| | | | |  | | By Nick Taylor-Vaisey | Presented by the Canadian dairy, poultry and egg sector |
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Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. In today's edition: → SEAMUS O'REGAN's options if the St. Lawrence Seaway strike stretches on. → Alberta Premier DANIELLE SMITH spoke to a public affairs conference on "the importance of collaboration in politics and public life." → Northern Affairs Minister DAN VANDAL on what he learned at an Arctic conference. |  | DRIVING THE DAY | |
CLOSED FOR BUSINESS — You can sense the PTSD in the business community as a workers' strike on the St. Lawrence Seaway cuts off cargo shipments worth millions daily to and from the Great Lakes.
— The backstory: Unifor and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation launched negotiations in the Great Lakes hub of St. Catharines, Ont., on June 21. The two sides soon applied for conciliation. Another two weeks of "intensive" talks produced a tentative deal. But the members of Local 4211 and Local 4319 rejected it. Talks resumed until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, but failed to produce a new tentative deal. The strike is now in its third day. — The economic impact: It's not small. Unifor notes 160 million metric tons of cargo annually reaches more than 100 ports and wharves on the Great Lakes. Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters says the seaway facilitates the passage of C$16.7 billion in cargo, generates another C$6 billion in economic activity, and supports 42,000 jobs. — Renewed anxiety: Industry voices might as well have copied and pasted their public statements from the summertime British Columbia ports strike. "We urge the Government of Canada to use all the tools in its toolbox to solve this strike immediately," the Canadian Chamber of Commerce posted online as five Unifor locals and 360-plus workers walked off the job. CME insisted Ottawa should "proactively address the increasingly frequent supply chain disruptions in order to preserve Canada’s competitiveness and global reputation." — Ottawa's options: Labor Minister SEAMUS O'REGAN is so far treading lightly. O'Regan and Transport Minister PABLO RODRIGUEZ both tweeted twice over the weekend, urging the parties to return to the table. O'Regan offered this mantra to an iPolitics reporter on Monday: "Get back to the table, get back to the table, get back to the table, get back to the table." But if the strike persists, expect the labor minister to wield soft power designed to grab the attention of anybody feeling the fallout of the labor dispute. → Tweets: O'Regan noted on X that he and Rodriguez had been on the horn with the union and employer. Even that, his office says, is a signal the government is closely monitoring the dispute. → Travel: The labor minister could make his presence known — another signal — by traveling to the site of negotiations and meeting with both sides away from the table, learning as much as possible about what they need to resolve the impasse. → Television: Don't be surprised if O'Regan pops up on evening politics shows to exert additional pressure. His office is strategic about appearances on "Power & Politics" and "Power Play," where the goal can be for the minister to be seen talking tough. — Another copy/paste: Back-to-work legislation is a last resort. O'Regan hasn't made any noise about any other tools that could directly force progress at the table. — What to watch for: O'Regan has already been in touch with his U.S. counterpart, Acting Labor Secretary JULIE SU. Ambassadors DAVID COHEN and KIRSTEN HILLMAN are also in the loop. If Su or Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG fume publicly, that'll ratchet up the urgency. | | A message from the Canadian dairy, poultry and egg sector: Canada’s innovative system of supply management supports sustainability, enables innovative solutions, promotes Canada’s food sovereignty, and drives economic activity that builds strong communities. Supply management is a testament to the strength and resilience of the Canadian agriculture sector. Stand with Canada’s farmers by supporting Bill C-282, An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management). Click here to learn more. | | | | | For your radar | | |  Conservative MP Michael Barrett recorded a video after the abrupt shutdown of the House ethics committee on Monday. | Michael Barrett on X | HOW TO GO VIRAL — RCMP Commissioner MICHAEL DUHEME and Sgt. FRÉDÉRIC PINCINCE were all set to brief the House ethics committee. The national police force recently decided not to pursue a criminal investigation into Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU's conduct in the 2019 SNC-Lavalin affair. They were seated in the committee room, ready to explain their rationale and take questions. They never got the chance. — Procedural quibble: Liberal MP MONA FORTIER, the committee's vice chair, complained at the outset that MPs only received notice late Friday afternoon of the Mounties' requested appearance — and never got the chance to discuss it. Fortier moved a motion to adjourn the meeting. Tory MP MICHAEL BARRETT fiercely objected, but committee chair JOHN BRASSARD reminded him adjournment motions are not debatable. The NDP and Bloc Québécois joined with the Liberals to outvote the Tories. Meeting over. — Barrett's take: "We came here to work. Meeting notice was given." — Always be recording: As the committee adjourned, Barrett immediately popped out of his chair and pulled out his phone. The Liberals were avoiding accountability, he complained. The selfie's-eye view clip he X'ed soon racked up more than 1 million views as of this morning. (Tory MP LUC BERTHOLD's four-minute French-language video, recorded elsewhere and punctuated by a melodramatic soundtrack, didn't catch the same lightning in a bottle.) — What the commissioner might've said: CBC News caught up with Duheme. "I wouldn't say justice didn't play out," he said about the decision not to pursue a criminal investigation. "But I would say that when you don't have access to all the information, it's sometimes challenging." — The real losers: Pity the briefers at RCMP HQ who hastily prepped Duheme and Pincince for their testimony. | | | | PLAYBOOK IS GOING GLOBAL! We’re excited to introduce Global Playbook, POLITICO’s premier newsletter that brings you inside the most important conversations at the most influential events in the world. From the buzzy echoes emanating from the snowy peaks at the WEF in Davos to the discussions and personalities at Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to the heart of diplomacy at UNGA in New York City – author Suzanne Lynch brings it all to your fingertips. Experience the elite. Witness the influential. And never miss a global beat. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is in Ottawa. He will chair Cabinet and attend question period.
— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND will be in Ottawa. 12 p.m. National Defense Minister BILL BLAIR is up at the procedure and House affairs committee to discuss the intimidation campaign against Conservative MP MICHAEL CHONG. 1 p.m. Freeland holds a media availability alongside Innovation Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE and Treasury Board President ANITA ANAND. 3:30 p.m. Immigration Minister MARC MILLER headlines the House citizenship and immigration committee where he’s slated to discuss his priorities and objectives. No word on the status of his mandate letter. Deputy Minister CHRISTIANE FOX also joins. 4 p.m. (2 p.m. MT) Alberta NDP Leader RACHEL NOTLEY delivers a keynote at the Public Affairs Association of Canada's annual conference in Calgary. 6 p.m. Trudeau headlines a Liberal Party fundraiser at the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport hosted by Gatineau MP STEVEN MACKINNON. ANITA ANAND and JEAN-YVES DUCLOS are also expected to attend.
| | | | A message from the Canadian dairy, poultry and egg sector:   | | | | | HALLWAY CONVERSATION | | |  Minister Dan Vandal speaks to the Arctic Circle Assembly alongside the organization's chair, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. | Photo courtesy of Dan Vandal's office | REYKJAVIK IN THE REARVIEW — Northern Affairs Minister DAN VANDAL spent the weekend at the Arctic Circle Assembly in the windy and rainy capital of Iceland. It's the largest annual gathering of Arctic watchers. About 2,000 delegates from 60 countries showed up for the confab. — A distinction with a difference: This is not the Arctic Council, the eight-member consensus-based group currently excluding Russia from its deliberations — and struggling to conduct meaningful business. — On the agenda: Vandal delivered a keynote on the importance of forging Arctic policy, including on food security and climate change, in collaboration with Indigenous people. The minister also spoke about wildfires, inflation, affordable housing and Arctic security — including during bilateral meetings with U.S. Sen. LISA MURKOWSKI and former Icelandic president ÓLAFUR RAGNAR GRÍMSSON. Vandal spoke to Playbook on Monday after returning to Canada. Here's a partial transcript of that conversation, edited for length and clarity. You spoke about food insecurity during your keynote. How did that resonate? Food insecurity is not unique to Canada. Every Arctic nation has challenges with food security for people who live in more isolated areas. Inflation is a big issue, and the cost of everything is a huge issue. Iceland is incredibly expensive. So are Nordic countries. Speaking as a Canadian, I don't know how they make ends meet there. One thing that struck me was the discussion on the blue economy. I heard a while back how Canada doesn't harvest as much as it should from the ocean. There's lots of things that we can use for food and nutrition from the ocean that we don't use right now. Those are very important discussions we need to have with other countries, and it needs to be led by people who live in the Arctic, the territories — the Inuit [and] First Nations. What surprised you about the summit? I was surprised by the level of participation from all countries. There was an Indian delegation there. Countries that you would not associate with having northern interests were there, taking in all the information and participating. I think New Zealand was there at one point. There's a heightened interest in northern and Arctic activities. I was surprised at the number of Indigenous delegations from Canada and the United States, principally. I really look forward to going back, and continuing the relationships in between conferences. I think that's what's key. | | Talk of the town | |
WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO — A few choice sound bites, in case you missed ’em, from the land of political pods:
— Podcaster DAVID HERLE on The Curse on what’s next for the prime minister: “I think there’s at best a 50 percent chance that Trudeau runs again.” → Playbook's take: The Hill Times quoted unnamed senior Liberals who are convinced it's time for the prime minister to go. An unnamed MP dismissed succession talk, but better safe than sorry for any of us pre-writing "Trudeau resigns" stories. — Report on Business columnist DAVID PARKINSON on The Decibel: “Bank of Canada governors do go on a regular basis and speak to parliamentary committees, both in the Senate and in the House of Commons. It’s regularly scheduled, it happens multiple times a year, it’s not as if there is no political oversight of this group. Having listened to these testimonies many times in the past, they’re not particularly deep. People who are on these parliamentary committees probably don’t have as strong an understanding as they should of what the bank is doing, frankly.” → Playbook's take: The robust French-language training available to MPs and senators has produced bilingual parliamentarians. More than one-third were in training in 2017. Why should fluency in fiscal and economic matters not merit a similar degree of immersion? — Economist correspondent (!) ROB RUSSO on The Bridge: “There is one way to inject decorum back into the House of Commons. What you’ve got to do is turn the television camera on the people who are yelling, screaming and heckling and carrying on.” → Playbook's take: We're also curious how MPs' behavior would respond to cameras being shut off — aka no social media clips. Here's an A/B test to consider: no TV in the House on Mondays and Tuesdays, and cameras that follow hecklers on rowdy Wednesday and Thursday. What are you listening to? Send us links . | | MEDIA ROOM | | — NOJOUD AL MALLEES of The Canadian Press reports: TIFF MACKLEM warned premiers in a letter last month about the dangers of putting Bank of Canada’s independence at risk. — The Ottawa Citizen's DAVID PUGLIESE digs up a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office that flags reliability issues with the P-8 Poseidon aircraft that Canada has expressed interest in purchasing. — For Policy Options, KATHRYN MAY interviewed JOHN HANNAFORD, the first Gen Xer ever to lead the public service. In the interview, Hannaford said values and ethics will be his “North Star” in renewing the public service for the future. — Former Cabmin LLOYD AXWORTHY writes in the Globe: The WAB KINEW I know is going to change Canada. — A state-funded task force is beefing up security at New Hampshire's 93-kilometer (58-mile) border with Canada. The American Civil Liberties Union says the government won't back up its claims about the need for extra patrols. — From our colleagues in Washington: House GOP speaker field drops to 8 hopefuls — but still has little hope of an easy endgame. — KEVIN CARMICHAEL penned his debut column for The Logic: "Some people asked me why I would leave legacy media and its audiences for a smaller publication that protects most of its intellectual property behind a paywall," he wrote. "My response to those people: why wouldn’t I?" | | | PROZONE | | | Our latest policy newsletter for POLITICO Pro subscribers. POLITICO Pro’s ZACK COLMAN reports: Use of coal, oil and gas will each peak before 2030, but “much additional progress is still required” to put countries on track to meet net-zero emissions targets, the International Energy Agency said today in its annual world energy outlook report. In other news for Pros: — Israel's using widespread GPS tampering to deter Hezbollah's missiles. — Will California and Washington marry their carbon markets? — Leave or comply with EU law: EU digital chief warns X chief ELON MUSK. — Thousands more UAW members walk out at Stellantis. — Next EU-U.S. trade and tech summit set for Washington in December. — Beijing curbs graphite exports as big powers clamp down on critical minerals. | | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: HBD to DAN ALLAN of CIVIX, Liberal MPs OMAR ALGHABRA and MAJID JOWHARI, Hamilton Mayor ANDREA HORWATH, and former NDP leader TOM MULCAIR.
