China policy hide-and-seek

Oct 05, 2022

By Zi-Ann Lum, Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Maura Forrest

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Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host Zi-Ann Lum with Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Maura Forrest. An old China hand wants to level-set expectations on JENNIFER MAY, Canada's new top envoy to Beijing. MPs want a "national pause" on facial recognition tech. Plus, the Speaker's Office's outgoing Dcomm shares tried-and-tested advice she picked up from a former speaker of the Lok Sabha.

DRIVING THE DAY

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly attends day two of the G-7 Summit of Foreign and Development Ministers.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly attends day two of the G-7 Summit of Foreign and Development Ministers on Dec. 12, 2021, in Liverpool, England. | Phil Noble/WPA Pool, Getty Images

DON'T SCOOP THE BOSS — Eight department officials at the House's special Canada-China relations committee last night and not one revamped Indo-Pacific strategy to talk about.

Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY told CNN's JIM SCIUTTO last Friday that it's coming "before the end of the year." That's after the Chinese Community Party's (CCP) once-every-five-year national congress this month, but before Japan takes over the G-7 presidency Jan. 1. The Indo-Pacific region is expected to rank high on the G-7 agenda.

Bloc MP STÉPHANE BERGERON tried to get a crumb, any crumb.

I'm not asking you to give us a scoop on the new Indo-Pacific policy , Bergeron told the phalanx of government officials. He asked them to confirm if Canada plans to adapt its Taiwan policy, given Beijing's aggression toward the self-ruled island.

Global Affairs Assistant Deputy Minister PAUL THOPPIL didn't take the bait. He used the televised committee time to skip through a numbered list of work that feeds the policy.

More than a year after MICHAEL KOVRIG and MICHAEL SPAVOR returned to Canada, little progress has been made to temper the frosty relations between Ottawa and Beijing.

"I don't think things have come back to normal," said University of Toronto professor LYNETTE ONG. She explained she used to teach a course in China on a Chinese campus, but diminishing trust in Beijing in Western societies has nixed hopes of program reoffers.

"We have no we have no plans of returning to China anytime soon," she said. "I think there has been a scar and we know the root cause of the scar and I don't think the root cause has actually gone away."

— Eyes on new ambo: GORDON HOULDEN from the University of Alberta's China Institute said an ambassador's job isn't to be stationed and eat canapés and drink cocktails, but to deliver tough messages personally or through contacts.

"Let's keep expectations on Madame [JENNIFER] MAY reasonable," Houlden said, adding he worked with May in Beijing when she was a junior officer. "Do not expect her to make a substantive difference in the conditions in Xinjiang. Do not expect her to fix our consular hangover in Hong Kong."

— Future moves : Joly has said she will head to Japan and Korea next week to flex Canada's credentials as a northern Pacific country ahead of the CCP's national congress where XI JINPING is expected to consolidate power for a historic third term on Oct. 16.

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For your radar

PUT THE BRAKES ON — A parliamentary committee wants a "national pause" on the use of facial recognition technology, especially by the RCMP. The federal government needs a legislative framework for the use of such tools, the House of Commons ethics committee said in a report tabled Tuesday.

The report, which has all-party support, recommends a moratorium on the use of facial recognition except in consultation with the federal privacy commissioner or if authorized by a judge.

The committee says the government needs to "define in appropriate legislation acceptable uses of facial recognition technology … and prohibit other uses, including mass surveillance."

— The background: The committee launched its study of facial recognition technology after the RCMP made waves back in 2020 when it revealed it had used controversial software from Clearview AI. The tech start-up had scraped three billion images from the internet and sold access to its database to law enforcement. The privacy commissioner later declared that "what Clearview does is mass surveillance, and it is illegal."

— Other tools: Last week, POLITICO revealed the RCMP has used facial recognition technology from other companies in addition to Clearview AI. In particular, the police force has used two tools, Traffic Jam and Spotlight, which were designed to help police fight human trafficking, and child sexual exploitation in particular.

In documents recently tabled in the House of Commons, the RCMP says it has temporarily stopped using the facial recognition capabilities of those tools, pending an internal review that was prompted by the Clearview AI debacle.

The new report says the RCMP alerted the ethics committee to its use of Traffic Jam and Spotlight in a letter sent in July. The police force had not previously disclosed those tools to the committee.

— Surprising no one: In the report, MPs note that "RCMP officials were very reluctant to provide complete answers to the committee's questions" and were "evasive in their responses."

HALLWAY CONVERSATION

Heather Bradley, outgoing communications director for the House of Commons, stands in her office in West Block.

Heather Bradley, outgoing communications director for the House of Commons, stands in her office in West Block. | POLITICO

SPEAKER'S CORNER — There are souvenirs from different eras in HEATHER BRADLEY's West Block office. A stack of VHS tapes sit on a table for sorting. On her desk, she jots down a reminder in a green notepad embossed with the name of her former boss, PETER MILLIKEN.

"When I started, people faxed their questions — journalists faxed questions to me," Bradley told Playbook in her office. She is wrapping up nearly 29 years as communications director for the House speaker's office.

The following is Playbook's chat with Bradley on Tuesday, edited for length and clarity.

