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Presented by Insurance Bureau of Canada: A daily look inside Canadian politics and power. | | | | |  | | By Kyle Duggan and Zi-Ann Lum | | | Programming note: We’ll be off Monday for Family Day; back in your inbox on Tuesday. Welcome to Ottawa Playbook. Let's get into it. In today's edition: → Spotted in Munich. → Who’s up and who’s down. → What is the government not saying about housing supply? |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | |  Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, shown here in Mexico last January, is in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. | AFP via Getty Images | DEFENSIVE BLOCK — The Munich Security Conference is underway with Canada represented by Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY and National Defense Minister BILL BLAIR. Also at the annual defense and security gabfest: Former prime minister STEPHEN HARPER, currently chair of the International Democracy Union, and Sen. PETER BOEHM, Playbook is informed. — Canadian transparency: LOL. Blair’s office would not share names or details of the bilats the minister has on his Munich itinerary. Instead, Playbook was told the national defense minister has meetings planned with “other NATO countries and Indo-Pacific countries.” There are 40 Indo-Pacific countries and 31 NATO countries. Minus Canada, that’s a pool of 70 potential countries Blair could be spending time with this weekend. — As an aside: “In my entire career, I’ve never been as used to getting no answer or terrible answers from politicians as I am now,” PAUL WELLS told EDWARD GREENSPON this week on the PPF’s Wonk pod. “There’s whole, large elements of public policy that clearly people in government have decided that they don’t need to bother explaining to us.” — Hit refresh: In lieu of proactive disclosure, Blair and his Cabinet colleagues often post photo receipts of meetings on social media — a sort of public record of the company they’re keeping. — What we do know: Blair, we’re told, is looking forward to hearing from Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY and U.S. Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN. The Munich agenda is here. Joly’s itinerary is similarly secretive. Playbook has confirmed Joly is expected to attend a G7 foreign ministers meeting on the sidelines of the conference. — The ol’ Munich matchmaker: “It's a bit like diplomatic speed dating,” ROLAND PARIS, international affairs professor at University of Ottawa, tells Playbook of the bilats that take place on the sidelines. “There are a lot of people in the same place at the same time and it's a pretty efficient trip.”
|  British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, center right, arrives for the Munich Security Conference today. | AP | Paris has attended the massive Munich confab and says a huge amount of diplomatic activity takes place on the margins, which also offers access for other diplomats, academics, journalists and others attendees. “Considering who the participants are, they're surprisingly accessible.” — Central preoccupations: The obvious. Support for Ukraine. Conflict in the Middle East. NATO and the prospect of another DONALD TRUMP presidency. — Key figure: Zelenskyy is expected to make an appearance, though he’s first scheduled to stop in Paris to sign a bilateral security deal with France, POLITICO’s LAURA KAYALI reports. — This just in: Zelenskyy is set to do the same in Germany. A German government spokesperson tells our colleagues the Ukrainian president will meet German Chancellor OLAF SCHOLZ in Berlin, where the two will sign a bilateral security agreement. — Guest list: POLITICO’s SUZANNE LYNCHgot a sneak peek at some of the notable attendees, which includes: NATO Secretary General JENS STOLTENBERG, former U.S. secretary of state HILLARY CLINTON, German Chancellor Scholz, Barbados PM MIA MOTTLEY, Jordan’s KING ABDULLAH II, Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Prince FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL SAUD, Lithuania President GITANAS NAUSĖDA, Singaporean Defense Min. NG ENG HEN. China’s foreign minister WANG YI and U.K.’s foreign secretary DAVID CAMERON are scheduled for their first meeting there. — Lynch writes: "The annual pilgrimage has become a highpoint in the international calendar, in many ways eclipsing its big brother, the World Economic Forum, which takes place a month earlier in Davos." — More from Munich: “Most of the value for attendees at the Munich Security Conference is the opportunity to have (off-diary) one-to-one meetings away from prying eyes,” Lynch adds. Watch the livestream here. Global Playbook will publish through Sunday, providing all the news, analysis and gossip from on the ground. For example: A glass of Veuve Clicquot will set you back $29.50 at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof, where Harper was spotted Thursday, with a 2012 Rose retailing at $39.30 (for a mere 100 ml/3.4 oz pour!). — Related listening: Lynch is on the POLITICO Power Play podcast with reporter ALEX WARD to give a rundown of what to expect. | | | | A message from Insurance Bureau of Canada: Canada needs to fund the National Flood Insurance Program now because flooding is Canada’s greatest climate threat. By launching the National Flood Insurance Program, the federal government can help protect the 1.5 million high-risk households that cannot obtain affordable flood insurance. And this can be done on a cost-neutral basis. Read more here. | | | | | For your radar | | INSIDE-OUTSIDE VOICES — Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU fell back on talking points Thursday when asked about a leaked recording of a conversation in which Liberal MP ROB OLIPHANT expressed dismay about his government’s handling of the war in Gaza. During a Feb. 1 call with a constituent, Oliphant acknowledged he was at a crossroads as parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY, a role he’s held since 2019. The call was recorded and shared with EVAN DYER of CBC News. The Toronto MP told an unnamed constituent he believed Ottawa’s pause on funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) was the “wrong decision” — one that was politically motivated on an international level. The U.S. was first to suspend funding following allegations by Israel that 12 agency staffers were involved in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. Canada and countries including Australia, Germany, the U.K., Switzerland and Japan followed suit. Trudeau was asked Thursday if Oliphant will stay on as parliamentary secretary. — How the PM responded: “We have a large number of Muslim MPs, we have a large number of Jewish MPs — and the kinds of conversations that go on within our party are not always easy. But they reflect that diversity of conversations happening across the country.” — Name drop flex: Trudeau told reporters that ahead of the press conference, he’d been on the phone with Egyptian President ABDEL FATTAH EL-SISI and Israeli War Cabinet minister BENNY GANTZ. Readouts of those discussions had yet to be released. — Meanwhile in Ottawa: International Development Minister AHMED HUSSEN gathered reporters to dump on Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE’s pledge to cut “wasteful foreign aid” only to be thrown questions about UNRWA. “The UN itself approached us with these serious and disturbing allegations,” Hussen said. He echoed the prime minister when asked about the apparent disparity between freezing UNRWA funds while continuing aid for Israel after the International Court of Justice called South Africa’s genocide case “plausible.” — A repeat: “We have a diversity of opinion in our caucus, which reflects Canada,” Hussen said. “Unlike the Conservatives and the NDP, we have a big tent in our party which reflects Canada. And those conversations are very healthy and enriching.” | | Where the leaders are | |
— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in Ottawa with “private meetings.”
— NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH is in Coquitlam, B.C., with plans for a 2:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m. PT) media availability to talk about his party’s pharmacare plan. — Green Party Leader ELIZABETH MAY and Deputy Leader JONATHAN PEDNEAULT will be in Guelph to kick off their “Today, Tomorrow, Together: The Green Leaders” tour. | | | WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN | | |
UP: Alberta Premier DANIELLE SMITH and other conservatives who scored easy points against Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT for being out of touch with rural Canadians, after he put his foot in his mouth on road infrastructure.
DOWN: Canada Border Services Agency, Public Health Agency of Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada, which all came out of the AG’s ArriveCan audit looking incompetent. | | | | A message from Insurance Bureau of Canada:   | | | | | PAPER TRAIL | | NUMBERS GAME — The federal government has an idea of its prospects for boosting Canada’s housing supply. But it won’t release its assessment. POLITICO obtained a Nov. 29 briefing note to the deputy minister of finance, titled “Prospects for Boosting Housing Supply By 2030,” through an access-to-information request. But a hefty chunk of the document was redacted, citing Section 21(a) of the information act, which covers advice or recommendations prepared for a minister or government institution. “On the one hand, housing starts have fallen roughly 3 per cent from levels seen around Budget 2022 but remain 2 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels.” But the other hand was redacted. The memo “provides information on prospects for increasing our pace of home building, given the substantial number of homes that need to be built to address housing affordability challenges in Canada,” the summary said. A section titled “housing supply estimates” is a big, gray impenetrable box, followed by a line that says the “previous section presented estimates of what housing supply could potentially rise to.” — The target: Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation has estimated Canada needs to build 5.1 million homes by 2030 to return to affordability, as the memo notes. — What it does say: The document touts “several positive developments” on the sensitive file, such as the housing accelerator fund which “has begun to gain traction across municipalities,” and the temporary removal of the GST on new, purpose-built rental housing projects. The note also raises concerns about a labor shortage in construction. “Growth in employment in the construction industry has not been driven by ‘skilled’ labour, as apprenticeship in construction trades has fallen below 2010 levels. Recruiting and retaining skilled labour has been cited as a major challenge by the industry.” | | MEDIA ROOM | |
— Carleton U associate prof. JENNIFER ROBSON speaks with DALE SMITH on the contrast between topline numbers and the “vibecession”
— National Post’s RYAN TUMILTY has this look at five interesting sponsored trips MPs took, as such paid-for trip tickets come under increasing scrutiny. — Over on The Hub, criminologist MICHAEL KEMPA asks if Justice MARIE-JOSÉE HOGUE has the savvy and mettle to lead a foreign interference inquiry through “an intelligence culture of reticence and a political culture of winking at ethics.” — JOE O’CONNOR gives housing guru MIKE MOFFATT the profile treatment in the Financial Post. — DON NEWMAN writes in Policy Magazine that no matter what happens to the Liberal-NDP deal, don’t bet on a 2024 election. | | PROZONE | |
Our latest policy newsletter for Pro s from KYLE DUGGAN, ZI-ANN LUM and SUE ALLAN: What does Canada bring to the table?
In other news for Pro readers: — U.S. extends digital service tax truce with European countries. — Democrats unveil bill to connect Texas to U.S. grid. — EU countries demand 10 extra years to meet air pollution targets. — EU lawmakers vote for faster, more activist-friendly GDPR enforcement. — War, money, politics: Discord among wealthy countries hampers landmark climate fund. | | Playbookers | |
Birthdays: HBD to GREG SELINGER, former premier of Manitoba. POLITICO founder ROBERT ALLBRITTON also celebrates today.
