| | | |  | | By Mickey Djuric | Presented by Public Service Alliance of Canada | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Ottawa Playbook | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. Let's get into it. In today's edition: → An unfashionable question about the next Liberal Cabinet. → Canadians crack wise about the “Fentanyl Czar.” → LinkedIn know-it-alls weigh in on the what next. |  | DRIVING THE DAY | |
RISE AND SHINE — Some morning headlines via our colleagues in Washington:
— Shutdown anxiety rises on Capitol Hill amid Trump chaos. — Trump puts USAID staff around the world on leave. — Trump says US will ‘take over the Gaza Strip.’ — The unexpected power of Musk’s digital assault on Washington. POLITICO EXCLUSIVE — Our colleague GRAHAM LANKTREE reports from London that Canada is angling to revive long-shelved trade talks with the United Kingdom, as Ottawa tries to build up alliances in the shadow of DONALD TRUMP's trade war. “We now have both a great opportunity and a great reason to work really hard at trade diversification,” Canadian High Commissioner to the U.K., RALPH GOODALE told Lanktree in an interview. “It would be helpful to take another go at that and see what we can accomplish in the shortest possible time,” Goodale said. “If we can add on to it, so much the better,” he said, with priority areas being science and tech and innovation, quantum computing and AI. Lanktree’s story is here. | | LEADERSHIP RACE | |
SUNNY WAYS, ETC. — Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU was the first prime minister in Canada to form a Cabinet with an equal number of women and men. Asked at the time why it was so important, Trudeau responded: “Because it’s 2015.”
As STEPHEN MAHER pointed out in his book “The Prince,” that line — which Trudeau planned beforehand with aides, as CBC cameras rolled — made him “a feminist darling around the world.” The PM has emphasized gender parity in Cabinet ever since. The current count: 20 men, including Trudeau, and 18 women. — Now … because it’s 2025: Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are under attack in the United States. With the stroke of a pen, U.S. President DONALD TRUMP has been dismantling government DEI initiatives and pushing out staffers who worked on them. Many corporations are walking back their own programs. The push to reverse DEI is gaining momentum in conservative circles, including in Canada. What could this mean for the next Liberal Cabinet? We asked the candidates in the contest to replace Trudeau. — Striking the right balance: CHRYSTIA FREELAND recently promised “at minimum, women will have an equal voice” at the Cabinet table should she become the next PM. — Carrying the torch: MARK CARNEY is “committed to gender equality and balance around the Cabinet table and ensuring that we also move much faster towards equal representation of women in Parliament,” a spokesperson for his campaign told Playbook. RUBY DHALLA pointed us to her party’s “proud history of trailblazing women in politics.” If she wins, she would “look forward to maintaining gender parity in Cabinet.” — Not so fast: Candidate FRANK BAYLIS wouldn’t commit to gender parity, but throughout his career said he has “prioritized giving the most qualified person the position, which has led to strong diversity.” “If I'm prime minister, I'm committed to putting the best person for the job in Cabinet, and I'm convinced this will reflect Canada's full range of diversity,” he told Playbook. Baylis credits his position on the issue to his mother, GLORIA BAYLIS, whose 1964 lawsuit against a hotel established a precedent in Canada that a person’s characteristics cannot be used to discriminate in employment. “This is the spirit of the law and the letter of the law,” Frank Baylis said. — Left on read: KARINA GOULD’s campaign did not get back to us. — Ahead today: ASHLEY BURKE of CBC News reports that Carney is expected to announce that if he becomes prime minister he's committed to reaching NATO's military investment benchmark of two per cent of gross domestic product by the end of 2030. | | | | A message from Canada's federal workers: Remote work has revolutionized the way we work in Canada. It boosts productivity, enhances work-life balance, saves taxpayer dollars, and reduces traffic and pollution. Remote work is how we'll build the public service of tomorrow—one that uses cutting-edge technology, maintains a human touch, and delivers better services to families and businesses. It creates a diverse workforce from communities across Canada while putting people first. Visit remoteworks.ca. | | | | | For your radar | | | 
