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| By Nick Taylor-Vaisey |
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Thanks for reading the Ottawa Playbook. Let’s get to it. In today's edition: → J.D. VANCE is Trump's running mate. Canada’s eyes turn to Vance's Canadian buddy. → What's the meaning of "dangerous" rhetoric, anyway? → It's Inflation Day at Statistics Canada. |
 | 2024 WATCH | |
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Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance is introduced during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. | Matt Rourke/AP |
VEEP WATCH — Former President DONALD TRUMP has tapped Republican lawmaker J.D. VANCE as his running mate as the race for the White House barrels on. Vance came to prominence by way of his bestselling memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy," which launched his temporary schtick as a Trump critic. Vance has since renounced his never-Trump ways, and has also recently moderated his position on abortion. Shortly after the attempted assassination of Trump, Vance was near the front of the line among GOPers blaming Democrats for what went down. POLITICO must-reads: → Private meeting, billionaires and a G6 Gulfstream: The backstory on how Trump picked Vance → With J.D. Vance as VP, Trump puts the New Right on the ballot. → Trump is going all in on populism — and elevating an heir apparent. Today's top Google hit in Canada: Tory MP JAMIL JIVANI's 2020 National Post review of Hollywood's remaking of Vance's memoir. Jivani's piece is topped with a snap of the two chumming around. They met at Yale Law School, where they bonded as fellow outsiders. "If you had told me 10 years ago that my best friend from law school would be a self-described hillbilly, I’d have laughed in your face," Jivani wrote. "But you’d have been right." Brace for weeks of dogged Canadian digging into the Vance-Jivani kinship. From our colleagues in Europe: Trump’s VP pick spells ‘disaster’ for Europe and Ukraine. Elsewhere: Canada's ambassador to the United States KIRSTEN HILLMAN told CTV News on Monday that Vance “knows Canada well.” |
| WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | |
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| HOT SEAT — The CNN-POLITICO Grill is open for Day 2 of the Republican National Convention. Here's what's on tap, all times Eastern. Register to watch here. 12 p.m. Former United States Administrator of the Small Business Administration LINDA MCMAHON in conversation with economics correspondent VICTORIA GUIDA. 12:25 p.m. An executive conversation with Bayer’s JESSICA CHRISTIANSEN. 12:45 p.m. Sen. JOHN BOOZMAN (R-Ark.) and Rep. G.T. THOMPSON (R-Pa.) in conversation with food and agriculture policy reporter MEREDITH LEE HILL. 2 p.m. Georgia Gov. BRIAN KEMP in conversation with White House correspondent and Playbook co-author EUGENE DANIELS. 2:30 p.m. Rep. JIM JORDAN (R-Ohio) in conversation with senior Washington correspondent and Playbook co-author RACHAEL BADE. 3 p.m. House Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE (R-La.) 3:30 p.m. Sen. JOHN THUNE (R-S.D.) in conversation with Hill. 4 p.m. Executive conversation with McDonald’s executive VP JON BANNER. |
| PROZONE | |
Don’t miss our latest newsletter for Pro subscribers: What Canada's premiers want.
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For Pro's this morning: Defense Minister Bill Blair in conversation with POLITICO's Kyle Duggan. | Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP via Getty Images |
From POLITICO’s KYLE DUGGAN this morning: Why it will take Canada until 2032 to hit its NATO spending commitment. In other news for Pros: — RNC 2024: What to watch on energy, the environment. — Trump taps fossil-fuel supporter Vance for VP slot. — Trump picks J.D. Vance. Here's what it means for tech. — What VP Vance would mean for Wall Street. — Vance pick signals 'more aggressive’ trade policy if Trump elected. |
| DRIVING THE DAY | |
RHETORIC CHECK — Alberta Premier DANIELLE SMITH made news in Halifax when she commented on the attempted assassination of DONALD TRUMP.
