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A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Zi-Ann Lum, Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Kyle Duggan | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Zi-Ann | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. I’m your host Zi-Ann Lum, with Kyle Duggan and Nick Taylor-Vaisey. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister DOMINIC LEBLANC’s office says “conversations continue” with opposition and House leaders to hash out the terms of a public inquiry into foreign interference. Plus, we bring you scenes from the Senate — and from the construction site that’s Centre Block. |  | DRIVING THE DAY | |
INQUIRING MINDS — Will they or won’t they?
Parties didn’t budge after Thursday talks probing the possibility of a public inquiry into foreign interference. NDP House Leader PETER JULIAN shared a statement following the latest round of negotiations, promising an agreement “in the coming days.” It echoed what Bloc Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET said the previous day. — Waiting game: “We want an end to Beijing’s interference in our democracy,” Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE told City News Ottawa’s ROB SNOW. The Conservative leader said his party is happy to cooperate in suggesting names of people “appointed by both parties at various times” forward to sort a mandate and find a successor to replace outgoing special rapporteur DAVID JOHNSTON. “We’re prepared to put aside any partisan differences to make that happen,” said Poilievre. — Linking trends: Debates about how best to combat foreign interference are happening elsewhere in the world. To mitigate fears about potential meddling in next year’s European Parliament elections, Commission President URSULA VON DER LEYEN launched a “Defence of Democracy” package, which pushed work on a foreign agents law to help follow funding from nefarious sources. — Overreach risk: Concerns about the EU measures have focused less on the risk of fueling xenophobia than on potential unintended consequences for requiring civil society organizations to report if they get funding from third-country donors. Attention: think tanks and lobbyists. “These foreign agents acts are loved by autocracies because they’re used to stigmatize, silence or abuse civil society, journalists and dissenting voices,” Nicholas Aiossa, Transparency International EU’s policy head, told POLITICO’s EU Confidential podcast. HAPPENING SOON — Pro-Beijing groups have organized a rally on Parliament Hill to mark the centenary of the Chinese Exclusion Act on Saturday with a goal to link the head tax to opposition to the proposed foreign agents registry. The Montreal Chinese Community United Centre and Sept Days have been promoting the event and raising money to bus in participants to the Hill to “loudly say no to a 2.0 wave of anti-Chinese” sentiments. — The buzz: Chinese democracy activists have accused pro-Beijing groups of making a cheap link between the head tax and the proposed foreign agents registry. Democracy advocates say the argument is a Beijing talking point to deflect criticism and accountability. — Parliamentarian link: Conservative Sen. VICTOR OH was in Montreal earlier this month to drum up enthusiasm for Saturday’s rally on the Hill. His visit was covered by Sept Days, a Montreal Chinese-language publisher with links to the Chinese Community Party. Sept Days was among a handful of Canadian organizations that attended the Chinese government’s United Front Work Department media forum training in 2019, according to a recent report by Alliance Canada Hong Kong. Oh isn’t alone in believing a foreign registry will have repercussions. Independent Senators Group Sen. Yuen Pau Woo and Liberal MP Chandra Arya have also been vocal about the registry, reports the National Post. Oh’s office did not respond to email and phone requests for comment before deadline. — Ring ring: Playbook called Sept Days to confirm if the rally is still on for Saturday. A woman asked for your playbooker’s name twice, and confirmed that the rally is still on. But she refused to say anything in addition about the event or respond to follow-up questions. Hello? Sept Days then stopped responding on the call but didn’t hang up. All Playbook heard on the other end was heavy breathing for the next 10 minutes, interrupted at one point by someone asking for directions to an elevator. | | | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will be in Quebec and visit a local farm in Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot at 2 p.m. Later in the afternoon, he’ll be joined by Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY for la Fête Nationale du Québec activities.
— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in Toronto with “private meetings.” 10 a.m. Gov. Gen. MARY SIMON conducts the annual inspection of the ceremonial guard at Rideau Hall. 11:30 p.m. International Trade Minister MARY NG has a meeting in the books with Jamaican Industry Minister AUBYN HILL. 12 p.m. Sen. YUEN PAU WOO promises a “brief” press conference in the Senate building to mark the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act. 12 p.m. There’s a CARICOM Day reception at the National Arts Centre with guests including heads of diplomatic missions. 3 p.m. A ceremony will be held in the Senate to officially commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act with an unveiling of an “Exclusion Act Plaque.” Did someone forward Ottawa Playbook your way? Click here to sign up for your own edition. It’s free! | | For your radar | |
BUH-BYE, REDUX — Sure, the Senate could've drawn out its spring sitting another week, debating and possibly passing as much of the government's priority legislation as possible.