Donald Trump on Monday said penalties on imports from Canada and Mexico would be on hold for 30 days after the leaders of both countries pledged to boost border security. | Chris Kleponis/CNP | LINKEDIN KNOWS IT ALL — Canada scored a small W this week when the White House agreed to a pause on levying 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports for 30 days. The reprieve gives Ottawa time to ramp up border security, and to deliver on commitments JUSTIN TRUDEAU made over the phone to DONALD TRUMP. — Need a max win: Reality — and dread — quickly set in when Canadians realized the process might repeat in a few short weeks. So how can the federal government set a course for the future? We turned to the crystal ball that is LinkedIn, where it turns out everybody was posting their own blueprints: → “Do the border stuff”: Former ambassador to the U.N. LOUISE BLAIS kept her advice simple, urging Canada to leverage its assets, cut red tape and bring innovations to market. → “Get our own house in order”: So advised ROBERT ASSELIN, senior VP of policy at the Business Council of Canada. → “Stay cool”: That’s a recommendation from GERALD BUTTS, the PM's former principal secretary. “Trump is a man who *tore up* a G7 communiqué he’d just signed because he didn’t like Trudeau’s tone in the closing press conference,” he said. “All it’ll take is a few headlines screaming ‘Trump Backs Down’ and this is back on by Friday.” → “Focus on our endgame”: A proposal from ANIL ARORA, Canada’s former chief statistician. “Let’s grow our economic pie, diversify our markets, leave no talent untapped, be united, and remove self created unnecessary barriers,” he said. → “Let’s not settle”: CAROLE SAAB, CEO at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, said now’s not the time to “wait for the next manufactured crisis to find our footing. Let’s plant it now,” she counseled. → “Keep pushing”: ARLENE DICKINSON, a member of the PM's Council on Canada-U.S. Relations, shared a reminder that Canada is not a minor player in trade: “We are a critical partner, and our people, resources, innovation, and industries matter greatly,” she said. “Every one of us is on Team Canada, and we’ve just shown that when we stand together we get results.” — In related reading: Here's the NYT on the tariff pause. CBC News also offers a behind-the-scenes take. OFFLINE GROUP CHAT — Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE and NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH seriously want Parliament to return. They claim some of the government's C$1.3 billion border plan requires legislative approval. New Democrats are keen to ensure support for workers and businesses if tariffs come to pass. The Prime Minister’s Office has no plans to recall Parliament. Playbook has learned that House leaders are not currently in touch with each other.
| | Where the leaders are | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will host a virtual meeting with provincial and territorial premiers from Ottawa. Later he’ll deliver remarks at a Black History Month reception alongside Diversity Minister KAMAL KHERA.
— Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE will hold a press conference in Vancouver at 9:30 a.m. local time (12:30 ET). — Bloc Québécois Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET is touring Quebec's Gaspésie region alongside Bloc House Leader ALAIN THERRIEN. — Green Leader ELIZABETH MAY will travel from New York to Washington, D.C. to attend National Prayer Breakfast events. | | | | We’ve re-imagined and expanded our Inside Congress newsletter to give you unmatched reporting on Capitol Hill politics and policy -- and we'll get it to your inbox even earlier. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | DULY NOTED | |
— Finance Minister DOMINIC LEBLANC headlines an evening party fundraiser in Ottawa's Sandy Hill neighborhood alongside co-host MPs MONA FORTIER and YASIR NAQVI. (This event was previously scheduled last October, amid the Liberal caucus mini-revolt that culminated in a high-stakes caucus meeting.)
