Fear and ‘inflation-phobia’ in Ottawa

Presented by Uber Canada: A daily look inside Canadian politics and power.

Sep 07, 2022 View in browser   By Zi-Ann Lum Presented by Uber Canada Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Zi-Ann | Follow Politico Canada Welcome to the Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host Zi-Ann Lum with Andy Blatchford. TIFF MACKLEM is poised to make a hike. CANDICE BERGEN is planning to take one for real. Plus, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress' IHOR MICHALCHYSHYN offers Playbook a preview of what he'll say to MPs about Russia and Gazprom at foreign affairs committee today. DRIVING THE DAY BEYOND THE BIG ONE — Bank of Canada Governor TIFF MACKLEM will make his next move this morning. Spoiler alert: Borrowing costs are about to be pushed even higher. Markets expect another super-sized increase of 75 basis points, though some analysts warn Macklem could go even bigger when the bank makes its announcement at 10 a.m. ET. — One major question for tomorrow: Where will the central bank go next? It's all chum for the soon-to-be-named Conservative leader, who will most certainly dine on what ALEX HIMELFARB calls public-agenda threatening "inflation-phobia." In a recent essay for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the ex-PCO clerk pointed to reports blaming record-smashing corporate profits as one factor really mucking things up. — Plain language: Himelfarb distilled today's high-cost malaise in one sentence: "The story of inflation is a story of shifting priorities, of winners and losers, of power." — Power and politics: The NDP seized on to the Eat-The-Rich message early and posted recently that the cost of "soup" — yes, the entire category — has shot up 16.2 percent. But while times have changed to make JAGMEET SINGH's anti-corporate greed message really sing, the Tories have seized the moment to hammer the Liberals on the politics of energy costs, specifically natural gas, heading into a new sitting. — Waiting game: Today's announcement will arrive via press release. We'll have to wait until Thursday to know more about where things stand when Senior Deputy Governor CAROLYN ROGERS gives a speech to Calgary Economic Development. 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.   A message from Uber Canada: An historic agreement to benefit drivers and delivery people. The Uber-UFCW Canada agreement gives 100,000+ workers on the Uber platform access to strong representation. We're also jointly calling for government reforms that introduce benefits but protect worker flexibility. 85% of all drivers and delivery people support the Uber-UFCW Canada agreement and 89% want provincial governments to enact the proposed reforms. Finding common ground, we can create a better future for app-based workers.   For your radar BACK AT IT — The House foreign affairs committee rides again today to continue its probe of Ottawa's decision to exempt six Russian Nord Stream pipeline turbines from sanctions so they can be repaired in Canada and sent back to Germany. Much has happened in the month since MPs started their study. The Kremlin recently said the "absolute turmoil" of western sanctions was to blame for the Russian gas giant's decision to stop flows through Gazprom's Russia-to-Germany pipeline — and vowed to keep taps off as long as sanctions are in place. "This was an entirely predictable Russian blackmail," said Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) CEO IHOR MICHALCHYSHYN, who will be a witness at today's hearing. — Throwback: Returning one turbine in July did squat, Ukraine's ambassador in Ottawa told MPs in their last meeting. — The ask : "There is absolutely no logical reason for the sanctions waiver, granted for two years and for up to six turbines, to remain in place," Michalchyshyn wrote Playbook in an email. "The UCC calls on Canada to cancel the sanctions exemption immediately." — Related reading from POLITICO: What are Europe's energy emergency options? CONSERVATIVE CORNER END OF THE LINE — When Conservatives swing into the next election with a shiny new leader, CANDICE BERGEN won't be waving the party banner to re-offer. "After 14 remarkable years and 5 elections, I am looking forward to opening new doors and embracing new opportunities and pursuits in the next chapter of life," Bergen said in a Tuesday statement, announcing her plan to not run for re-election, whenever that will be. She will hang her hat as interim leader this weekend after being in the role since ERIN O'TOOLE was ousted from top spot. — Not naming names: Speaking of O'Toole, the ex-party leader still has the Freedom Convoy on his mind. "There's some people who don't know how teams should function, and that's a challenge our caucus has," O'Toole tells The Globe and Mail 's IAN BAILEY. Bergen's announcement comes ahead of Saturday's reveal — tactful timing to ensure her career decision is not read as commentary about someone else's leadership style. While Bergen is out for the next election, she's all in "in the immediate future" to support the next leader and fulfill her responsibilities as the MP for Portage–Lisgar. — Tolerance for extremism : The trick, as the results of the past two elections show, will be to keep the riding a Conservative stronghold. The People's Party finished a distant fifth in Portage–Lisgar in 2019 and vaulted ahead with a second-place finish in the last election.   A message from Uber Canada:   TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS 10 a.m. The Bank of Canada announces its interest rate decision and drops a press release to explain it. 12 p.m. (1 p.m. ADT) NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH is in Halifax to attend his party's caucus retreat and will hold media availability at the meeting's four-star hotel site. 12 p.m. (9 a.m. PDT) The Senate human rights committee meets in downtown Vancouver to hold public hearings related to its study of Islamophobia in Canada. There's a 2:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m. PDT) town hall on the schedule. Also in Vancouver: Trudeau and his cabmins. 