| | | | |  | | By Nick Taylor-Vaisey | Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. Let’s get to it. In today's edition: → "Everyone I have ever known thought well of him." → Bureaucrats identify the heart of Canada's economy. → Who’s up. Who’s down. And … HBD to us! |  | FIRST THINGS FIRST | |
OTTAWA PLAYBOOK IS 3 — We launched this newsletter on the first full day of the 2021 federal campaign, which feels like approximately 1,000 years ago.
We’ve traveled from coast to coast, to D.C. and overseas, obsessively tracking the daily minutiae of Canadian politics to feed your curiosity about the way power moves and manifests inside the Ottawa fishbowl. We strive to keep you connected to the best reads, the latest lobbyist registrations, the moveshakes and, yes, to birthdays. We've hosted trivia nights in Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Washington. This year, we launched the Ottawa Playbook Trivia Cup. We appreciate every time you open Ottawa Playbook, indulge our puns, respond to our call-outs and — of course — scroll down for daily trivia. So, thank you. Drop us a line. We read every single email. | | IN MEMORIAM | | | | 
Chuck Strahl on Parliament Hill in November 2010. | Sean Kilpatrick, The Canadian Press | CHUCK STRAHL, 1957-2024 — LinkedIn is rarely a go-to for heartfelt reflection. But CHUCK STRAHL's death this week sparked remembrances from legions of former Hill colleagues. — Stellar rep: When the Reform Party's popularity exploded in 1993, Strahl rode the wave to Ottawa. He spent 18 years in the House of Commons, first as part of a scrappy opposition and later as a senior Cabinet minister in STEPHEN HARPER's government. Many politicians leave Ottawa with their reputation in tatters. Strahl, who was first diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and still served two more terms, departed in 2011 to universal high praise. A few minutes of scrolling Thursday revealed a deeply respected politician, father and man of faith — a giant, both literally and figuratively, eulogized online with more than a fleeting #RIP. Take former Privy Council clerk MICHAEL WERNICK, deputy minister when Strahl headed Aboriginal affairs and northern development: "We were both cancer survivors who knew about treatments and checkups. I remember spending an evening at his apartment watching him cook while we fretted over some crisis now forgotten," Wernick wrote on LinkedIn, describing their pairing as a "gift." — How to be beloved: "Weekly briefings were something people looked forward to and I had to coach him to be tougher when he thought the work wasn’t good enough," Wernick wrote. "He was a master of dealing with caucus and quite fearless in dealing with PMO. He walked the talk of 'honour of the Crown.'" — Hear, hear: GINA WILSON, now the deputy minister of Indigenous Services Canada, "treasured those weekly briefings." Wilson counts her work with Strahl on the 2008 residential school apology as a "lifetime highlight." "He wept and wept with emotion, like so many of us," she wrote in reply to Wernick. "He respected public servants and always expressed his appreciation." — Policy chops: STEPHEN KELLY, the former chief of staff to then-environment minister JIM PRENTICE, recounted a 10-minute meeting between the two Cabmins that resolved a decades-long struggle to finalize the expanded boundaries of Nahanni National Park Reserve. → A rare feat: "I think everyone I have ever known thought well of him," said IAN BRODIE, a longtime colleague and former chief of staff to STEPHEN HARPER. → The more you know: Strahl was once the Royal Westminster Regiment's honorary lieutenant-colonel. That's where ISAIAH ROBINSON, deputy chief councilor of Kitasoo Xai'xais Nation and salmon farming advocate, crossed paths with Strahl as a cadet. Elsewhere in remembrances: — PETER MACKAY, former Conservative Cabinet minister: "We were House Leaders together at a time when the Conservative movement was deeply divided, yet we quickly became good friends and shared many laughs." — SARAH FISCHER, Conservative Party comms director: "I remember watching [Strahl] being honoured by a First Nations Chief who placed a beautiful headdress on him and rubbed small white feathers on his forehead. He was obviously very touched and emotional over the experience because you could see tears streaming down his face. It was a beautiful thing to witness and I will never forget it." — FREDERIK BOISVERT, Harper-era senior aide: "Remarkably, he achieved the rare feat (for a conservative) of being loved by both political figures and civil servants alike." — ANDREW SMITH, diplomat at Canada's high commission in the U.K.: "I once worked w/ Minister Strahl when we were posted to Beijing and he was minister [of agriculture]. He was one of the kindest, most thoughtful Ministers to have supported. In a touching gesture, he hand wrote thank you letters to all Embassy staff who had worked on his China visit." | | Where the leaders are | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will "attend a community event" in the Greater Toronto Area. FWIW, the annual end-of-summer CNE does open today.
— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in the Toronto area with no public-facing events on her schedule. — Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE headlines a party fundraiser at the Diamond Jubilee Cruise Terminal in Saint John, New Brunswick. Start time is 3 p.m. local. — Bloc Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET has not released his itinerary. — NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH is in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. At 10 a.m. local time, he’ll march in the Gold Cup Parade. At 6 p.m., he’ll be in Montague to attend an NDP nomination meeting. — Green Leader ELIZABETH MAY is in Duncan, British Columbia, where she will attend the opening of the campaign office of Cammy Lockwood, BC Green candidate for Cowichan, at 6:30 p.m. local time.
| | | DULY NOTED | | | — The Arctic Gateway Group, which operates the Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay railway, holds an afternoon ceremony to mark "the first export shipment of critical minerals from the port in over 20 years."
| | | | During unprecedented times, POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy. Live briefings, policy trackers, and and people intelligence secures your seat at the table. Learn more. | | | | | | | PAPER TRAIL | | |  A briefing note for the PM, advised him to observe that "Toronto is the heart of Canada's economy." | Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images | TORONTO THE HAPPY — On the eve of a high-profile meeting with OLIVIA CHOW last Dec. 21, a Privy Council Office briefing note landed on Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU's desk. He was about to announce a C$471-million dollop of housing money, the largest portion for a single city to date drawn from a federal fund meant to accelerate homebuilding. — Talking points: The memo coached Trudeau through the city's laundry list of funding requests for housing, asylum seekers and public transit. The deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs, TUSHARA WILLIAMS, offered the PM suggested lines for his sitdown with the mayor. — The context: Trudeau walked into a delicate tripartite dance. Chow was "generally aligned with the federal government on policies, such as climate action, green infrastructure, and transit development," the note read, but the mayor wanted Ottawa to "be more ambitious with its social programs." Just don't forget about Queen's Park. "The province has usually preferred bilateral engagement with the federal government and to have greater control over how federal funds flow to cities," the note cautioned. But a new deal between Chow and Premier DOUG FORD could be an "opportunity to encourage further innovative forms of government partnership to get things done." — The taps are limited: The PM was counseled to manage expectations. "I appreciate the pressure you are under fiscally. So too is the federal government," went one proposed talking point. "All orders of government must be willing to work together to explore solutions." — You listening, Alberta? The memo suggested pouring on the love for Canada's biggest city: "Toronto is the heart of Canada's economy and I know how critical it is that Torontonians live happy and productive lives." Hey, some animals are powered by multiple hearts. Maybe the intergovernmental affairs bureaucrats conceive of Canada as the nation-state equivalent of an octopus or giant squid. | | | 2024 WATCH | | | 
U.S. President Joe Biden attended an event with Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday in Maryland. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | POLITICO reads on the U.S. campaign: — MYAH WARD explains why "KAMALA" is branding by design. — DONALD TRUMP held forth in Bedminster, New Jersey, for 90 minutes on Thursday afternoon. MERIDITH MCGRAW and NATALIE ALLISON have the details. Earlier in the day, attorneys for Trump asked the judge overseeing the former president’s Manhattan criminal case to postpone his sentencing, now set for Sept. 18, until after November’s presidential election, ERICA ORDEN reports from New York. — In case you missed it, Ohio Sen. JD VANCE agreed to debate Minnesota Gov. TIM WALZ on Oct. 1 on CBS, locking in a match-up between the Republican and Democratic nominees for vice president.
| | WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN | |
UP: Hotel room bookings in Nanaimo, B.C., in advance of the Liberals' summer caucus retreat on Vancouver Island next month.
DOWN: The amount of grumbling from Ontario Liberal MPs, following the prime minister's surprise visit to this week's provincial caucus meeting in Sudbury. | | MEDIA ROOM | |
— The Globe's CARRIE TAIT reports: Western fires blanket the Prairies with heavy smoke, raising air-quality index to highest level in major cities.
— From NICK MURRAY at CBC News: The upstart Canadian Future Party launches into byelections — does it have a shot? — DALE SMITH reminds Xtra readers that PIERRE POILIEVRE hasn't won yet: "Progressives must fight the sense of inevitability, because there’s plenty that can happen before the next election." — The headline nobody expected for a middling hotel chain, via National Newswatch: Tories blast Trudeau for ‘lavish’ retreat at Sudbury Holiday Inn — “Poilievre isn’t the only politician looking to take advantage of the overdose crisis for political gain,” TAYLOR C. NOAKES writes in The Walrus. “It’s becoming a national, non-partisan phenomenon.” — A talker of a Toronto Star op-ed from economist MIKE MOFFATT: "JUSTIN TRUDEAU’s government radically transformed Canada’s temporary foreign worker program. Young people and low wage workers are paying the price." Hear him talk about the issue on Power & Politics.
On the "Front Burner" pod this morning, ARMINE YALNIZYAN discusses the program. | | PROZONE | |
Catch the latest POLITICO Canada newsletter for Pro subscribers via SUE ALLAN: Ready or not: Canada’s wildfire forecast.
