| | | |  | | By Nick Taylor-Vaisey with Philippe J. Fournier | Presented by Canada's federal workers |
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Thanks for reading the Ottawa Playbook. Let’s get to it. → Canada's prime ministerial hopefuls debate en français. → Ottawa's shifting position on continental missile defense. → G7 summit planning: Public safety edition. |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | | 
Contenders in the race to replace Justin Trudeau: Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould and Frank Baylis. | AFP via Getty Images | From the desk of 338Canada's Philippe J. Fournier: ANGLOS IN MONTREAL — Liberal leadership candidates crossed swords in the Canadian heartland of la langue de Molière last night, engaging in a spirited tête-à-tête aimed at wooing undecided Liberal voters two weeks out from voting day on March 9. It was MARK CARNEY vs. CHRYSTIA FREELAND vs. KARINA GOULD vs. FRANK BAYLIS in the first of a pair of Montreal debates. Many observers predicted a debate full of linguistic faux pas — after all, none of these candidates is a native francophone. — Dur, dur d’être impoli: There’s a reason French debates in Canada have consistently outshone their English counterparts in overall impact. Speaking in a second language forces a slower, more deliberate exchange, effectively curbing the interruptions and langue de bois that marred the 2019 and 2021 English debates. Back then, candidates managed barely a few words before the inevitable cacophonous mêlée. — It’s the user experience: English-speaking Canadians may be tempted to grumble, “Why must debates always be about language with Quebecers?” Well, just think back to former Liberal leader STÉPHANE DION’s ill-fated 2008 campaign. But trust this francophone: Dion’s English — even with a mouthful of peanut butter — would have been more eloquent and enjoyable than PRESTON MANNING’s French in 1997. The point here: No francophone in Canada wants to listen to politicians butchering the French language during a two-hour debate. But we endure. — Merci pour l’effort: Not all Anglos speaking French sound the same to discerning ears. Former PM STEPHEN HARPER’s French, though pénible in 2004, gradually evolved into near-perfect international French. Similarly, the late JACK LAYTON’s broken French in early campaigns transformed into one with a Québécois-sounding accent, as if reminiscent of a native born in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. — Pardon? The night’s “Sacré Bleu!” moment was more of a vocabulary error than a Freudian slip. At the end of a segment on war in the Middle East, MARK CARNEY looked at his colleagues and said, in his head: “So, we’re all in agreement about Hamas” — i.e. that Hamas is bad. But sa bouche, he said: “Alors, nous sommes d’accord avec Hamas” — i.e. "we're all in agreement with Hamas." Avec. With. The press room filled with francophones burst in laughter because we all knew what he meant. It was obvious. Still, that clip could become Carney’s bête noire. This morning's headlines: CBC News: Liberal leadership hopefuls pitch themselves as best person to take on Trump. The Globe: Liberal leadership contenders focus on Trump’s threats to Canadian economy, sovereignty in French debate. The Post: First Liberal leadership 'debate' offers little to distinguish between the candidates. The Star: Trump and his threats are the dominant topic at federal Liberal leadership candidates’ debate. — Back at it again: All four candidates are sticking around Montreal for an English-language encore. Playbook is on the scene. Tell us: What should we be watching for in the leadership race's onstage showdown? | | | | 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. | | | | | Where the leaders are | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will travel back to Ottawa from Rzeszów, Poland.
— Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE and Bloc Québécois Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET have not shared public itineraries. — NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH is in Montreal where with MP ALEXANDRE BOULERICE he will visit the Lise and Yvon Lamarre Center, newly opened housing for young adults living with autism. — Green Co-leader ELIZABETH MAY will meet with constituents and then travel to Saturna Island. JONATHAN PEDNEAULT will visit the Saint John City Market. | | DULY NOTED | | — The Next Campaign Tech Showcase, a forum meant for campaigners who want to trade notes on the latest tools, is underway at the Queen's Manor Event Centre in Brampton, Ontario. Among the speakers: DAN ARNOLD, CHAD BOWIE, MARIANNE MEED WARD, QUITO MAGGI, BRETT THALMANN, ZAIN VELJI, PERRY TSERGAS, ZITA ASTRAVAS, TAYLOR SCOLLON, LENA GAHWI, DAVE SOMMER and AMREET KAUR. — Agriculture Minister LAWRENCE MACAULAY delivers 10 a.m. remarks at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture 2025 Winter Policy Conference in Washington. — Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE will participate in an 11 a.m. chat organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. To be discussed, according to the minister’s itinerary: “Canada-U.S. relations, tariff threats, and how Canada can adapt and innovate to address these challenges.” — iPolitics and Proof Strategies host a 5 p.m. panel entitled, "Building Trust in Politics: The Path Forward for Parties, Advocates and Businesses" — a discussion based on Proof's annual CanTrust Index. Panelists include the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's CANDACE LAING, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' CAROLE SAAB and the Samara Centre for Democracy's SABREENA DELHON. CPAC's MICHAEL SERAPIO is moderator. | | | | Donald Trump's unprecedented effort to reshape the federal government is consuming Washington. To track this seismic shift, we're relaunching one of our signature newsletters. Sign up to get West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government in your inbox. | | | | | | | For your radar | | | 
"An integrated missile-defence system for all of North America is the thing that makes sense to everybody,” Defense Minister Bill Blair said during a recent Washington visit. | AP | PROJECTILE PIVOT — Twenty years after PAUL MARTIN's government declined to participate in North American missile defense, Defense Minister BILL BLAIR struck a different tone on a recent trip to D.C. "Frankly, an integrated missile-defence system for all of North America is the thing that makes sense to everybody,” he said. As talk of continental missile defense heats up in Washington, a briefing note from 2023 appears to have fueled a formal rethink of Canada's muddled approach to missile defense as it gains new momentum in Trump 2.0's early days. — Reset the decks: Five months after Blair's appointment as defense minister, his top bureaucrat received "policy guidance" on integrated air and missile defense — a hot topic south of the border. The memo for the eyes of then-Deputy Minister BILL MATTHEWS — obtained via an access-to-information request — offers a glimpse into the department's thinking at the time. → Blunt assessment: Former Foreign Minister PIERRE PETTIGREW's 2005 announcement "was not defined in detail but is understood to mean that Canada would not contribute to the development, planning or operation of BMD systems to defend North America," read the note. But that's about as far as the previous government went in outlining its thinking, according to the bureaucrats who wrote the memo: "The Government of Canada has never released more specific policy guidance to lay out the parameters of this decision, nor a detailed explanation of its rationale." — Blurred lines: Americans and NATO allies have adopted a "comprehensive" approach to missile defense that "moves away from the siloed systems of the past," the authors note. Translation: It's hard to know where Canada's participation begins and ends. "As the US's overall approach becomes more holistic, seams that distinguish ballistic missile defence from other elements of air and missile defence are being eliminated," reads the note. — Rhetorical shift: Blair isn't the first recent minister to consider a policy reversal on missile defense. ANITA ANAND didn't rule it out during 2022 remarks at a Canadian Global Affairs Institute event. "We are certainly taking a full and comprehensive look at that question as well as what it takes to defend the continent across the board,” she said in response to a question. Even Martin's thinking evolved over time. He acknowledged in 2017 that the world had changed — and he might have come to a different conclusion. — Baby steps: When Anand announced billions in funding for NORAD modernization in June 2022, the note says, DND "obtained policy cover and funding to conduct significant R&D initiatives that will help strengthen Canada's approach to air and missile defence." Blair has since announced a research partnership with Australia. — The note's conclusion: "Canada's 2005 decision to not join the US BMD system…" is as much as the redactors let us know — though Blair is starting to fill in those blanks. | | PAPER TRAIL | |
G7 PRIORITIES: TBD — Every week, the mid-June Kananaskis G7 Leaders' Summit edges closer. The Canadian hosts are still holding off on announcing signature initiatives meant to define their presidency.