"The way in which Conservative politicians have been characterized is outrageous, and that has led to the culture that we've seen in the U.S.," Smith told reporters as she arrived at this week’s premiers’ confab. "I certainly hope that some of the progressive politicians here are careful of their language, because they've been talking about conservative politicians in the same way. They need to dial it down." "Like what?" asked a reporter. Smith replied: "Have you not looked at the headlines about how PIERRE POILIEVRE is described as dangerous? How the leader of the opposition in Alberta has described me as dangerous? When you start using that kind of rhetoric, that ends up creating an elevated risk for all of us." — Dangerous (adj.): "Likely to injure or harm somebody, or to damage or destroy something." (Oxford English Dictionary) “The Breakdown,” an Alberta-based web series, immediately dug up several examples of Smith calling people dangerous. Poilievre has also repeatedly called JUSTIN TRUDEAU the d-word. Then again, Liberal MP MARK GERRETSEN has returned the favor. And Hansard is riddled with examples of Team Trudeau heavily implying Conservatives are, in some fashion, dangerous. — One obvious takeaway: In Canada, overheated rhetoric is every party's crutch. Think we're both-sidesing the issue? Check Hansard for yourself. UP CLOSE — Security was top of mind in Halifax as premiers landed in the sweltering maritime capital. Nova Scotia Premier TIM HOUSTON treated his colleagues and their staff to local cuisine on the waterfront Monday evening, while a few dozen pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in a nearby public square. Word got out that Salt + Ash, a low-key resto with a wonderful view, was hosting a friendly dinner on the first night of the premiers' summer meetings. The protest outside was loud and peaceful, a forceful expression of anti-Israel sentiment that burst into chant: "Premiers, premiers, what do you say? How many kids have you killed today?" |
Protesters give the premiers an earful on the Halifax waterfront | Nick Taylor-Vaisey |
— The gauntlet: At one point, premiers walked past the crowd to enter the venue via a staff door, guided by security. Organizers told Playbook in advance that they expected protests. Cries of shame followed the first ministers, their mugs caught in that awkward what's-the-right-face-for-this purgatory. Eventually, protesters even found a view of the diners themselves. The VIPs inside appeared unperturbed by the commotion. A block away, the protests were drowned out by traffic and the buzz of the surrounding city. The demonstrators started to disperse while diners still dined. Free expression, freely expressed. FAR AWAY — All over the world, politicians are blaming each other for violence that targets politicians. Mostly, it's the right blaming the left. Republicans are hammering liberals and "the media" for dialed-up rhetoric they say endangered DONALD TRUMP's life over the weekend. Europe's right wing is at it, too. Slovakian PM ROBERT FICO, who survived an assassination attempt in May, wrote on Facebook that Trump's critics “are trying to shut him down and when they don’t succeed, they piss off the public so much that some loser picks up a gun.” Last week, Fico returned to work with a message for his opponents: “Dear progressive liberal media and opposition, sorry to have survived, but I am back.” → Get in line: Our colleagues in Europe reported similar post-shooting comments from the Netherlands’ GEERT WILDERS, the U.K.'s NIGEL FARAGE, Spain's SANTIAGO ABASCAL, Italy's MATTEO SALVINI and Belgium's TOM VAN GRIEKEN. |
| Where the leaders are | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will be in Southwestern Ontario with no public events on his itinerary.
— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in Markham, Ontario, where she will tour an energy utility facility at 12:45 p.m. She will hold a media availability that is expected to start at 1:30 p.m. — Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE and Bloc Québécois Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET have not released his public itineraries. — NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH will meet with Burnaby Mayor MIKE HURLEY at 4:15 Pacific time. — Green Party Leader ELIZABETH MAY will meet with constituents on local issues. We're tracking the political events of 2024 on a mega-calendar. Send us events and download the calendar yourself for Google and other clients . |
| DULY NOTED | |
8:30 a.m. Statistics Canada is publishing Consumer Price Index data for June.
