The watchdog days of summer

Aug 08, 2022

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Mary Anne Barkhouse's sculpture, 'namaxsala, across from Parliament Hill.

POLITICO Canada

Welcome to Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host Zi-Ann Lum with Sue Allan. Today, privacy experts tell us what they're thinking as the House ethics committee launches its study of spyware used by the RCMP. Plus, a Playbook reader pitches an idea to improve Conservative leadership debates: Banish them altogether.

DRIVING THE DAY

SLIPPERY SLOPES — A parliamentary committee stirs from its summer slumber today to spend time with Mounties and Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO.

The House of Commons ethics committee has launched a study of the RCMP's admitted use of spyware to hack laptops and mobile devices . But before they get to the minister and police, MPs will hear from federal privacy watchdog PHILIPPE DUFRESNE.

"They didn't go to the privacy commissioner to get any kind of authorization to do this," says ANN CAVOUKIAN, executive director of the Global Privacy & Security by Design Centre, calling the skipped step an "appalling" red flag.

Cavoukian is a former three-term Ontario privacy commissioner.

"I'm sure they'll say we have to have these tools or we can't catch the bad guys; we've been stymied by the use of encryption." That, in Cavoukian's opinion, would be a thin excuse that doesn't begin to explain how controversial spyware is used on an unsuspecting public.

— Stats and hazards: POLITICO's MAURA FORREST revealed in June the RCMP's Covert Access and Intercept Team's admitted use of spyware to hack into mobile devices .

The clandestine use of software by police to surveil mobile phones, without a clear debate about their purpose and intended use, risks "eroding our freedom enormously," Cavoukian tells Playbook. According to Statistics Canada around 88 percent of Canadians have a mobile device .

— Lessons from the past : Cavoukian says that she heard stories growing up that reinforced the belief that free and open societies are built on a foundation of privacy. "My grandparents just barely escaped the Armenian Genocide in 1915," she explains.

"They said when they're sitting in the prison, people are talking and they're looking over their shoulder. And some people aren't very careful about what they're saying." She recalls her grandparents telling her that if guards heard negative things, they would just go and shoot whoever said them. "I know it sounds ridiculous. But you have to have privacy in order to preserve our freedoms."

— Related listening: RONALD DEIBERT of the Citizen Lab shares worst-case scenarios during his conversation on spyware with NATE ERSKINE-SMITH on the latest edition of the Uncommons pod.

In one case from earlier this year, Citizen Lab warned that spyware had been found on a device at 10 Downing Street, residence of the British PM.

— Tomorrow today: BRENDA MCPHAIL will appear before the same committee on Tuesday. The privacy expert with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association says she wants to know what spyware the RCMP is using.

"Given the very poor record of many vendors of such products when it comes to providing these dangerous tools to authoritarian states for use against human rights defenders, Canadians deserve assurance that our national policing body is not a paying customer of any company involved in such activities," McPhail tells Playbook.

Right now it's unclear what policies allow the RCMP to buy surveillance technologies without public transparency or accountability measures. She's hoping Mounties and Mendicino can fill in some blanks.

Another unanswered question, McPhail says, is what happens to the data collected by the RCMP? What about the data of innocent third parties caught up in the surveillance? How is that data managed and protected?

— In related reading: Greek Prime Minister KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS was expected to make a statement today on the Predator wiretapping scandal that has shaken his country.

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For your radar

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

Sen. Joe Manchin. | Francis Chung/E&E News

FULL SPEED AHEAD — The Democrats' historic win passing the Inflation Reduction Act through the Senate is a green light for a time-honored Canadian policy tradition: Playing catch up.

Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU reminded the Twitterverse Sunday that the bill extends tax credits for North American electric vehicles, a win for the Canadian auto industry.

"Let's keep working together for a greener future," Trudeau tweeted. International Trade Minister MARY NG used the same language, calling the Senate vote, "One step closer to a stronger, greener future that benefits workers and people on both sides of the border."

The bill, if it becomes law, would unleash hundreds of billions of dollars to supercharge the clean energy industry . That means an expansion of wind and solar power, plus making EVs a more affordable and competitive alternative to gasoline cars.

