He stole the show

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Mar 25, 2024 View in browser
 
Ottawa Playbook

By Nick Taylor-Vaisey

Presented by

Electricity Canada


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Welcome to Ottawa Playbook. Let's get into it.

In today’s edition: 

→ A funeral fitting of BRIAN MULRONEY.

→ A break-week spotlight on foreign interference.

→ Prepare for budget pre-announcements.

Talk of the town

The casket is carried out at the end of the funeral of former prime minister Brian Mulroney, in Montreal, on March 23.

At the close of Brian Mulroney's funeral, a recording of his voice singing "We’ll Meet Again," filled Notre-Dame Basilica. | Adrian Wyld, The Canadian Press

AN EPIC FAREWELL — Leave it to BRIAN MULRONEY to steal the show at his own funeral.

The pews of Montreal's Notre-Dame Basilica were full, but not with the typical tourists and worshippers who file in and out of the church each day.

This was a room of mourners few Canadians could inspire: most living prime ministers and governors general, most sitting and several former premiers, generations of conservative politicians and operatives, political rivals who built careers on Mulroney's failures, old-money corporate elite, and A-list celebs.

— Eclectic is an understatement: Federalist brawlers like BOB RAE, BRIAN TOBIN and JEAN CHRÉTIEN took seats in the same room as LUCIEN BOUCHARD, PAULINE MAROIS, PIERRE MARC JOHNSON and PIERRE KARL PÉLADEAU.

They all fiercely opposed Mulroney's agenda as he transformed the country. Some wanted to merely defeat him; others wanted to break up the country he loved. All of them showed up.

With foes like these, who needs friends?

— Eye-popper of the day: In a scrum before Mulroney's service, amid wet and windy flurries, Conservative leader PIERRE POILIEVRE ended his long streak of refusing questions from CBC's DAVID COCHRANE.

Catholics always have claimed miracles happen in their midst.

— The Canadian Establishment: The guest list featured surnames such as MOLSON, BRONFMAN, WESTON, DESMARAIS and BLACK — titans present and past whose seemingly untouchable corporate might coincided with Mulroney's rise from working-class Baie-Comeau to upper-crust Westmount. A ROGERS and an IRVING got invites, too.

— Star power: Hockey GOAT WAYNE GRETZKY delivered a eulogy laced with levity. Famed music producer DAVID FOSTER was an honorary pallbearer. RYAN REYNOLDS, the proudest Canadian in Hollywood, rounded out the celeb set.

— Politics 101: The former PM was known for offering political counsel to anybody in his sphere who might've needed it. That included his daughter, CAROLINE, a two-term Cabinet minister in DOUG FORD's provincial government who delivered the afternoon's first eulogy. She relayed this advice from her dad:

→ "Do not forget the three most important things: your riding, your riding, your riding."

→ "He advised me not to waste my political capital on issues that were minor, without consequences — but to keep it for causes and issues that were truly significant."

Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU, whose fight to save NAFTA was famously aided by Mulroney, said there's no course on how to be a PM. But if Mulroney taught one, Trudeau said, this would've been his first lesson:

→ "Winning is important, and it's OK to enjoy it; however, winning for winning's sake cannot be the only endgame."

Elizabeth Theodora Lapham sings "Mais qu'est-ce que j'ai?" for her grandfather, the late Brian Mulroney.

Elizabeth Theodora Lapham performs "Mais qu'est-ce que j'ai?" during the funeral for her grandfather, the late Brian Mulroney. | Adrian Wyld, The Canadian Press

— The moment that brought the house down: Near the end of the ceremony, Mulroney’s granddaughter ELIZABETH THEODORA LAPHAM sang his favorite song: "Mais qu'est-ce que j'ai?" Watch it here. It was a moment to remember.

— And then, of course: Lapham was joined by tenor MARC HERVIEUX for a duet of "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" — a song forever linked to the former PM. Then came a twist. During the song's final verse, a recording of Mulroney's own voice filled the chamber.

As the procession exited Notre-Dame, Mulroney got the last word. This time, the crooner with the unforgettable baritone belted out VERA LYNN's "We'll Meet Again."

So will you please say hello

To the folks that I know

Tell 'em I won't be long

They'll be happy to know

That as you saw me go

I was singing this song

We'll meet again

Don't know where

Don't know when

But I know we'll meet again

Some sunny day.

 

A message from Electricity Canada:

Despite massive gains over the past year, the electricity sector still faces an enormous challenge with a culture of “no”. Electricity projects are being delayed or are held up in approvals. There are simple solutions that can help make our grid cleaner, more reliable and affordable. We need to move things forward so we can achieve a net zero economy by 2050. Read our State of the Canadian Electricity Industry report to find out more.

 
THREE THINGS WE'RE WATCHING


DRIP, DRIP, DRIP — Conservative MP ADAM CHAMBERS flagged March 9 as the start of “Budget Leak” season.

“Started early this year,” he noted in a tweet after CHRYSTIA FREELAND detailed a 2 percent increase to the alcohol excise tax.

