Spotlight on China

Mar 01, 2023

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Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. I’m your host, Maura Forrest. Today, a parliamentary committee convenes to examine — you guessed it — foreign election interference. TikTok had another no good, very bad day. And Bay du Nord goes to court.

DRIVING THE DAY

The Peace Tower on Parliament Hill

Focus time on Parliament Hill. | Sean Kilpatrick

QUESTIONS OF INTERFERENCE — This afternoon, a parliamentary committee will likely have some pointed questions for a group of government and intelligence officials who’ve been called to testify about foreign election interference.

National security adviser JODY THOMAS is on the witness list, as are a handful of high-ranking officials from the RCMP, CSIS and the CSE. Their testimony comes amid a constant trickle of leaks about attempted Chinese interference, published by the Globe and Mail and Global News.

— The latest: The Chinese donors who pledged C$1 million to the PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU Foundation and the University of Montreal wanted to erect a statue of MAO ZEDONG, the Globe’s NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE reports.

— Coming up: The procedure and House affairs committee will meet again tomorrow to hear from CSIS director DAVID VIGNEAULT, CSE chief CAROLINE XAVIER, RCMP deputy commissioner MICHAEL DUHEME, chief electoral officer STÉPHANE PERRAULT, commissioner of Canada elections CAROLINE SIMARD, deputy minister of foreign affairs DAVID MORRISON and deputy minister of international trade ROB STEWART.

WHEN TO GO PUBLIC — Today’s meeting comes on the heels of a report evaluating how a panel of top civil servants monitored the 2021 election for potential interference.

— Quick recall: That panel, which includes the clerk of the Privy Council, the national security adviser and three deputy ministers, didn’t make any public announcements about foreign interference in the 2019 or 2021 elections.

The report, published Tuesday, confirms the panel “did not detect foreign interference that threatened Canada’s ability to have free and fair elections.” But it has an awful lot to say about whether the threshold for making those public announcements is too high.

— For one thing: The panel is supposed to decide on a public announcement based on the “impact” of foreign interference on Canadians’ ability to have a free and fair election.

“How are they to assess, within the brief period of an election campaign, what the impact is? How are they to determine how many Canadians have been exposed to false information?” the report asks.

According to the report, the current threshold for a public announcement requires a degree of interference that threatens “the integrity of the entire election.” It recommends the government study whether to lower that threshold — for example, in cases where “voters in one riding or in a diaspora community” are being targeted.

— Quick reaction: The Conservatives dismissed the report before it even landed, based on the fact it was written by MORRIS ROSENBERG, who was chief executive of the Trudeau Foundation from 2014 to 2018. The Globe reported Tuesday that China “appears to have targeted JUSTIN TRUDEAU in a foreign influence operation” after he became Liberal leader in 2013, partly through a major donation to the foundation.

THE LIST IS GROWING — Today’s committee meeting is likely to feature no small amount of political theater. Meanwhile, the list of prominent voices calling for a public inquiry into foreign election interference keeps getting longer. Here’s who Playbook has noted so far:

NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH (though he said Tuesday he hasn’t decided whether this is a dealbreaker for the NDP’s confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals), former CSIS director RICHARD FADDEN, former principal secretary GERALD BUTTS, former chief electoral officer JEAN-PIERRE KINGSLEY, ARTUR WILCZYNSKI, former senior official at the Communications Security Establishment, the Globe and Mail’s editorial board, National Post columnist JOHN IVISON (despite some qualms).

Also, national security expert STEPHANIE CARVIN, NDP strategist CAM HOLMSTROM, MARCUS KOLGA, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, former Conservative Sen. LINDA FRUM, Conservative MP FRANK CAPUTO, Canada-China relations expert MARGARET MCCUAIG-JOHNSTON, commentator CHARLES ADLER, Port Coquitlam Mayor BRAD WEST.

Days since Trudeau first said 'no' to a public inquiry: 5

Got names to add to this list? Send them our way at ottawaplaybook@politico.com.

— So how would a public inquiry actually work? For this, iPolitics’ KADY O’MALLEY has you covered, because of course she does.

