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A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Maura Forrest, Zi-Ann Lum and Nick Taylor-Vaisey | Send tips | Subscribe here | Follow Politico Canada Welcome to Ottawa Playbook. I’m your host, Maura Forrest, with Zi-Ann Lum and Nick Taylor-Vaisey. Today, we bring you the highlights — and lowlights — from yesterday’s committee meeting on holiday travel woes. Also, we share our latest intel on who is and isn’t going to Davos. |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra | ParlVu screengrab | WHAT WE HEARD — What did we glean from Thursday’s marathon meeting of the House of Commons transport committee? There were the half-hearted mea culpas from the airlines for the travel disruptions that saw flights canceled and hundreds of passengers stranded over the busy holiday season. There were Transport Minister OMAR ALGHABRA’s promises to Do Something. There was the collective outrage from the assembled MPs. There was … well, not a whole lot else, really. If you were hoping for news, there wasn’t all that much of it to be had. Here are a few of the highlights we picked out, in case you weren’t glued to your livestream for five hours yesterday. — The numbers: The committee meeting did yield a few eye-popping figures from the various airlines. Here are a few standouts:
- 7,000: The number of complaints Sunwing says it has received so far regarding holiday travel disruptions.
- 107,000: The number of customers Air Canada rebooked between Dec. 23 and 27.
- 1,600: The number of flights WestJet canceled between Dec. 16 and Jan. 8.
- 63: The number of foreign pilots that Sunwing planned to bring in as temporary foreign workers — a request the government denied last fall, which Sunwing says contributed to staff shortages.
— The apologies that weren’t, entirely: All the airline executives said they were sympathetic to the plight of passengers who ended up stranded or delayed. Sunwing President LEN CORRADO, who faced most of the grilling from MPs after hundreds of the vacation airline’s passengers ended up stuck for days in Mexico, apologized that the airline “failed to deliver.” But much of the testimony from the execs amounted to something along the lines of “weather’s gonna weather.” “Mother Nature always has the ability to show us where our limits are,” said SCOTT WILSON, vice president of operations at WestJet, claiming this was “the most significant weather disruption” he’s experienced in 22 years with the airline. Corrado, too, said many of the factors that contributed to the disruptions were “out of our control.” — The commitments: Alghabra said he plans to table legislation this spring to beef up protections for air passengers, but we already knew that. He said more of the “burden of responsibility” should rest with the airlines to compensate passengers before they resort to filing complaints with the backlogged Canadian Transportation Agency. But we already knew that, too. Executives with Sunwing and WestJet both said they’re working to improve communication to passengers when disruptions occur. — Testy exchanges: Opposition MPs routinely do their best to goad ministers into losing their cool during committee appearances, and Thursday was no exception. Alghabra mostly stuck to his lines, but when Conservative MP LUC BERTHOLD pushed him to apologize to Canadians, he couldn’t help himself. “What do you want me to be responsible for? The weather or Sunwing’s bad decisions?” the minister said. — So, what was gained? NDP MP TAYLOR BACHRACH said it best when he opened his first round of questions by claiming he was “trying to channel the dismay and the frustration and the anger of hundreds of Canadians.” If the committee achieved nothing else on Thursday, it can at least claim to have given voice to angry Canadians — if any of them were watching, that is. — And one more thing: The committee meeting also yielded this excellent exchange between Alghabra and reporters right after his testimony.
- Alghabra: I need to catch a flight … and hopefully it’s on time.
- Reporter: Highly unlikely.
- Alghabra: Oh, come on.
— Related reading: “No one can explain December’s travel chaos — but everyone’s sorry it happened,” writes the Toronto Star’s SUSAN DELACOURT. Did someone forward Ottawa Playbook your way? Click here to sign up for your own edition. It’s free! | | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU and Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND are in “private meetings.”