Also celebrating: former MPs BILL KNIGHT, ROD LAPORTE (70) and ALAIN GIGUÈRE, as well as former Speaker of the Nova Scotia legislature KEITH BAIN. Send us birthdays: ottawaplaybook@politico.com Spotted: PIERRE POILIEVRE’s mug on a limited edition C$35 CPC T-shirt, showing him biting into an apple ... IAN BRODIE, ZAIN VELJI and JANET BROWN recording a West of Centre pod with KATHLEEN PETTY at the Public Affairs Association of Canada conference (h/t CHAD ROGERS). Sen. COLIN DEACON, unloading on Air Canada CEO MICHAEL ROUSSEAU after receiving a text from the airline about a flight delay. Conservative MP ARNOLD VIERSEN, taking his son to work. The pair went to a Tourism Industry Association of Alberta roundtable. Conservative MP FRANK CAPUTO, paying tribute to his family: “What would my grandfather say if he could see me in Parliament? I am not sure, but today I say thanks to my parents for all their sacrifices.” Movers and shakers: Treasury Board President ANITA ANAND named a panel of experts that will "provide recommendations to the government on the design and creation of a new restorative engagement program for public service employees" — part of an effort to root out harassment, discrimination and violence in the bureaucracy. JUDE MARY CÉNAT, LINDA CROCKETT, GAYLE DESMEULES and ROBERT NERON bring experience in clinical psychology, mediation, dispute resolution, and restorative justice. Cocktail circuit: Three organizations that co-authored a National Housing Accord with recommendations on solving a crisis in rental housing are hosting a 5 p.m. reception in the Macdonald Building. Media mentions: LAUREN O’NEIL has joined Global News Radio. | | A message from the Canadian dairy, poultry and egg sector: Supply management has provided countless benefits to farmers and Canadians alike for over five decades. In an era of volatility and change, this innovative system acts as a stabilizing force in our agriculture sector. It offers Canadian farmers a stable market for their products, allowing them to plan for the future. This stability reaches well beyond the farm, fostering strong communities from coast to coast to coast.
Supply management provides a dependable supply of high-quality food on our store shelves while fostering innovation, sustainability, and domestic self-sufficiency. An economic powerhouse, it generates over 339,000 jobs, contributes $30.1 billion to Canada’s GDP, and delivers $5.95 billion in tax revenue each year.
This system serves as the foundation for our agricultural success. Stand with Canada’s farmers by supporting Bill C-282, An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management). Click here to learn more. | | | | | AROUND THE HILL | |
— The Cabinet meets in Ottawa.
9 a.m. Parliamentary Budget Officer YVES GIROUX is back again at the Senate national finance committee — this time to take questions about Bill C-241. 9 a.m. The Senate Indigenous peoples committee will take Bill C-29 through clause-by-clause consideration. 9 a.m. P.E.I. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister ERNIE HUDSON and Halifax Port Authority President and CEO ALLAN GRAY are on the board as witnesses at the Senate transportation committee’s study on the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure. 9:30 a.m. Sen. PAMELA WALLIN joins the Senate rules, procedure and rights of parliament committee as a witness to discuss committee structure and mandates. 11 a.m. The House public accounts committee meets to study the auditor general’s report on the rehabilitation of Parliament’s Centre Block. 11 a.m. Officials from the departments of environment, fisheries, natural resources and transport will be at the House environment committee as it studies fresh water. 12 p.m. National Defense Minister BILL BLAIR is up at the procedure and House affairs committee. 12 p.m. The House foreign affairs committee’s subcommittee on international human rights will continue its study on the situation of the Hazaras in Afghanistan. 3:30 p.m. Immigration Minister MARC MILLER headlines the House citizenship and immigration committee. 3:30 p.m. The House national defense committee meets to dig into the impact of Canada’s military procurement process. 3:30 p.m. Yellowhead Institute Executive Director HAYDEN KING is on the witness list at the House Indigenous and northern affairs committee’s meeting studying restitution of land to First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities. 3:30 p.m. The ArriveCAN app will be in the spotlight at the government operations and estimates committee. On the roster: Former CBSA president JOHN OSSOWSKI (as an individual); MINH DOH, chief technology officer at the Treasury Board Secretariat; the Canadian Taxpayers Federation; and DUFF CONACHER of Democracy Watch. 3:30 p.m. Bill C-27 is on the agenda at the House industry committee. 4 p.m. Sen. BEVERLEY ANN BUSSON brings her experience as a veteran and retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police commissioner to the House veterans affairs committee study on the experience of women veterans. 6:30 p.m. The Senate agriculture and forestry committee meets to take Bill C-234 through clause-by-clause consideration. Behind closed doors: The House fisheries committee meets to review a draft report about Great Lakes Fishery Commission resources; the House international trade committee will consider a report on U.S. softwood lumber tariffs and another on their study on the underused housing tax in border communities; the House justice committee has a chat about “committee business” on its agenda. | | TRIVIA | |
Monday’s answer: The Senate met for the first time Nov. 6, 1867.
Props to GERMAINE MALABRE, ROBERT MCDOUGALL and GEORGE CHOENHOFER. Have a trivia question that will stump Playbook readers? Send it our way. Today’s question: On this day in 1901, an American school teacher made history when she showed up on a Canadian river bank. How did she get there? Answers 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? Run a Playbook ad campaign. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. Playbook wouldn’t happen without: POLITICO Canada editor Sue Allan, Luiza Ch. Savage and Emma Anderson. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | 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 | | | | |
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