— Related: The National Post’s RYAN TUMILTY notes that Liberal MP HAN DONG missed two Uyghur genocide votes.

— Survey says: A quarter of Canadians believe the 2021 election was "stolen" because of Chinese interference, the Angus Reid Institute reports this morning. And nearly 70 percent believe "the federal government is afraid to stand up to China."

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A message from Electricity Canada:

Canada must invest in a clean 21st century economy that can create jobs and build more prosperous communities. That’s why it’s important that we electrify Canada now, to reduce carbon emissions and to fight the impacts of climate change. But we need to get building. We need a Canadian electricity strategy, bringing together governments, electricity providers and stakeholders, so we can build faster. Read our State of the Electricity Industry report to find out more.

AROUND THE HILL

A cursor moves over Google's search engine page | AP Photo

MPs want answers from Google. | AP Photo/Don Ryan

SHOW UP OR ELSE (NOTHING WILL HAPPEN) — Four Google executives, including the company’s CEO, have been ordered to appear at a parliamentary committee on Monday and account for their decision to block some Canadians from accessing news.

They weren’t just invited. Oh, no. They were summoned with all the force the committee could muster.

— Which, as it turns out, is no force at all: Parliamentary committees only have the power to summon people who are in Canada, and three of the four Google execs on the committee’s list — CEO SUNDAR PICHAI, KENT WALKER, president of global affairs, and RICHARD GINGRAS, vice-president of news — are not.

That leaves only SABRINA GEREMIA, country manager for Google in Canada, who apparently is actually in Canada.

— Of course: It’s still possible all four officials will show up. Maybe they’re feeling conciliatory. But as the committee clerk made clear on Tuesday, there’s really nothing Parliament can do about it, one way or the other. Just ask MARK ZUCKERBERG. A Google spokesperson tells Playbook the company will be responding directly to the committee.

The MPs have also ordered Google to cough up all communication regarding plans to respond to Bill C-18, legislation that would force tech giants to compensate Canadian news organizations for using their content. The committee also wants the list of news organizations blocked by Google in Canada on their desk by 5 p.m. Thursday.

Or else.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is B.C.’s Lower Mainland today.

— Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY is in Delhi, India today until Friday to participate in the G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting and the Raisina Dialogue.

8 a.m. (2 p.m. CET) Veterans Affairs Minister LAWRENCE MACAULAY will be in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France to make an announcement regarding the legacy of Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served in Europe.

9 a.m. Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT will be at the University of Toronto to make a funding announcement for nature-based solutions and freshwater protection projects in Ontario.

10:30 a.m. Health Minister JEAN-YVES DUCLOS and Seniors Minister KAMAL KHERA will be in Mississauga, Ont. to make an announcement on the recent publication of national standards on long-term care.

11 a.m. Bloc Québécois Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET will speak to reporters in West Block about foreign interference in elections. Deputy House leader CHRISTINE NORMANDIN will join him.

11:30 a.m. Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND will meet with clean technology and green economy leaders in Toronto as part of pre-budget consultations.

3 p.m. The House of Commons procedure and House affairs committee will hear from a suite of government and intelligence officials about foreign election interference, including national security adviser JODY THOMAS.

3:45 p.m. (12:45 p.m. PST) The PM will meet with nursing students, and will be joined by B.C. Premier DAVID EBY and Employment Minister CARLA QUALTROUGH.

4:15 p.m. (1:15 p.m. PST) Trudeau and Eby will make an announcement and take media questions.

7:15 p.m. (4:15 p.m. PST) The PM will participate in a town hall with trade workers and apprentices.

9:30 p.m. (6:30 PT) NDP leader JAGMEET SINGH joins South Okanagan–West Kootenay MP RICHARD CANNINGS at a meet-and-greet in Penticton, B.C.

A message from Electricity Canada:

For your radar

IN COURT — Several environmental and Indigenous groups will be in Federal Court today and tomorrow in an attempt to overturn the government’s approval of the controversial Bay du Nord offshore oil project.