For the Liberal government, there's a political challenge in balancing long-term Team North America "greener future" messaging against short-term anxieties about rising inflation and cost of living. Potential gas savings with a future EV won't pay for tomorrow's C$14 latte .

CONSERVATIVE CORNER

AFTER THE VOTE — With 33 days until official results of the Conservative leadership contest are announced, there is growing talk of what comes after Sept. 10.

— Existential question: Here how CP's STEPHANIE TAYLOR puts it in a piece published Sunday: "In a contest largely seen as a battle for the party's soul, which has put decades-old fissures on display between groups that make up its very coalition, what might it take to achieve unity after results are revealed Sept. 10?"

— Some National Post advice: "Should he win, as seems all but inevitable, PIERRE POILIEVRE should ignore the advice of critics and pundits on the left, as well as some within his party, who argue he needs to moderate his message and policies," NP View advises.

— Membership survey: RUDYARD GRIFFITHS had a couple of questions on the latest edition of The Hub Dialogues: "Who are the 300,000 people that PIERRE POILIEVRE has signed up?"

The Hub's executive director continued: "My sense, looking at some of them — I don't know what portion — that some of them are in that constituency of full-blown, tin-hatted, conspiracy-wearing, angry voters … Maybe the worry here is … 'What the heck is under the hood, in terms of the party membership?'"

— List of promises: The Big Story devoted Friday's pod to looking at how Poilievre could change the political landscape. Analyst and columnist DAVID MOSCROP said the CPC frontrunner is playing with fire: "He's making an awful lot of very angry promises to a lot of angry people.

"Now, do you think he can keep all of those promises? Can he lower the price of gas? Can he lower the price of food? Can he raise wages? Can he secure jobs? My guess is, probably not. What happens when you can't make good on all those promises. What happens to those angry people then?"

— In other CPC reading: The Sun's LORNE GUNTER dismissed JEAN CHAREST's campaign as nothing more than a vanity project: "It's all about Jean," he wrote in a weekend column.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

11 a.m. The House ethics committee will launch into its study of spyware used by the RCMP.

12 p.m. (10 a.m. CT) Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister MARC MILLER will visit Beardy's & Okemasis' Cree Nation in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, to finish a settlement agreement on a "treaty salaries specific claim."

1 p.m. Ontario's legislature returns. CP's ALLISON JONES sets up today's Speech from the Throne.

2 p.m. The House transport committee will return to discuss the need for a study on airport delays and cancellations.

3 p.m. The House ethics committee resumes its spyware hearing with Public Safety Minister MARCO MENDICINO and RCMP witnesses, MARK FLYNN, BRYAN LARKIN and DAVE COBEY.

6 p.m. (4 p.m. CT) Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON is scheduled to speak at the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

The Liberal Party of Canada signaled to Elections Canada it will hold a Winnipeg fundraising event today.

WE GET MAIL

SOURCE OF DEBATE — After last week's final Conservative leadership debate, we asked Ottawa Playbook readers to send in their ideas for how to make friendly party-organized faceoffs worth watching.

DIANE VANHERK of Alton, Nova Scotia, believes teammates vying for leadership shouldn't be allowed to disrespect others, so their microphones should be cut if that happens.

"Nothing puts me off more than total snide remarks about the other candidates continuously. Stick with their own ideas. Attacking one another continuously turns me off. The winner will be running against the Liberals, not other candidates."

FRED SAGAL of Gananoque, Ont. proposes that candidates who don't show up for debates should be disqualified.

"That is reasonable, considering the fact that they are running to become prime minister, a job that involves a lot of serious work. And if you can't make a debate, or won't, you can no longer run!"

MARY TURNER of Barrie, Ont. said debates are a waste of time and money when candidate interviews would be "far more information" — and cheaper.

"We do not need these ridiculous candidate bashing candidate events anymore. If one does one's homework one can find out the policies of each candidate easily enough."

MEDIA ROOM

— The CBC shares the latest temperature check on federal public servants and return-to-office plans.

JENNIFER CARR, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, tells LIZ THOMPSON: "60 percent of our members would prefer to stay in a work-from-home situation, 25 percent would like to do a hybrid and 10 percent would like to come back to the office full time."

