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Presented by Shaw Communications: A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Maura Forrest, Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Zi-Ann Lum | | | Send tips | Subscribe here | Follow Politico Canada Welcome to Ottawa Playbook. I’m your host, Maura Forrest, with Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Zi-Ann Lum. Today, we take a closer look at the MPs who’ve been making the most use of hybrid Parliament. We tell you what’s on the agenda for CHRYSTIA FREELAND’s meeting with provincial and territorial finance ministers. And we bring you more from our interview with ERIN O’TOOLE. |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
Canada's hybrid House of Commons | Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS |
WORKING FROM HOME — Canada could soon have a permanently hybrid Parliament. That was the recommendation of a parliamentary committee earlier this week, and it seems to be the preference of the Liberal government.
We here at Playbook had already been wondering about this before the committee’s report landed this week. Or, rather, we’d been wondering this: Who are the MPs who’ve been spending the least time in Ottawa thanks to virtual proceedings? And what are their reasons? We spent a while combing through travel expense reports between the 2021 election and the 2022 summer break, and found a group of MPs whose physical attendance in Ottawa was way down. They include Liberals, Conservatives and New Democrats, many from west of Ontario. Their reasons are varied. Some have been in poor health and relied on virtual proceedings to do the job. But others — especially younger MPs with kids — say this is their new normal, and they’re not going back. You can read POLITICO’s full story here. — Here are a few choice quotes: “Imagine if… [your] employer said you're allowed to see your kids on Saturday. And we need you to work that day. That's the current life under the old system.” — Liberal MP TERRY BEECH “There's not many Canadians that can say that they've been able to deliver speeches on the floor of the House of Commons. And I think there's nothing that will ever take that place.” — Conservative MP TODD DOHERTY, who’s been sidelined by a knee injury but says he’s itching to get back to Ottawa full-time “If you want serious people, younger people, people who want to be good spouses and be good parents to do this job … there has to be a certain level of flexibility to work remotely.” — Liberal MP NATHANIEL ERSKINE-SMITH “You can't build relationships, either with your constituents or other people, when you're always on a Zoom with them.” — Liberal MP HEDY FRY, who says she’s immunocompromised and has stayed home to avoid catching Covid — Honorable mentions: We would be remiss if we didn’t mention a few other names here, of MPs who haven’t been spending much time in Ottawa, but who ignored our repeated requests for comment. Travel expense reports are an imperfect record — they’re not always up to date, and they can be tough to interpret. But as far as we can tell, Liberal MP SERGE CORMIER holds the record for least time spent in Ottawa between the fall of 2021 and the summer of 2022, with about five sitting days in the capital. Toronto Liberal MP SHAUN CHEN and Manitoba NDP MP NIKI ASHTON also weren’t around much — about 10 sitting days each, by our count. Ashton has previously proclaimed that “a family friendly Parliament means a hybrid Parliament.” Conservative MP TED FALK was also mostly absent. He’s one of a small group of Tories who appeared to disappear following a Covid vaccine mandate passed in the House of Commons in November 2021. The mandate was lifted in June 2022. | 
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland | Justin Tang/Canadian Press |
MEETING OF MINDS —Finance Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND's confab with provincial and territorial counterparts marks a return to regular fed-prov programming. It's a departure from the pandemic-era rhythm of FinMin meetups, which happened frequently in the early months of Covid and more informally than usual.
— On the agenda: Yes, health care will come up. But that's only one of several agenda items. The ministers will talk through the state of the economy, and they'll hear Bank of Canada governor TIFF MACKLEM's take on the economic outlook. — Team Canada vs. IRA — Freeland will encourage her counterparts to come together on a plan to counter the Inflation Reduction Act that will pump billions into the green economy south of the border. The minister and her senior officials have already traded ideas with large, manufacturing-heavy provinces, but today's meeting is a pre-budget signal Freeland wants a united front in the effort to woo green investments. Did someone forward Ottawa Playbook your way? Click here to sign up for your own edition. It’s free! | | A message from Shaw Communications: Last June, Shaw Communications announced that Videotron will acquire all of Freedom Mobile, which – to be clear – will never be owned by Rogers Communications. As a stronger fourth wireless carrier, Videotron will have all the tools it needs to compete effectively against the national carriers, including critical 5G spectrum. As the Competition Tribunal recently concluded, the new Videotron that will emerge from these transactions will be a more effective competitor than the present-day Freedom. Learn More | | | | | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | | Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND will host a meeting with provincial and territorial finance ministers in Toronto. She will deliver opening remarks at 9:30 a.m. and hold a closing press conference at 3:30 p.m. 9 a.m. Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO will be in North York, Ont. to make an announcement about electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the GTA. 10:15 a.m. The Committee to Protect Journalists will be in Ottawa to unveil a new guide regarding journalists’ rights when covering protests. 11 a.m. NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH will speak to reporters in Hamilton following a roundtable on health care privatization. 1:30 p.m. Tourism Minister RANDY BOISSONNAULT will make an announcement in Edmonton about clean electricity. 1:45 p.m. Ottawa MPs YASIR NAQVI and MARIE-FRANCE LALONDE will kick off the Winterlude national ice-carving championship. | | For your radar | |
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS — One year after the “Freedom Convoy,” the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists and the Thomson Reuters Foundation have released a new guide on Canadian journalists’ rights while covering protests. The project was sparked by the harassment some reporters experienced while covering the convoy last year, but also by the arrest of journalists covering protests on Wet’suwet’en territory and at Fairy Creek in British Columbia.
