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A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Maura Forrest | PROGRAMMING NOTE: Ottawa Playbook won’t publish Monday, Oct. 10. We’ll be back in your inbox Oct. 11. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Maura | Follow Politico Canada WELCOME TO OTTAWA PLAYBOOK. I’m your host, Maura Forrest. In your second election shocker of the week, DANIELLE SMITH is taking over JASON KENNEY’s old job. Elsewhere, the Liberals grab hold of PIERRE POILIEVRE’s YouTube tag (and won’t let go anytime soon). And interpreters give a House of Commons committee an earful. Did someone forward Ottawa Playbook your way? Click here to sign up for your own edition. It’s free!
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
UCP Leader Danielle Smith, Alberta's next premier. | Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press |
SHE’S BACK — Well, it wasn’t PIERRE POILIEVRE’s overwhelming first-ballot victory. But after six interminable rounds of ballot-counting, DANIELLE SMITH, as predicted, was elected leader of Alberta’s United Conservative Party and became the province’s new premier-designate.
The evening was a slow (very slow) affair that started two hours late and proceeded at a leisurely pace, so that Smith was only crowned at 9:04 p.m. local time (not that those of us on Eastern time were grumbling). Of the party’s 124,000 members, nearly 85,000 cast ballots. Smith took the stage at last, and wasted no time in lambasting Ottawa. “We will not have our voices silenced and censored. We will not be told what we must put in our bodies in order to work or to travel,” she said. “We will not have our resources landlocked or our energy phased out of existence by virtue-signaling prime ministers.” At times, Smith echoed the federal Conservative leader, including with a promise to help make Canada “the most free and prosperous country on Earth.” — Too close for comfort: Observers were quick to point out that the final results — Smith’s 53.8 percent to TRAVIS TOEWS’s 46.2 percent — were closer than she might have been expecting, and may suggest a party that is not yet unified. — No pivot: In her victory speech, Smith spoke often of the need for unity. But she didn’t back away from her most well-known and controversial promise, to table an Alberta Sovereignty Act, a (likely unconstitutional) bid to allow the province to ignore federal laws. Several of her leadership rivals have spoken out against the plan. Smith said she doesn’t want the law to divide Alberta from the rest of Canada, but rather to allow the province to stand up to an “increasingly hostile Ottawa regime that seeks to control every aspect of our lives.” — Avoiding the fray: In a brief message of congratulations Thursday night, Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU did not take the bait. “We will remain focused on delivering concrete results for Albertans,” he said. ELLIOT HUGHES , a Liberal strategist in Ottawa, told Playbook that’s the right line for the government to take. Here’s the message he thinks Trudeau needs to send: “Certainly, issues like sovereignty, equalization, gun rights or a provincial police force can excite some small constituencies. However, most Albertans, and Canadians for that matter, want to see how we — together — will address the real, consequential issues of the day.” — First things first: In the near term, Smith will be looking to win a seat in the provincial legislature. She will then have to turn her sights to next year’s election, slated for the spring. Her opposition, the provincial NDP led by RACHEL NOTLEY, is evidently hoping to capitalize on a polarizing UCP leader in the next election. But Notley’s federal counterparts are also paying attention. — Seeing potential: “I think that there's obviously a major opportunity for the Alberta NDP to be incredibly competitive and win government in Alberta and for the federal NDP to increase the number of seats that we have in Alberta,” NDP national director ANNE MCGRATH, an Albertan and former principal secretary to Notley, told Playbook. The strategy? “[The UCP] will have replaced an incredibly unpopular premier with another incredibly unpopular premier,” she said. Meanwhile, the NDP are “really focused on what matters to the people who elect governments” — health care, protecting workers, education, and so on. — For more: DEAN BENNETT dives into Smith’s backstory for the Canadian Press. And Calgary Herald columnist DON BRAID looks at the challenges ahead. — Related: Yesterday, Playbook brought you speculation about what outgoing Premier JASON KENNEY might do in his next act. Here’s what the man himself has to say about that, in an interview with the National Post’s JOHN IVISON: “I would like to take on some new challenges in the private sector. I think I have something to bring. But I hope to carve out enough time that I can continue to opine on public issues that I’m passionate about,” Kenney said. “You might see me writing long-form pieces for think tanks on issues and themes that I do have some depth and expertise on and a lot of passion about. Things like Indigenous economic development, immigration policy, certain aspects of foreign policy, labor market reform, the federation, free trade within Canada.” — First, though: “I think I need a bit of a mini-sabbatical.” | | For your radar | |
#WHOOPSIE — Perhaps you believe the use of an anti-feminist tag on PIERRE POILIEVRE’s YouTube videos is proof he’s “courting misogynists and incels.” Or perhaps you attribute the offensive tag to “ a particularly edgy member of Poilievre’s social media team,” and accept his claim to have known nothing about it.
