Over to you, Justice Rouleau

Oct 13, 2022

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Thanks for reading the Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey, with Zi-Ann Lum. Today, we gear up for the first hearings of the Public Order Emergency Commission. Plus, PIERRE POILIEVRE dropped his shadow Cabinet. Who's in and who's out?

DRIVING THE DAY

PESKY QUESTIONS — Today marks the first hearing of the high-profile Rouleau Commission, which will investigate the federal government's invocation of the never-before-used Emergencies Act last February. The fun begins at 9:30 a.m.

— Quick recap: You remember. Truckers clogged downtown Ottawa streets for three weeks. Blockaders stood in the way of several border crossings (though they'd dispersed by the time the government invoked emergency powers).

Now it's up to the inquiry — formally the Public Order Emergency Commission — to investigate the circumstances that led to the government's invocation, and whether or not Cabinet made a legit case for taking the action it did.

Like just about everyone in town, Playbook will watch closely as dozens of witnesses testify about what went down. Mayors, cops, convoy participants, senior public servants and one-fifth of the federal Cabinet are expected to testify.

— What we're watching: Playbook asked a few observers of the commission's work to send along their biggest unanswered questions as Justice PAUL ROULEAU settles in for long hours sorting through evidence and hearing testimony.

→ What happened at the border? FLAVIO VOLPE, the president of the Auto Parts Manufacturers' Association, took border blockaders on Windsor's Ambassador Bridge to court last February — successfully winning an injunction that ordered protesters to end their six-day blockade. Volpe told Playbook he's curious about why the cops didn't act sooner.

"I would really like to know what the discussions were between local police and the organizers and actors of these blockades," he said. "What struck so many of us was the paradox of how blatantly these actors broke the law and the inaction of law enforcement."

Windsor Mayor DREW DILKENS is on the commission's witness list. JASON CROWLEY, the acting deputy chief of the Windsor Police Service, is also set to testify.

→ How will Conservatives react to daily headlines? The Tories applied for standing at the proceedings, which could have given their lawyers the opportunity to question witnesses — including the PM. Rouleau denied the application, pointing the party in the direction of a parallel parliamentary investigation now underway.

But on this week's Curse of Politics podcast, Tory panelist KORY TENEYCKE advised his federal friends to not let the commission consume them. "I think (the commission) is talking about the past, as opposed to the future," Teneycke said. "If you're Poilievre, and you're scoring points talking about the economy … This is an offramp onto another set of topics."

→ Was a legal threshold met? At a Wednesday press conference, Canadian Civil Liberties Association lawyer CARA FAITH ZWIBEL ran down a litany of questions she's hoping the commission's work can answer. She'll be in the room when hearings begin.

Zwibel pledged to "vigorously test the government's evidence and demand that the government is held to account for its actions." The onus will be on the government, she says, to prove it met the legal threshold to invoke emergency powers. Color her skeptical.

→ Does the commission have enough time to do its work? Trudeau had 60 days after the revocation of emergency powers to appoint a commissioner. Zwibel reminded reporters that he took every last day to do so.

Hearings were delayed when Rouleau underwent unexpected surgery. They're now set to conclude Nov. 25. Three days later, the commission will whip through a week of expert roundtables. Rouleau's deadline for submitting a final report is Feb. 6.

— Judgment Day: The government can keep the report to itself for two weeks, but the whole world will see it next Feb. 20.

For your radar

TRUDEAU'S SHADOWS — Every new opposition leader's checklist is frustratingly long. There's so much thanking of people after a leadership win. Staffing can be a nightmare, as Playbook has explored in detail. And then there's caucus.

A grumpy caucus hastened former leader ERIN O'TOOLE's downfall. That's a fate that PIERRE POILIEVRE would like to avoid. MPs need to be heard and acknowledged. They like to be trusted with important roles. They want to be part of the action.

— Like, say, hounding a minister: Poilievre named his shadow Cabinet Wednesday, a fancy name for "list of ministers' critics." He found jobs for 51 MPs, and "associate" jobs — backup critics, essentially — for another 20.

Poilievre's parliamentary inner circle — deputy leaders, House officers and caucus managers — includes another nine MPs he named last month. SCOTT REID is caucus chair, elected by his peers after the last election.

Add it all up, and that's 82 MPs out of 120 with a job beyond that of a basic MP.

— Who's in? Poilievre's finance critic is JASRAJ SINGH HALLAN, a second-term Calgary MP who'll take on Finance Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND. LESLYN LEWIS , the rookie MP who finished third in September's leadership vote, will face off against DOMINIC LEBLANC at infrastructure and communities. SCOTT AITCHISON, the last-place finisher in that race who earned plaudits for a robust housing policy, is housing critic.