11 a.m. The House ethics committee meets to hear from Global Health Imports co-founder STEPHEN ANDERSON and lobbyist KIRSTEN POON. Global News has the backstory. |
| MEDIA ROOM | |
— The Star’s RAISA PATEL fact checks PIERRE POILIEVRE’s record on housing — and the Trudeau government's claims about it, too.
— From the Star's MARK RAMZY: Trudeau government’s carbon rebates went out Monday — but one major bank still isn’t using their official name. — The latest “Curse of Politics” pod is titled “Unnamed PMO Sources.” On it, panelist JORDAN LEICHNITZ says: “This sort of whiney, anonymous source complaining about somebody who really has been a loyalist … it’s a [expletive] [expletive] thing to do.” — What would MARK CARNEY as finance minister mean for Canada's climate ambitions? JOHN WOODSIDE considers the answer over on the National Observer. — Finally, CBC News reports that the former Canadian Forces reservist who stormed the grounds of Rideau Hall has been granted statutory release. |
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| 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. |
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| For your radar | |
LOW-MENTUM BUILDS — This morning's inflation data will be the last major indicator feeding TIFF MACKLEM's thinking on what to do next about interest rates.
The Bank of Canada released a pair of Monday reports with quarterly data that gauged the views of business leaders and consumers. Both paved the way for a rate cut at Macklem's next announcement on July 24. — BMO's ROBERT KAVCIC on the business outlook survey: "This survey was screaming for rate hikes in advance of the tightening campaign that ultimately started too late. Is the same thing happening now, but in the opposite direction? It seems so." — CIBC's KATHERINE JUDGE on the consumer confidence survey: "Consumers remain under stress, with further interest rate cuts required in order to prop up demand." — Noted: A sharp increase in firms grumping about taxes and regulation. “Firms mentioned red tape and regulations as slowing their plans, and taxes, predominantly the carbon tax, as increasing their costs,” the business outlook says. → What's next: Consumer Price Index data for June drops at 8:30 a.m. Most economists expect inflation to rise within the central bank's target range, setting the stage for a rate cut later this month. |
| | PLAYBOOKERS | |
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Birthdays: HBD to LOUISE FRÉCHETTE, the first deputy secretary-general of the United Nations; former MNA PIERRE PARADIS; and ANDREW THOMSON, pundit and former Saskatchewan finance minister.
Celebrate your day with the Playbook community. Send us the details. We’ll let everyone know. Spotted: Tory Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE, partying with festival-goers at Brampton's Fiesta Extravaganza … Historian CRAIG BAIRD, hosting an impromptu meet-and-greet in Major's Hill Park … JOËL LIGHTBOUND confirms he’ll run for reelection under the Liberal banner. Movers and shakers: DAVID MURRAY has left PIERRE POILIEVRE's policy shop for a new role as senior vice president at One Persuasion, a public affairs firm where Conservative data guru HAMISH MARSHALL is a partner. IVAN PEHAR is no longer country manager at Spotify Canada. Pehar promises news on his next steps in a few weeks. Bloomberg Philanthropies announced three Canadian mayors joined the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative: Edmonton's AMARJEET SOHI, Longueuil's CATHERINE FOURNIER, and Winnipeg's SCOTT GILLINGHAM. The Public Policy Forum welcomed economist TREVOR TOMBE as a fellow. Media mentions: POLITICO Playbook co-author EUGENE DANIELS is now president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. |
| TRIVIA | |
Monday’s answer: There were two answers to this one. Canada's premiers held part of their 2005 summer meeting onboard the Royal Canadian Pacific train bound to Banff. They also took the Sandford Fleming train from Edmonton to Jasper in 1996.
Props to MARCEL MARCOTTE and ROBERT MCDOUGALL, who answered the latter. Today’s question: What is the highest-ever number of women who served concurrently as premier, including both provinces and territories? Answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com . Writing Wednesday’s Ottawa Playbook: ZI-ANN LUM 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, editor Willa Plank and Luiza Ch. Savage. |
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