| | | | |  | | By Mickey Djuric and Nick Taylor-Vaisey | | Presented by |  | | | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Ottawa Playbook | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. Let's get into it. In today's edition: → Ottawa and Washington on split-screen in the early days of Trump 2.0. → The initial costs of the 2024 “Team Canada” engagement strategy. → An update on USTR's frustration with the digital sales tax.
|  | FIRST THINGS FIRST | |
SPOTTED IN D.C. — Conservative MP JAMIL JIVANI, catching up over lunch Wednesday with law school pal and Vice President-elect JD VANCE in the Senate dining room.
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SERIOUSLY, EVERYTHING IS A-OK — In the same hour that Canada's Cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations met behind closed doors, DONALD TRUMP’s team announced its latest bombshell picks:
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GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from the House Wednesday, the same day he was tapped to be attorney general. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | → Former Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) for attorney general — a pick that shocked even Republicans (and Department of Justice lawyers). → TULSI GABBARD, a former Democratic presidential hopeful who endorsed Trump this year and joined the Republican Party, for director of national intelligence — another shocker. Gabbard is the latest Trump pick with a history of criticizing Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU over his “authoritarian policies” (her words). — In da clerb we all fam: Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND emerged from Wednesday's committee catch-up smiling and unbothered — all while hitting repeat on the Liberal government’s message that Canada has nothing to worry about during Trump 2.0. Also in the meeting: RCMP Commissioner MIKE DUHEME and Canada Border Services Agency President ERIN O'GORMAN. Most ministers attended virtually, leaving reporters hungry for sound bites high and dry. But Freeland offered up her best glass-half-full attitude. Some highlights: — On Team Trump’s sharp words about Canada: “The reality is that our government and indeed many Canadians have views that are different from the views of many members of the incoming Trump administration. That in no way needs to, nor will it impede, having a practical, respectful and effective relationship between the two countries." — On border czar TOM HOMAN’s concerns with Canada: “I think it’s absolutely legitimate for our American neighbors to want to work collaboratively and effectively with us and to want to know we take border security seriously, which we do.” — Keeping her cards close: Freeland has been careful not to reveal the government’s strategic plans in advance of Trump 2.0, but she pledged to put Canada’s national interest first. “The best way to do that is to start by looking for win-win outcomes, to start by looking for practical, effective ways to collaborate, to start by looking for areas where there is a shared interest and a shared approach,” she said, offering China as an example. “We will never be afraid of standing up for the national interest.” Top of POLITICO this hour: GOP holds onto House majority — clinching the trifecta. More on the transition of power: — Pentagon officials alarmed over PETE HEGSETH ’s lack of experience: ‘Would you trust him to run Walmart?’ — Trump’s spy pick stuns intel world: TULSI GABBARD has many critics and no formal intelligence experience. — Why KRISTI NOEM got the Homeland Security job. THE TRUMP WHISPERER — JUSTIN TRUDEAU is en route to two leader summits in coming days: first to Peru for APEC, then Brazil for the G20. Trudeau is one of only a handful of leaders at those forums with a record of working with Trump. As one senior government official put it: “We have a relationship that’s of interest to others.” Trudeau’s team anticipates that the PM will spend time fielding nervous questions about the president-elect. — Talk of the town: Expect Trudeau to push Canada’s priorities ahead of hosting the G7 Leaders’ Summit next year in Alberta — which, despite ceaseless speculation about his government's eroding survivability, he still expects to host. When Trudeau chats with leaders in hallways or bilateral meetings, the official said the PM will pivot to topics that preoccupy Trump, including trade, NATO, global security and the war in Ukraine. “Canada has a unique, deeply integrated relationship with the United States, and that’s understood globally,” the official said. — Re-energizing support for Ukraine: Trudeau spoke with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY ahead of the summits, as he does prior to any major event where Zelenskyy isn't in the room.
| | | | A message from The Public Policy Forum: The Public Policy Forum builds bridges among diverse participants in the policymaking process, offering new perspectives and feeding fresh ideas into policy discussions. We research issues, convene frank, publicly interested dialogue, find practical policy solutions and celebrate exceptional policy leaders. We also publish reports that help move the policymaking needle. Most recently we released our 2024 Atlantic Momentum Index, which highlighted a region experiencing unprecedented growth while grappling with the challenges that accompany rapid expansion. | | | | | PAPER TRAIL | |
TEAM CANADA — As the revamped Canada-U.S. Cabinet committee readies for Trump 2.0, and the Prime Minister's Office organizes itself for the new era in Washington, those efforts build on the "Team Canada" engagement strategy underway for months.