From Pro's PAUL MCLEARY and JOE GOULD: The U.S., Australia and the U.K. have removed significant trade barriers in sharing defense technologies in a big win for the AUKUS pact. In other news for Pro readers: — 6 questions for GINA MCCARTHY after a few whiplash weeks. — IRA has spawned 330 clean energy projects, report finds. — Republicans question science behind LNG pause. — Who might lead EPA for Trump 2.0? — Bavarian Nordic says it can supply 10M mpox jabs by end of 2025.
| | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: HBD to “West of Centre” podcast host KATHLEEN PETTY, as well as former parliamentarians IRENE MATHYSSEN, DEAN DEL MASTRO and STOCKWELL DAY.
Saturday: Former MP MARTHA HALL FINDLAY, now director of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. Sunday: Former Nunavut MP HUNTER TOOTOO and former Winnipeg Mayor BRIAN BOWMAN. Greetings also to PIERRE DUCASSE, the NDP's Quebec lieutenant during JACK LAYTON's early years as party leader. Birthdays, gatherings, social notices for this community: Send them our way. Spotted: Crestview VP EVAN MENZIES, appealing for crew sock fashion tips as Gen Z embraces the lewk … Former MP JAMES CUMMING, zeroing in on a federal Conservative nomination meeting in Edmonton Centre. — The Canadian and American coast guards, discouraging boaters from joining the annual "Port Huron Float Down" along the St. Clair River near Sarnia — but recognizing that revelers who flock to the float-fest will likely go anyway. The authorities aren't bluffing. In 2014, a 19-year-old swimmer drowned and rescuers suspended a search after 36 hours. Then there was this episode, in 2016: "High winds and heavy rains led to approximately 1,500 participants requiring assistance when they landed on the Canadian shoreline at Sarnia and Corunna, leaving them stranded and subject to Canadian and U.S. border security with no identification, money, or means of communication," the statement recalled. "Some had injuries and suffered from hypothermia." Movers and shakers: Agnico Eagle Mines lobbied PIERRE POILIEVRE in a summertime conversation the Tory leader's team plastered all over social media. — Maple Leaf Foods filed recent meetings with PMO chief of staff KATIE TELFORD; Finance Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND; Finance DM CHRIS FORBES; HOLLY DUGGAN, Poilievre's outreach and stakeholder relations director; and Tory MP ADAM CHAMBERS. — J.D. Irving posted meetups with Export Development Canada Executive VP and COO CARL BURLOCK; Freeland operations director SHANNON ZIMMERMAN; GUY GALLANT, chief of staff to Veterans Affairs Minister GINETTE PETITPAS TAYLOR; ELIZABETH ARSENAULT, an Atlantic regional adviser in the PMO; ANSON DURAN, chief of staff to Transport Minister PABLO RODRIGUEZ; and Transport DM ARUN THANGARAJ. Media mentions: RACHEL PULFER is now president of Journalists for Human Right s. BILL KILLORN takes over as executive director. Send Playbookers tips to ottawaplaybook@politico.com . | | TRIVIA | |
Thursday’s answer: A monument to jazz pianist OSCAR PETERSON, winner of eight Grammy Awards, sits outside the National Arts Centre. The tribute is currently hidden behind protective fencing as the nearby Mackenzie King Bridge is refurbished. Peterson, a sign notes, will return.
Props to MEASAR MUSA, CHRISTINA DE TONI, ROBERT DEKKER, PEGGY MORGAN, ROB LEFORTE, JENN KEAY, FRANCIS BRADLEY, DARRYL DAMUDE, SABRINA PAYANT SMITH, MALCOLM MCKAY, TIM LOGAN, EMILY HAWS, CHELSEA BERRY, FELIX BERNIER, DON NEWMAN, MICAH SIENNA, CAMERON RYAN, J.D.M. STEWART, DAN MCCARTHY, AMY SCANLON BOUGHNER, NATHAN GORDON, AMY CASTLE, JANICE NICHOLSON, MURRAY WILSON, GREG MACEACHERN, SARAH ANSON-CARTWRIGHT. Also BRANDON RABIDEAU, JOHN MERRIMAN, ALYSON FAIR, JIM MUNSON, MARY JANE ALLAN, GORDON RANDALL, JOE BOUGHNER, FRANÇOIS LEVESQUE, PATRICK DION, J. ROLLAND VAIVE, MARK AGNEW, JOHN DILLON, ALEX STEINHOUSE, KEVIN COLBOURNE, HUGUES THÉORÊT, CHRISTOPHER LALANDE, IAN GLYNWILLIAMS, GUY SKIPWORTH and MARCEL MARCOTTE. Friday’s question: Who was hit with a pie on this day in Canadian history? Answer to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Playbook wouldn’t happen without: POLITICO Canada editor Sue Allan, editor Willa Plank and Luiza Ch. Savage.
| | | | 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 | | | | |