Not knowing who will be prime minister is an impediment to planning. So is an unpredictable Trump administration forging thornier relations by the day with key allies — including punishing tariffs that could overshadow a marquee gathering of world leaders. — What we do know: Ottawa has pushed plenty of paper on G7 priorities. Playbook recently obtained a briefing note via access-to-information that offers clues to Public Safety Canada's focus. — Feels like a lifetime ago: The Sept. 26 note sought Deputy Minister SHAWN TUPPER's approval on a "signature initiative" jointly developed with Global Affairs Canada. Quick context: → Three weeks earlier, New Democrats had pulled their support for a supply-and-confidence deal that had offered relative stability to the governing Liberals. → At the time, FiveThirtyEight's polling aggregator gave Democrat KAMALA HARRIS 48.6 percent of the vote — a tick shy of a 3-point lead over resurgent DONALD TRUMP that turned out to be a high water mark on the campaign. — Meetings, meetings: Public Safety's final proposal followed a Sept. 10 check-in with the Prime Minister's Office — a so-called 4C, or "four corners" meeting, that folds in political people and the bureaucrats who advise them. The department owed Canada's G7 sherpa, CINDY TERMORSHUIZEN, a final proposal by Oct. 1, which would feed her discussions with JOHN HANNAFORD, clerk of the Privy Council, a few days later — and a larger deputy minister meeting on Oct. 9. The goal was to get the proposal in a "decision memo" on Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU's desk. — The proposal itself: Well, that remains a mystery thanks to copious redactions. Public Safety hoped to crack the "leaders track" of initiatives, and they hoped to achieve some sort of "accompanying statement" from "the G7 and beyond." An attached "Tab A" is entirely blanked out, but the redactors did leave one clue. The appendix includes the words "FP and democracy." | | | | A message from Canada's federal workers:  
| | | | | NOMINATION WATCH | |
As a federal election nears, we're tracking the number of nominated candidates in each major party — and noting significant names as they emerge. A full slate is 343 candidates. Last week's numbers are in parentheses.
— Conservative: n/a (234) — Liberal: 151 (147) — NDP: 148 (140) — Green: 132 (121) — Bloc Québécois: 8 (5) → Worth noting: We didn't hear back from Conservatives this week. Liberals recently acclaimed two candidates: BRIAN ADEBA in Kitchener Centre, Ontario; and WADE WEI LIN CHANG in Burnaby Central, British Columbia … ANITA HUBERMAN was disqualified from the Conservative nomination race in Surrey Centre, B.C. | | MEDIA ROOM | |
— From POLITICO’s SEB STARCEVIC: Musk renews his ‘5 things’ demand with Trump’s apparent support.
— Our colleagues in Europe report: Trump says Putin will accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine. — FEN OSLER HAMPSON and TIM SARGENT argue in The Hub that “with each passing day, time and the reaction of markets are on our side and so too eventually will Americans as they feel Trump’s inflationary pain." — In a Walrus Q&A, KARINA GOULD tells WENDY KAUR: “I’m a millennial suburban mom. Guess who’s an important voting bloc? Millennial suburban moms.” — CATHRIN BRADBURY writes in The Walrus of the Liberal leadership race that CHRYSTIA FREELAND, “by any measure, is the most qualified for the job.” — Hockey Hall of Famer and former Cabmin KEN DRYDEN writes in The Atlantic on hockey and politics. | | PROZONE | |
Check out our latest Pro policy newsletter from MIKE BLANCHFIELD.
The latest headlines for Pro subscribers: — Trump indicates Canada, Mexico tariffs will take effect next week. — Can Europe replace the US in Ukraine? — The end of Germany’s climate crusade. — Why derechos sometimes hit harder than hurricanes. — The IPCC meets amid Trump’s climate attacks. What to watch for. | | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: Happy 65th to Public Safety Minister DAVID MCGUINTY. Alberta Sen. SCOTT TANNAS also celebrates today.
Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Send it all our way. Spotted: NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH, in a new ad, boxing and promising he is “fighting for you.” Saskatchewan Premier SCOTT MOE, leading a business delegation to Washington through Thursday. Noted: The Council of Canadian Innovators' LAURENT CARBONNEAU argues in a Mooseworks post for procurement as part of Canada's fight against dependence on America: "If governments can become more effective at buying from the private sector, it would essentially create a much more competitive market within a huge chunk of our national economy. This is the other side of the coin of tearing down interprovincial trade barriers to make the private sector more competitive." Media mentions: TOM HARRINGTON announced that March 28 will be his final day at the CBC after more than four decades. | | | | 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. | | | | | TRIVIA | |
Monday’s answer: Then-President HARRY TRUMAN described the Canada-U.S. relationship as “one part proximity and nine parts good will and common sense” in an address before Parliament on June 11, 1947.
Props to ANJUM SULTANA, MIRIAM MATHEW, WENDELA M. ROBERTS, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, BILL WATSON, JOHN ECKER, MARCEL MARCOTTE, RAY DEL BIANCO, BOB GORDON, LAURA JARVIS, MALCOLM MCKAY, STEPHEN HAAS and STEVE KAROL. Today’s question: Which Cabinet committee is the only one created by law? Answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com . Wednesday's Playbook will be written by MICKEY DJURIC and NICK TAYLOR-VAISEY. | | | | 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 | | | |