— Dynamic trio: In January, Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU tapped a pair of ministers — Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE and Trade Minister MARY NG — to run point on cross-border engagement alongside Washington envoy KIRSTEN HILLMAN. A February briefing note written for Champagne's then-deputy minister, SIMON KENNEDY, requested human and financial resources to support the minister's efforts. — Money, money, money: Kennedy approved the plan on Feb. 22. But the figures were redacted in the note, obtained by Playbook via the federal access-to-information law. So we asked the Innovation, Science and Economic Development department to fill in the blanks. ISED obliged. → The dollars: "A C$50,000 funding envelope was allocated from the Departmental Reserve to cover the domestic and international travel of ISED staff in support of the Minister and other operating expenditures." → The people: "3.7 FTEs have been reallocated from existing staff within ISED to support Team Canada efforts." FTE = full-time equivalent — not a person, per se, but a combination of hours worked equivalent to a full-time job. — What about GAC? Playbook put the same questions to Global Affairs Canada, which also supports "Team Canada" contributions. The department responded a week later. → The dollars: "A C$470,730 funding envelope was allocated to support GAC’s Team Canada work." → The people: "Global Affairs Canada has allocated 10.5 FTEs to support the work. No other FTEs are anticipated to join." — That was then: DONALD TRUMP is now. The feds know they're gonna need more than the equivalent of 14.2 extra public servants working the Team Canada beat.
| | | | The lame duck session could reshape major policies before year's end. Get Inside Congress delivered daily to follow the final sprint of dealmaking on defense funding, AI regulation and disaster aid. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | Where the leaders are | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is wheels up for Peru in advance of the APEC summit.
— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in Ottawa with no public-facing events on her itinerary. — Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE is headlining a party fundraiser at Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, British Columbia. — Playbook has not seen the itinerary for Bloc Québécois Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET. — NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH is in Toronto where he’ll participate in a fireside chat at the Canadian Club Toronto at 12:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., he will attend CLARE HACKSEL’s campaign launch in Toronto-Danforth. — Green Leader ELIZABETH MAY does not have any public events scheduled. | | DULY NOTED | |
— Tourism Minister SORAYA MARTINEZ FERRADA is in Florence, Italy, at the G7 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting.
— Liberals are holding three fundraisers: Labor Minister STEVEN MACKINNON and Liberal MP SAMEER ZUBERI at a reception hall in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec; Government House Leader KARINA GOULD at a private residence in Toronto; and Housing Minister SEAN FRASER, alongside Liberal MP ADAM VAN KOEVERDEN, at a restaurant in Milton. 10 a.m. Ontario Economic Development Minister VIC FEDELI and Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE will be in Port Colborne, Ontario, to participate in a ground-breaking ceremony for a new battery separator facility at the Asahi Kasei site. 11 a.m. Heritage Minister PASCALE ST-ONGE will appear by videoconference at the House heritage committee. On the agenda: “Further consideration of the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage” — on job cuts at CBC and Radio-Canada. | | | | A message from The Public Policy Forum:   | | | | | For your radar | |
USTR ON DST — The Biden administration on Wednesday said it has no immediate plan to seek a dispute settlement panel to hear its concern that Canada's digital services tax violates the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
“The United States opposes unilateral digital service taxes that discriminate against U.S. companies,” a USTR spokesperson told POLITICO’s DOUG PALMER. “We continue to consult with Canada to address our concerns, and we reserve our rights to further proceedings, including under the USMCA, should those concerns not be resolved.” The USTR asked Canada for consultations on the tax on Aug. 30. Under USMCA, it could take the next step and ask for a dispute settlement panel if those talks did not resolve U.S. concerns within the next 75 days. That deadline passed this week. The Biden administration’s decision not to immediately pursue a panel suggests the issue may be left for the incoming Trump administration to resolve. — Quote of note: Asked about the issue on Wednesday, Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND said Canada will continue to work with American counterparts on the issue. “The fact that this is being handled within NAFTA is another sign of how special and how privileged the Canada-U.S. trade relationship is,” she said. — In related trade news: Canada’s former trade negotiator STEVE VERHEUL looked at Canada’s options in case of Trump tariffs. | | | ALSO FOR YOUR RADAR | | | |  Ali Zaidi is assistant to U.S. President Biden and White House national climate adviser. | AP | POWER PLAY — How do the Biden officials representing the U.S. in Baku feel about ELON MUSK’s appointment to the Trump team? ALI ZAIDI, national climate adviser at the White House, tells ANNE MCELVOY of the “Power Play” pod: “What I know from Mr. Musk, when I worked in the Obama administration and subsequently now with the federal government, is that he’s a force for American innovation, for a pursuit of this massive economic opportunity that sits on the other side of climate ambition. I think Tesla is a proof point of the economic upside that you can get by chasing a clean energy future.” You can listen to the full interview here. — Follow this crew at COP29: POLITICO has a team of reporters in Azerbaijan: KARL MATHIESEN, SARA SCHONHARDT, ZIA WEISE, SUZANNE LYNCH, CHARLIE COOPER and ZACK COLMAN. — The latest from Baku: Trump’s power plays overshadow global climate summit. | | MEDIA ROOM | |
— HARVEY CASHORE and DANIEL LEBLANC of CBC News report: CRA launched 'witch hunt' against whistleblowers who exposed millions in bogus refunds, sources say.