Turns out endorsing Poilievre rival JEAN CHAREST wasn't a kiss of death all by itself. Ten of Charest's backers made the cut. So did three of Lewis's 10 backers — as well as ERIC MELILLO, who'd endorsed Aitchison.

— Who's out? Thirty-eight MPs, including O'Toole (who'd requested no role) and former interim leader CANDICE BERGEN . There were notable snubs. ED FAST, a Charest backer who was fiercely critical of Poilievre's pledge to fire Bank of Canada governor TIFF MACKLEM, is on the outside. So is MICHELLE REMPEL GARNER, the campaign co-chair for a time of Poilievre leadership rival PATRICK BROWN.

B.C. MP DAN ALBAS, the party's most recent finance critic, is nowhere to be found. JOHN BRASSARD, the House leader who tussled with the Liberals in Parliament last spring, has no role in the shadow Cabinet.

— A new rolodex: Every politician has go-to journalists when they cook up a story in need of a big splash. Poilievre sent a strong signal Wednesday that he'll ignore the usual suspects when he's got a strategic leak worth reporting.

True North's ANDREW LAWTON was out early with the scooplet that Lewis nabbed the infrastructure portfolio in Poilievre's soon-to-be-unveiled shadow Cabinet.

Within minutes, the Toronto Sun's BRIAN LILLEY — a big-name journalist but not a guy on a typical Liberal minister's speed dial — dropped his own scoop that Singh Hallan would be finance critic.

Poilievre's office has no love lost for much of the Parliamentary Press Gallery. And he won't hesitate to fundraise off conflict with Hill journos. Or ignore most of us entirely.

META JUMP — Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU got self-referential in a speech to donors in Toronto Wednesday evening, taking shots at Poilievre and the "rising intolerance of the dead-endedness of aggressive populism." (Say that 10 times fast.)

His 23-minute speech was a stump speech potpourri, customized to celebrate host Liberal MP ARIF VIRANI's 50th anniversary of his family arriving in Canada as refugees.

Trudeau danced on the topic of the memeification of political discourse. He lamented over how algorithms drive echo chambers and get people as angry as they possibly can "about this particular piece of clickbait or that particular bungee jump."

Light giggles rippled from the 16-table crowd at the Liberty Grand, all waiting for the photo line and to get at the buffet spread loaded with a masala chai station, galub jamun, pudina paratha, kesari pilau, butter chicken and naan.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

— PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU is in the Golden Horseshoe today. He'll visit a steel mill and a union training center with Innovation Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE and Economic Development Minister FILOMENA TASSI . The public itinerary is unclear on specific location, but we'll take a wild guess the trio will be in Hamilton.

Trudeau will spend part of the evening at a party fundraiser in Brampton hosted by MP MANINDER SIDHU. Tickets go for C$800-C$1,600.

— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND will attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting at 7:30 a.m. Her itinerary alludes to "bilateral meetings with international partners throughout the day."

5 a.m. (9 a.m. local time) Governor General MARY SIMON meets Icelandic President GUÐNI THORLACIUS JÓHANNESSON.

9 a.m. (1 p.m. local time) Simon will deliver a keynote address on global Arctic collaboration at the Arctic Circle Assembly.

9 a.m. The parliamentary budget officer will publish a new report titled "Economic and Fiscal Outlook — October 2022."

9 a.m. Health Minister JEAN-YVES DUCLOS will deliver remarks and sprinkle federal cash on the Nature Quebec symposium.

9:30 a.m. Public hearings for the Public Order Emergency Commission begin in Ottawa.

10:30 a.m. (9:30 a.m. CT) Transport Minister OMAR ALGHABRA continues his "supply chain competitiveness" tour at the Winnipeg airport.

MEDIA ROOM

— On CHRYSTIA FREELAND's provocative Tuesday speech about the emerging global order at the Brookings Institution, PAUL WELLS was left with "the distinct impression that Freeland flew to Washington to speak to Ottawa." Journo KEVIN NEWMAN concurs.

— JEREMY SHAPIRO, the research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, lays out the case for global nuclear war in the near future. (Warning: It's a bleak read.)

— A CBC News investigation digs into the past of scholar and former judge MARY ELLEN TURPEL-LAFOND, and finds her claims of Indigenous ancestry "don't appear to match the historical record."

— From EMMA GILCHRIST at The Narwhal: We need to talk about B.C.'s drought.

