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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. The finance minister has speechifying for the second time in as many weeks — and there's more coming. Plus, the prime minister is headed to a climate conference.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | BRACE YOURSELF — That was a major theme of Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND's latest humdinger of a speech, delivered in Gatineau only days after she dropped a substantive injection of new world order foreign policy at D.C.'s Brookings Institution. In Washington, Freeland appeared to be playing several roles: part-foreign minister, part-trade minister, part-international development minister, part-environment minister and part-natural resources minister. Her newest title: Minister of Please Remain Calm. — A domestic focus: Freeland was across the river from the Hill on Monday to talk up a green hydrogen project. But she spent a big chunk of her speech, much of it in French, prepping Canadians for hard times. "Even if inflation declines in the coming months, the situation will remain difficult. Difficult for our friends. For our family. For our neighbors. And for our communities," read her prepared remarks. Freeland talked up her government's plan to temporarily double the GST benefit for qualifying families, deliver a one-time payment for low-income renters and roll out a preliminary dentalcare program. But when a recession hits — almost every economist agrees that's where we're headed — Freeland cautioned that her government can't send checks to everyone. In other words: These aren't the emergency spending days of yore. — The good news, in brief: Canada is brimming with natural bounty that will see us through whatever downturn is lurking. The world needs minerals, energy and food — all of which, Freeland said, are plentiful in this country. And she's willing to share with our friends. [Cue the shout-out to “friendshoring.”] — The local angle: Freeland heard from the people behind a major effort to produce green hydrogen for Quebec's natural gas grid. The companies behind the project are Gazifère, an Enbridge subsidiary, and Evolugen, a subsidiary of Brookfield Renewable. (Fun fact: MARK CARNEY is vice-chair of Brookfield Asset Management and head of transition investing.) The minister's visit caught the attention of WILL AMOS , the former Liberal MP for Pontiac who counts himself among the venture's earliest political supporters. Amos said the Gazifère/Evolugen project is on the leading edge of the next-generation industrial development Freeland keeps referencing. Who else would've clocked the minister's stop in Gatineau? "Investors will notice that she made that speech there," said Amos, who thought the finance minister's presence sent a "strong signal" to Quebec Premier FRANÇOIS LEGAULT that Ottawa is taking serious interest in the region. — Next up: The minister will hit the road this week. Destination: Alberta. ON THE PM'S DOCKET — After presiding over Monday's Big Announcement in Kanata that saw Nokia commit millions in spending to a flashy new tech campus, Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa today for a sit-down Q&A. — His hosts: Are the Net-Zero Advisory Body and the Canadian Climate Institute, co-organizers of a conference focused on "getting the next decade right on net-zero." — His stage: Will be shared with AKSHAT RATHI, a U.K.-based climate reporter with Bloomberg News. (Why take a string of questions from a pesky Canadian journalist?) — Later this week: Trudeau will jet to British Columbia, where so far the PMO will only say he will attend "a number of government events." One engagement we know he won't miss: a party fundraiser in Surrey on Thursday evening. Admission: C$1,000. 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 | | SPECULATION SEASON — In Gatineau, Freeland teased a coming fall economic update as a vehicle to "secure" a "better future for Canada." Playbook considers that shout-out the informal launch of Ottawa's favorite game: speculation about an important date on the political calendar. So let's set out some broad markers, shall we? — The calendar: The House has nearly eight sitting weeks between now and the end of the year. The fiscal update won't come this week, barring a major surprise, because the minister typically gives the Ottawa bubble at least some notice for planning purposes. Last year, Freeland delivered her update Dec. 14 — almost the last possible moment before the Hill packed up for the holidays. But in her Monday speech across the river, Freeland stressed the urgency of Canada's fiscal and economic situation. — Opening bid: One government-adjacent Ottawan with bragging rights to gain mused about a fiscal update dropping between Oct. 31 and Nov. 4. That would leave five weeks for Parliament to debate and vote on whatever legislation could flow from Freeland's update — which, presumably, the government would rather not languish on the order paper. 