Why leave now?

Five speakers, 10 Parliaments. Now is a good time to leave. The bulk of what we've done related to a pandemic parliament has been done. And I found that fascinating over the last two and a half years — but it feels like the right time … My interest right now is just to take a break.

Is there a specific skill you've leaned on heavily throughout the years, one that you'd consider tops for this job?

Respect for everyone. Respect for the media, respect for my colleagues that I'm working with, the administration, so much respect for the elected member. It's hard to get elected. Tough work, talk, tough job.

A lot of these members are away from their families. Of course, the pandemic was a little different, but they're far from their families. But everybody comes because they truly care about their country. They might have different views on how the country should operate, but they do care about the place.

Favorite boss?

It's like asking favorite child! No, they've all been amazing.

So respectful.

Is there a standout piece of advice that you've been given from a previous boss or colleague that you really go back to often?

There is one bit of advice I've shared with speakers since Speaker [GILBERT] PARENT. We heard this from the Indian speaker at the time …Speaker PARENT was asking his counterpart in the [Lok Sabha], 'Do you have any advice — how do you control 600 members of Parliament?' I remember him telling the Speaker he doesn't control them. What he does is he controls himself.

And I have shared that advice with subsequent speakers — and they've all thanked me for it.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

10 a.m. Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will be at the Liberals' national caucus meeting. He's due at question period at 2 p.m.

Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND has "private meetings" on her itinerary, as well as the Liberals' 10 a.m. national caucus meeting.

12 p.m. Bloc MP LOUIS PLAMONDON holds a media availability to talk about his private member's bill, Bill C-237, to carve out exemptions for Quebec under the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act and the Canada Health Act.

4 p.m. Health Minister JEAN–YVES DUCLOS has an announcement planned in West Block about "a way forward for addressing diabetes in Canada." Joining him will be SONIA SIDHU, a Liberal MP whose private member's bill to establish a national framework for diabetes received royal assent last year.

7:30 p.m. Trudeau will deliver remarks at the Ottawa premier of "Steadfast: The Messenger and the Message," a documentary following the life of JEAN AUGUSTINE, the first black woman elected to the House of Commons.

— Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY is in Lima, Peru to attend the General Assembly of the Organization of American States.

Talk of the town

WFH OR BUST — The federal public servants' Subreddit offers an anxiety-laden window into the minds of bureaucrats who really don't want to return to the office if Covid is still circulating widely — which, of course, it is.

Give the redditors a read. They're anonymously outspoken about their desire to work from home. Their crowdsourced list of federal bodies' hybrid work plans reveals a patchwork of approaches launching this month, typically involving a few Zoomless days per week in the office. But, importantly, not zero days per week.

— The official line: Policy Options reporter KATHRYN MAY obtained a Sept. 13 memo from the desk of Privy Council clerk JANICE CHARETTE, the top public servant. Charette doesn't control workspace arrangements for the entire bureaucracy, but the direction she gives the Privy Council Office holds weight among deputy ministers setting their own policy.

"We have an opportunity now to define and shape our new working environment — one that facilitates collaboration, attracts and retains talent, and is fair for all and rich in experiences and learning opportunities," read the PCO memo. "We need a hybrid approach that is clear and flexible, that acknowledges the nature and unique requirements of PCO, and that adopts and balances the best aspects of being in the office and the advantages of remote work."

— The scale of complaint : Is the return-to-office rebellion the fight of the few in the name of the many? A recent survey from the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) suggests the discontent goes deeper than a handful of disgruntled worker bees.

CAPE represents 23,000 federal employees in economics and social science jobs, translation services, as well as the Library of Parliament, the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer and civilian members of the RCMP.

A whopping 49 percent of them filled out the September survey — "a record-high participation rate," says the union, "reflecting the importance of the issue for its members."

— The topline finding: "Widespread discontent with the entire process and rationale for a return-to-office under the conditions and during the time period proposed by the federal government," concludes CAPE.

— The ideal workspace: 72.9 percent would prefer to work from home full-time, compared to 25 percent who'd opt for hybrid. Only 2.2 percent hoped for office work every day.

— The comms plan: About one-in-five respondents said their bosses articulated "a clear plan and timeline" for the return to the office. Another 31 percent said plans were unclear. Another 29.5 percent said neither the plan nor timeline were clear.

— The consultation: A majority of respondents — 56.8 percent — said they weren't consulted on their organization's plans.

— The fear: 57.6 percent of employees who want to stay home said they don't feel safe because of Covid.

— The consequence : 44.2 percent of respondents were "very likely" to consider leaving their job for another that offers their preferred arrangement. Another 30.7 percent were "likely" to do so.

What's it like in your work world? Tell us here.

PROZONE

For POLITICO Pro subscribers, our latest policy newsletter by MAURA FORREST: In the emergency room of biodiversity.

In news for POLITICO Pro subscribers:

— Carbon dioxide pipeline companies mark legislative wins by staffing up with lobbyists.

— White House unveils long-awaited 'AI bill of rights.'

— Gender imbalance in agriculture could undermine the EU's green transition.

— The EU is going after energy-intensive tech. Data centers are prime targets.