| | | | A message from Canada's federal workers:  
| | | | | Talk of the town | | | 
Peter Navarro told POLITICO on Tuesday: “This is not just a drug war, it’s a terrorist war and a border invasion war.” | Andrej Ivanov/AFP via Getty Images | NEW BUREAUCRACY ALERT — Canada’s pledge to appoint a “Fentanyl Czar” has been the butt of online jokes ever since JUSTIN TRUDEAU posted about the gig following Monday negotiations with DONALD TRUMP. It’s all part of Canada’s effort to beef up the border. — First question: How is this different from what officials within law enforcement agencies, Public Safety Canada and Health Canada already do? Public Safety Minister DAVID MCGUINTY told CBC News the czar will help with new regulations and new laboratories to trace and track fentanyl. They’ll also work closely with Global Affairs Canada. Until formal details trickle out, Canadians are finding ways to have fun with the czar — a title so rarely used on this side of the border that people are filling in the blanks themselves. — Sign me up: In the last fiscal year, Americans tracked 43 pounds of fentanyl that crossed into the U.S. from the Canadian side of the border. Compare that to the 21,100 pounds that crossed the southern U.S. border with Mexico. Perks of the job, then, could include low stress levels, simple tasks, flexible hours, minimal physical strain and solid work-life balance. — Canada’s finest: On social media, people are using memes to advocate for their picks including Polkaroo, beavers (just slap a Mountie hat on them and hand them a cup of Timmies), and either Ricky, Bubbles or Julian from “Trailer Park Boys.” Then there’s the Littlest Hobo, Red Green and that IKEA monkey who rocked a shearling coat back in 2012. There are also nods to the most protective Canadians: our geese. — Online game: How long will it take for Trump to notice? Wink, wink. — Joking aside: It's generally understood this measure was intended to give Trump a win. — Not laughing: PETER NAVARRO, White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, who accused Canada of allowing Mexican cartels to make fentanyl within its borders. “What’s happening is the president is fighting a drug war. This is not a trade war,” Navarro told POLITICO’s White House Bureau Chief DASHA BURNS. Read more from their conversation here. — The Globe reports: Nearly one-third of fentanyl cited in U.S. tally not connected to Canada. — Great unknowns: Will the czar start work in time for March 4, when Canada’s 30-day tariff reprieve is up? Will Cabinet make the appointment? To whom will the czar report? What's the salary? Are you DAVID MCGUINTY and do you have all the answers? Tell us! | | | | A new era in Washington calls for sharper insights. Get faster policy scoops, more congressional coverage, and a re-imagined newsletter under the leadership of Jack Blanchard. Subscribe to our Playbook Newsletter today. | | | | | | | MEDIA ROOM | |
— “It's harder to talk about a broken Canada when there's a growing sense of patriotism,” a Conservative source told Radio-Canada’s CHRISTIAN NOEL in a story that says Conservatives are conducting internal surveys to adapt PIERRE POILIEVRE’s message.
So long, “Axe The Tax” rallies. Hello, “Canada First”! The party is pivoting its brand at Ottawa’s Rogers Center on Feb. 15 — on Flag Day no less. — DENISE BALKISSOON writes in the Star: Our newfound, America-booing patriotism is missing something crucial. — KATHRYN MAY of Policy Options writes in The Functionary newsletter that tariff relief could cost the government billions while creating “major operational challenges for a bureaucracy bracing for downsizing.” — “TC Energy and the Canadian government lobbied Mexico to accept natural gas as an environmental solution, much to the dismay of climate and energy experts who say the position is illogical,” CARL MEYER reports for The Narwhal. | | | | A message from Canada's federal workers: Remote work has revolutionized how we work in Canada. It boosts productivity, enhances work-life balance, saves the government money, and reduces traffic and pollution. It also creates a more inclusive public service, bringing in talent from communities across the country.
Remote work is how we'll build the public service of tomorrow—one that uses cutting-edge technology, maintains a human touch, and delivers better services to families and businesses. It's a smarter, more efficient way to serve Canadians while saving taxpayer dollars.
Despite its clear benefits, the government's push for rigid office mandates ignores the proven advantages of remote work. It's time to embrace the future and focus on policies that deliver real results for Canadians. Learn more at remoteworks.ca. | | | | | PROZONE | |
For POLITICO subscribers, our latest policy newsletter by MIKE BLANCHFIELD: What to do with a pause in the tariff war.
