Giddy up, Ottawa

Jul 04, 2024

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By Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Kyle Duggan

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Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. Let's get into it.

In today's edition:

→ Headed to the Calgary Stampede? We have you covered.

→ Conservatives spent millions on advertising last year.

→ U.K. voters head to the polls.

For your radar

Pierre Poilievre, centre, rides a horse with his wife Anaida Poilievre during the Calgary Stampede parade.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre and his wife, Anaida Poilievre, in the 2023 Calgary Stampede parade. | Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP

SURVIVAL GUIDE — It's all systems go for the Calgary Stampede. WestJet is airborne, catastrophically damaged water mains are fixed, and the eastern bums of the Ottawa fishbowl are westward-bound. Familiar faces will fill today's YOW-YYC flights.

Stampede starts tomorrow. We asked seasoned vets of the massive celebration of western culture for tips on how to fake it in a sea of partying Calgarians.

Here’s our cheat sheet:

— Footwear finesse: JON MOSER of Moser Public Affairs offers this simple rule for Stampede newbs. "Wear two of the following — jeans, boots or cowboy hat — and you’ll fit right in," he tells Playbook.

SABRINA GROVER, senior account director at Spark Advocacy, implores visitors to grab a pair of boots. "The floors are sticky with beer and sometimes more, and you don't want your toes trampled on by someone attempting a line dance."

New boots are probably a recipe for endless pain, says KATE DALGLEISH of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). "If you don’t have well-worn and broken-in cowboy boots already, then go for a different boot instead. Blundstones or riding boots are fine. No runners!"

It's the effort that counts, she says: "A Laurentian Elite or Toronto Lawyer foolish enough to wear a business suit during Stampede is a common punchline."

— Stetson etiquette: "A cowboy hat is not mandatory, just make sure you don’t wear it backwards — the pointy end is the front," says Dalgleish.

— Don't schmooze 24/7: Check out the midway, chuck wagon races and rodeo. "Make sure you step away from the reception circuit and actually visit the Stampede Grounds," says Grover. And save room for deep-fried food.

— Plan for the heat: "Keep a few liquid IVs [electrolyte drink mix] on you at all times and hydrate in between those Budweisers," says Grover. "Stampede parties are legendary, but so are the hangovers." For those, she has a cure: "Free pancakes, bacon and lots of maple syrup."

There are so many pancake breakfasts. Here's every single one.

— Avoid this word: "Don't ever call Stampede a 'cute event' to a Calgarian," Grover says. "It's not cute. It's half-a-billion dollars of economic activity in 10 days. You're welcome, Canada."

SCHMOOZEFEST — Need to fill up your day planner? Want to soak up the FOMO? Here are as many major receptions as we could track down.

Your Stampede agenda:

Today: The City of Edmonton hosts a kickoff party at the Downtown Marriott, starting at 5 p.m. New West Public Affairs takes over CENTRAL Taps + Food at 6 p.m.

Friday: The Stampede parade gets underway downtown at 9 a.m. Global Public Affairs hosts a 12 p.m. shindig at Palomino Smokehouse. CIJA counters with its 12:30 p.m. Spuds & Suds breakfast at the Hyatt Regency.

Maple Leaf Strategies and Yorkville Strategies are at Major Tom at 6 p.m.

Saturday: Conservative MP JASRAJ SINGH HALLAN hosts a 9 a.m. pancake breakfast at Marlborough Mall. Expect many caucus colleagues (and a party leader). Later on, the Tories host an annual Heritage Park BBQ featuring PIERRE POILIEVRE. Tory MP SHUV MAJUMDAR is unofficial host as local MP.

Liberal MP GEORGE CHAHAL hosts a rival breakfast at Genesis Centre — a popular event for local Grits starting at 10 a.m. (minus the prime minister this year).

The Ismaili Muslim community hosts another breakfast at its HQ on 45th Avenue NE.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce holds a lunch-hour mixer at Rooftop YYC. Crestview Strategy follows up with a hootenanny at Palomino.

Sunday: Equal Voice brings the schmoozers back to Rooftop YYC for a 1 p.m. reception. Party-goers can hop over to Rooftop National on 8th at 3 p.m. for Canadian Strategy Group's afternoon reception.

Monday: Alberta Premier DANIELLE SMITH hosts her annual pancake breakfast at McDougall Centre. Start time: 7 a.m. The Calgary Chamber of Commerce starts a reception at 10:30 a.m. inside the Downtown Marriott. Navigator's party at Barcelona Tavern gets underway at 4:30 p.m. Thirty minutes later, Alberta Industrial Heartland keeps the party going at National on 10th.

— Liberals out on the town: As Playbook first reported, Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is giving Stampede a pass this year.

Treasury Board President ANITA ANAND and Employment Minister RANDY BOISSONNAULT will reprise their roles as headliners of the Laurier Club party on Saturday night at MobSquad Café. They're joined by co-host CHRYSTIA FREELAND, the deputy PM who hails from rural Alberta.