Either way, we can say with relative certainty that yesterday’s controversy was a textbook example of how the Liberals are going to respond any chance they get to link the new Conservative leader to misogyny, racism, or extremism. And respond they did. With gusto. — The story: Global’s ALEX BOUTILIER broke the news Thursday morning that Poilievre’s YouTube videos for the past four and a half years have included a hidden, misogynistic tag. The tag, #mgtow, stands for “Men Going Their Own Way,” a movement of men attempting to cut women out of their lives. The tag, while not visible to viewers, would have helped promote Poilievre’s videos among those circles. Poilievre’s team told Global he had no idea the tags existed. Their explanation is that someone added the tag in March 2018 (they haven’t said who or why) and it’s been automatically applied to Poilievre’s videos ever since. — The reaction: But that was not nearly explanation enough for Liberal ministers, who emerged from their Thursday morning Cabinet meeting in a state of universal outrage. “I’m actually shaking I’m so disappointed,” Indigenous Services Minister PATTY HAJDU told reporters. “I’m having a bit of trouble controlling my emotions,” Justice Minister DAVID LAMETTI said. “It’s dangerous, it’s wrong and it will be up to them to answer for it,” Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO offered. The Liberals even dispatched two female MPs to speak to reporters in West Block specifically about the incident. — The defense: And then there was Question Period, during which Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU managed to turn the tables on Poilievre, repeatedly demanding an apology from the opposition leader. “He has played too close to the line with extremists for too long,” Trudeau said. “Now that he has gotten caught … will he take responsibility?” “I condemn this organization, and I corrected the problem as soon as it became known to me,” Poilievre said. But Trudeau had successfully put him on the defensive, and that’s where he remained. Conservative MPs came to Poilievre’s defense, including CLIFFORD SMALL, who colorfully described the whole affair as “a pile of bulls---.” — The upshot: Be that as it may, one thing is clear: anyone who thinks Trudeau’s Liberals don’t have any fight left in them may have spoken too soon. SPEAK UP — A parliamentary committee heard more tales of woe Thursday about the plight of House of Commons interpreters, who have slogged through two and a half years of a hybrid Parliament only to be rewarded with tinnitus for their troubles. Since the pandemic started, 33 of 70 accredited interpreters have taken a total of 349 days of medical leave, ANDRÉ PICOTTE, acting president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, told the House of Commons procedure committee studying hybrid proceedings. And every month, he said, about 10 interpreters are reassigned to other tasks on doctors’ orders. That’s because of the poor sound quality from people participating remotely in House of Commons proceedings or committee meetings. One interpreter told the committee that most of her colleagues now have tinnitus, and many are hypersensitive to noise. — The limits of Zoom: Despite changes intended to help interpreters, including a rule that anyone participating remotely use a headset with a microphone, the problems persist, witnesses said. “Anything that’s not in-person sound is going to be very, very difficult for us to work with, produces poor quality and is dangerous,” said LINDA BALLANTYNE, president of the Canada region of the International Association of Conference Interpreters. CAROLINE CORNEAU , an official with the federal government’s Translation Bureau, said there have been 90 incident reports related to poor sound quality so far this year. — Help needed: The witnesses said the problem is worsened by a chronic shortage of interpreters, who provide simultaneous translation between English and French. There are only two Master’s programs for interpreters in Canada, and then there’s the matter of attrition. According to one witness, a recent survey suggested that half of accredited interpreters are planning to retire in the next five years. | | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | |
International Trade Minister MARY NG is in Singapore today and tomorrow to attend Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission meetings.
9 a.m. Immigration Minister SEAN FRASER will make an announcement in Ottawa regarding international students and Canada’s labor shortage. 9:30 a.m. Veterans Affairs Minister LAWRENCE MACAULAY will make an announcement at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa about protecting the Juno Beach site in France. 10:45 a.m. Mental Health Minister CAROLYN BENNETT will be in Toronto to announce funding to support young people’s mental health. 11 a.m. Health Minister JEAN-YVES DUCLOS will provide an update on Covid-19 vaccines. | | WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN | |
— Who’s up: Quebec Premier FRANÇOIS LEGAULT, who proved that running a good election campaign is overrated.
— Who’s down: Hockey Canada, who… well, you know. | | MEDIA ROOM | |
— The Athletic’s KATIE STRANG is worth a listen, in conversation with MATT GALLOWAY on The Current. She tells CBC that Hockey Canada’s appearance on the Hill this week revealed a “level of institutional arrogance.”