Their lawsuit, filed by Ecojustice, claims Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT failed to consider the project’s downstream emissions — those that would come from refining, transporting and burning the oil — when he gave the project the green light last April.

The groups also argue the federal government ignored the potential impacts of oil spills and increased shipping activity off the coast of Newfoundland, which they say could be devastating to Atlantic salmon, humpback whales and Atlantic cod.

— Key background: The Bay du Nord project could produce roughly one billion barrels of oil, and is expected to be pumping oil as early as 2028. Guilbeault tacked 137 conditions onto his approval, including that the project achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

But it was clearly a fraught decision for the Liberal government, and for Guilbeault personally. There were reports that Cabinet ministers from Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia wanted to reject Bay du Nord. And Guilbeault, a former environmental activist, later said he “never thought [he] would come into politics to say yes to an oil project.”

THE DOMINOES ARE FALLING — Tuesday was another bad day for TikTok in Canada. The House of Commons administration has officially banned the Chinese-owned social media app as of Friday night, including for MPs’ parliamentary phones.

The Liberal caucus has been asked to remove the app from their work and personal devices and suspend their accounts. The Conservatives announced Monday that all caucus members would suspend their accounts.

NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH, who has nearly 900,000 followers on the app, told reporters Tuesday his account would be deactivated by the end of the day, though for the moment that’s just a temporary suspension while he evaluates the risks. He hasn’t demanded his caucus members do the same.

— Elsewhere: Quebec announced a ban for government mobile devices on Monday evening, after the federal government’s announcement earlier in the day. Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia followed suit on Tuesday, and Manitoba and Ontario are apparently considering similar measures, as is the City of Ottawa.

— Back on Parliament Hill: The Senate, where a whopping three out of 89 senators have TikTok accounts, also announced a ban Tuesday on Senate-managed devices. Sen. KIM PATE, who has amassed 97,000 followers, said she would deactivate her account — at least for now. But she said the government should be more open about what risk TikTok poses.

“If there are legitimate threats, presumably we're entitled to know what those are,” she told Playbook. “I still think we're all deserving of a better explanation than what we've received so far.”

Sen. BERNADETTE CLEMENT told Playbook she joined TikTok last year to connect with young people, but will pause her use of the app for the time being.

“The fact that there are so many Canadians there, and young Canadians in particular, means that if government's not going to engage there, we're going to have to find other ways to keep in touch,” she said.

Sen. GIGI OSLER appears to have suspended her account, but didn’t respond to Playbook’s request for comment.

— Related reading: “The TikTok policy gives the impression that the government is taking action on China, despite its obvious superficiality,” VASS BEDNAR writes for the Financial Post.

— Also: CSIS has this helpful rundown of all the personal data TikTok collects, including contact lists, calendar entries and device location.

MEDIA ROOM

— “Ontario Liberals are abuzz over the prospect of popular Mississauga Mayor BONNIE CROMBIE running for the party leadership,” the Toronto Star’s ROBERT BENZIE reports.

— Brampton Mayor PATRICK BROWN held a fundraiser to pay off Conservative leadership debts, CP's STEPHANIE TAYLOR reports. Brown is raising dough without the help of the party, and without offering donors a tax receipt. The event notice notes donors can be under 18, but they "need to pay with their own money."

— “For a man so focused on other people’s pay, it’s surprisingly difficult to pin down exactly how much money TIFF MACKLEM himself is taking home,” the Star’s RICHARD WARNICA writes.

— ANNETTE FRANCIS writes for APTN: Resignation of MELANIE MARK in B.C. not a surprise to female Indigenous politicians.

— A question from YVES GIROUX: “Do we have the public service that we need right now?” Canada’s parliamentary budget officer advises KATHRYN MAY and Policy Options: “I think it’s time to do a real deep dive.”

— From the CBC’s ALEXANDER PANETTA: A group of Republican lawmakers says it’s time to tighten up the U.S. border with Canada, thanks to a surge in migration from north to south.

PROZONE

Our latest policy newsletter by SUE ALLAN and MAURA FORREST for POLITICO Pro subscribers: MPs want answers from Google.