10 a.m. Innovation Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE will make an announcement about the future of quantum technologies at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ont. — Also: Playbook can confirm there will be a Liberal Cabinet retreat in Hamilton, Ont. from Jan. 23 to 25. | | For your radar | |
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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau | Martin Meissner/AP Photo |
COUNTDOWN TO THE G-7 SUMMIT — No new deals or talks were launched between Canada and Japan Thursday during Prime Minister FUMIO KISHIDA’s bilat with Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU. Instead, the leaders went hard on the word “cooperation.”
Kishida’s recent move to double military spending has given him new clout in defense talks, which has been a throughline in his meetings with G-7 leaders this week. Asked to explain why he bumped the budget, the Japanese leader pointed to regional issues (Russia, North Korea and China are notable neighbors) and a belief that defense spending should be aimed “at a level of around 2 percent of a GDP.” Two percent is the spending target set by NATO, one Canada hasn’t met. Japan, not a NATO member, wants to ratchet spending up to 2.7 percent of GDP by 2027. — Future exports: Kishida said that while no commitments were made to speed up deliveries of Canadian liquefied natural gas to Japan, his government wants to have “a closer relationship with Canada in the area of energy.” He skipped town after a joint media availability at the National Arts Centre where three “reserved” signs were placed on front-row chairs for Canadian ministers who didn’t show.Balmier weather awaited the delegation in Washington, D.C., where they will meet U.S. President JOE BIDEN today. WEF WATCH — The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos kicks off Monday, and at least two federal ministers will be in attendance. So will MARK CARNEY, because of course he will. Here’s our latest (undoubtedly incomplete) information: Who’s in: International Trade Minister MARY NG , whose office declined to confirm her attendance to POLITICO until Thursday, but who’s listed as a speaker on a panel about the intangible economy titled “Bricks or Clicks: What Kind of Investment do Economies Need?” Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND, who will appear on two panels: one about the war in Ukraine and another on women’s leadership. Former central bank governor MARK CARNEY , who will speak at no less than three sessions on philanthropy, resilience and the power of shareholders. Quebec Economy Minister PIERRE FITZGIBBON, Manulife CEO ROY GORI, CPPIB President JOHN GRAHAM and global head of private equity SUYI KIM. Who’s out: Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU, Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE, Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY, Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON, Quebec Premier FRANÇOIS LEGAULT, B.C. Premier JOHN HORGAN, Business Council of Canada President GOLDY HYDER, Hydro-Québec CEO SOPHIE BROCHU. | | WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN | |
Who’s up: RANJ PILLAI, who will be sworn in as Yukon premier this weekend after everyone else decided they didn’t want the job, and whose mother, out in Cape Breton, told SaltWire this week she was “pretty glad for him.”
Who’s down: Former finance minister BILL MORNEAU, whose new book was lately dubbed a “platter of sour grapes” by none other than TOM MULCAIR, who has never harbored a vengeful thought in his life. | | PAPER TRAIL | |
BEAT THE CHEATS — A paltry three percent of respondents in polling commissioned by the Canada Revenue Agency say tax evasion is less of a problem than it was a couple of years ago. Two in five respondents think it's gotten worse.
— Go get 'em: Environics Research Group charged the CRA C$98,672.39 for a survey that gauged the national mood on "high net worth individuals" who duck their tax bills. A tiny majority (51 percent) lauded the CRA as "good" or "excellent" at making sure Canadians pay up. But that confidence plummets to one in four when it comes to HNWIs — aka wealthy people — and big business. A massive majority (91 percent) are keen on the taxman chasing the evaders and avoiders, with 53 percent saying the CRA isn't trying hard enough. But three-quarters are pessimists who believe the richest among us "will always find a way" out of coughing up their fair share. A near-majority (43 percent) have no qualms with one percenters "finding legal ways to pay as little tax as possible." Environics asked respondents if they'd heard of the Offshore Tax Informant Program — a federal snitch line launched in 2014 that offers rewards to informants whose leads produce at least C$100,000 in taxes owed. Eighty-eight percent had no idea about that initiative. — Technical bits: The survey was conducted by telephone with 1,601 Canadians aged 18 and over between June 12 and July 11, 2022. The margin of error was 2.4 percent. | | MEDIA ROOM | |
— SARA CONNORS of APTN reports: Search finds remains of a child at former Qu’Appelle Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan.
