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Presented by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Our Trading Future campaign: A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Maura Forrest | | |
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Welcome to Ottawa Playbook. I’m your host, Maura Forrest. Today marks the first full Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial since the start of the pandemic. Also, STEVEN GUILBEAULT reflects on the costs and benefits of international climate summits. And does PIERRE POILIEVRE have to speak to reporters?
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | |
THE FOURTH ESTATE — Does PIERRE POILIEVRE have an obligation to speak to the media? Or, more precisely, to the parliamentary press gallery?
Yes, according to convention. That’s certainly the assumption underlying some of the questions put to him during his press conference on Wednesday at a grocery store in Vancouver, during which reporters grilled him about why he doesn’t speak to them more often. It’s also the assumption of a recent editorial in the Globe and Mail , which argued Poilievre “will have to demonstrate the same tolerance for a key pillar of liberal democracy that his fellow party leaders do on a routine basis.” But … will he? So far, the Conservative leader seems to be betting he can get his message out just fine using his own (considerable) social media following, with a few interviews doled out to choice outlets here and there. — This may only last so long as a strategy . YAROSLAV BARAN, a veteran Tory operative who most recently handled the Conservative Party’s media relations during the leadership race, told Playbook he suspects Poilievre will start making himself more available to the press gallery if he feels their relationship has been “reset.” — Quick recall: Poilievre hasn’t held a press conference on Parliament Hill since September, when he was memorably heckled by Global’s DAVID AKIN, after reporters were told there would be no questions. Baran said he suspects Poilievre “doesn’t like what he perceives as a sense of entitlement,” from journalists on Parliament Hill. Poilievre nearly said as much on Wednesday, when he told reporters “it’s not just the parliamentary press gallery that gets to control the agenda.” — One can debate whether or not Hill journalists trying to ask questions of federal politicians amounts to entitlement. But again — does Poilievre have an obligation to answer? According to Baran, the real obligation of political leaders is to be accountable to Parliament, not explicitly to journalists. Another Conservative strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he believes politicians do have to talk to media, “but it doesn’t mean they have to talk to the press gallery.” On Wednesday, for example, Poilievre said he’s been speaking to “multicultural media” outlets. He also did a sit-down interview with the National Post in Toronto — not with a member of their parliamentary bureau — published this week. — Still, the strategist said, if Poilievre’s aim is to bypass the press gallery, he could do a better job of finding new ways to get his message out. “He talks a good game, but he’s not actually delivering on being disruptive and doing new media,” the strategist said, calling Poilievre’s approach since winning the leadership “traditional and antiquated.” In Vancouver, Poilievre said he will take questions in Ottawa — at some point. But here’s how the career MP defined the problem: “We’re all too obsessed with Parliament Hill. We need to be out in the real world.” What do you think? Does the Conservative leader have an obligation to play ball with the press gallery? Tell us at ottawaplaybook@politico.com . — Also worth noting: Poilievre was in northern British Columbia on Thursday, on NDP turf . “Families in Skeena—Bulkley Valley are watching as the cost of furnace oil skyrockets, and winter is coming,” he said in a statement. Skeena—Bulkley Valley has voted NDP since its creation in 2004. It was the long-time seat of NDP heavyweight NATHAN CULLEN, and has been held by TAYLOR BACHRACH since 2019. But 338Canada now lists it as a toss-up between the NDP and the Conservatives. Did someone forward Ottawa Playbook your way? Click here to sign up for your own edition. It’s free! | | | | A message from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Our Trading Future campaign: For Canadians and Americans alike, new challenges have forced us to rethink many of our assumptions about how we do business. Global supply chains are under stress, geopolitical tensions are escalating, and post-pandemic economic recovery continues to be challenging. Amid all of this, it’s midterm season in the United States! In this moment, Canada and the United States must rediscover the depth of our economic and strategic partnership. To learn more, visit Our Trading Future. | | | | | For your radar | | | 
The sun sets at COP27. | AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell | COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS — Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT came to the defense of COP27 during a call with reporters Thursday, saying the carbon footprint of international climate summits is worthwhile given what they’ve achieved. “These meetings have been incredibly beneficial for the planet, for humans and for all living creatures,” Guilbeault said from Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. “Every degree Celsius less warming that we will generate, we’re talking about billions of tons of carbon less into the atmosphere.” In other words, the fuel burned ferrying hundreds of delegates to and from Egypt is but a drop in the bucket relative to all the fuel we won’t burn thanks to COP27. “We can’t solve this by sitting at home,” he added. — It’s hardly a surprising position from Guilbeault, who is currently attending his 20th COP meeting. But it’s one not shared by all environmentalists — GRETA THUNBERG, for one, has labeled the summit a forum for “greenwashing.” Despite the fact that Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU isn’t attending, Canada has a major presence at COP27. This week, U.K.