HBD + 1 to DAN ARNOLD. Celebrating Saturday: MP CHRIS BITTLE and JEFFREY SIMPSON, former national affairs columnist at the Globe. On Sunday: MP DEAN ALLISON, retired Sen. DAVID TKACHUK, former broadcaster and politician MOE SIHOTA, former MPs BERNARD VALCOURT and TED MENZIES. Birthdays, gatherings, social notices for this community: Send them our way. Spotted: The EU delegation to Canada’s countdown to European elections clock … plus voting information for Europeans in Canada. In the Senate gallery: VICKIE JOSEPH and FRANTZ SAINTELLEMY, known for business incubator Groupe 3737; retired Sen. JIM MUNSON, MATTHEW BONGIORNO and AARON NUTTING from the Canadian Olympic Committee. Assistant Deputy Minister ALEXANDRE LÉVÊQUE, dishing at the Senate foreign affairs committee that GAC is studying the “possibility of applying sanctions, along with other tools that we have in our toolbox, against some of the Houthi aggressors” attacking ships in the Red Sea. Interest on unmatured government debt rising by C$3.2 billion, per the latest sup estimates. SAMI KHOURY, the head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security,speaking Thursday on panel at the Munich Cyber Security Conference. Movers and shakers: Innovation Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE has appointed four new members to the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council: Polytechnique Montréal professor CATHERINE BEAUDRY, Simon Fraser University professor ANKE KESSLER, CRA IT specialist VINAMRA MATHUR and Canadian Chamber of Commerce chief economist STEPHEN TAPP. ANTHONY HOUSEFATHER has replaced MIKE KELLOWAY on the House access to information committee; YASIR NAQVI has replaced JENICA ATWIN on the House health committee; ANNIE KOUTRAKIS has subbed in for ARIELLE KAYABAGA on the House official languages committee; Kayabaga replaces ex-MP DAVID LAMETTI; PATRICIA LATTANZIO has been tapped to replace LISA HEPFNER on the House heritage committee; Hepfner moves to the House veterans affairs committee to replace ex-MP CAROLYN BENNETT. On the standing joint committee for the scrutiny of regulations: PATRICIA LATTANZIO, ÉLISABETH BRIÈRE and SHAUN CHEN are out. NATHANIEL ERSKINE-SMITH, MIKE KELLOWAY and SAMEER ZUBERI are in. Media mentions: Journalist NICK SPICER is joining NPR as Europe editor. Noted in the news about Spicer’s new gig: “He's written an as yet unpublished nuclear thriller set in Ukraine, Russia and Germany.” Farewells: MP DARREN FISHER paying tribute to three-term Halifax Mayor MIKE SAVAGE, who announced this week he will not be seeking reelection. “Whether as the chair of FCM’s Big City Mayors’ Caucus, or as co-chair of FCM’s 2015 Syrian refugee resettlement task force, his strong sense of civic duty and drive to foster greater economic and social inclusion for everyone guided his path,” Fisher told the House. In memoriam: Former Conservative MP DARYL KRAMP died on Feb. 8.He was 76. Daryl “Kramp was a gentle giant; he had a presence that would brighten up a room,” Sen. DON PLETT said this week in a tribute. Send Playbookers tips to ottawaplaybook@politico.com . | | ON THE HILL | |
→ Find House committees here.
→ Keep track of Senate committees here. We're tracking every major political event of 2024 on a mega-calendar. Send us events and download the calendar yourself for Google and other clients . | | | | A message from Insurance Bureau of Canada: DON’T BE FLOODED WITH REGRET – Roughly 10% of Canadian households are at high risk for flooding but lack access to flood insurance. Over the past few years, devastating floods in BC, Newfoundland and Labrador and, most recently, in Nova Scotia have massive financial and emotional consequences for residents in those regions. The federal government, to its credit, recognizes that a public-private solution is needed and, in 2023, Finance Canada committed seed funding to set up Canada’s first National Flood Insurance Program. But that is not enough. The program requires more than a pledge. It needs operational funding as part of the 2024 federal budget in order to be up and running before the next federal election. The good news? It can be run on a cost-neutral basis. Canadians have waited long enough. It is time to fund the National Flood Insurance Program. Read more here. | | | | | TRIVIA | |
Thursday’s answer: WILLIAM HALL was the first Black person, the first Nova Scotian and third Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross for valor and bravery.
Props to SHAUGHN MCARTHUR, BRANDON RUSSELL, GERMAINE MALABRE, GREG MACEACHERN, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, MATT DELISLE, ROB LEFORTE and MARCEL MARCOTTE. Friday’s question: Who served as Bloc Québécois leader after GILLES DUCEPPE and before DANIEL PAILLÉ? Answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Want to grab the attention of movers and shakers on Parliament Hill? Want your brand in front of a key audience of Ottawa influencers? Run a Playbook ad campaign. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. Playbook wouldn’t happen without: POLITICO Canada editor Sue Allan, editor Willa Plank and Luiza Ch. Savage. | | | | 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 | | | | |  |