The former staffer to then-finance minister JIM FLAHERTY knows a thing or two about strategically leaked details.

— He’s onto something. On March 4, Freeland’s office shared news that April 16 will be Budget Day.

— Drip, drip, drip: Don't be surprised if the minister and a cadre of her Cabinet colleagues start spilling budget measures — not so much leaks as straight-up announcements designed to own a news cycle or two.

Freeland is going to need all the help she can get selling the government's plan on a skeptical public. Why wait for a post-budget roadshow when you can spend two constituency weeks between now and the big day showcasing the highlights?

— What we know: This is likely to go down as a housing budget. Bloomberg's BRIAN PLATT talked to experts who have served up some ideas.

MICKEY DJURIC of The Canadian Press suggests a framework for a national school food program is on Freeland’s desk.

Tell us: What shiny objects do you expect to hear about in the coming days? Are you CHRYSTIA FREELAND and want us to know? You know how to reach us .

TESTIMONY TIME — The Hogue commission is revving up this week. MARIE-JOSÉE HOGUE's public inquiry into foreign interference in federal elections will drop a high-profile witness list early this week that includes Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU.

— Same bat time: Hearings start Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in the Winifred Bambrick Room at Library and Archives HQ on Wellington Street.

— On deck: The commission expects to hear from 40 people. Hogue wants to give Canadians "a better understanding of the foreign interference threats our electoral system may have faced in the 2019 and 2021 elections, the protective mechanisms that were in place, and the potential impact, if any, on the integrity of the elections."

The witness list will include "members of diaspora communities, current and former elected officials, political party representatives, Elections Canada and the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections, current and former senior government officials, Cabinet ministers and the prime minister."

— Get organized: The Rouleau commission that sorted out pandemic-era convoys and border blockades published thousands of documents, including reams of emails, text messages and handwritten notes (which elicited snarky comments on penmanship).

Expect plenty of careful disclosure over the next two weeks as commission counsel and a phalanx of intervenors probe for details on attempted election interference.

WINNIPEG LAB DOCS — Conservatives are forcing break-week attention on recently declassified documents that explain why a pair of scientists — XIANGGUO QIU and her husband KEDING CHENG — were escorted from Canada's top-secret microbiology laboratory in 2019 and fired in 2021.

The docs, sought for years by the opposition, claimed Qiu posed a realistic and credible threat to Canada’s economic security. The Globe recently reported Qiu is now in China, "conducting research with Chinese military scientists and other virology researchers, including at the Wuhan Institute of Virology."

The special committee on Canada-China relations meets at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday to talk it all over.

— CPC pressure: The Tories have so far failed to call committee meetings dedicated to the lab docs. Liberals and New Democrats voted down a study at the House ethics committee. Tory MP STEPHEN ELLIS managed to badger Health Minister MARK HOLLAND at the health committee. But his colleague, MICHAEL CHONG, wants more.

— A new study: Chong will present a motion tomorrow that calls on the Canada-China committee to meet twice every sitting week on the lab docs and the "broader concerns they represent in relation to Canada's national security, as well as the obstacles encountered in obtaining these documents."

Chong's motion threatens to summon senior officials from Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

→ Proposed witnesses: STEPHEN LUCAS, deputy minister of Health; DONALD SHEPPARD, VP of PHAC's infectious diseases branch; GUILLAUME POLIQUIN, VP of PHAC's National Microbiology Laboratory; HEATHER JEFFREY, PHAC president; DAVID VIGNEAULT, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service; NATHALIE DROUIN, national security and intelligence adviser to the prime minister.

Chong also wants to hear from Holland and Public Safety Minister DOMINIC LEBLANC.

On Wednesday, the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions will resume its public hearings.

 

A message from Electricity Canada:

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Where the leaders are


— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is in the GTA and at 6:30 p.m. will deliver remarks at a community event for Greek Prime Minister KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS.

— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in Ottawa with no public events scheduled.

— Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE and Bloc Québécois YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET have not released their public itineraries.

— NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH is in Halifax. Singh will co-host a roundtable discussion on housing with the party's Halifax candidate, LISA ROBERTS (338Canada projection: Liberal/NDP toss-up). They'll speak to reporters at noon ET (1 p.m. local time). Singh and Roberts will also walk the picket line with striking rail workers from Unifor Local 100.

— Green Party Leader ELIZABETH MAY is "home in Sidney, B.C., for private meetings."

 

A message from Electricity Canada:

2023 was a big year for the electricity sector, with real steps being made towards building a bigger, reliable and more affordable electricity system for 2050. This year’s report of the RBC Climate Action Institute is charting massive growth for electricity, particularly with
the rise of electric vehicles and home heating. And yet, that report’s “word of the year” for the electricity sector in 2024 is moratorium. This is not a problem of funding. It’s not a problem of technology. It’s not even a problem of principle. What we have is a people problem. And until we get it fixed—and it can be fixed—nothing will move forward. We need to come together, and we need to work out all the complicated pieces that connect electricity companies, regulators, Federal, Provincial and Indigenous governments so we can build. Read our State of the Canadian Electricity Industry to find out more.