— At the Line, JEN GERSON has the first part of a two-part interview with MARSHALL SMITH, chief of staff to Alberta Premier DANIELLE SMITH, about that province’s approach to drug addiction and “the behind-the-scenes thinking on the Conservative side of drug policy.” — With wait times stretching into 2025, lawyers are urging Ottawa to appoint more judges, the Toronto Star’s JACQUES GALLANT reports. — On the latest Front Burner: The great stove debate. — The federal government will no longer fund national sports organizations that don’t agree to ban comments about athletes’ weight or the forced return to play after concussions, Le Devoir’s BORIS PROULX reports, following an interview with Sports Minister PASCALE ST-ONGE. — The Hill Times reports: Three Amigos Summit sets up Biden’s Ottawa visit to focus on critical minerals. — ERIN O’TOOLE wants you to get “excited and optimistic” about one word. “Just one word. Are you listening? Nuclear.” | | PROZONE | |
For POLITICO Pro s, here’s our latest policy newsletter from ZI-ANN LUM: How Canada spent its winter vacation.
In other news for Pro readers: —New study raises the heat on Exxon's secret climate research. —Google defends algorithm use in SCOTUS tech liability case. —Why Japan is the latest ally moving Biden’s way. — Russia's cyberattacks aim to 'terrorize' Ukrainians. — Spy agencies report hundreds more UFO sightings since 2021. — House establishes tough-on-China select committee. | | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: HBD to MP JACQUES GOURDE, former MP and consul general MARY CLANCY and Hill+Knowlton Strategies account director ERIC DILLANE. Former senator and journo LINDA FRUM is 60!
Celebrating Saturday: Tory MP SCOTT AITCHISON hits the big 5-0. Also: Former senator WILFRED MOORE, former MNA FRANÇOISE DAVID. Send birthdays to ottawaplaybook@politico.com. Spotted: Liberal MP RECHIE VALDEZ, dancing with GURDEEP PANDHER in the Yukon. Movers and shakers: Yesterday was CECELY ROY’s last day as a press secretary in the PMO. She’s heading to the private sector in Toronto. ALISON MURPHY is her replacement. CHARLIE BELDMAN, previously director of operations in former Alberta premier JASON KENNEY’s office, is joining New West Public Affairs as a senior consultant. Finance Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND has appointed DAVID DOMINY, ERNIE DANIELS and SHELLEY WILLIAMS to the Bank of Canada’s board of directors. ALEX MARLAND is joining Acadia University’s politics department as the inaugural Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership. Electricity Canada has some new faces. BRITTANY BOTTING has joined as director of generation, and WILL GREENE comes on board as manager of government relations. API Labs has enlisted Global Public Affairs senior counsel CURTIS O'NYON to lobby on the Hill. The company is looking for a regulatory exemption that would approve "licit cultivation" of opium poppy crops "for the sole purpose of seed production" — i.e. not the manufacture of opioids like, say, heroin. API's board includes Mulroney-era health minister JAKE EPP and former Finance DM MICHAEL HORGAN. Media mentions: ALLYA DAVIDSON is the new executive producer of CBC’s The Fifth Estate. | | On the Hill | |
— Find the latest House committee meetings here.
— Keep track of Senate committees here. The House of Commons resumes Jan. 30; the Senate returns Jan. 31. | | TRIVIA | |
Thursday’s answer: On June 5, 2017, former transport minister MARC GARNEAU spoke to the Transportation Modernization Act at second reading. The bill mandated the Canadian Transportation Agency with establishing air passenger rights regulations. (As a reader pointed out, the bill was first introduced on May 16 of that year.)
Props to LAURA JARVIS, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, JOHN DILLON, SARAH ANDREWS, BLAIR OSTROM, JOHN ECKER and GOZDE KAZAZOGLU. Today’s question: On this date in 2020, reports revealed that Queen Elizabeth had brokered a deal “to secure the future of the monarchy.” Why did Canada come up in the arrangement? Send your answer 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 | | | | |  |