'GREEDFLATION' — That's the NDP's preferred description of grocery store profits in the pandemic era that, they argue, contribute to persistent inflation on food prices. We should note up front that economists aren't all flocking to that conclusion. TREVOR TOMBE makes the case against "greedflation" as an inflation driver. The colorful term received the tacit endorsement of the entire House of Commons after a Monday vote on NDP MP ALISTAIR MACGREGOR's non-binding opposition motion passed 327-0 . — What MPs approved: MacGregor's motion called on the government to "recognize that corporate greed is a significant driver of inflation." Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU and Finance Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU, along with most of Cabinet, voted yea. The motion also called on the government to close tax loopholes, "forcing CEOs and big corporations to pay what they owe." Trudeau, Freeland et al also voted to ask the Competition Bureau to investigate price fixing. Expect your local major grocery store's chief executive to be hauled in front of a House committee before long. — Too little, too late: So much for Loblaw's eleventh-hour announcement of frozen prices on No Name brand products until January . Two weeks ago, Crestview senior consultant JOHN O'LEARY registered to lobby for the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) — the voice of the grocery retail industry . O'Leary's goal: "securing meetings and engagements with federal political leaders." Mission accomplished? Today, the RCC meets with Freeland and Innovation Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE. BIG DONOR — Some eyes might have popped at MARK CARNEY's endorsement of Ottawa mayoral contender CATHERINE MCKENNEY. A former central banker siding with a candidate whose history with the NDP runs deep? Playbook has learned the Rockcliffe-ensconced pair met with McKenney earlier this year. Apparently, they liked what they saw. Turns out the nod was hiding in plain sight. DIANA CARNEY, Mark's wife, donated C$500 to the McKenney campaign. (CBC reporter JOANNE CHIANELLO first reported that tidbit .)
| | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | | — PM TRUDEAU will attend Cabinet at 10 a.m. and question period at 2 p.m. 8 a.m. Freeland will participate in a virtual meeting hosted by U.S. Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN on the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. 8:15 a.m. Innovation Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE will deliver a keynote speech at Space Canada’s conference, Spacebound 2022, happening at Bayview Yards in Ottawa. 8:30 a.m. The Net-Zero Advisory Body and the Canadian Climate Institute host their “ 2030 in focus: Getting the next decade right on net-zero ” conference at the National Arts Centre. 10:30 a.m. NDP MP CHARLIE ANGUS will join labor leaders and NDP MPs in urging the government to "deliver a clean energy transition plan for workers." 5:45 p.m. Freeland and Champagne will join a roundtable discussion with members of the Retail Council of Canada "about lowering costs for Canadian consumers."
| | HALLWAY CONVERSATION | | ART OF THE DEAL — Every politician who could manage it glued themselves to Nokia's splashy Monday announcement of a C$340-million investment in its Kanata campus. Trudeau was there. Champagne was in the room. Ontario Premier DOUG FORD spoke many kind words. His economic development minister, VIC FEDELI, wouldn't miss it. Nokia aims to start construction next year on a massive new tech hub with a big focus on wireless network research. The feds are ponying up cash — up to C$40 million from the Strategic Investment Fund — to support Nokia, though both sides are still doing due diligence on the deal. But the handshakes and headlines didn't appear out of thin air. Playbook spoke with Crestview Strategy senior consultant MUHAMMAD ALI, the firm's lead on the file, about the elbow grease involved in securing a multi-million-dollar investment. — How long it took to get to the announcement: Ali started working with Nokia in October 2021. — What the company needed: Nokia's Canadian subsidiary competes with the rest of the multinational for capital. Ali's job was to sell the company's idea to every level of government — and then to build public investment into Nokia Canada's business case to its own global leadership. — How to gain momentum: Ali took Nokia's pitch to local MPs, political staffers and public servants — decision makers and the people who advise them. "You need people to champion the proposal. If no one champions that, nothing goes anywhere." Ali registered a meeting with Champagne policy director BOYAN GERASIMOV on Jan. 28, another with MONA FORTIER senior policy adviser TIM LOGAN March 10, and yet another with Champagne senior policy adviser PETER OPDAM March 11. Ali scored time with senior public servants, including ISED senior assistant deputy minister MITCH DAVIES, on March 29. His Crestview colleague, STEFANO HOLLANDS, was also getting face time with public servants. Trade Minister MARY NG and Champagne's chief of staff, IAN FOUCHER, met to talk Nokia April 1. Then came May 27, when Nokia Canada president JEFFREY MADDOX sat down with Champagne, Gerasimov and Davies. Ali also organized meetings with local Liberal MPs — JENNA SUDDS on Feb. 24 and May 17 and June 15, and YASIR NAQVI on May 5. — What's next: A finalized federal deal and shovels in the ground.
