JULIA LEVIN and the Association of Canadian Port Authorities’ DEBBIE MURRAY are on the agenda as witnesses. 6:30 p.m. The Senate agriculture and forestry committee meets to continue its study of soil health in Canada. 7 p.m. Parliamentary Budget Officer YVES GIROUX will be at the Senate banking committee to talk about “the state of the Canadian economy and inflation.” — Behind closed doors: The House natural resources committee meets to go over a draft copy of its report about the government’s proposal to introduce a emissions cap for the oil and gas sector; The House public accounts committee meets to review a draft report of their study of the federal environment watchdog’s audit of Canada’s transition to a low-carbon economy; the Senate finance committee meets to talk about “future business.” | | TRIVIA | | Monday’s answer: MARYON MOODY PEARSON — quoted in this 1964 Maclean’s feature by CHRISTINA MCCALL. Props to LAURA JARVIS, PETER MCKINNEY, DOUG RICE, JOHN ECKER, KEVIN BOSCH and ROBERT MCDOUGALL. Tuesday’s question: AUTUMN PELTIER is 18 today. How old was she when she first confronted PM Trudeau and asked him to protect the water? 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 | | | | |  |