MEDIA ROOM

— RYAN TUMILTY followed MARCO MENDICINO's appearance at the House public safety committee where Conservative MPs told the public safety minister that the new Liberal gun ban targets the wrong gun owners.

— The CBC's JOHN PAUL TASKER shared notes out of the grilling of Hockey Canada's board chair on Tuesday.

— Writing for Xtra, DALE SMITH spoke with Minister of Housing and Diversity AHMED HUSSEN about LGBTQ2S+ housing.

Playbookers

Birthdays: HBD to Liberal MPs PETER FONSECA and VANCE BADAWEY. High Commissioner RALPH GOODALE is celebrating, too, plus ex-MPs TOM LUKIWSKI and DAVID CHRISTOPHERSON also share the same birthday.

Send birthdays to ottawaplaybook@politico.com.

Spotted: T-minus 48 hours to go in office, Alberta Premier JASON KENNEY signs an Alberta-Ivano-Frankivsk energy agreement with the oblast's governor, SVITLANA ONYSHCHUK … Canada's Ambassador to France, STÉPHANE DION with Belarus national leader SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA.

Media mentions: Global News' AMANDA CONNOLLY promoted to politics and breaking news managing editor … Covid-19 got quadruple-vaxxed National Post reporter RYAN TUMILTY.

Cocktail circuit: MARC-ANDRÉ LECLERC hosts a 5:30 p.m. book launch at the Met for "Confidences politiques," his reflection on the lives of 15 political players: YASMINE ABDELFADEL, ROBERT ASSELIN, KARL BÉLANGER, KARL BLACKBURN, VIRGINIE BONNEAU, OLIVIER DUCHESNEAU, VINCENT GARNEAU, RUDY HUSNY, LUC LAVOIE, CATHERINE LOUBIER, JOHN PARISELLA, YAN PLANTE, CAROLINE ST-HILAIRE, MARTINE TREMBLAY and JONATHAN VALOIS.

Also at 5:30, the National Gallery is premiering "Steadfast: The Messenger and the Message" — a film about JEAN AUGUSTINE's life and times.

Taiwan is hosting a National Day reception at the Chateau Laurier, starting at 6 p.m. … A few blocks away at the Clarendon Tavern, Porter O'Brien is "bringing back an old tradition" with Atlantic Wonderful Wednesday. That starts at 6, too … Still in the same time slot, the Fisheries Council of Canada holds a reception at the Delta Hotel "celebrating Canadian seafood."

Liberal MP YASIR NAQVI hosts a 7 p.m. reception for Onam, the harvest festival of people from Kerala in southern India, at the Sir John A Macdonald Building.

New French ambassador MICHEL MIRAILLET hosts a reception for the Canada-France Interparliamentary Association.

Farewells: Saltwire Network newspapers says goodbye to its Monday print editions for The Chronicle Herald, The Cape Breton Post, The Guardian and The Telegram.

Send Playbookers tips to ottawaplaybook@politico.com.

On the Hill

→ Find the latest House committee meetings here

→ Keep track of Senate committees here

8:30 a.m. Statistics Canada releases its August reports for Canadian international merchandise trade and building permits.

1:30 p.m. The Senate audit and oversight committee meets to "supervise and report on the Senate's internal and external audits and related matters."

4 p.m. The Senate social affairs, science and technology committee continues to study a federal framework for suicide prevention.

4:15 p.m. The Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee will hear from witnesses on Bill C-5.

4:30 p.m. Canada's access to information and privacy system is the topic of the day at the House access to information, privacy and ethics committee where Information Commissioner CAROLINE MAYNARD will be a witness.

4:30 p.m. The House agriculture committee continues its study of global food insecurity with CropLife Canada, Butrien and Sollio Cooperative Group representatives on the witness list.

4:30 p.m. Pre-2023 budget consultations kick off at the House finance committee with witnesses from the Canadian Health Coalition, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Electricity Mobility Canada and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.

4:30 p.m. The House human resources committee hears from three employment and social development department officials about the government's Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative.

4:30 p.m. The House transport committee begins its study of anticipated labor shortages in the Canadian transportation sector.

6:15 p.m. The Senate committee on Indigenous Peoples will examine the constitutional, treaty, political and legal responsibilities to First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

6:45 p.m. The Senate committee on transport and communications will hear from witnesses as it studies Bill C-11.

— Behind closed doors: The House foreign affairs committee will review a draft report of its vaccine equity and intellectual property rights study; the Senate audit and oversight meets to "supervise and report on the Senate's internal and external audits and related matters"; the Canada-United States interparliamentary group meets for an executive committee meeting.

TRIVIA

Tuesday's answer: Since the end of World War 2, general elections have been held in every month except December.

Props to GERMAINE MALABRE, LUCAS BORCHENKO, JOSEPH CRESSATTI, LAURA JARVIS, JANE DOULL, ALYSON FAIR, R. ROMANIN, GUY SKIPWORTH, HARRY MCKONE, JACOB WILSON, ROBERT MCDOUGALL and JOANNA PLATER.

Wednesday's question: How many calendar days did WILFRID LAURIER serve in Parliament?

Send your answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com

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