From BEN LEFEBVRE in Washington: Canada energy minister mulls lessening economic ties to US amid trade tensions. Also on Tuesday: Robert F. Kennedy — Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is now one step closer to being the top U.S. health official. And Trump’s nominee for attorney general, PAM BONDI, was confirmed by the Senate. In other news for Pro readers: — China hits back at Trump’s tariffs and complains to the WTO. — Navarro on Trump’s tariff threats: ‘It’s a drug war, not a trade war.’ — Dr. Oz makes the rounds in the Capitol. — Trump taps more nominees for the U.S. Energy Department. — Commerce pick with crypto ties could sit on crypto task force. | | PLAYBOOKERS | | | 
In 2010, the Aga Khan was named an honorary citizen of Canada. | Stephen Senne/AP | In memoriam: The Aga Khan, who became the spiritual leader of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims at age 20 as a Harvard undergraduate and poured a material empire built on billions of dollars in tithes into building homes, hospitals and schools in developing countries, died Tuesday. He was 88. The AP's obituary is here. “He was a visionary and an extraordinary person,” Adrienne Clarkson, the former governor-general, told The Globe and Mail. “There was nobody else like the Aga Khan.” Birthdays: HBD to Fisheries Minister DIANE LEBOUTHILLIER. Spotted: Ontario Premier DOUG FORD, scratching U.S. President DONALD TRUMP’s name off his Christmas card list. Ontario Liberal Party Leader BONNIE CROMBIE, inquiring about how many residents are without a family doctor. Treasury Board President GINETTE PETITPAS TAYLOR, celebrating Black History Month. Noted: Elections Canada posted the formal vacancy notice for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, following NDP MP RANDALL GARRISON's resignation on Jan. 31. Because the seat opened less than nine months before a fixed election date, constituents won't elect an MP until the next general election. Movers and shakers: ELIZABETH MAY and JONATHAN PEDNEAULT are both officially Green Party leaders after members voted in favor of ratifying constitutional changes that allow for co-leadership. TERRY DUGUID, minister responsible for the Prairies, was appointed ministerial lead for Jasper following last summer’s wildfires. CHRIS DAY is now senior vice president and general manager of Hill & Knowlton's Ottawa office … GRACE LEE REYNOLDS becomes permanent CEO of MaRS Discovery District … JOHN FRAGOS is senior communications adviser to Employment and Labor Minister STEVEN MACKINNON … LHORI WEBSTER recently left MacKinnon's office, where she served as director of policy and labor relations … MATT CONLEY is now manager of international trade and skills policy at Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters. Media mentions: The Walrus is launching six regional bureaus to cover the West, the North, Atlantic Canada, the Prairies, Ontario and Quebec. | | TRIVIA | |
Tuesday’s answer: It was U.S. President DONALD TRUMP who said: “The USMCA is the fairest, most balanced, and beneficial trade agreement we have ever signed into law. It’s the best agreement we’ve ever made, and we have others coming.”
Props to WAYNE EASTER, ALEXANDER LANDRY, TOD COWEN, RODDY MCFALL, AMY CASTLE, MARC LEBLANC, STEPHEN KAROL, JONATHAN KALLES, BOB PLAMONDON, SARA MAY, SHAUGHN MCARTHUR, AMY SCANLON BOUGHNER, ALYSON FAIR, LESLIE SWARTMAN, RALPH LEVENSTEIN, BOB GORDON, NANCI WAUGH, MARK RAMZY, GARY ALLEN, RAY DEL BIANCO, JOHN ECKER, PAUL PARK, REID ALEXANDER, TREVOR RODIE, ANDREW CHESTER, STEPHEN RUSTON, BILL GARVIN, RAY FARMILO, MARCEL MARCOTTE, J. ROLLAND VIVE, JOHN MERRIMAN, ABHAY KATOCH, TED HENDERSON, CHRIS RANDS, FERNANDO MELO, ROSS LECLAIR, PATRICK DION, RON CREARY, MAUREEN MACGILLIVRAY, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, BARRY J. MCLOUGHLIN, MATTHEW DUBÉ, ROBERT PLAMONDON, BILL WATSON, MALCOLM MCKAY, JENI ARMSTRONG, SURAJREET SINGH, TRACY SALMON, ISABEL MCMURRAY, FELIX BERNIER and JOANNA PLATER. Wednesday’s question: What percent of the total Canadian population was in uniform at some point during World War I? Answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Writing tomorrow's Playbook: NICK TAYLOR-VAISEY and MIKE BLANCHFIELD. Playbook wouldn’t happen without: POLITICO Canada editor Sue Allan, editor Willa Plank and Luiza Ch. Savage. Want to advertise in Ottawa 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 | | | |