In news for POLITICO Pro subscribers:

— China bills sail through House Financial Services.

— Western firms say they're quitting Russia. Where's the proof?

— Zuckerberg faces bipartisan ire over Metaverse expansion plans for teens.

— Former top FTX engineer pleads guilty to criminal charges.

— EU privacy watchdogs worried about EU-US data-flows deal.

A message from Electricity Canada:

Electricity can minimize the impacts of climate change. Canada’s electricity grid is 84% non-emitting. We need to get closer to 100%, and still ensure that the grid is reliable and affordable. This is a big job, but we can do it. We need to bring together federal and provincial governments, electricity providers, consumers, other stakeholders and Canada’s Indigenous Peoples to work together to make it happen. A clean energy future is waiting. We just need to start building it. Read our State of the Electricity Industry report to find out more.

PLAYBOOKERS

Birthdays: HBD to New Brunswick Premier BLAINE HIGGS; MONIQUE BÉGIN, feminist trailblazer; and former Liberal MP MARLENE CATTERALL.

WILLIAM WOLFE-WYLIE also celebrates today.

Spotted: ANTHONY FUREY, considering a run to be mayor of Toronto.

Movers and shakers: The Peak named its 2023 emerging leaders. On the politics and government list: PMO policy and Cabinet affairs coordinator HARRY ORBACH-MILLER made the cut, alongside DOUG FORD chief of staff PATRICK SACKVILLE, B.C. government project manager PAUL FALOHUN, Ontario consul in New York AARON JOSHUA PINTO, and federal senior policy analyst JESSICA SLADE.

From the GR world: StrategyCorp's FRASER MACDONALD, McMillan's MARISA MASLINK, Earnscliffe's MELISSA BRUNO, Crestview's ERIN BONOKOSKI and BRYAN DETCHOU, New West's SAEED SELVAM, Presence + Influence's MICHELLE COATES-MATHER, Prairie Sky's ELYSA DARLING, Vesper Pacific's HARBIR DHILLON, and Enterprise Health's KATIE HEELIS.

More names: Deloitte's LEO XU, Amazon's MAXIMILIEN ROY, Council of Canadian Innovators' NICK SCHIAVO, Invest in Canada's OSMAN NAQVI, Shaw's HARDAVE BIRK, Meta's ALEX KUCHARSKI, Telus's GABRIELA GONZALEZ, Mcdonald's Canada's TAMMY ALAMRIEH, Shoppers Drug Mart's VEENA BHULLAR, the Insurance Bureau's CELYESTE POWER, and Skip the Dishes' CELINE CHANG.

— Labatt Breweries brought on Enterprise Canada consultant ALEXANDRA LEE to make its case on the Hill. The brewer wants a pause on increases to the beer excise tax — and is looking into "funding applications" for the elimination of single-use plastics.

— ALY NDIAYE is the new Quebec representative for the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

— NATASHA KORNAK is leaving Blackbird Strategies.

Media mentions: CBC journalist STEPHANIE DUBOIS is the recipient of the 2023 Travers Fellowship.

Employees of Ontario public broadcaster TVO have voted 100 percent in favor of a strike mandate. And TVO higher-ups have responded.

Farewells: Former CFCF Montreal host DON MCGOWAN has died, aged 85.

Send Playbookers tips to ottawaplaybook@politico.com.

On the Hill

→ Find upcoming House committees here

→ Keep track of Senate committees here

3 p.m. The House of Commons procedure and House affairs committee will hear from a suite of officials about foreign election interference.

TRIVIA

Tuesday’s answer: MP JENICA ATWIN shared the words of THANDIWE MCCARTHY, poet laureate for Fredericton.

Props to SHAUGHN MCARTHUR, ALLAN FABRYKANT and ROBERT MCDOUGALL.

Wednesday’s question: Name the U.S. president who spent his summers on New Brunswick’s Campobello Island.

Send your answer to ottawaplaybook@politico.com

Want to grab the attention of movers and shakers on Parliament Hill? Want your brand in front of a key audience of Ottawa influencers? Playbook can help. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.

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