1 p.m. The House foreign affairs committee meets to continue its study of the export of Russian Gazprom turbines. Ukrainian Canadian Congress CEO IHOR MICHALCHYSHYN and the organization's senior policy adviser OREST ZAKYDALSKY are witnesses. 1:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m.) Telcos, hold for an announcement from Innovation Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE from the land of Shaw and Telus (a.k.a Vancouver) about "the reliability of telecommunications networks." PROZONE For POLITICO Pro subscribers, our latest policy newsletter from SUE ALLAN and ANDY BLATCHFORD: Tiff Macklem's next next move. In other news for subscribers:  — Biden's 'timid' approach to broadening trade ties could undermine broader Indo-Pacific goals. — Amazon to face UK scrutiny in new market study. — Europe's top GDPR enforcer gets into gear. — Thierry Breton says EU 'finalizing' raw materials plan to secure supply chains. — Forget gasoline: Biden's new headache is natural gas. — Kemi Badenoch named new U.K. trade chief. PROZONE — Top of POLITICO this morning: Donald Trump has at least 19 different attorneys dealing with 8 investigations. — On The Decibel this morning: Grief and fear in Saskatchewan after mass stabbing. — The Globe reports: Public Safety Minister promises Parole Board review. — The National Post's JAMIE SARKONAK asks how many killing sprees will it take for the RCMP to give " good, timely information to the public when mass killers are at large." — Reuters says Spanish energy giant Repsol SA has agreed to sell oil and gas-producing land in Alberta to Canada Pension Plan Investments Board-backed Teine Energy. — The Vancouver Sun 's CHERYL CHAN found The Canadian Angle: New U.K. Prime Minister LIZ TRUSS attended school in Burnaby, B.C. — STEVE PAIKIN shares an excerpt of his biography about JOHN TURNER with TVO. — And CP's DEAN BENNETT writes on Premier JASON KENNEY's response to DANIELLE SMITH's "risky, dangerous, half-baked" and "banana republic" plan for more provincial independence. Playbookers Birthdays: Happy birthday to Senators PAULA SIMONS and ELIZABETH MARSHALL. Canada's 17th Chief Justice BEVERLEY MCLACHLIN was born on this day in 1943. Former Supreme Court justice CLAIRE L'HEUREUX-DUBÉ is 95. Send birthdays to ottawaplaybook@politico.com. Spotted: Proud parents posting about back-to-school: KATIE TELFORD, SEAN FRASER, KARINA GOULD, ARIELLE KAYABAGA, JENNA SUDDS, SHELBY KRAMP-NEUMAN, PHILIP LAWRENCE, JOHN NATER, CHRIS BITTLE, MANINDER SIDHU, JEAN YIP, MARK GERRETSEN, and MICHELLE COATES MATHER: " It's the most wonderful time of the year." U.S. Ambassador to Canada DAVID COHEN making the rounds in Montreal and dropping by AI firm Mila, two weeks after German Chancellor OLAF SCHOLZ did the same with Trudeau … Cohen spoke in-person at the International Aerospace Innovation Forum while Innovation Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE delivered remarks virtually. Media mentions: Biz reporter ROSA SABA is leaving the Toronto Star to join the Canadian Press later this month. First in Playbook: Bluesky Strategy Group has scooped up ex-CP scribe MIKE BLANCHFIELD. Blanchfield confirmed his new gig with Playbook: "I'm thrilled and honored to be joining this week, this team as a consultant after a long journalism career (35 years) including two decades covering international affairs on Parliament Hill for CP and others." Movers and shakers: TYLER MEREDITH is calling it quits at September's end to his gig as an economic strategy and planning director at Finance Canada to look for something new. " What? I don't know yet " … CPAC has hired NICOLLE ARAMS as its new executive producer … Ex-press gallery journo ALYSSA O'DELL has also landed at CPAC as a manager of its comms and marketing team. ABBIE BUCKMAN is now a litigation associate at Dentons. She most recently was a judicial law clerk for the Federal Court in Ottawa. Farewells: JOHN YOUNG, corporate lawyer and former exec assistant to late Liberal finance minister ALLAN MACEACHEN, died last week. His obituary recalled a young Young had intended to stay in Ottawa for six months. "He would explain later, but 'I was there for four years and I had a ball. It was a fascinating education. And I met Carol'" — his wife. Send Playbookers tips to ottawaplaybook@politico.com .   A message from Uber Canada: Uber and UFCW Canada reach historic agreement to benefit drivers and delivery people The landmark agreement gives 100,000+ workers on the Uber platform access to strong representation. UFCW Canada can provide representation if requested by drivers and delivery people facing account deactivation or other account dispute issues. As part of the agreement, Uber Canada and UFCW Canada are jointly calling for government reforms that introduce benefits but also protect worker flexibility. Uber Canada and UFCW Canada are jointly advocating for industry-wide legislative standards – like a minimum earnings standard, a benefits fund, and access to workers' rights – across the country. This agreement is a result of discussions and listening to drivers and delivery people. 85% of all drivers and delivery people support the Uber-UFCW Canada agreement and 89% want provincial governments to enact the proposed package of reforms. Finding common ground, we can create a better future for app-based workers.   TRIVIA Tuesday's answer: PATRICK DOUGLASS COX painted the portrait of JOE CLARK that is in the Prime Ministers' Portrait Gallery.  Props to NANCI WAUGH and ROBERT MCDOUGALL. Wednesday's question : Who said, "You write what you think is right. That's it. Whatever the consequences. [U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader] Ginsburg did that all the time, and I did that all the time. I didn't care about myself, my reputation, should I, shouldn't I? No, no, no. This was the law and I will always be faithful to what I think is the right thing to do." Send your answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness in 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 and Sue Allan.   Follow us on Twitter Nick Taylor-Vaisey @TaylorVaisey Sue Allan @susan_allan Andy Blatchford @AndyBlatchford Maura Forrest @MauraForrest Zi-Ann Lum @ziannlum POLITICO Canada @politicoottawa   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

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.