SURGICAL STRIKE — More than two hours after Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU took his seat at the Hogue commission Wednesday, he zeroed in on rival PIERRE POILIEVRE's party. It was a rare moment of sharp partisanship at a public inquiry into foreign interference that often toils in the weeds of structure and process. — Quote of the day: “I have the names of a number of parliamentarians, former parliamentarians, and/or candidates in the Conservative Party of Canada who are engaged or at high risk of, or for whom there is clear intelligence around foreign interference.” — Spread like wildfire: Reporters had their story the moment Trudeau spilled the allegations — not naming names, but expertly throwing shade. The prime minister sounded aghast that Poilievre lacks the appropriate security clearance to receive classified briefings about the alleged impact of foreign interference on his own flock. Trudeau called it "bewildering … entirely lacks common sense … absolutely no curiosity or openness … simply irresponsible … inexplicable and quite concerning." The stunning testimony rocketed to the top of every news website. Welcome to the latest battlefield in a political proxy war between a prime minister still in charge and an opposition leader bent on taking him down. — In Playbook’s texts: A reminder of BORIS JOHNSON's "dead cat" strategy: If you throw a dead cat on a dinner party table, everybody will react to the cat — no matter what else is going on in the room. → Returning fire: Poilievre's team sent out a 444-word rebuttal . The Tory leader's top demand: "Release the names of all MPs that have collaborated with foreign interference." Spoiler: Trudeau didn't do that, though he did later acknowledge that he is aware of Liberals who fell into the same bucket as those unnamed Conservatives. In his statement, Poilievre insisted his chief of staff has access to classified briefings as necessary. He accused Trudeau of "lying to distract from a Liberal caucus revolt against his leadership and revelations he knowingly allowed Beijing to interfere and help him win two elections." Meanwhile, NDP MP CHARLIE ANGUS cackled at Poilievre from the sidelines. Who said constituency weeks lacked fireworks? — NAFTA flashback: Trudeau turned back the clock to an anxious era as he explained the difference between foreign influence and interference. Influence can include the above-board work of diplomats, he explained. During high-stakes NAFTA renegotiations, the Canadian cross-border charm offensive won over allies in service to a better trade deal. They also worked to "neutralize" the influence of less-helpful governors. "That's just part of diplomacy," he told the room. ANATOMY OF A DIPLOMATIC WAR — Trudeau explained the genesis of the Canada-India diplomatic deep freeze which, and we're mixing metaphors here, got hot this week. The PM said he acted on conversations with Liberal MPs and the broader South Asian community about the potential involvement of India's government in the 2023 killing of HARDEEP SINGH NIJJAR, a Canadian citizen and Sikh activist. Trudeau's team alerted intelligence agencies to the scuttlebutt, but it turned out they were already investigating. Eventually, the PM went public with those allegations — and ratcheted up tensions this week after the RCMP shared allegations of ongoing Indian involvement in threats to public safety. → Mega-readout: The commission heard the colorful version of Trudeau's conversation with Indian PM NARENDRA MODI at the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi. The official readout of that meeting was characteristically sanitized. Trudeau filled in the blanks under questioning Wednesday: "I sat down and shared that we knew that they were involved and expressed a real concern around it. [Modi] responded with the usual response from him, which is that we have people who are outspoken against the Indian government in Canada that he would like to see arrested," he told the commission. — Moral of the story: Never look to a readout for candor. The best stuff comes under oath. → Fun fact du jour: GIB VAN ERT, a lawyer repping Tory MP MICHAEL CHONG, debated Trudeau during their McGill University days — alongside GERRY BUTTS and Justice Minister ARIF VIRANI . (Trudeau alluded to their past repartee during van Ert's cross-examination.) → Long day: Trudeau took his seat at 9:30 a.m. The hearings wrapped at 4:10 p.m.
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