-based Carbon Brief calculated that Canada sent the fifth-most delegates to Egypt , behind only the UAE, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya. Canada’s delegation numbers roughly 335 people, up from 276 delegates sent to COP26 in Glasgow. — Last month, the U.N.’s environment agency issued a report saying there is “no credible pathway to 1.5C in place.” And just before the conference started , POLITICO’s RYAN HEATH reported on an “inconvenient truth: Governments are undermining the Paris climate agreement just seven years after they signed it.” — But as the first week of COP27 draws to a close, Guilbeault said he remains optimistic that keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is possible. “We’ve made tremendous progress, but there’s a lot more that needs to be done,” he told reporters. — Meanwhile: There have been plenty of distractions out of Sharm El-Sheikh from the actual business of tackling climate change. On Wednesday, POLITICO reported that Western security advisers are warning delegates not to download the Egyptian government’s official smartphone app, “amid fears it could be used to hack their private emails, texts and even voice conversations.” Apparently, Canadian officials are among those who have downloaded the app. On Thursday, Guilbeault confirmed he has not downloaded the app himself. — And for s: POLITICO’s KARL MATHIESEN reports on how COP27 is “quickly turning into a public relations nightmare” for the Egyptian government, amid concerns about hotel beds and shortages of food and water. LEST WE FORGET — The national Remembrance Day ceremony is back in full force at the National War Memorial in Ottawa today, after two years of pandemic restrictions. Governor General MARY SIMON will be there. Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will not attend, however, as he left last night for Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a veterans’ parade, and will include two fly-pasts and a rendition of God Save the King. The ceremony is open to the public, but you can also watch it here . — Meanwhile: Defense Minister ANITA ANAND will commemorate Remembrance Day in Toronto by… opening the Toronto Stock Exchange. Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND will also be in Toronto, at the University of Toronto’s service. NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH will attend a Remembrance Day ceremony in London, Ont. | | | | A message from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Our Trading Future campaign:   | | | | | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is en route to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for a leaders' meeting at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.
— Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in Toronto for Remembrance Day. 10:30 a.m. NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH will attend a Remembrance Day ceremony in London, Ont., and will attend a lunch with veterans at the local Legion branch at noon. 4 p.m. Singh will speak with B.C. premier-designate DAVID EBY. | | | | DON’T MISS A THING FROM THE MILKEN INSTITUTE’S MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA SUMMIT: POLITICO is partnering with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Digital Future Daily" newsletter with insider reporting and insights from the Milken Institute's Middle East and Africa Summit happening November 17-18. Hundreds of global leaders will convene, highlighting the important role connection plays in advancing global well-being. Whether you’re in-person at the event or following online, sign up for this special edition newsletter for daily coverage of the event. SUBSCRIBE TODAY . | | | | | | | WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN | |
Who’s up: Mastodon. For now, at least.
Who’s down: Somehow, also Mastodon. But also Twitter. Social media, generally. | | MEDIA ROOM | |
— MPs have endorsed a plan to spend more than C$250 million on tunnels connecting the buildings on Parliament Hill, MARIE WOOLF reports for the Globe and Mail.
— For the National Post, ADRIAN HUMPHREYS looks back at 20 years of healing for Canadians injured in a friendly fire bombing in Afghanistan. — In Scientific American, CATHERINE MCKENNA and AMY MYERS JAFFE make the case that at COP27, men should cede their microphone time to women. — CBC’s West of Centre pod considers what happens next now that Premier DANIELLE SMITH has a seat in the Alberta legislature. — In Chatelaine, KIM WHEELER talks to JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD about her new book. — The Atlantic has reupped a piece by CHARLIE WARZEL, which examined a “remarkable, voyeuristic” trail of text messages sent to Twitter’s now CEO. “Whoever said there are no bad ideas in brainstorming never had access to Elon Musk’s phone,” Warzel writes. — In case you missed it, Xtra’s MEL WOODS predicts the prime minister’s upcoming turn on ‘Canada’s Drag Race’ is going to be … cringe. | | | | A message from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Our Trading Future campaign: It is important that we address the elephant (and donkey) in the room. As we have seen this midterm season, protectionism remains a challenge on both sides of the political aisle in the United States. This is economically harmful to ordinary citizens and businesses from both countries and is also strategically short sighted.
Canada and the United States together are facing a time of great uncertainty, but also opportunity. As neighbours and allies, a renewed focus on building trade security and resiliency is of vital interest for Canadians and Americans alike in the current precarious moment.
This is a critical year to strengthen the foundations of the Canada-U.S. relationship by seizing opportunities to deepen our partnerships in areas such as energy security, continental defence, regulatory cooperation, and border management. Visit Our Trading Future to learn more about how we can achieve these shared goals. | | | | | PROZONE | |
For POLITICO Pro s, catch up to our latest policy newsletter: The download on that download.
In other news for s:
— Report: World on track to warm by 2.7 Celsius by end of century.
— U.S., EU to unveil joint roadmap for artificial intelligence.
— Who killed the Covid-19 vaccine waiver?
