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A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Zi-Ann Lum | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Zi-Ann | Follow Politico Canada Welcome to Ottawa Playbook. I’m your host Zi-Ann Lum with the rest of the POLITICO Canada team. Today, JUSTIN TRUDEAU gets the re-election party started before jettisoning off to London for another king-making soirée. Elsewhere, the first cracks in FRANÇOIS LEGAULT’s CAQ government are showing. Plus, we have party circuit spotteds. FIRST THOUGH — Ottawa Playbook has been nominated in the National Media Awards Foundation’s 8th annual Digital Publishing Awards. The category: Best Editorial Newsletter. We’re chuffed. And we’d be nothing without you. |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | |
JUKE BOX HITS — Sunny ways. Volkswagen. DONALD TRUMP and the new NAFTA. PIERRE POILIEVRE as boogeyman. Dental care. And the word “woke.”
Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU’s keynote speech at the Liberal national convention on Thursday night was as formulaic as they come — and a friendly crowd, relishing its first in-person convention since 2018, ate it all up. “It will be the honor of my life to lead us through it,” the Liberal leader said of the coming election — another attempt to quash whispers he’s not up for the job. — Clip of the night: Trudeau, looking straight at the camera, pointed and spoke to an imaginary Poilievre. “They either say investing in Canadians is a waste of money, or that our policies are too woke. “Too woke!?” the Liberal leader said. “Hey, Pierre Poilievre, it’s time for you to wake up.” The crowd, packed wall to wall with delegates, roared. They cheered equally as loud when Trudeau advocated for a women’s right to choose. “American-style” politics is the future in Canada.
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The 2023 Liberal convention kicked off in Ottawa on Thursday. | Zi-Ann Lum, POLITICO |
POLITICO’s KYLE DUGGAN has takeaways: Trudeau taunts rival: ‘Too woke!? Wake up!’
Duggan and NICK TAYLOR-VAISEY also dig into what’s at stake at the Liberal convention. The party, as a tradition and courtesy, said it offered a handful of passes to the Conservative party but their proposition was rejected. — Easter egg: Trudeau’s line, “We have to navigate through this together with clear eyes and steady hands,” was a throwback to words used by HILLARY CLINTON. It was in 2016 when, before she won the Democratic presidential nomination, she encouraged the United States to attack domestic terrorism with “clear eyes” and “steady hands.” Clinton will be in Ottawa today to drop by the convention. — Disinfo diss: The Liberal leader claimed Poilievre “wants to shut down CBC Radio-Canada” when the Conservative leader has made a concerted effort to target the broadcaster’s English programming. — Party circuit spotteds: JUSTIN TRUDEAU at Liberal president contender MIRA AHMED’s reception at Clarendon Tavern. DOMINIC LEBLANC leaving the market at 11 p.m. MARK CARNEY at the Lowertown Brewery bash hosted by National Capital Region MPs where a spontaneous “O Canada” happened. SACHIT MEHRA held his own fête upstairs. DAVID HERLE was in line in Roughriders gear. Trudeau's motorcade pulled away from the Lowertown spot by the time your host showed up. Photog ADAM SCOTTI walked away by foot. 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 takes questions from media at 10 a.m. at the Liberal convention. He hops on a plane to cross the pond at 5:30 p.m. to be in London for the king’s coronation. The PM is reportedly staying in cheaper digs than last time he was in the city.
— Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in private meetings. 11:30 a.m. NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH is in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and has plans to hold a media availability about the affordability crisis in the north. 5:30 p.m. (7 p.m. NDT) Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE hosts a meet and greet in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador. Photo-op only for the media. 6 p.m. Two guys from Shawinigan, former PM JEAN CHRÉTIEN and Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE, take the stage for a keynote chat at the Liberal convention. 7 p.m. Former U.S. Secretary of State HILLARY CLINTON will be at the Liberal convention for a keynote chat with Freeland. | | For your radar | | | | 
Royal enthusiast Donna Werner in her party hat in central London. | AP | FIT FOR A KING — The prime minister will soon be en route to London with a delegation that includes Inuit and Indigenous leaders, superstar youth and a Canadian astronaut who’s heading to the moon. Canada couldn't care less. — Actually, it’s worse than that. A majority of Canadians in every region would vote to eliminate the monarchy, according to new polling from Abacus Data, In Quebec, where provincial lawmakers recently abolished the oath to the king, that number is 82 percent. Pollster DAVID COLETTO says the results should not be a surprise — any goodwill toward the monarchy was reserved for QUEEN ELIZABETH II, affection that is not transferable. “With her passing, that reason to show any respect for the institution is gone,” Coletto tells Playbook. “Canada has changed a lot in the past 20 years. Generational change and immigration from non-European countries means the monarchy is so much less relevant.” — God save the king: Canada’s national television networks will start broadcasting at 4 a.m. EDT on coronation day. Only 4 percent of Canadians say they’ll be following closely, Coletto says. Eighty percent of respondents to a Léger poll in March reported they’re not “personally attached” to the monarchy. In another survey from the Angus Reid Institute, more than 50 percent of Canadians said they think King Charles will fall short. “He has big brooches to fill,” the pollster quipped. Here in Ottawa on Saturday, there are plans for an hour-long ceremony featuring a slam poet, a youth choir and the Algonquin group Eagle River Singers. Unlike June 2, 1953, it won’t be a national holiday. — Now vs. then: On the day of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, 100,000 people celebrated on Parliament Hill. There were military tattoos, horse races, parades and fireworks. This weekend in Canada’s capital, the Peace Tower and other federal buildings around town will be illuminated in emerald-green. Canada Post will issue a new stamp. Coletto has plans to be up at the crack of dawn on Saturday — just not for the king. “I’d rather be riding my bike,” he says, “especially given how nice it’s going to be.” FOR PLANNING PURPOSES — A reminder to Hill watchers that the House isn’t sitting today. The House agreed to a motion moved by MARK HOLLAND last week to not sit May 5 and May 19 to accommodate political party conventions. | | | FROM THE DESK OF 338CANADA | |
FIRST CRACKS — After five years in power, the government of Quebec Premier FRANÇOIS LEGAULT is suffering from its first significant decline in support — a slide of five points compared to October 2022.
— The state of play: This week’s new Quebec poll from Léger shows us the Coalition Avenir Québec still leads with 36 percent province-wide. However, it’s taken a dramatic hit in the greater Quebec City area — 26 percent of support compared to 43 percent in October. — Which party benefited from the misfortune? The Parti Québécois, now at 22 percent, a seven-point rise since October. — Behind the shift: Undoubtedly it’s that the CAQ broke its promise to build a highway tunnel project between Québec City and Lévis. In mid-April, citing rising costs and reduced traffic, the CAQ announced the project will now be reserved exclusively for public transit. The poll also shows that from last October’s 30-points dominance, the CAQ lead in the regions of Quebec has been reduced to a mere 6 points — 35 percent for the CAQ and 29 percent for the Parti Québécois. — What’s next: The next general election is not scheduled until October 2026, so there is time to recover. However, years down the road, spring 2023 might be considered the first crack in the CAQ foundations. In other poll news from 338Canada: Polling on a very hypothetical question.
|  | | | | WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN | | | Who’s up: KING CHARLES III. His big day has finally arrived. The British High Commission in Ottawa has released a “bespoke ‘Coronation IPA’” with Bicycle Breweries, with flavors of “grapefruit zest, citrus and subtle pine.” Who’s down: ZHAO WEI, the Chinese diplomat in Canada who, according to reporting in the Globe and Mail, was involved in targeting Conservative MP MICHAEL CHONG’s family in Hong Kong.
| | HALLWAY CONVERSATION | | TRADE TALKS — Expectations are low for the high-level arrival of India’s Commerce Minister PIYUSH GOYAL in Ottawa next week. Playbook sat down in Ottawa with India’s High Commissioner SANJAY KUMAR VERMA to ask a few questions about the visit. Verma was clear: Goyal isn’t coming to Ottawa to get a trade deal — an Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA) — across the finish line. The main draw, he said, is a Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI) with his Canadian counterpart, MARY NG — a meeting that will end before lunch on Monday. — Diaspora politics: Goyal will continue on to Toronto for two days where one of his first stops will be to pay tribute to the victims of the bombing of Air India, which killed 329 people nearly 38 years ago. “He would go and pay his respects to those who are victims of this dastardly attack,” Verma said. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. It’s unusual for a high-ranking minister from India to visit Canada. Why is Minister Goyal coming to Canada now? India and Canada have shared values based upon which the relationship has been built. We have a huge people-to-people domain where we act a lot. And recently, we have been growing bilateral trade as well as investment. In order to promote it further, it is essential top-most policy level officials and elected representatives talk to each other. There are reports that talks at the negotiators’ level have stalled. Is a signed Early Progress Trade Agreement close? Difficult to say. … He's coming here for the entire overview of our bilateral economic and commercial relations. He's also coming here to see what lies in the future. Then what are the top priorities at the ministerial level? One thing which is very important to understand is that India-Canada trade, rather, bilateral trade, is very below its potential. Both countries wanted to finalize an Early Progress Trade Agreement within a year. What happened? Any professional trade agreement, or early progress agreement, takes a number of years to get it. And therefore putting an artificial limit to when the negotiation would end is a bit difficult to comprehend. We may even see future rounds of negotiations on the same. We hope that it is concluded quickly, as per the understanding of the progress scheme. And whenever it does, then, of course, there will be the big bang announcement. | | MEDIA ROOM | |
— Top of the GLOBE: "CSIS report on MP being targeted by China sent to PM’s national-security adviser, MICHAEL CHONG says."