But senators don't like to be rushed. The upper chamber's inhabitants were appointed to apply sober second thought, after all, not a rubber stamp. On Thursday, they cleared most of the government's priorities, including Finance Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND's budget implementation bill and a pair of routine supply bills that unlocked billions in government spending. Then, after a round of gracious speeches from the leaders of each caucus and parliamentary group, they joined MPs in rising for the summer. — A raft of royal assent: As the clock struck 7 p.m., the Senate got word that a pile of bills were signed into law by Governor General MARY SIMON: the budget and supply bills, an Indigenous self-government treaty, the Online News Act, new rules for reviews of judges' conduct, a new federal disability benefit, a Senate bill changing sanctions rules for foreign nationals, a private member's bill on family reunification, and another PMB calling for a national framework on firefighting-linked cancer awareness. The chamber emptied at 7:10 p.m. — What didn't get done: Senators sent Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO's gun control bill to committee on Wednesday, but that's as far as it got before summer. Bill C-35, which would enshrine longer-term funding for federal-provincial child care programs, enters the recess at second reading. — Notable departure: The chamber heartily applauded Sen. SABI MARWAH, who recently announced his retirement, as he cast his final vote — in favor of Freeland's budget bill. Marwah's vacancy will bring to 17 the number of empty seats in the Senate. Here's the vacancy breakdown by province: Alberta (2), British Columbia (1), Manitoba (1), New Brunswick (3), Newfoundland and Labrador (1), Nova Scotia (3), Ontario (3), Prince Edward Island (1), Quebec (1), Saskatchewan (1). — Parting advice: Senate Speaker RAYMONDE GAGNÉ repeated with a smile five words of tongue-in-cheek summer vacation wisdom, first recommended to the chamber by GEORGE FUREY, her predecessor in the chair: "Please shut your phones off." | | | Talk of the town | | | 
The stone masonry on the facade is being cleaned with laser equipment by the team that worked on the West Block project | Kyle Duggan, POLITICO | CENTRE BLOCK SNEAK PEEK — It’s faced a global pandemic, inflation, a convoy blockade, and both public and private sector labor strikes. But ROB WRIGHT, assistant deputy minister at Public Services and Procurement, said the project to rehabilitate Centre Block — Canada’s OG Parliament building— remains “on track” with a target completion date of 2031 and an estimated budget of $4.5 billion to $5 billion that is still “tracking well” (so far, checks out). — Backstage pass: Reporters and TV crews got a four-hour tour Thursday of Canada’s most interesting retrofit, showcasing the behind-the-scenes work done by the talented tradespeople — enough access to top technical experts to make a full-length documentary. Groundwork is underway before the building can be reinforced against earthquakes (something Westminster doesn’t have to worry about), one of the key reasons for the retrofit. A few years in, yet it’s still early days. When the building does finally reopen in roughly a decade, some lower corridors will include skylights close to the Hall of Honour featuring a view of the Peace Tower, there will be an expanded visitor welcome center and previously inactive courtyards will become major thoroughfares, solving some of the building’s accessibility challenges. Universal accessibility has been a key priority pushed by parliamentarians, officials said, and it sounds like there’s a lot in the works. — Media bubble point of interest: But one thing MPs haven’t brought up in consultations is whether media access will suffer like it did with the move to West Block, due to the many lines of flight that make it easier for lawmakers to vanish. When Toronto Star columnist ALTHIA RAJ pressed on whether MPs will be able to evade reporters in the foyer through the lower level when the building reopens, DARRELL DE GRANDMONT, director of the Centre Block rehabilitation program, said they’re in conversations with the Press Gallery about media access locations and there’s still more talking to do. |  The House of Commons minus its ceiling tapestry. | Kyle Duggan, POLITICO | | — Peeling back the onion: Some of what returns will look more modern. Much of it will look a lot like Centre Block used to, but polished and brighter with more natural light in the foyer (so long, Chiaroscuro scrum photos?) and more lighting emphasis on some of the stone sculptures that formerly hid in the dark. Some of the trimmings will actually look a lot closer to what they did in the 1920s than in 2019. “We’ve been given a real blessing at times to peel back layers of paint and other unsympathetic alterations that have happened over time and we’re discovering some interesting things,” said KATE WESTBURY, the heritage lead for the rehabilitation project. “The compass rose in the prime minister’s office, which is a beautiful motif at the center of the plaster ceiling, had previously been covered with a light fixture,” she said, making for a “really good example of where that hidden heritage is being exposed and now reinstated in our end-state designs.” They’re also finding gilding underneath painted surfaces in some rooms and plan to restore them to their original “spectacular” state. — Next steps: Demolition and abatement is about 90 percent done, and the first of the three construction phases should wrap by year’s end. This summer, tradespeople will work on the west facade, part of what has been one of the largest industrial uses of laser cleaning for stone masonry in the world. Hundreds of piles also still have to be driven into the ground for structural support. | 
The gold-leaf suspended plaster ceiling of the Senate Chamber will remain in place throughout the rehabilitation process. | Kyle Duggan, POLITICO |
— By the numbers:
23,000,000: Pounds of material containing asbestos removed. 365,000: Stones in the building, a third of which need repairing. 343: MPs that will fill the Commons Chamber, which will remain the same size, when it reopens. 22: Peace Tower bells shipped off to a large foundry in Holland for restoration, starting next month. 2: Very large chandeliers removed from the Senate for restoration, clocking in at almost 3,500 pounds each. 1: Hand-painted linen ceiling tapestry removed from the Commons. | | WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN | | Up: Final-stretch Toronto mayoral endorsements. Down: Canada Bread. A seven-year investigation gets results. | | ALSO FOR YOUR RADAR | |
PROGRESS REPORT — Playbook asked Operation Black Vote Canada Chair VELMA MORGAN for her takeaways from the now-wrapped parliamentary session.