— Manchin won't hold hearing to confirm FERC's Glick.
— Climate frenemies: U.S. and EU jostle for an edge in the clean tech marketplace. | | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: HBD to STEPHEN LEWIS and Sen. PATRICK BRAZEAU. Also celebrating today: ROB FLEMING, B.C.'s minister of transportation and infrastructure.
Celebrating Saturday: Former Cabmin BARBARA MCDOUGALL, former Speaker PETER MILLIKEN and economist and politician MICHEL AUDET. Celebrating Sunday: Longtime Quebec Liberal PIERRE ARCAND, former MP LAUREN LIU and Ottawa city councilor RILEY BROCKINGTON. Send birthdays to ottawaplaybook@politico.com .
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The pins bestowed on Riddell grads | Photo courtesy of Jeni Armstrong |
Spotted: At Thursday evening's 10th anniversary celebration of the Riddell program in political management: PAUL WILSON, STEPHEN AZZI, JENNIFER ROBSON, JENI ARMSTRONG, DAVID COLETTO, KYLA RONELLENFITSCH, HARDAVE BIRK, BILL FOX, MATHIEU LABERGE, LAURA PECK, NATHAN BOWLES, ERIN BURCHETT, DORIS MAY, NICK MOODY, SATHISHBABU CHINNARAJ, ERIN WOODS, YASMINE ATASSI, SAM CHAUDHURY, JOSH DADJO, SHIFRAH GADAMSETTI. And too many GR pros to list.
JESSE BROWN, defending Twitter … SUBSTACK, introducing a bestseller badge: “Paying readers, not Substack, decide who gets a badge. We don’t give out these badges for subjective reasons and they can’t be bought.” A trio of senators at COP27 — ROSA GALVEZ, MARY COYLE and PATRICIA BOVEY. RALPH GOODALE, shaking hands with CAMILLA , the Queen Consort, in the Field of Remembrance next to Westminster Abbey. The Canada Gazette, with new proposed Nuclear Security Regulations … Calgary MP GEORGE CHAHAL, organizing a job fair . MARK SUTCLIFFE and CATHERINE MCKENNEY, at BeaverTails . Movers and shakers: The PM has appointed MARGO GREENWOOD as an independent senator to fill a vacant seat representing British Columbia. DAVE SOMMER, ex of the PMO, making his exit from Instagram after layoffs. Labrador MP YVONNE JONES is taking a leave of absence to undergo surgery and medical treatment for a recurrence of breast cancer. “I am confident that I will end this journey in good health and return to work as soon as possible,” she said in a statement. ADAM MOSCOE is starting a new position as an adviser and economist with the international finance and development division of Finance Canada. — Maritime Launch, the builders of a Nova Scotia-based commercial spaceport profiled by the National Post's JOE O'CONNOR , are lobbying Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for Strategic Innovation Fund support. Enterprise's ALEXANDRA LEE is repping the company on the Hill. — Canada's Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) enlisted the services of McMillan Vantage VP D'ARCI MCFADDEN. The target: senators. The topic: "raising awareness" about the NWMO's long-term nuclear waste storage plans. Two sites in Ontario are on the organization's shortlist for a "deep geological repository" expected to be approved in 2024 . One of the proposed locations, near the shores of Lake Huron, caught the attention of Great Lakes-adjacent U.S. senators who are fiercely opposed on environmental grounds. Media mentions: The National Post has launched a weekly news quiz. You can find the inaugural edition here . | | | | Tune in as international security leaders from democracies around the world discuss key challenges at the 14th annual Halifax International Security Forum live from Nova Scotia. As an official media partner, POLITICO will livestream the conversation beginning at 3 p.m. on November 18. The full three-day agenda is here . | | | | |
| | On the Hill | |
— Find the latest House committee meetings here .
— Keep track of Senate committees here . | | TRIVIA | |
Thursday’s answer: Former mayor HAZEL MCCALLION once said the Mississauga train derailment in November 1979 resulted in the most serious, demanding and stressful stretch in her long political career.
Reader BRAM ABRAMSON had the correct answer and sent this link — a minute-by-minute account of the emergency. A few readers sent first-hand accounts. Props to: LAURA JARVIS, HUGH BENEVIDES, LUCAS BORCHENKO, DON PHILLIPS, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, AMY BOUGHNER, GUY SKIPWORTH, JOANNA PLATER, SHANE O’NEILL, CHRIS LEGGETT, HARRISON RUESS, PATRICK DION, DOUG SWEET, NANCI WAUGH, JOHN SLONIMSKI, LAURIE MACE, TRACY SALMON and JOHN DILLON. Friday’s question: Armistice Day was inaugurated in 1919. But in what year did the Canadian government select November 11 as the date Remembrance Day would be observed? Send your answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Playbook wouldn’t happen: Without Luiza Ch. Savage and Sue Allan. Want to grab the attention of movers and shakers on Parliament Hill? Want your brand in front of a key audience of Ottawa influencers? Playbook can help. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