| | ASK US ANYTHING | | TELL US WHAT YOU KNOW — We welcome tips and scoops. What are you hearing that you need Playbook to know? What are you watching this week? Send details.
| | MEDIA ROOM | | — The read of the day from the Rouleau Commission comes from PAUL WELLS, who dissects the testimony from Ottawa city manager STEVE KANELLAKOS and mayor JIM WATSON's chief of staff, SERGE ARPIN. Watson himself testifies today. — Can we explain Twitter v. Musk in 2 minutes? A POLITICO reporter tries (and fails) . — Is Nova Scotia Premier TIM HOUSTON a new kind of big-spending conservative or simply a pragmatic politician doing what it takes to get elected? The Hub’s GEOFF RUSS asks and answers . — ABBAS RANA talked to Conservative insiders about PIERRE POILIEVRE’s plan to win major urban centers . — The CBC’s DARREN MAJOR writes on Justice PAUL ROULEAU, “the public face of what could be a polarizing and politically tense six weeks.” — Eight months into Russia’s war against Ukraine, POLITICO’s MAURA REYNOLDS talks to Russia analyst FIONA HILL about whether Putin’s aims are evolving and what it would take to end the war. — On the Line, ANDREW MACDOUGALL takes stock of the chaos at 10 Downing Street .
| | PROZONE | | For POLITICO Pro s, our latest policy newsletter: Hazards on the road to normal. In news for POLITICO Pro s: — China’s Covid lockdowns spell relief for Europe’s energy security worries.
— Solar energy passed its hurricane test. Now come the lobbying fights.
— How Putin has maimed Gazprom.
— Biden Covid officials scramble to plan for Omicron subvariant threat.
— U.S. to penalize Iran, third parties for missile sales to Russia.
| | PLAYBOOKERS | | Birthdays: Happy 90th to IONA CAMPAGNOLO, the former MP and PIERRE TRUDEAU-era Cabinet minister who served as British Columbia's first woman lieutenant-governor. Trudeau was also born on this day. Publisher and former MLA DEREK FILDEBRANDT, former MPP JANET ECKER and onetime MP and current marathoner HEC CLOUTHIER also celebrate today. Movers and shakers: Labor Minister SEAMUS O'REGAN will need a new d-comm. MICHELLE JOHNSTON is off to the Prime Minister's Office as a strategic communications adviser. ANDREA SARKIC, a former Tory Hill staffer who's now a public affairs counselor at Compass Rose, is repping Canadian Rental Housing Providers for Affordable Housing — a coalition of real estate investment trusts.
The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is looking for a fresh start in Ottawa. That's top priority for DEREK LIPMAN, senior consultant at Cumberland Strategies and former director of riding readiness for the federal Liberals on the 2019 and 2021 campaigns.
MICHELE AUSTIN, a Harper-era Hill staffer who runs point on policy for Twitter in Canada and the U.S., eschewed neutrality to endorse MARK SUTCLIFFE for Ottawa mayor . Spotted: A new House seating plan , featuring Tory MP LESLYN LEWIS on the front bench, ED FAST relegated to the sixth row, and MICHELLE REMPEL GARNER in the far corner nearest the Speaker ... PM TRUDEAU, declaring six gifts from foreign dignitaries (including a ceremonial sword from Indonesian President JOKO WIDODO).
Cocktail circuit: Canadian Foodgrains Bank is hosting a reception in the Valour Building at 5 p.m. … At 5:30, the Canadian Prepaid Providers Organization caps its Hill Day with a Rideau Club reception … Back in the Valour Building at 6, Mines Action Canada and The HALO Trust are organizing a photo exhibition on landmines and food security in Ukraine. Ambassador YULIYA KOVALIV will attend.