— CTV contributor DON MARTIN starts his latest column this way: "He was a nice guy, that MARCO MENDICINO." — For Chatelaine, writer CHRISTINA FRANGOU interviewed Alberta NDP Leader RACHEL NOTLEY, a piece that includes this quote of note: “Suffice to say that my path to victory does not involve the Duplessis path.” — In the Herald: 'We deal with this on a weekly basis': Groups gather in grief, hope for Red Dress Day. — Federal government launches Exxon’s Canada unit probe over the Kearl oil sands-leak, Bloomberg’s ROBERT TUTTLE reports.
— Shopify is laying off 20 percent of its employees. The Globe and Mail’s TEMUR DURRANI reports the company’s stock was up more than 25 percent.
— Ottawa Citizen’s DAVID PUGLIESE says the military’s new Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar in southern Ontario could cost up to C$3 billion. | | | PROZONE | | | 
International Trade Minister Mary Ng spoke with Biden's envoy in Washington on Thursday. | Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images | For POLITICO Pro s, our latest policy newsletter: Minister Ng calls the embassy. In other news for Pro s:
— Biden administration unveils new strategy for international cyber, tech standards.
— Microsoft returns to its brawling global lobbying tactics.
— Watchdog says therapists improperly billed Medicare $580 million.
— California is way ahead of the E.U. in the zero-emission truck race.
— Blocking military promotions over abortion policy 'risks damaging U.S. national security,' former Pentagon chiefs warn.
— The White House pushes a three-step plan on AI.
| | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: Former Liberal MP SUSAN WHELAN celebrates today.
Celebrating Saturday: Former senator TERRY MERCER, CTV Power Play host VASSY KAPELOS, ex-MP DIANE ABLONCZY and former Quebec deputy premier MICHELLE COURCHESNE. Sunday birthdays: LISA RAITT, MARILYN CHURLEY, MARIA CHAPUT and TOM HEDDERSON. Send birthdays to ottawaplaybook@politico.com. Spotted: Tulips! (h/t KYLE HARRIETHA) … Record-breaking 31 degrees Celsius in Hay River, Northwest Territories, (h/t Global News chief meteorologist ANTHONY FARNELL) Toronto’s ever-growing mayoral race with the addition of a familiar name: CELINA CAESAR-CHAVANNES. Canada’s Consul General in New York TOM CLARK with Rep. DWIGHT EVANS (D-Pa.) talking about partnerships. Movers and shakers: RUMINA VELSHI, reappointed at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission … VIVIAN ABDELMESSIH, appointed as chair of Export Development Canada’s board of directors. — Procurement Minister HELENA JACZEK shuffled the National Capital Commission's board of directors. On the way in: MARYSE GAUDREAULT, KENNETH JOSEPH HUGHES, DENIS B. VAILLANCOURT, TANYA GRACIE, CATHY HELEN LEWIS, SASHA PALAMAREVIC, MIREILLE APOLLON, SAMEERA AKRAM, ELEANOR HENDERSON MOHAMMED, and ANDY KIKITES On the way out: DEBORAH LYNN MORRISON, SARA KANE O'NEILL, VICTOR BRUNETTE, LARRY BEASLEY, LISA M. MACDONALD and MICHAEL FODERICK. Farewells: Liberal MP TALEEB NOORMOHAMED paid tribute to community advocate AUDREY SOJONKY, whose political campaign was the first he ever worked on. “She never forgot her volunteers,” he said. Sojonky died on April 25 in West Vancouver, surrounded by family. | | On the Hill | |
→ Find upcoming House committees here
→ Keep track of Senate committees here — The House isn’t sitting Friday. Committees resume on Monday, May 8. 4:15 p.m. Green Party Co-Leader ELIZABETH MAY speaks at the Canadian Bar Association Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Summit about Bill C-226. | | TRIVIA | |
Thursday’s answer: Before the Naval Service Act established the Royal Canadian Navy, Canada looked to Britain for support.
Props to BILL WATSON, MARCUS MATTINSON, GERMAINE MALABRE, ALLAN FABRYKANT, MARC LEBLANC, JOHN ECKER, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, JOANNA PLATER, GEORGE SCHOENHOFER, SHAUGHN MCARTHUR and BOB GORDON. Today’s question: The RCMP presented King Charles with a new royal horse. What is its name? Have a stumper of a trivia question in your back pocket? Send us your best. Want to grab the attention of movers and shakers on Parliament Hill? Want your brand in front of a key audience of Canadian influencers? Playbook can help. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. Playbook wouldn’t happen: Without Luiza Ch. Savage and 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 | | | | |  |