— “The fight against climate change is going to change more in the next four years than it has in the past 40,” ROBINSON MEYER writes in the Atlantic of the influence of the Inflation Reduction Act. — A years-long battle over the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement reached the country’s top court on Thursday, ANNA MEHLER PAPERNY reports for Reuters. — The Globe’s TOM CARDOSO and ROBYN DOOLITTLE report out of a parliamentary committee studying Canada’s broken Access to Information system. Federal Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard put it this way: “Nobody’s doing great.” — After Putin: POLITICO’s DOUGLAS BUSVINE identifies 12 people ready to ruin Russia next. — Heritage Minister PABLO RODRIGUEZ is clashing with Google over Bill C-11, the online streaming bill, reports NOJOUD AL MALLEES for the Canadian Press. — POLITICO’s SUZANNE LYNCH and ILYA GRIDNEFF consider the paradox of URSULA VON DER LEYEN: The European Commission chief has a top-down approach that has endeared her to Washington but alienated colleagues in Brussels. — Ex-MPP JEREMY ROBERTS has advice for would-be mayors of Ottawa.
| | PROZONE | |
For POLITICO Pro s, catch up to our latest policy newsletter by ZI-ANN LUM: A long way from 2 percent.
In other news for s:
— Trans Mountain pipeline to cost Canadians C$17 billion, report says.
— Twitter opposes Musk effort to halt trial.
— EPA expected to include EV charging under RFS proposal.
— Freight rail still flailing, but regulators' hands are mostly tied — for now.
— Yellen calls on rich countries to ease debt crunch for developing nations. | | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: HBD + 1 to the CBC’s ALEX PANETTA.
Former finance minister BILL MORNEAU is 60 today. HBD to the PMO’s BRIAN CLOW and Liberal MP FRANCIS DROUIN, both 39 today. Celebrating on Saturday: Calgary MP RON LIEPERT. Send birthdays to ottawaplaybook@politico.com. Spotted: JAGMEET SINGH, testing positive for Covid-19. The NDP leader had to cancel a planned news conference about high grocery prices, but made up for it by using the bad news to vouch for paid sick days. BNN Bloomberg reporter PAIGE ELLIS, “being sexually harassed by a man in a hockey jersey while talking about alleged sexual misconduct by hockey players.” CBC Calgary’s JASON MARKUSOFF, preparing to observe a seventh premier crowned in the 19 years he’s covered Alberta politics. AMY and JOE BOUGHNER, celebrating 15 years. KARINA GOULD, getting spicy about proposed electoral boundary changes. At Ottawa's Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre for BOB RAE's evening lecture hosted by NAHLAH AYED: JOHN "not BOB RAE" MANLEY, MIKE BLANCHFIELD, LOUISA TAYLOR, ANDREA WOO and JESSE WINTER. Movers and shakers: RON CHHINZER is the Conservative candidate in Mississauga—Lakeshore, the riding formerly held by Liberal SVEN SPENGEMANN. Media mentions: DAVID BAXTER is now officially part of the Global National team on the Hill. “Same job, now with paid vacation,” he tweeted. … JACOB LORINC is leaving the Star to join Bloomberg where he’ll write on the rush for critical minerals. Farewells: EVAN SOLOMON hosted his last episode of the Evan Solomon Show Thursday, as well as his last CTV Power Play: “It’s been the honor of my life.” | | On the Hill | |
— Find the latest House committee meetings here.
— Keep track of Senate committees here. 8:30 a.m. Statistics Canada releases the results of its September Labour Force Survey. 8:45 a.m. The Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying will hear from family doctor GENEVIÈVE DECHÊNE; SPENCER HAWKSWELL, president and CEO of TheraPsil; MIKE KEKEWICH, director of the Champlain Regional MAID Network; JOSÉ PEREIRA, professor and director of the palliative care division at McMaster University; and LOUIS ROY of the Collège des médecins du Québec. 1 p.m. The House committee on international trade is studying the potential trade implications of transporting goods in railway containers. On the witness roster: Representatives from AGT Food and Ingredients Inc., Carmel Transport International Ltd., N. Tepperman Limited and Quorum Corporation. 1 p.m. Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Minister AHMED HUSSEN will be at the House heritage committee to take questions about the controversy involving LAITH MAROUF. 1 p.m. The House committee on citizenship and immigration is discussing application backlogs and processing times. Witnesses include the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, LUSO Community Services, Quebec Immigration Lawyers Association, Office for Refugees of the Archdiocese of Toronto, the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants and Regency Immigration Solutions. 1 p.m. The House committee on fisheries and oceans will hear from retired deputy minister MORLEY KNIGHT and department officials. Behind closed doors: The subcommittee on agenda and procedure of the standing committee on environment and sustainable development, the House public accounts committee, and the subcommittee on international human rights will gather in camera to elect vice chairs and then to discuss its draft report on human rights in repressive states. | | TRIVIA | |
Thursday’s answer: The current House Speaker's chair, which sat in storage for decades, dates to the speakership of EDGAR NELSON RHODES. He first took the chair in 1917.
Props to P. ROMANIN, JACOB WILSON, BRAM ABRAMSON, SCOTT LOHNES, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, ANNE-MARIE STACEY and GORDON RANDALL. Friday’s question: This prime minister played semi-professional baseball. “There are moments when you think [he] is running to be commissioner of baseball rather than prime minister of Canada because it comes out so often,” one researcher said. Send your answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Playbook wouldn’t happen: Without Luiza Ch. Savage and editor Sue Allan.
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