 
DULY NOTED


8:30 a.m. Statistics Canada will release reports on natural resource indicators, January railway carloadings, February major grains deliveries and oilseed crushing statistics.

10:30 a.m. Electricity Canada CEO FRANCIS BRADLEY will hold a press conference in West Block to promote a new report titled, “Getting to Yes,” that summarizes challenges and opportunities facing the industry.

We're tracking every major political event of 2024 on a mega-calendar. Send us events and download the calendar yourself for Google and other clients .

MEDIA ROOM

— The Writ's ÉRIC GRENIER sizes up Liberal MP ANTHONY HOUSEFATHER's hypothetical chance of reelection under a Conservative banner, should he choose that path.

— Former Saskatchewan Premier BRAD WALL tiptoed into carbon tax alternatives in an interview with Global News. Wall described "an approach to technology that might take a price signal, but also has some market elements of it and some provincial-federal investment."

— From Radio-Canada via CBC News: "Rio Tinto says it's a green mining giant. Investigation shows environmental gaps from Quebec to the Amazon"

CP got its hands on a June 2023 report from a federal task force on safe elections that warned conspiratorial and extremist narratives "have the potential to negatively affect the fabric of Canadian society."

ELLIN BESSNER of The Canadian Jewish News spoke with MP ANTHONY HOUSEFATHER about his future.

— From CHARLIE WARZEL in The Atlantic: What KATE MIDDLETON proved about the internet.

— In the Star, KEVIN NEWMAN accuses Bell of gutting Canadian journalism and "handing a gift to the enemies of truth."

— On her latest pod, ALTHIA RAJ asks: “What would Prime Minister Poilievre do?”

PROZONE


For POLITICO Pro subscribers, our latest policy newsletter from ZI-ANN LUM: Canada shrugs off CETA’s French rejection.

In other news for Pro readers:

U.S. Treasury data show surging interest in Biden's clean energy tax credits.

USDA intensifies fight against “forever chemicals.”

The nerd’s guide to Biden’s tailpipe pollution rule.

6 ways the U.S. Department of Justice says Apple is a monopoly.

16 states file lawsuit challenging Biden LNG pause.

PLAYBOOKERS


Birthdays: HBD to McMillan Vantage senior VP KARL BALDAUF.

Also celebrating today: ETHEL BLONDIN-ANDREW, the first Indigenous woman elected to Parliament … Former Conservative MP JEFF WATSONLOYOLA HEARN, former MP, Cabinet minister and ambassador to Ireland … and Warshield strategist JENNIFER LAEWETZ.

Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Send it all our way.

Spotted: The personal arms of BRIAN MULRONEY, featured prominently on the program for his funeral. The Latin motto translation: "In love of country, loyalty and resolve count for much."

CGAI President DAVID PERRY, noting Canada is the only NATO nation in the "quadrant of shame" on a recent chart of defense spending in the alliance. "This is a train wreck decades in the making," wrote former Navy commander PAUL MADDISON.

Former health minister JANE PHILPOTT, with a special delivery of the first copy of her upcoming book to her mom with a +1 from former AG JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD … Liberal MP BEN CARR, attending his first PWHL game in Ottawa … Tory MP MICHELLE REMPEL GARNER, with a thread on #NationalPuppyDay.

The Department of Finance's fiscal monitor, in which Desjardins' RANDALL BARTLETT observed a larger deficit than was projected in the fall fiscal update.

Movers and shakers: Former PM STEPHEN HARPER joined the board at Couche-Tard. "Throughout my career, I have always believed in the power of collaboration and forward-thinking to drive success," Harper said in a press release.

ANIA BESSONOV joined Crestview as a strategic communications consultant. The former journalist was most recently a CBC News producer … SCOTT BANDY joined the same firm's Ottawa office as a communications consultant. Bandy joins after a stint as a senior writer in PIERRE POILIEVRE's office.

ON THE HILL


Find House committees here.

Keep track of Senate committees here.

Parliament returns April 8.

TRIVIA


Friday’s answer: The famous bell in Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal is known as Jean-Baptiste.

Props to MARCEL MARCOTTE, MATT DELISLE, NANCI WAUGH, JOHN ECKER, LAURA JARVIS and ROBERT MCDOUGALL.

Today’s question: Greek Prime Minister KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS is currently visiting Canada. Who was the last Greek PM to visit — and when?

Send your answer to ottawaplaybook@politico.com

Playbook wouldn’t happen without: POLITICO Canada editor Sue Allan, editor Willa Plank and Luiza Ch. Savage.

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.

 

Follow us on Twitter

Nick Taylor-Vaisey @TaylorVaisey

Sue Allan @susan_allan

Maura Forrest @MauraForrest

Kyle Duggan @Kyle_Duggan

Zi-Ann Lum @ziannlum

POLITICO Canada @politicoottawa

 

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