Here’s what she had to say: Win: We are seeing more Black staffers on the Hill in various capacities, which is a small win. However, there is still more to be done to have more in senior leadership positions and political appointments. We know that lived experiences matter when it comes to making decisions and creating public policies. Lose: Definitely the class action lawsuit. The government has failed to understand the impact this has on the individuals involved and the community as a whole. The Black Canadian National Survey was just released and verified again, that Black Canadians experience racism in the work environment. In fact, 75 percent of Black Canadians experience racism in the workplace. Draw: I can't think of one. | | MEDIA ROOM | |
— In summer news: The number of lifeguards in Canada is too low, reports The Economist.
— Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE telling City News Ottawa’s ROB SNOW that OLIVIA CHOW in the Toronto mayor’s office would be “bonkers.” — The Globe’s MATT LUNDY reports that the federal government has revised more than two decades of immigration data, “saying ‘technical difficulties’ led to bloated figures for a subset of temporary foreign workers.” — Canadian MPs earn second-highest salary of G-7 legislators, THE HILL TIMES notes. — From our colleagues in Washington: 10 things we’ve learned about abortion in the year since Roe fell. | | PROZONE | |
For POLITICO Pro s, our latest policy newsletter by NICK TAYLOR-VAISEY: Wildfires trigger U.S. deal on cross-border response.
In other news for Pro s: — White House to zero in on cybersecurity of schools, agriculture.
— Meta dives into political debate on AI principles.
— Dengue spike in Europe triggers fear of more infections, deaths.
— Venture Global signs 20-year LNG deal with German state-owned company.
— Biden, once uncomfortable around abortion debates, set to make it a central part of his reelect.
— Analysis of H.R. 4004 (118): Lawmakers look to exert congressional authority over current, future Taiwan trade deals. | | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: HBD to LAUREEN HARPER, 60 today! Also celebrating: JUDY FOOTE, Newfoundland and Labrador’s 14th and first female lieutenant governor, Conservative MP KELLY MCCAULEY and former MLA BOB TURNER.
Celebrating Saturday: JEAN CHAREST, Playbook reader BRAM ABRAMSON and the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy’s CLARA GEDDES, former MPs DAVID SWEET, CELINA CAESAR-CHAVANNES and DAVID COLLENETTE. On Sunday: Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE, whose office cake was a homage to his globetrotting schedule. Send birthdays to ottawaplaybook@politico.com. Spotted: International Development Minister HARJIT SAJJAN in Paris for the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact … Global News’ Ottawa bureau gaining a hot dog steamer, courtesy of MACKENZIE GRAY … U.S. Ambassador DAVID COHEN meeting with Sport Minister PASCALE ST-ONGE. VANCOUVER, CALGARY and TORONTO, ranked among the world's top 10 most livable places. Movers and shakers: CATHERINE MCKENNA was awarded France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor, by France junior minister for ecology, BÉRANGÈRE COUILLARD, this week for her role in the Paris Agreement. Sen. BERNADETTE CLEMENT is now deputy facilitator of the Independent Senators Group. ANNICK GOULET has been appointed Canada’s permanent representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization. New gig starts on July 3 … Earnscliffe has a new digital market strategist: BAHAR POUR. Today is AUDREY CHAMPOUX Champoux’s last day as press secretary to Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO. Next stop: Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE’s office. Media mentions: Chatelaine has hired TAYO BERO as an editorial fellow … Journalist DAVID GEORGE-COSH is a free agent after Bell cut his position at BNN Bloomberg. The names of the EU-Canada Young Journalist Fellowship have been revealed: VIOLETTE CANTIN, NATASHA BULOWSKI and LEX HARVEY. | | On the Hill | |
→ Parliament returns Sept. 16.
8:30 a.m. Statistics Canada will release April travel figures between Canada and other countries. 9 a.m. The 53rd general assembly of the Organization of American States takes place in Washington. | | WHAT's NEXT | |
JOIN US IN WASHINGTON — Last call for Canada-U.S. geeks in D.C.
Join us to play Ottawa Playbook Trivia on Monday at Penn Social's Little Pen Coffeehouse. Doors open at 7 p.m. First question at 7:30. We'll have a special guest quizmaster: Ambassador KIRSTEN HILLMAN. Registration is open. RSVP via this Google Form. | | TRIVIA | |
Thursday’s answer: Nabisco donated the famous BILL REID sculpture, “Spirit of Haida Gwaii,” that can be found outside the Embassy of Canada in Washington.
Props to ROBERT MCDOUGALL and MICHAEL HORNAK. Today’s question via NANCI WAUGH: Name the three prime ministers, selected by their parties, who never sat in Parliament. Send your answer to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Think you have a harder trivia question? 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 Ottawa influencers? Playbook can help. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com Playbook wouldn’t happen: Without Luiza Ch. Savage, Sue Allan and Emma Anderson.
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