“The assaults on press freedoms are becoming more and more prevalent, whether it is from protesters trying to discredit journalists from reporting in the public interest or the egregious overreach or disregard of journalists’ rights by law enforcement,” BRENT JOLLY, president of the Canadian Association of Journalists, tells Playbook. “There’s been a lot of transition in the industry. And frankly, this is not a topic that they really teach you in journalism school. When a police officer… says, ‘No, you can't take that photograph, or give me your equipment,’ there's a lot of young journalists who might not be aware that they have a right to take pictures on public property, and to be there.” — Here are a few quick tips from the new guide:
- Have proof to support your status as a journalist, such as an assignment letter, press pass, or phone number to reach your editor.
- Record a lawyer’s number on a piece of paper and bring it with you or write it somewhere on your body.
- Use a coded phone password rather than facial ID or thumbprint.
- When on public property, you are free to record police if doing so does not obstruct their duties or investigation. Recording restrictions may apply on private property.
- If reporting in a hostile environment, consider using a smaller camera, if any, and leave your other equipment behind. If possible, have someone accompany you to monitor your surroundings.
| | PAPER TRAIL | |
BANK FOR BUZZ — The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) paid American media company BuzzFeedC$10,341.02 to promote its programs, according to a document tabled in the House of Commons this week.
The money was spent between February 2021 and March 2022, according to a document tabled in response to a question from Conservative MP JOHN BRASSARD. Brassard wanted to know how much the federal government had spent on BuzzFeed ads and sponsored content, such as quizzes and stories, since 2019. The response showed 11 ad campaigns to create, er, buzz, for a mixed bag of government programs for small business loans, digital adoption grants and entrepreneurs. A footnote from the Crown corp stated: “BDC advertisements build brand recognition, develop business and overall increase the reach of the bank to support entrepreneurs.” BDC was the lone government entity to pay for BuzzFeed ads. | | | | A message from Shaw Communications:   | | | | | WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN | |
Who’s up: TOM CLARK, Canada’s new consul general in New York. The veteran journalist has reported from just about everywhere — and hosted just about everything, including last spring’s Conservative leadership debate. (Sad trombone.)
Who’s down: THE RIDEAU CANAL, which broke a record this week for the latest opening date in the skateway’s history (it still hasn’t opened). | | HALLWAY CONVERSATION | | | 
Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole | Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press |
MISINFORMATION PATROL — When former Tory leader ERIN O'TOOLE sat down with Playbook for a rare interview this week, we talked about political culture on the Hill, Canada's place in the world, and his latest thinking on his next act. Read the takeaways here.
He also spoke about the need for political parties to stamp out misinformation in their ranks: "The one thing that I worry about a little bit in our party — and this isn't the leader, this is the party and the conservative movement — is creeping misinformation, especially on the Ukraine situation. I've noticed right-wing people on social media, especially some veterans, a couple of whom I've spoken to personally about it, buying hook, line, and sinker some of the Russian propaganda on Ukraine. That it's run by Neo-Nazis, or that it's conducting money laundering with all the aid from Western countries. "These are all narratives from Putin and the Kremlin. When somebody sees something posted by a friend, they take it at face value. 'Hey, I was at the convoy with Jim. And if Jim says this is true about Ukraine, it must be true.' And I think we have a responsibility to counter that. That was part of the reason I wrote my essay on the F--k Trudeau flags. "It's important for [political] parties not to allow themselves to be defined by the fringe. But when you criticize the fringe, they're loud. And so a lot of people will just remain quiet. I don't think we can remain quiet. That accessible observer in the middle, we have to convince them that the Conservative way is right. And if we allow fringe [voices] that are not part of our party to define our party, it's going to be harder to convince those people that we deserve their vote." The transcript of our conversation is here for Pro s. | | MEDIA ROOM | |
— MARC-ANDRÉ COSSETTE reports on dozens of internal threat assessments prepared for senior federal government leaders and obtained by Global News through an access-to-information request. “Although they are heavily redacted, the documents provide a glimpse into a chilling trend.”
