Ottawa: Crickets

From: POLITICO Ottawa Playbook - Thursday Jan 05,2023 11:02 am

Jan 05, 2023

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Thanks for reading the Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey. Our biggest question today: Is anybody out there?

DRIVING THE DAY

WHERE'S TRUDEAU? — The Prime Minister's Office told reporters before Christmas that the Trudeaus were jetting off to Jamaica for a one-week holiday vacation. Wednesday marked the family's 10th day in the sunny Caribbean.

We're not ones to begrudge a well-earned vacation, but what gives? Playbook has learned Trudeau will be back at work in the National Capital Region today, which was always the plan.

HURRY UP, THEN WAIT — It's mostly crickets from the chair of the House transport committee, Liberal MP PETER SCHIEFKE, after a Tuesday pledge to grill Via Rail and Sunwing officials about holiday travel chaos.

"Canadians deserve answers for the unacceptable delays and cancellations seen over the holiday season," he tweeted Jan. 3.

JENNIFER FREZZA, Schiefke's director of communications, declined an interview request until next week at the earliest. Frezza said details of when the committee will meet and who will testify aren't yet settled.

"We are expecting to have that information by the end of this week or early next week," she said.

— Pressure applied: In a letter penned Wednesday, four Conservatives and the committee's lone New Democrat urged Schiefke to pick up the pace. MARK STRAHL, LESLYN LEWIS, CHRIS LEWIS and DAN MUYS joined TAYLOR BACHRACH in demanding hearings "as soon as practicably possible."

The opposition only needs four MPs to demand a meeting. Standing Order 106(4) says Schiefke has five calendar days to call one to order. The clock is now ticking.

And the two opposition parties want to hear from more than corporate bigwigs.

"Given his role in overseeing Canada’s transportation system, it is important that these hearings include a two-hour appearance by Minister of Transport OMAR ALGHABRA. In your capacity as chair it would be prudent to begin arranging the minister’s appearance immediately."

In his own statement, Bachrach had a more pointed question for Alghabra: "Canadians deserve to know what steps he took during the crisis and plans to take in the future to protect passengers."

— A reminder: Alghabra hosted a November summit meant to prevent chaos in the holiday season. Oops?

Playbook reached out to Strahl's office for comment. His office said he was working his way through a pile of media requests.

— In other words: With the House adjourned until the end of the month, the transport committee is the only game in town. Count us among Hill scribes jonesing for the first parliamentary showdown of 2023.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

Nope.

Friday lookahead: The Wilson Center hosts a preview of next week's North American Leaders' Summit in Mexico City. A pair of Americans will offer a briefing: BRIAN NICHOLS, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs; and JUAN GONZALEZ, National Security Council senior director for the Western Hemisphere.

If Gonzalez's name sounds familiar, that's because his 'Freedom Convoy'-era correspondence with PMO senior aide BRIAN CLOW made some noise at the Rouleau Commission last November.

The Wilson Center event will also be livestreamed.

HALLWAY CONVERSATION

GRAB BAG PREDICTIONS — Tuesday's Playbook laid bare our hand-picked Playbook Prognosticators' best guesses at how politics will play out in 2023. We also asked about the Leafs' chances of winning the Cup. The prognosticators wouldn't bet on them.

We asked about the people, places and things that will fly under the radar. Here's a sampling of where they're training their spidey senses.

— GARRY KELLER, StrategyCorp VP: Keep an eye on Manitoba. Unless HEATHER STEFANSON turns it around by the end of January, WAB KINEW and the NDP are heading for a big win this fall.

Also, don't underestimate MARIT STILES and the Ontario NDP. She now has lots of runway to establish herself and turn herself into the RACHEL NOTLEY of Ontario. A leadership race would be a waste of time and money that would just drag on.

Just look at the Ontario Liberals. They aren't meeting until March to even start talking about a leadership race and the rules. They are in deep deep trouble unless they pick themselves up off the mat and start getting their crap together.

— DAN ARNOLD, Pollara chief strategy officer: I don't think "inflation" will be the top political issue a year from now, but "cost of living"/"affordability" is almost certain to remain a top concern.

If the Leafs do win the Stanley Cup, then climate change will almost certainly be the top issue, as that will mean hell has frozen over.

— JULIAN OVENS, Crestview Strategy VP: There will be some early Senate retirements.

HARPER LOVES CRYPTO — That'd be son BEN, not father STEPHEN. The younger Harper co-penned a year-ahead look at Bitcoin mining in Canada that echoes conservative advocacy from the likes of PIERRE POILIEVRE and MICHELLE REMPEL GARNER.

Here's what jumped out at us.

— The opportunity: "Canada is naturally positioned to be a leader in digital asset mining and can continue to bring benefits to the country via jobs and economic diversification," Harper wrote alongside ETHAN VERA, COLIN HARPER and AARON FOSTER.

"If Canadian miners can just prevent policy that explicitly discriminates against digital asset mining, there is long term upside potential in Canada."

— Lobbywatch: Harper et al want the industry to set its sights on legislatures everywhere.

"Canada’s Bitcoin mining industry is well overdue for a serious, permanent, and coordinated cross-Canada digital asset mining lobbying effort. A permanent body signals to governments that our industry is not going away, which could help with a resolution on the federal tax issue, establish a more credible deterrent for harmful policy endeavors in the future, and get ahead of issues on the industry's behalf."

For your radar

NEW DIGS — On the last workdays before 2023, a small pile of contracts popped up on the CanadaBuys federal procurement portal. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada inked deals with vendors able to put up Ukrainian nationals.

— The specific ask: "The provision of temporary hotel accommodations services in cities across Canada from October 11, 2022 to March 31, 2023 with additional option periods, in accordance with Annex A – Statement of Requirements."