— The Economist predicts: “Canada is about to receive a MAGA mauling.” — “There’s less than a year to go until our next election. There’s about an 80- to 90-per-cent chance Mr. Trudeau will be gone by then. Mr. Trump wants him gone,” Globe columnist LAWRENCE MARTIN writes. — “Trudeau’s progressive policies are out of vogue in Canada and the U.S.,” MICHAEL TAUBE writes in The Telegraph. “His weak, timid leadership will further crumble against Trump’s vision to make America great again.” — “Liberal America failed hard because they all talk down to us like we’re seven years old,” ERICA IFILL writes in The Hill Times. — From ANNIE LOWREY in The Atlantic: The cost-of-living crisis explains everything: “The economy under Biden looked good but felt bad.” | | | | A message from The Public Policy Forum: The Public Policy Forum’s latest report, called Adjusting the Sails: 2024 Atlantic Canada Momentum Index , makes a convincing case that Atlantic Canada is showing momentum across a range of indicators, including the macro economy, the labour market, human capital, innovation and investment, and quality of life. "Every sailor knows the old saying: We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails," the report notes. "Atlantic Canada is in the biggest boom since the Second World War, but it won't last forever. In the last decade, social and demographic shifts as unpredictable as the wind have come from every compass point in Atlantic Canada — and it's clear political and economic leaders need to trim the sails if the region is to maintain its momentum." Sign up for PPF’s weekly Atlantic Momentum newsletter to keep up to date with breaking economic and innovation news from the region. | | | | | PROZONE | |
For POLITICO Pro subscribers, our latest policy newsletter: Conversation starters for the Canada-US Cabinet committee.
From Pro’s senior trade reporter DOUG PALMER: Mexico urged to resist Trump’s “iron bar” tariff threats. In other news for Pro readers: — Trump’s power plays overshadow the global climate summit. — Europe’s right wing shows Trump how to do climate, MAGA-style. — Trump may end Biden’s ‘green’ hydrogen dream. — Azerbaijan uses COP29 to net fossil fuel deals. — 42 percent of Europe’s 5G runs on Chinese gear, incoming tech chief warns. | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | |
Birthdays: HBD to Conservative MP TIM UPPAL and NDP MP CHARLIE ANGUS.
Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Send it all our way . Spotted: Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE, riding an electric fire truck . The pathway and stairway behind Centre Block, closing up for the season in an annual sign of winter beckoning on the Hill. Noted: Manitoba Premier WAB KINEW shuffled his Cabinet. YOUSUF KARSH's iconic portrait of WINSTON CHURCHILL, stolen from the Château Laurier almost three years ago, will receive a welcome home ceremony Nov. 15, the Citizen’s LYNN SAXBERG reports. Movers and shakers: NIIGAAN SINCLAIR won the Governor General’s Literary Award for non-fiction for “Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre.” NICK SCHIAVO has a new gig: director of government and stakeholder relations with the Canadian Media Producers Association … DANIEL CARAMORI is taking on a new role at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce: VP for chamber network engagement. In memoriam: Energy and Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON noted on X the death of his mentor, HOWARD LEESON . “Howard was brilliant, enormously creative and strategic. He was also a wonderful boss who helped guide me and many others early in their careers,” he wrote. | | | | Policy change is coming—be the pro who saw it first. Access POLITICO Pro’s Issue Analysis series on what the transition means for agriculture, defense, health care, tech, and more. Strengthen your strategy. | | | | | | | | WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY | | | Find the latest House meetings here. The Senate schedule is here.
| | TRIVIA | |
Wednesday’s answer: The Shuttle Remote Manipulator System is better known as the Canadarm.
Props to KATE SCHNEIDER, SUSAN KEYS, MALCOLM MCKAY, BRIAN GILBERTSON, MEASAR MUSA, ADAM SMITH, TOD COWEN, GUILLAUME LEGROS, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, MARC LEBLANC, BRANDON WALLACE, SARA MAY, MARK A. MAHABIR, CAMERON RYAN, LAURIE MACE, DOUG RICE, RALPH LEVENSTEIN, AMY SCANLON BOUGHNER, CHELSEA BERRY, PATRICK DION, FERNANDO MELO, WAYNE EASTER and RODDY MCFALL. Also JOHN DILLON, DAVE EPP, ALEX BALLINGALL, DARREN MAJOR, MARK AGNEW, SHAUGHN MCARTHUR, JOHN ECKER, SCOTT LOHNES, PATRICK ST-JACQUES, ALEXANDER LANDRY, TREVOR RODIE, GREG MACEACHERN, MATTHEW CONWAY, GUY SKIPWORTH, CHRIS RANDS, JOHN MERRIMAN, MARCEL MARCOTTE, DANIEL KOMESCH, MICHAEL POWELL, ANTHONY VALENTI, GARY ALLEN and GERRY THORNE. Props + 1 to GANGA WIGNARAJAH for landing Tuesday’s Q. Today’s question: Name the first woman minister in the United Church of Canada. Send your answer to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Writing tomorrow's Playbook: MICKEY DJURIC and NICK TAYLOR-VAISEY. Playbook wouldn’t happen without: POLITICO Canada editor Sue Allan, editor Willa Plank and Luiza Ch. Savage. Advertise in our Playbook. 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 | | | | |