— The Toronto Star’s LEX HARVEY is on The Big Story pod to talk about Toronto’s transit system: What happens now? — On her latest podcast, Sen. PAMEL WALLIN talks to former ambassador DAVID MULRONEY about Canada’s China policy. He had thoughts. — “There is no sign of a functioning brain anywhere behind this,” DON BRAID of the Calgary Herald writes of the money spent to house 15 people at a Calgary quarantine hotel. — “Policy-based threats to resource-based jobs could hasten the erosion of middle-class jobs in Canada, produce greater inequality in our society, and ultimately precipitate a rise in political and social instability,” SEAN SPEER warns in his latest essay on The Hub. | | PROZONE | |
For POLITICO Pro s, here’s our latest policy newsletter from JOSEPH GEDEON: Canada's D.C. itinerary.
For s: ERIN O’TOOLE in conversation with NICK TAYLOR-VAISEY: ‘The whole house could burn down.’ A Q&A with the former Conservative leader on wedges, fractures and the future of Canadian politics. In other news for Pro readers: — Wilkinson telegraphs delay in overdue sustainable jobs legislation. — Washington wants to break up Google. But Europe is way ahead. — In D.C. House votes to constrain federal remote work. — A new crypto threat to government launches. — House panel hits Kerry over China, climate talks. | | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: HBD today to Liberal MP TIM LOUIS, businessman JIM BALSILLIE,Alberta MLA BRIAN JEAN and former MP BOB SAROYA. Celebrating Saturday: Seniors Minister KAMAL KHERA and Nova Scotia MLA KELLY REGAN. On Sunday: National Revenue Minister DIANE LEBOUTHILLIER.
Send birthdays to ottawaplaybook@politico.com . Spotted: BEN CARR, officially seeking the Liberal nomination in his late father JIM CARR’s Winnipeg riding … BRANDEN LESLIE, seeking the Conservative nomination to replace CANDICE BERGEN with the endorsements of MPs DAN MAZIER and LARRY MAGUIRE and MLA IAN WISHART. ERIN O’TOOLE, checking out the sold out Sloan concert at the Bronson Centre. The Canada Border Services Agency, booking 30 four-star hotel rooms in Niagara Falls in advance of a summertime surge in border traffic. The winning bidder must provide free parking, WiFi and fresh towel service on a daily basis. Movers and shakers: DENNIS DAWSON announced Thursday evening that he’ll retire from the Senate next week. In 1977, at the age of 27, he was first elected to the House of Commons. MIKE JONES is on his way out as chief of staff to Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO. MARY-LIZ POWER, formerly of the PMO, is now a senior policy adviser to Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY. MARIE BEAULIEU has been named to the National Seniors Council for a three-year term. KELSEY MACDONALD, director of parliamentary affairs to Procurement Minister HELENA JACZEK, announced that Feb. 22 will mark her last day on Parliament Hill after a decade in politics. Doornekamp Construction has tapped Rubicon Strategies to hype expansion projects at the Picton Terminals deep-water port in Ontario's Prince Edward County. Doornekamp owns the port, and hopes to "gain export/import verification" from the Canada Border Services Agency. The county has previously opposed expansion efforts. | | A message from Shaw Communications: Over the past four months, the Competition Tribunal, an independent adjudicative body that was chaired by one of this country’s preeminent Competition Law experts, reviewed thousands of pages of evidence and hours of testimony.
Learn More | | | | | On the Hill | | → Find upcoming House committees here → Keep track of Senate committees here 8:45 a.m. Federal Lobbying Commissioner NANCY BÉLANGER is the headlining witness at the House ethics committee. Topic of the day: The third edition of the lobbyists' code of conduct. 8:45 a.m. The Indo-Pacific region is the focus of the House national defense committee with Foreign Affairs Assistant Deputy Minister (Asia Pacific) WELDON EPP and Indo-Pacific Secretariat Director General PETER LUNDY on board as witnesses in the first panel. 8:45 a.m. The House official languages committee meets to take Bill C-13 through clause-by-clause consideration. 9:45 a.m. Labor Minister SEAMUS O’REGAN is the guest of honor at the House human resources committee to take questions related to Supplementary Estimates (B). 1 p.m. The House foreign affairs committee’s subcommittee on international human rights meets to continue its study of the rights and freedoms of women globally and in Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia. — Behind closed doors: The House natural resources committee meets to talk about “committee business” and to discuss a draft report of its fair and equitable Canadian energy transformation study; the joint committee on medical assistance in dying meets to review its draft report. | | TRIVIA | |
Thursday’s answer: It was Liberal MP ARIELLE KAYABAGA who said, “Nobody is going to ask a Black woman to run seven times.” The municipal politician was convinced to run federally after a late-night call from Liberal MP GREG FERGUS. You can read about it here.
Props to JENNIFER ROBSON, MARCUS MATTINSON, BOB GORDON, ROBERT MCDOUGALL and SM LEDUC. Today’s question: Name the MP who spearheaded the campaign — and introduced a motion in the House — to have February recognized as Black History Month in Canada. 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
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