— The Senate Democrats passed their signature climate, tax and health care package Sunday afternoon. POLITICO's MARIANNE LEVINE, BURGESS EVERETT and JORDAIN CARNEY have details.

— VANMALA SUBRAMANIAM sets up this week's Unifor convention, "a defining moment" for the union.

— The Atlantic just published a 30,000, 41-page investigation by CAITLIN DICKERSON on DONALD TRUMP's family-separation policy.

— The Globe's MATTHEW MCCLEARN checked in on Ottawa's pledge to plant 2 billion trees.

— WARREN KINSELLA in the Toronto Sun says "election talk is starting up again in Ottawa." He shares 10 reasons for why "it kind of makes sense."

— The Star's FRANCINE KOPAN writes: In the age of the Great Resignation and volatile public discourse, is being a city councilor a coveted role anymore?

— In this feature for The Walrus, researcher LUCY UPRICHARD considers the cost of a cashless society.

— On CBC's FRONT BURNER pod this morning: The unexpected rise of Quebec's Conservative party.

ASK US ANYTHING

TELL US EVERYTHING — What are you hearing that you need Playbook to know? Send it all our way .

PROZONE

For POLITICO Pro subscribers, our latest policy newsletter: Who supplies the RCMP's spyware?

In other news for subscribers:

— Historic climate bill moves U.S. closer to Biden's target.

— The Sinema-Manchin split that shaped Dems' deal.

— China's military exercises are an intel bonanza — for all sides.

— Long Covid could become a mass disabling event.

— Meta deletes Russian troll farm.

— Canadian jobs report: 'Muddy.' Employment falls, wages stay strong.

— World food prices drop slightly from record high.

SUMMERTIME READS

Here's our summer 2022 reading list so far .

Today's picks arrived in our inbox from Playbook reader BILL DAY:

"How To Be a Climate Optimist," by CHRIS TURNER;

"They Called Me Number One" by BEV SELLARS;

"Nine Lessons I Learned From My Father," by MURRAY HOWE;

"How to Solve A Cold Case," by MICHAEL ARNTFIELD.

Send us your reading suggestions — your brain food and your guilty pleasure! We'll share them here.

PLAYBOOKERS

Birthdays: Former Cabinet minister and Stanley Cup champion KEN DRYDEN is 75 today. Once asked for the advice he'd give his 25-year-old self, Dryden said, "Just keep doing. You'll find out fast whether it's good and right for you or not."

And HBD to Ontario Cabinet minister VIC FEDELI, MPs RON MCKINNON and GÉRARD DELTELL, Alberta politician RAY MARTIN and former MP PIERRETTE VENNE.

Spotted: PETER MAZEREEUW and AIDAN CHAMANDY, celebrating one million downloads of The Hill Times' pod, The Hot Room. … NDP MPs BLAKE DESJARLAIS and HEATHER MCPHERSON at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival … Sen. PAULA SIMONS' borscht .

Media mentions: ALEXANDRA POSADZKI is officially on book leave. In the works? Rogers vs. Rogers.

Movers and shakers: The independent advisory board for Senate appointments has new members: ANN MCCAIN EVANS, DONALD SAVOIE, SCOTT ANNEAR, SUE FRASER, CORRINE SPARKS, HEIDI JAMIESON-MILLS, JOY BUCKLE and GERALD GLAVINE. Three board members have been reappointed: HUGUETTE LABELLE, MELISSA BLAKE and FRANÇOIS ROLLAND.

SUSAN HOLT is the new leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party.

Farewells: DOUG SCHWEITZER resigned Friday as Alberta's jobs, economy and innovation minister. "My plan is to serve as MLA until the end of the month or such other date established closer to that time," he said in a statement.

TRIVIA

Friday's answer: Who tweeted "GALE CRATER I AM IN YOU!!!" a decade ago? That was NASA's Curiosity Rover.

Props to LESLIE SWARTMAN, ROB LEFORTE, DOUG RICE, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, DOROTHY MCCABE, BOB DEWAR, GORDON RANDALL and BRAM ABRAMSON, who suggests we also credit a social media team at NASA .

Monday's question: Name the Canadian icon who had this to say after taking in Question Period: "I don't know how anything gets decided. It's certainly nice to see the lively debate."

Send your answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com

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