— STEVE LAFLEUR writes at The Hub that housing prices can help explain FRANÇOIS LEGAULT's re-election: "When you've got a roof over your head and aren't worried too much about the bills, you get to sleep easier at night. So easy that you might not wake up to get to the polls."

— A big announcement from the Curse of Politics pod: JENNI BYRNE is leaving the show. She'll be replaced by two panelists: Byrne buddy KORY TENEYCKE and voice of the left JORDAN LEICHNITZ.

What are you reading? Playbook wants to know.

PROZONE

If you're a subscriber, don't miss our latest newsletter by MAURA FORREST and ZI-ANN LUM: Introducing Poilievre's shadow cabinet

In other Pro headlines:
— Putin's war accelerates the EU's fossil fuel detox
— Major economies call for World Bank climate overhaul
— White House tees up new regulatory powers in outbound investment executive order
— Poll: Most Americans back Biden's marijuana moves
— Leading GOP megadonor to stay neutral in 2024 primary

PLAYBOOKERS

Birthdays: HBD to Tory MP JOHN BARLOW and Liberal MP DARRELL SAMSON. Birthday greetings also go to Ontario's government whip, ROSS ROMANO, and retired Sen. HUGH SEGAL. A special HBD to Playbook reader/bagel boss BRYCE TAYLOR-VAISEY.

Birthdays, gatherings, social notices: Send them our way.

Spotted: AMY BOUGHNER, reflecting on life as an introvert as she reads "Quiet," by SUSAN CAIN: "There is so much evidence about how employers could get more out of their employees by offering them quiet spaces, solitary time to brainstorm."

KING CHARLES III and U.K. PM LIZ TRUSS, renewing acquaintances awkwardly.

Movers and shakers: Liberal staffer JOCELYN LUBCZUK is leaving the Hill : "As you can imagine, after a year of tough cancer treatments, I have made the decision that it's not the best time for me to re-enter politics. The political climate has become increasingly toxic and it's energy I don't want to be around for my own mental health."

It's MARK AGNEW's last week as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's senior VP of policy and government relations. "A full spectrum job including everything from meeting heads of state through to changing flat tires on the highway," he wrote on LinkedIn. Next up? Director and head of Canadian GR at BMO.

Media mentions: Canadaland posted its 2021 transparency report. Total crowdfunding income in 2021: C$675,907 … CBC journo DAVID COCHRANE, still testing positive after five days with Covid.

Send Playbookers tips to ottawaplaybook@politico.com.

On the Hill

— Find the latest House committee meetings here.

— Keep track of Senate committees here.

TRIVIA

Wednesday's answer: As the FLQ crisis gripped Canada on Oct. 12, 1970, then-PM PIERRE TRUDEAU ordered the deployment of troops to protect people and places in Ottawa. The next day, during a feisty exchange with CBC journalist TIM RALFE , Trudeau let fly the three-word zinger that defined the time: "Just watch me."

Trudeau later invoked the War Measures Act. Coincidentally, the Public Order Emergency Commission triggered by that defunct law's successor, the Emergencies Act, launched its first hearings 52 years to the day after the elder Trudeau's famous quote.

Props to a potentially record-setting number of readers: JOE MACDONALD, BILL DAY , JOHN DILLON, NATHANIEL GORDON, MARCEL MARCOTTE, PETER MCKINNEY, ROSS LECLAIR, JOHN ECKER, GEORGE YOUNG, OREST HRYHORIW, DOUG SWEET, DAVID MCLENNAN, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, R. ROMANIN, TOD COWEN, ALYSON FAIR, BARRY J. MCLOUGHLIN, NANCI WAUGH, DAVE EPP, SEAN WEBSTER, JOANNA PLATER, SAM MACPHAIL, DEAN PETERS, PATRICK DION, SHANE O'NEILL, LUCAS BORCHENKO, AMY BOUGHNER, RALPH LEVENSTEIN, BRIAN GILBERTSON, BRAM ABRAMSON, GUY SKIPWORTH, ALASTAIR MULLIN, ANNE-MARIE STACEY, CHARLES BENHAM, BRANDON RABIDEAU, MARY JANE ALLAN, KEVIN COLBOURNE, FAYE ROBERTS, GERRY THORNE, ANDREW SZENDE, and JENN KEAY.

OWEN MAGUIRE also knew the answer. He was there, he tells Playbook. "I was part of the PM's RCMP security detail that day and was about 3 feet away when the reporter demanded, 'How far will you go?' There wasn't any hesitation before Trudeau replied."

Today's question: We need to crank up the degree of difficulty. What was the name of the Canadian military's secret 1921 plan to invade the United States?

Send your answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com

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