| | | | |  | | By Zi-Ann Lum and Nick Taylor-Vaisey | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Zi-Ann | Email Nick | Follow Politico Canada Welcome to the Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Zi-Ann Lum with Nick Taylor-Vaisey. Your not-Nick Playbooker is back from vacation and it seems a bunch of parliamentary committees have returned, too. MPs' bid to hold hearings over Canada's decision to exempt sanctioned Nord Stream pipeline turbines marches forward. And MURRAY SINCLAIR shares a few words about the Pope's tour of "penance."
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | |
WE HAVE A DATE — Members of the House foreign affairs committee have been itching to get going on a study of Canada's export of Russian Gazprom turbines and Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY and Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON have now confirmed their availability for Aug. 4 .
That date places the timing of the meeting three weeks out since MPs originally met, hoping to get the study started as soon as possible. "This is urgent and speed is required here," NDP committee member HEATHER MCPHERSON said when MPs first met on July 15 to talk about Canada's decision to exempt Gazprom turbines from Russian sanctions . MPs had originally asked Joly and Wilkinson to appear no later than July 22. German Ambassador to Canada SABINE SPARWASSER, Ukrainian Ambassador YULIYA KOVALIV and the European Union's Ambassador to Canada MELITA GABRIČ and representatives of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress have also been invited as witnesses, but TBA on their availability. OUTSIDE THE OTTAWA BUBBLE — Energy security will be on the mind of U.S. Ambassador to Canada DAVID COHEN as he tours the oil sands for the first time today. "I need to have an exposure to the oil sands," Cohen told an audience at the PNWER annual summit in Calgary this week. Given the "centrality of oil from the oil sands" to current energy security, that it "behooves" him to make a visit to understand its production process up close. KIRSTEN HILLMAN, Canada's Ambassador to the U.S., is expected to join her American counterpart on the tour. — Meanwhile in America: POLITICO's BEN LEFEBVRE reports on a shrinking gasoline supply stateside that is making the U.S. more vulnerable to fuel panics. Do you enjoy Ottawa Playbook? Maybe you know others who may like it, too. Hit forward. Click here to sign up to this free newsletter.
| | For your radar | |
SAVE THE DATE — The House ethics committee is slated to study the RCMP's use of powerful spyware to hack mobile devices during surveillance operations over the course of two days of hearings in August.
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File photo of a RCMP vehicle. | Daniel Hayduk/The Canadian Press |
"This spyware … has huge, sweeping impacts upon the privacy of Canadians, and we want to ensure that Charter rights have been protected," Conservative ethics critic JAMES BEZAN told the committee Tuesday.
POLITICO's MAURA FORREST reports how Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials, Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO and the current and former privacy commissioners have been called as witnesses before the committee. CAUGHT OFF GUARD — Members of the House heritage committee will continue their study of sexual assault allegations involving Hockey Canada today with testimony from the organization's top executives. Their appearance at committee comes a day after Canadian bureaucrats admitted they were made aware of the allegations that involve the national junior hockey team in 2018 but never notified KRISTY DUNCAN, the federal minister of sport at the time. POLITICO's ANDY BLATCHFORD reports the disclosure, made by federal organization Sport Canada's MICHEL RUEST, appeared to have struck some MPs on the committee by surprise. "It is profoundly disturbing to me to see that in a case of a serious, serious sexual assault, that it's unclear what the follow up was," said NDP committee member PETER JULIAN.
| | For the record | |
NOT ENOUGH — A day after POPE FRANCIS' historic apology to residential school survivors, MURRAY SINCLAIR entered the chat.
Sinclair, a retired judge and senator, chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and produced its landmark 2015 final report. When he speaks about Catholic responsibility for the abuse and violence that defined those church-run institutions, people listen. The pontiff's apology left Sinclair rather unimpressed. He published a statement Tuesday that lambasted what wasn't in the Pope's attempt to make amends. Here's part of it. — For the record: "The Holy Father's statement has left a deep hole in the acknowledgement of the full role of the Church in the Residential School system, by placing blame on individual members of the Church. It is important to underscore that the Church was not just an agent of the state, nor simply a participant in government policy, but was a lead co-author of the darkest chapters in the history of this land," wrote Sinclair. "Driven by the Doctrine of Discovery and other Church beliefs and doctrines, Catholic leaders not only enabled the Government of Canada, but pushed it even further in its work to commit cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples. In many instances, it was not just a collaboration, but an instigation. There are clear examples in our history where the Church called for the Government of Canada to be more aggressive and bold in its work to destroy Indigenous culture, traditional practices and beliefs." NEXT UP — Francis flies to Quebec City, where he's expected to arrive at La Citadelle at 3 p.m. for meetings with government officials. At approximately 4:45 p.m., Francis will make a public address. Thousands of onlookers will watch from the Plains of Abraham.
| | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU and Governor General MARY SIMON will welcome the Pope at La Citadelle in Quebec City. At 4 p.m., the PM will have audiences with the Pope and Secretary of State of the Holy See Cardinal PIETRO PAROLIN.
— Statistics Canada is releasing a trio of economic and social reports: "Employer responses to labor shortages," "Retention of government-assisted refugees in designated destinations" and "The value of unpaid child care and paid employment by gender." 7:30 a.m. (8:30 p.m. ADT) Seniors Minister KAMAL KHERA and Official Languages (and ACOA) Minister GINETTE PETITPAS TAYLOR will be in Riverview, N.B. to announce funding for community-based projects in Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe through the New Horizons for Seniors program. Media availability to follow. 9 a.m. (10 a.m. ADT) Veterans Affairs Minister LAWRENCE MACAULAY has a funding announcement on his schedule today for P.E.I.'s tourism industry. 11 a.m. Several officials from Hockey Canada will appear before the House of Commons heritage committee , including president SCOTT SMITH. The heads of the Canadian Hockey League and the three Canadian major junior hockey leagues will also be present. 11 a.m. National Revenue Minister DIANE LEBOUTHILLIER will announce support for 11 Haute-Gaspésie organizations for their start-up, revitalization and growth projects in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Que. 1:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. MDT) Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Minister CARLA QUALTROUGH will make a funding announcement related to the skilled trades in Edmonton. Tourism Minister RANDY BOISSONNAULT will join her. Media availability to follow. 1 p.m. Federal health officials will hold a briefing to provide an update on Monkeypox in Canada. 1 p.m. (12 p.m. CDT) CPC leadership contender LESLYN LEWIS is in Winkler, Man. for a campaign event. 6 p.m. Ukrainian Ambassador YULIYA KOVALIV will give a talk at Carleton University on the first anniversary of Ukraine's Day of Statehood.
| | PAPER TRAIL | |
HOUSE HUNTERS — The Canada Revenue Agency is again searching for bulk U.S. real estate data for properties owned by a Canadian.
A government tender posted Tuesday : It wants a single contractor who can deliver "historical and current bulk data for residential and commercial property located in the U.S.A., where a Canadian is party to a real estate transaction (purchase/sale or transfer)." — There are mandatory requirements: The database has to have 60,000 relevant transactions minimum; it must include all residential and commercial property types; and must include transactions dating back to Jan. 1, 2016. — Try, try again: The Financial Post warned snowbirds in July 2020 to make sure their Canadian tax filings are up to snuff when the CRA previously posted a similar tender to scout a U.S. real estate data miner. Canadians who own property in the U.S. are required to file a T1135 tax form or face harsh tax penalties . That 2020 tender expired without an interested supplier . The new one is open until Sept. 6.
| | SUMMERTIME READS | |
We found today's pick on LinkedIn , where Canadian Chamber of Commerce chief economist STEPHEN TAPP reviewed "The Age of Uncertainty," the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize finalist penned by fellow Export Development Canada alum STEPHEN POLOZ.
Here's the bit that stuck out to Playbook: "For me, by far the best parts are the introductory 'reflections' in the first few pages of each chapter that serves as a mini memoir. Here, Poloz describes his 'modest…blue-collar' upbringing in Oshawa, personal anecdotes about being a DJ and Star Trek fan, his studies at Queen's and Western, his times as Bank of Canada Governor, and his eternally optimistic outlook, following a life-threatening heart attack, among others." Send us your reading suggestions — your brain food and your guilty pleasure! We'll share them in the Playbook newsletter. And check out our running list of summertime reads from Ottawa insiders.
| | PROZONE | |
If you're a POLITICO Pro subscriber, don't miss our latest policy newsletter: Parliament to investigate RCMP's use of spyware.