Where the leaders are

— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will chair a meeting of the Incident Response Group to discuss the current situation in Lebanon.

— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND will take a noon-hour tour of an athletic centre in Milton, Ont. She’ll be joined by Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth MARCI IEN. A media availability will follow.

— Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE has not released his public itinerary.

— NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH will be in British Columbia to attend the Society to End Homelessness in Burnaby’s summer outreach BBQ at 10 a.m. local time. The event is closed to media.

— Green Leader ELIZABETH MAY has no public events on her schedule.

DULY NOTED

9 a.m. The Parliamentary Budget Officer publishes a new costing note: "The Online Harms Act: Establishment of a Digital Safety Commission, Ombudsperson and Office.”

Talk of the town

HAPPY UKUS DAY — As Americans celebrate the Fourth of July with BBQs and fireworks, Brits go to the polls to elect a government. Probably a Labour government. Almost certainly.

Ottawa gets a pair of parties out of the dueling red, white and blue hoopla. Hundreds of invited guests will find their way to U.S. Ambo DAVID COHEN's Lornado residence in Rockcliffe Park. A smaller group of invitees will dawdle over to British High Commissioner SUSANNAH GOSHKO's temporary official residence at Crichton Lodge.

— Cohen's bash will include: Philly cheese steaks, poutine, American beer, Canadian beer and a variety of other cross-border noshables. Plus, juicy gossip and awkward conversations about the uncertain future of U.S. President JOE BIDEN — a man who once benefited from Cohen's considerable fundraising prowess.

— Goshko's bash will include: Croquet, custom cocktails, BBC's election coverage, and informal political analysis helmed by POLITICO. Plus, quiet conversations about what's next for the Mother Parliament and the new crew likely to take power. The diplomats playing host, of course, won't say an improper word. An errant comment could create an incident.

POLITICO's crew will stalk Lornado and wander Crichton Lodge. Find us there!

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and his wife arrive at a polling station today to cast their vote in London. | AP

ELECTION NIGHT — Our colleagues in the U.K. will have extensive live coverage of the results. Want a teaser? NOAH KEATE said the final spate of pre-election polls projected a historic Labour romp — and "total annihilation" for the Tories.

The POLITICO team also cooked up: Watch the UK election like a pro.

— Further reading from TANYA GOLD: Everyone except Rishi Sunak knows he’s destined for failure.

Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more.

PAPER TRAIL

DOLLARS TO SPEND — The Conservative Party spent more on advertising last year than it did on salaries and benefits, its annual audited financial statement reveals.

— Who says TV is over?: The newly disclosed returns to Elections Canada show the party spent a whopping C$8.5 million on ads in 2023, not an election year but one in which the party launched an ad campaign to introduce PIERRE POILIEVRE to Canadians — a blitz partially credited for his rise in the polls.

Most of it, C$5.8 million, was spent on television ads, with C$668,212 going to radio buys and then C$2 million allocated to the amorphous “other” category. Salaries and benefits clock in at C$8.1 million.

— Stark contrast: The governing Liberals only spent C$381,346 in 2023 on ads, with only “other” listed — less than what the Conservatives spent on public opinion research.The reports only provide topline numbers for advertising and don’t break down into geographic targets.

— Money, money, money: The big blue fundraising machine raked in C$35.7 million, or C$12.7 million more than the previous year (we all already knew that, although these are revised figures). That’s more than double the C$15.5 million Liberal haul for 2023. The NDP fundraised C$6.8 million.

The CPC brought in less revenue overall in 2023 (C$41 million) than 2022 (C$57.4 million), when cash poured into the leadership race that elected PIERRE POILIEVRE.

— Spend money to make it: The Conservatives spent C$8.3 million to fuel their fundraising. The Liberals trailed at C$2.9 million.

The Tories also listed C$1.9 million on “conventions, meetings and conferences.” The party held a dazzling convention that year that featured surprisingly spectacular performances, including a “Top Gun” solo by a guitarist that attendees won’t soon forget.

2024 WATCH

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, center, followed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, left, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, right, walk out of the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 3, 2024, to talk with reporters following their meeting with President Joe Biden. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, center, followed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, left, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, right, leave the West Wing of the White House after meeting with President Joe Biden. | AP

BIDEN HIS TIME — U.S. President JOE BIDEN is generating the kinds of headlines that give migraines to anybody who wants him to remain in the race for the White House.

As the president faces increasing pressure from Democrats to drop out, his team has scrambled to contain the damage and insist he's fit for a second term.

Here's a selection of POLITICO headlines — all published in a single day.

— DNC delegates sink into ‘stage of grief’ over Biden. Some say he should step aside.

— ‘The clock is ticking’: Democrats press Biden to decide on his future.

— ‘Everybody’s in panic mode’ as House Democrats scramble after debate.

