| | | | |  | | By Zi-Ann Lum, Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Kyle Duggan | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Ottawa Playbook | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. Let's get into it. In today's edition: → Exclusive: Behind the scenes with "Team Canada" on a high-stakes charm offensive. → JOE BIDEN wants a word. → RANJ PILLAI tells Playbook about the power imbalances at the premiers’ table. |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | | 
Trade Minister Mary Ng, right, says USTR Katherine Tai, left, often speaks of the "Biden-Harris administration." | AFP via Getty Images | INSIDE ‘TEAM CANADA’ — International Trade Minister MARY NG does not expect a big shift in U.S. trade policy should KAMALA HARRIS officially clinch the Democratic nomination and go on to win the White House. Ng says when she talks with United States Trade Representative KATHERINE TAI, it seems clear the agenda reflects the Biden-Harris administration — not Biden’s alone. “The issues that we have been working on with this administration are issues that she shares as well,” Ng tells Playbook from the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Annual Summit in Whistler, British Columbia. — ICYMI: Deciphering Harris’ views — a.k.a. The Canadian Angle — on everything from economic policy to Montreal bagels (position unclear) has become a spectator sport in Canada. POLITICO's ERIC BAZAIL-EIMIL reports with KYLE DUGGAN on the world leaders Harris has on speed dial. — Watch this space: Harris, who was a California senator before she was tapped as Biden's veep, supported a carbon tax. (He's been lukewarm to the idea.) One of the arguments Tories have used to knock Canada’s carbon tax is that the country’s largest trading partner, the U.S., does not have one federally. — Trade continuity, maybe: During a 2019 primary debate, Harris proclaimed herself to be “not a protectionist Democrat,” but rather one who supports trade policies to sell American goods overseas. That makes her different from JOE BIDEN. She also opposed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in a Senate vote, calling the deal’s environmental provisions insufficient to address climate change. “The USMCA fails to meet the crises of this moment,” she said at the time. Harris is also not a fan of the original NAFTA. She’s on the record saying she would have voted against the free-trade deal because it didn’t protect American jobs and workers. Be it a Republican or Democratic win in November, Ottawa knows Washington’s effort to use subsidies and tax breaks to “reshore” manufacturing is here to stay. — On assignment: Ng is one of the three leads on “Team Canada” — Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU’s high-stakes U.S. election year diplomatic effort to protect a $2.7B trading relationship.
|  "Team Canada," from left, Trade Minister Mary Ng, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman in Detroit earlier this year. | Zi-Ann Lum/POLITICO | — On the job: Playbook shadowed Ng, Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE and Ambassador KIRSTEN HILLMAN earlier this year to eavesdrop on what they were hearing on the ground and to see how they moved through rooms with Canadian union leaders and high-profile U.S. officials. A new Angus Reid poll suggests 66 percent of Canadians believe a second Trump term would be “bad or terrible” for the country. It’s a concern the government has tried to get ahead on with “Team Canada.” When the effort started a year ago, the embassy in Washington mapped every political and business relation they had in order to find gaps. Conservatives, notably, don’t have a prominent role on the team. — Exclusive: POLITICO’s profile of “Team Canada” offers an inside-out look at Trudeau’s “unprecedented” diplomatic campaign. Interviews with government insiders and business leaders share details on how it’s organized, what’s landing — and what’s missing. As world leaders prepare for the possibility of a DONALD TRUMP victory, few have much at stake as Trudeau. Last time around, Trump derided the PM as “two-faced” and a “far-left lunatic,” forced a renegotiation of NAFTA and slapped tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel — all of it horrifying Canada which considers itself America’s most loyal ally. Trump’s surprise win destabilized the Trudeau government and put it on war footing for four years. — Even still: There’s confidence in the prime minister’s inner circle that if Trump returns to the White House, that they’ll be able to weather whatever surprises are thrown at them. Read the full feature here. — How the 2024 mission differs from “Team Canada” NAFTA and 2020 U.S. election editions: This time around, there's no set group of advisers focused squarely on one negotiation. And this year’s pre-election outreach isn’t encumbered by cross-border pandemic travel restrictions like a previous edition. — GAC set up a desk to backstop “Team Canada”: It’s called “The Hub” and is powered by Microsoft SharePoint, managed by Canada’s former ambassador to Ukraine. — In related listening: DOUG SAUNDERS joins "The Decibel" pod this morning to explain why he thinks Harris is the right presidential candidate for the Democrats. On “The Global Exchange” pod, COLIN ROBERTSON talks with ROY NORTON and DON ABELSON about ways Canada should be managing its relationship with the U.S. | | | | Live briefings, policy trackers, and procedural, industry, and people intelligence from POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy this election cycle. Secure your seat. | | | | | | | 2024 WATCH | | |  U.S. President Joe Biden on his way back to Washington on Tuesday. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP | LIVE FROM WASHINGTON — President JOE BIDEN will deliver a primetime address this evening about his decision to not seek a second term. Newly recovered from his second bout of Covid, Biden will begin his remarks at 8 p.m. ET. Viewers from around the globe will tune in to listen to the president decode his plans for his remaining time in office, particularly more insight in what he means in his promise to “finish the job for the American people.” — Also happening: Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU will address Congress later today. KAMALA HARRIS has already sent her regrets due to a scheduling conflict, opting for a private meeting instead. Biden will meet with Bibi on Thursday before the Israeli PM heads to Palm Beach, Florida, for some time at Mar-a-Lago with former president DONALD TRUMP. POLITICO’s MICHAEL HIRSH has a primer: Netanyahu Thinks Biden Is Already a Lame Duck. Netanyahu’s North American arrival also brings to mind Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY’s warning from a month ago — urging Canadians to leave Lebanon if they can. “The safety and security of Canadians at home and abroad is Canada’s top priority,” Joly said on June 25, referencing “escalating violence” between Israel and Hezbollah. Joly has said little publicly since, despite fears intensifying in Lebanon and among diaspora communities in Canada of a regional war. | | Where the leaders are | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU continues his vacation in British Columbia.
— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND is heading to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for G7 and G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meetings. — Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE has not released his public itinerary. — Bloc Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET is in Trois-Rivières with MP RENÉ VILLEMURE for private meetings with the local port CEO GAÉTAN BOIVIN and 2025 Quebec Games executive DAVID LABRECQUE. — NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH is in Kirkland Lake with MP CHARLIE ANGUS where they will visit Agnico Eagle Mines at 8 a.m. At noon, they’ll hold a meet-and-greet at the Kirkland Lake Multicultural Centre. At 1 p.m., they’ll hold a media availability. — Green Party Leader ELIZABETH MAY is in Sidney, British Columbia with plans to meet constituents. | | For your radar | | | | 
Yukon's Premier Ranj Pillai, right, and Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok speak to reporters prior to meeting with Canada's other premiers in Halifax last week. | The Canadian Press | Playbook spent last week with Canada’s premiers. In today’s dispatch from Nova Scotia, NICK TAYLOR-VAISEY talks with Yukon Premier RANJ PILLAI about an “evolving conversation.” INDIGENOUS COLLAB — The chummy atmosphere that permeated this year's summer premiers' meetings in Halifax was not felt by everybody who traveled east. Indigenous leaders expressed serious reservations about their limited roles at the confab. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President NATAN OBED told CBC News before a three-hour meeting with the premiers that their relationship had "regressed" during the past year. Nova Scotia Premier TIM HOUSTON invited Obed's ITK, the Assembly of First Nations and the Métis National Council to the meetings. Houston also included the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and the Native Women's Association of Canada. MNC President CASSIDY CARON argued that her organization, along with ITK and AFN, should sit in on all premiers' meetings. — Northern perspective: RANJ PILLAI was tight-lipped on what was discussed in the meeting with national Indigenous organizations — NIO, in the jargon — but acknowledged the “strong views” and “different perspectives on who should be at that table and how that table should work.” “I thought it was really good dialogue,” Pillai said of the lunchtime meeting. “It's an evolving conversation.” Yukon can offer lessons to other premiers, he said: “We think we have something we can share with the rest of the country on how we work with our First Nations leaders.” → Case study No. 1: The Yukon Forum meets every three months on shared priorities between chiefs and the territorial government. They also join up for an annual trip to Ottawa. Pillai also expects between one and three federal ministers to travel to the territory this year. “It's always important for me to understand, learn at home, and bring those voices to the NIO table,” Pillai tells Playbook. “I co-chair the Yukon Forum with the grand chief from the Yukon. He'll give me direction on items that they want to prioritize that are not necessarily reflected at that [premiers'] table.” → Case study No. 2: Pillai's territory just passed a healthcare delivery law, co-developed with Indigenous partners, that he says will “redefine what healthcare delivery looks like in the territory for future generations.” The sprawling act covers “everything from how we build out infrastructure to what our health and human resources strategies are, how we have more First Nations people in the field, how we make sure that everybody is seen in this structure," he says. — The upshot: Pillai considers the NIO relationship a work in progress. “It's going to evolve,” he says. “People want to be at the table.” | | | MEDIA ROOM | | |
— The Canadian Press has the latest on wildfires in B.C. The Globe's CARRIE TAIT and ALANNA SMITH report from Alberta that Jasper National Park evacuations are complete.