In other news for subscribers: — IMF: U.S. recession may be unavoidable. — Western sanctions sting but don't cripple Russia's economy. — U.S. is sidelined in critical minerals push. — EU energy ministers agree on mandatory gas cut regulation: Document. — New York is the nation's frontline defense against monkeypox. It's struggling to respond.
| | MEDIA ROOM | |
— PAUL WELLS' new column singles out PIERRE POILIEVRE and JUSTIN TRUDEAU for being allergic to questions they don't like.
— LISA RAITT kicked off a two-week run as a guest on the Curse of Politics pod. They dig into STEPHEN HARPER's endorsement of PIERRE POILIEVRE. — Sing Tao, Canada's largest Chinese-language daily, has announced it will stop printing physical copies of its newspaper on Aug. 28 to focus on its digital edition and new media platforms. — Federal environment watchdog JERRY DEMARCO, in conversation with The Backbench's FATIMA SYED, summarizes a trend in fed climate goals and narratives: "A plan is created. It has a long term outlook. And as it gets closer to that date, the due date for it, and it looks like they're not going to make that to date with the target to achieve — attention diverts to a new better plan and then we have this cycle of we're always thinking about what's coming next, but not reminding Canadians that we failed on the previous one."
| | Playbookers | |
Birthdays: The happiest of birthdays to ex-Tory MPs PETER KENT and BEV ODA, former senators CAROLYN STEWART OLSEN, CLAUDETTE TARDIF and ex-Liberal MPs COLIN FRASER and SHAWN MURPHY.
HBD + 1 to PAUL WELLS. Send birthdays to ottawaplaybook@politico.com . Movers and shakers: Ex-Ontario NDP leader ANDREA HORWATH is entering the Hamilton mayoral race, light on policy ideas on Day 1 … Noted daughter of the Hammer CATHERINE MCKENNA isn't impressed … DOUG FORD was gracious … Conservative thinker BEN WOODFINDEN is the new executive director at Advocates for the Rule of Law, a think tank "dedicated to furthering the principles of constitutionalism and the rule of law." KEITH BLACK , a member of the board at the Grain Farmers of Ontario, registered as a lobbyist. The GFO is one of several agricultural groups that have spoken out against sanctions slapped on Russian imports — including much-needed fertilizer. Spotted: U.S. Ambo DAVID COHEN meeting with Yukon Premier SANDY SILVER for the first time IRL … Sen. ROB BLACK in Calgary at the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region annual summit with a "Transboundary Feral Swine Summit" table between him and the stage … Coming soon on the Canusa Street Pod: Washington Lieutenant-Governor DENNY HECK, who stopped by a pop-up studio at PNWER . GR firm McMillan Vantage with a fresh new look … Green MP MIKE MORRICE in Quebec City for a 10-day French immersion program . Media mentions: ALEX BOUTILIER is joining Global News' enterprise and i-team: " I'll still be focusing on the same topics ." Farewells: Liberal MP GEORGE CHAHAL mourned the loss of his father , Ram, a founding member and former president of the World Sikh Organization who "battled dementia courageously" until Monday afternoon. Calgary MLA RAJAN SAWHNEY, a candidate for Alberta's UCP leadership and Ram Chahal's niece, said he "was deeply loved, respected and admired for all that he did for community and family." Former Calgary mayor NAHEED NENSHI said Chahal was "a great Calgarian and community builder, an example to all of seva — selfless service — and a true pioneer in the local South Asian community." Send Playbookers tips to ottawaplaybook@politico.com . | | TRIVIA | |
Tuesday's answer: It's been a year since MARY SIMON was sworn in as GG.
Props to BRAM ABRAMSON, JOANNA PLATER, ALYSON FAIR, LAURA JARVIS, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, AMY BOUGHNER, LUCAS BORCHENKO, HÉLÈNE CHEVALIER, DOROTHY MCCABE and HARRY MCKONE. Wednesday's question: Pope Francis flies from Edmonton to Quebec City this morning. Name the Liberal Cabinet minister in each city. For bonus marks: Both men sit as alternates on the same Cabinet committee. Name it. Send your answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Correction: An early version of Tuesday's Playbook misstated the organization that paid for PMO policy adviser HARRY ORBACH-MILLER's recent trip to Israel. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Alejandra Waase to find out how: awaase@politico.com . Playbook wouldn't happen without Luiza Ch. Savage, Sue Allan and John Yearwood. | | | | 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 | | | | |
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