Annex A was hidden behind a login page at SAP Ariba, a separate procurement website where users bid on government contracts.

The contracts were signed between September and November, but only published online in December.

We asked the department's media relations office for more details, but have yet to hear back. (As we noted off the top, it's super quiet around here.)

— The numbers: Seven companies won a combined nine contracts with the feds: Nacris, Newland Canada, Ports 79, Travel Lodging Group, G Plus Industries, Masud Trading Company and MLS Management. The winning bidders are based in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Delaware. The contract values add up to C$11.6 million.

MEDIA ROOM

— The brand new Investigative Journalism Foundation published eight stories on Day One, including ROBERTO ROCHA's deep dive into lobbyists' regular attendance over the years at the prime minister's fundraisers.

— Top of POLITICO this hour: Increasingly desperate GOP calls it a night without picking a speaker.

— MICHAEL GEIST is on today's Front Burner pod: Will Canada make web giants pay for news?

— Process Nerd KADY O'MALLEY digs up an Elections Canada report from December that chimed in on the Liberal Party's penchant for fundraiser event notices that omit venues for security purposes — a practice the agency says could violate elections law.

— From the Globe’s ANDREW COYNE: My traditional year-end interview without the Prime Minister

— PAUL WELLS riffs on a Radio-Canada report on millions in federal dollars doled out to McKinsey. A sharp line from Wells: "This increasing resort to secretive external consultancies impoverishes public discussion about ideas for the future."

— The CBC’s MURRAY BREWSTER writes: NORAD is in line for a tech boost — but it won't happen quickly.

— “In vilifying safe supply, Pierre Poilievre has picked the wrong target,” retired senator and former police chief VERNON WHITE argues in a Globe op-ed.

— Sen. PAULA SIMONS mostly leaves Twitter, "a love affair gone toxic."

— Title of the next Canusa Street pod, out this morning: Avocados from where? The guest is VINCENT ANNUNZIATO, director of the business transformation and innovation division at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Listen here.

PROZONE

If you’re a , don’t miss our latest policy newsletter from SUE ALLAN and MAURA FORREST: New year, new wave

In other Pro headlines:

— Pro’s Doug Palmer shares dates on the 2023 trade calendar.

— New Covid strain is the most transmissible yet, WHO says.

— France hits back at America with green industry plan.

— Musk's Twitter to lift ban on political ads 'in coming weeks.'

— Shoddy Trump paperwork could lead to big China tariff payback.

PLAYBOOKERS

Birthdays: HBD to former deputy PM JOHN MANLEY and former MPs DOROTHY DOBBIE and STEPHEN WOODWORTH.

HBD + 1 to Canadian American Border Trade Alliance president and CEO PAT WHALEN.

Birthdays, gatherings, social notices: Send them our way.

Spotted: Privy Council Office senior policy officer HOWARD YEUNG (a regular Playbook trivia night devotee), with the chuckle of the day for bureaucrats: "Five of the least solid words in the English language: 'But finance verified the numbers!' "

A dose of pessimism from MICHAEL WERNICK on the topic of 24 Sussex renos: "I don’t expect any movement in 2023 but would be happy to be proven wrong."

STEPHEN KELLY's solution to the stalemate? Add more politics: "Take the Official Residence away from the NCC and make it a House matter. Hill renos seem to be proceeding apace without the theater. Make the MPs accountable for housing their own."

UN ambo BOB RAE, divesting from Amber Canada: “I no longer have an interest,” he reported in an ethics filing first spotted by Blacklock's — which also first noted Rae's connection to the company in 2020.

Proof's GREG MACEACHERN, throwing shade at Harper-appointed senators: "Happy 14th anniversary to all the Senators appointed to 8 year terms."

Movers and shakers: Veterans Affairs Minister LAWRENCE MACAULAY has a new chief of staff: MATTHEW MANN, who gets a promotion from parliamentary affairs director. Mann fills the vacancy left by PATRICIA BEH's departure in December.

Veteran city hall staffer ROBYN GUEST has been hired to be chief of staff for Ottawa Mayor MARK SUTCLIFFE, CBC reports. Guest was former mayor JIM WATSON's policy director. She was name-checked in the explosive LRT inquiry. Critics are riled up about Sutcliffe's new hire.

Counsel's JOHN DELACOURT is lobbying for the maritime transportation company Fednav, which has "tax policy considerations" for the Canadian Transportation Agency to consider as Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations work toward a global minimum corporate tax rate.

Temple Scott Associates' UJWAL GANGULY , gearing up for an International Development Week lobbying blitz — that's Feb. 5–11 — on behalf of Cooperation Canada.

Media mentions: FRÉDÉRIK-XAVIER DUHAMEL left La Presse for the Globe and Mail, where he started this week.

Send Playbookers tips to ottawaplaybook@politico.com.

On the Hill

→ Find the latest on House committee meetings here.

→ Keep track of Senate committee meetings here.

TRIVIA

Wednesday’s trivia answer: “We had to invent everything, improvise everything,” LUCIEN BOUCHARD said of the 1998 ice storm.

Reader BRAM ABRAMSON writes, “I was then a graduate student at Université de Montréal and remember it as a strange, magical, maddening time of bars operating by candlelight and roving migrations to friends and family still with power.”

Props to CATHERINE LEVESQUE, ADRIAN LEE, LAURA JARVIS, STEVEN HOGUE, PATRICK DION, DOUG RICE, ADRIEN BLANCHARD, and ROBERT MCDOUGALL.

Today’s question: Name the Speaker of the House of Commons with the longest tenure.

Send your answer to ottawaplaybook@politico.com

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