— From AARON WHERRY of CBC News this morning: JOE BIDEN was compelled to stand down — could Trudeau go next? — THE HILL TIMES is keeping count of the MPs who’ve said they are not running in the next election — 26 so far. ANDY FILLMORE, who is currently campaigning to be Halifax mayor, gets an asterisk on the chart. He’s said he’ll resign as MP before the municipal nomination period on Aug. 29. — Trudeau’s decision to tap Montreal city councillor LAURA PALESTINI as the Liberal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun candidate is rankling some party grassroots, MICHEL SABA reports for La Presse Canadienne. — DAVID MULRONEY, former Canadian ambassador to China, writes that MÉLANIE JOLY’s visit to Beijing last week was “built around an understanding of China that’s at least a decade out of date.” — Ontario MPP LISA MACLEOD warns in the National Post: “It’s time we sound the alarm and have an adult conversation in Canada before someone in political office gets hurt, or, God forbid, something worse happens.” — On the "Front Burner" pod today, author and physician VINCENT LAM takes on the drug harm reduction backlash. | | PROZONE | |
Our latest policy newsletter for Pro subscribers: Watchdog’s advice: ‘If in doubt, spell it out’
In other news for Pro readers: — Google develops accurate AI-enhanced weather simulator. — Tai floats adding environmental requirements to African trade law. — Will the Inflation Reduction Act help elect Harris? — Climate-friendly concrete paves path to green construction. | | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: HBD to former MPs GERARD KENNEDY, TERENCE YOUNG and BRENT RATHGEBER (60!). Former Ontario minister SEAN CONWAY also celebrates today.
Spotted: ALEX PANETTA of CBC News updating his Covid status: “The streak is over at 52 months. Turns out I’m *not* one of those lucky virological freaks immune to this.” DAVE SOMMER of Enterprise Canada via Instagram and the PMO, deleting X, “after years of loving, hating, being addicted to and generally making my living on this app.” For the record, he notes: “I'll still be here on desktop, I'm not a savage.” Liberal MP SHERRY ROMANADO celebrating her 30th wedding anniversary. Noted: At a Vancouver health care announcement, Liberal MP HEDY FRY confided that she’s among the many Canadians without a family doctor. “Physician heal thyself is not a good mantra,” she said. Also noted PIERRE POILIEVRE is headed to northern Ontario next week with a rally in Kirkland Lake on Wednesday. Movers and shakers: TIM HUDAK will step down as CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association for “new adventures.” | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | |
9:45 a.m. The Bank of Canada will announce its interest rate decision and publish its quarterly Monetary Policy Report.
11 a.m. The House government operations and estimates committee will continue its study on outsourcing of contracts. 12 p.m. (10 a.m. CT) Indigenous Services Minister PATTY HAJDU is in Whitecap, Saskatchewan, to make an infrastructure funding announcement with Whitecap Dakota Nation Chief DARCY BEAR. | | TRIVIA | |
Tuesday’s answer: On July 23, 1935, the Liberals under WALTER LEA won all 30 seats in the P.E.I. legislature.
Props to DEREK DECLOET, NICK CHAN, BOB ERNEST, YAROSLAV BARAN, MALCOLM MCKAY, KEVIN BOSCH, DAN FONDA, ROBERT MCDOUGALL and JAMES CALDWELL. Wednesday’s question: In what year did Canada’s first televised federal party leaders’ debate take place? For bonus marks, tell us where it was held. Answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Writing Playbook tomorrow: ZI-ANN LUM and KYLE DUGGAN. 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 | | | | 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 | | | | |