Also at 6, the Global Centre for Pluralism on Sussex Drive hosts a conversation with CAROLINA CONTRERAS of Miss Rizos: "An inspired conversation on the politics of hair, representation and pluralism in the Dominican Republic and beyond followed by a live hair care tutorial." Media mentions: TVO welcomes VICKY MOCHAMA as a new diversity reporter .
| | On the Hill | | → Find upcoming House committees here → Keep track of Senate committees here 9 a.m. The Senate transport and communications committee continues its study of Bill C-11 and will hear from academics and arts and culture sector executives. 9 a.m. The Senate Indigenous peoples committee will consult four First Nation communities to “follow up on the Cannabis Act.” 9 a.m. Canadian Senators Group Leader Sen. SCOTT TANNAS is a witness at the Senate rules, procedures and the rights of Parliament committee to talk about “equity between parties and groups.” 9 a.m. The Senate national finance committee meets to study main estimates with help from department officials from Finance Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency. 9:30 a.m. The Public Order Emergency Commission continues hearings in Ottawa. 10 a.m. Sinn Féin MP JOHN FINUCANE will hold a press conference in Ottawa about his trip to the Canadian capital to campaign for post-Brexit Irish unity. Finucane will wrap his trip Thursday with an evening concert in the market at the Heart & Crown Irish Pub with NDP MP CHARLIE ANGUS. 11 a.m. The House international trade committee moves into its second meeting studying potential trade implications of transporting goods in railway containers. 11 a.m. A contingent from the Public Health Agency of Canada, led by Dr. THERESA TAM and deputy chief HOWARD NJOO, will be at the House health committee to discuss the current state of the pandemic. 11 a.m. Chief of the Defense Staff Gen. WAYNE EYRE will be at the House national defense committee to discuss Arctic security. 11 a.m. The House committee on official languages will hear from lawyer ROGER J. F. LEPAGE and ÉTIENNE-ALEXIS BOUCHER of Droits collectifs Québec in its first hour. 11 a.m. The House heritage committee is studying Bill C-18 and will hear from the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, Channel Zero, Le Devoir, Google Canada and Reset. 11 a.m. The House committee on procedure will hear from MPs in its first hour as it continues its study of hybrid proceedings. 3:30 p.m. The House citizenship and immigration committee meets to continue a study, originally launched in May, reviewing application backlogs and processing times. 3:30 p.m. JOHN GORMAN of the Canadian Nuclear Association will be the first witness at the House environment committee as it studies clean technologies. Representatives from Clean Energy Canada, Institute for Hydrogen Research, Iron and Earth, Blue Green Canada, Carbon Connect International Inc., Kruger Energy Inc. and Silicon Valley Bank will also appear. 3:30 p.m. The Fisheries Council of Canada will be among the witnesses at the House fisheries committee, which is focused on the North Atlantic right whale. 3:30 p.m. The House committee on public safety is studying Bill C-21. It will hear from Airsoft in Canada, Canadian Doctors for Protection from Guns, Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association, Canadian Shooting Sports Association, Coalition for Gun Control and Fédération sportive d’airsoft du Québec, 3:30 p.m. JERRY DEMARCO, commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, will be at the House public accounts committee. 6:30 p.m. The special joint committee on medical assistance in dying meets to hear from eight witnesses in relation to parliamentarians’ statutory review of medically assisted death. 6:30 p.m. The Senate agriculture and forestry committee continues its study of soil health in Canada. 6:30 p.m. The Senate fisheries and oceans committee will hear from two Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials on the country’s seal population and its effect on fisheries. 6:30 p.m. The Senate banking committee continues its study of inflation. First up by videoconference: Scotiabank’s chief economist JEAN-FRANÇOIS PERRAULT. In the second hour: ANDREW SHARPE of the Centre for the Study of Living Standards. 6:30 p.m. The House committee on the Canada-China relationship has three hours of witnesses lined up, including STÉPHANIE MARTEL, SOPHIE RICHARDSON and GUY SAINT-JACQUES. — Behind closed doors: The House natural resources committee meets to review a draft copy of its report studying an emissions cap for the oil and gas sector; the House citizenship and immigration committee ’s agenda and procedure subcommittee meets to talk about “committee business.”
| | TRIVIA | | Monday’s answer: A NYT correspondent insisted the day Canada legalized cannabis was known by Canadians as C-Day. ( It was not .) Props to FATIMA SYED, ERIC DILLANE, CHRIS MCCLUSKEY and ROBERT MCDOUGALL. Tuesday’s question: Who said: “The exclusion of women from all public offices is a relic of days more barbarous than ours. And to those who would ask why the word ‘person’ should include females, the obvious answer is, why should it not?” 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 | | | | |  |