— Biden: ‘No one’s pushing me out.’

— Rep. JIM CLYBURN says he would support ‘mini-primary’ ahead of DNC if Biden steps aside.

— Biden tells governors he got a medical checkup.

MEDIA ROOM

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took media questions Wednesday for the first time since the Liberals lost a Toronto by-election. | Andrej Ivanov/AFP via Getty Images

— PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU took questions Wednesday for the first time since last week’s by-election loss. Reporters pressed him on his future as Liberal leader.

— The Narwhal's MATT SIMMONS has unloaded a series of investigative reports based on a leaked recording of a TC Energy "lunch and learn call." Here's a sample headline: Former Trump staffers are ‘on the battlefield’ for a Canadian fossil fuel giant.

— Former Liberal Leader MICHAEL IGNATIEFF writes in the Journal of Democracy about the perils of democracy itself being on a ballot. This line jumped out at us: "Anyone who has been in politics, as I have, appreciates the hypocrisies that democratic politicians use to mask the hatreds at the heart of the game."

— From our colleagues in Paris: Russia cheers MARINE LE PEN's National Rally in French election.

PLAYBOOKERS

Birthdays: HBD to GT and Company's BRIAN TOPP and to former MP CHRIS CHARLTON. Also celebrating today: Retired senator MARJORY LEBRETON, Empire Company CEO MICHAEL MEDLINE, Quebec MNA CHANTAL ROULEAU and Crestview VP NICHOLAS POZHKE.

Send birthdays to ottawaplaybook@politico.com.

Spotted: Edmonton Mayor AMARJEET SOHI, fulfilling a Stanley Cup bet with MIKE RYAN, the mayor of Sunrise, Florida … News Media Canada CEO PAUL DEEGAN, welcoming the Ontario government's decision to pump ad money into the news biz.

Movers and shakers: Liberal MP ANDY FILLMORE has made it official. He's running for Halifax mayor. Campaign tagline: "Meet the moment."

BRUCE CHAPPLE is now CEO and managing partner of McMillan LLP … CAROLINE SÉGUIN, Foreign Minister MÉLANIE JOLY's former director of strategic initiatives, starts a new gig as senior VP and corporate secretary at Destination Canada.

— A shakeup in the diplomatic ranks: MICHELLE CAMERON is Canada's new ambassador to Serbia; JENNIE CHEN is consul general in Shanghai, China; TINA GUTHRIE is ambassador to Burkina Faso; MARCEL LEBLEU is ambassador to Senegal; CHARLES EDWIN REEVES is consul general to Hong Kong; SÉBASTIEN SIGOUIN is high commissioner to Guyana and representative to the Caribbean Community; and ELIZABETH WILLIAMS is ambassador to Colombia.

From the ethics files: BILL MATTHEWS, secretary of the Treasury Board, agreed to a conflict-of-interest screen related to any discussions involving Temple Scott Associates. Matthews is related to DON MOORS, a partner at the firm … The Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center covered travel and accommodation for CINDY TERMORSHUIZEN, Canada's G7 sherpa, when she attended the Munich Strategy Retreat in Italy last month.

Tory MP STEPHANIE KUSIE disclosed a sponsored trip to Taiwan in May paid for by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada.

PM TRUDEAU disclosed the non-commercial or chartered aircraft that ferried him to and from the Ukraine Peace Summit and the G7 summit. Staff who joined for at least some of those legs: KATIE TELFORD, BRIAN CLOW, ADAM SCOTTI, PHILIP KULIGOWSKI CHAN, VANESSA HAGE-MOUSSA, AKSHAY GROVE, MARK KACHUCK, VICTOR ESPOSITO, BEN CHIN and PATRICK TRAVERS.

PROZONE

Don’t miss our latest policy newsletter for Pro subscribers from SUE ALLAN, ZI-ANN LUM and KYLE DUGGAN: Trudeau on the line.

In other headlines for Pros:

— Budget watchdog adds C$10B to Canada's green investment tab.

— Fourth case: Colorado announces human avian flu infection.

— RISHI SUNAK may be off. His embrace of tech will endure.

— Inside Biden’s push to stop heat deaths after decades of delay.

— Chevron ruling could upend NOAA fishery management.

Trivia

Wednesday’s answer: Canada’s 11th prime minister, R.B. BENNETT, was born on July 3, 1870. KENNETH FORBES, a war artist, painted Bennett's official portrait.

Props to BOB GORDON, JOHN MERRIMAN, LAURA JARVIS, GEOFFREY CHAMBERS, ÉRIKA DUPUIS, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, ADAM ENKIN and MALCOLM MCKAY.

Belated Tuesday props to BOB GORDON, ROBERT MCDOUGALL and RYAN CABRAL.

Today’s question: Which brewpub shares a building with FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE's office?

Send your answer to ottawaplaybook@politico.com

Writing tomorrow's Playbook: KYLE DUGGAN

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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