| | | |  | | By Mike Blanchfield and Nick Taylor-Vaisey | Presented by Canada's federal workers | Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Ottawa Playbook | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. Let's get into it. In today's edition: → Canada racks up D.C.-bound frequent flier miles. → Trump 2.0 turns its attention to critical minerals. → LAWRENCE MACAULAY goes one-on-one from Washington.
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | |
CRASHING WASHINGTON — Canada’s NEXUS lanes are well trodden by politicians descending on the District of Columbia.
Visitors so far this week include Public Safety Minister DAVID MCGUINTY, Transport Minister ANITA ANAND, Agriculture Minister LAWRENCE MACAULAY, Immigration Minister MARC MILLER and Saskatchewan Premier SCOTT MOE. Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. KIRSTEN HILLMAN also convened a meeting of senior Canadian consuls general from missions across the country. Attendees included New York’s TOM CLARK, Detroit’s COLIN BIRD, Atlanta’s ROSALINE KWAN, SUSAN HARPER from Dallas, ZAIB SHAIKH from Los Angeles, SYLVAIN FABI from Denver, MADELEINE FÉQUIÈRE from Chicago, former Quebec Premier JEAN CHAREST (who posted a photo of the group on X) and Ontario’s representative DAVID PATERSON. A big part of their plan is to sell Trump’s team on the fact Canada has heard his demands to tighten its border to prevent fentanyl and illegal migrants from entering the U.S. See: McGuinty’s X post from Wednesday afternoon. And this one. — Does any of this even matter? The Canadians, and their international allies, are playing by rules rooted in negotiation and persuasion, though they’re not above some not-so-subtle begging. — The key challenge: Trump policy amounts to whatever thought passes through his brain at any given moment. — In other words: There are no rules. — Calling a spade: The soon-to-be former premier of Newfoundland and Labrador will not be visiting Washington anytime soon. ANDREW FUREY made his last visit there earlier this month with his fellow 12 premiers. This week, Furey announced he is quitting politics. “We’re looking at four years of erratic, crazy, bonkers behavior by the president of the United States,” he explained to reporters. “I mean it’s clear, right? The guy’s cracked,” Furey said. “He wakes up one morning and says something — water, cars. Tomorrow it’s going to be tuna, who knows? It’s just, that’s how erratic and confusing it is.” — Analyze this: Trump suggested Wednesday he will delay 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada another month, the latest in a series of conflicting statements, ARI HAWKINS reports. “April 2 ... for everything,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting. "I'm not stopping the tariffs.” Trump's remarks in the Oval Office come two days after he suggested the 25 percent tariffs "are going forward on time, on schedule," on March 4. — Asked for clarification: A White House spokesperson said tariffs on Mexico and Canada are still expected to take effect Tuesday. → But: "Reciprocal tariffs are still on for April 2," they noted, referring to tariffs Trump has said he plans to impose on all trading partners, based on any trade barriers they impose on U.S. goods. — Next up: British Prime Minister KEIR STARMER will visit the White House today in a bid to woo Trump. Ahead of the visit, Starmer announced that British defense spending will be boosted to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027.
| | | | 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. | | | SITUATION CRITICAL — The Trump administration is making moves on critical minerals that are key components in electronics, devices and, of course, weapons. — Copper tariffs possible: On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order instructing the Commerce Department to investigate whether to impose tariffs on copper and derivative products in order to protect national security. U.S. Commerce Secretary HOWARD LUTNICK will rely on Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, which Trump used to impose steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and other allies during his first term. EWA MANTHEY, a commodity analyst at the ING Group, a Dutch-based financial services and analysis firm, says the U.S. relies on imports for 45 percent of its domestic copper. Canada, at 26 percent, is second to Chile at 35 percent, on its list of top suppliers. Government figures show that Canadian mines produced more than 500,000 tonnes of copper in 2023, with almost half coming from British Columbia; its exports of copper and copper-based products were valued at C$9.4 billion. — Mining Ukraine wealth: Trump said Wednesday that Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY would be in Washington Friday to sign a minerals-for-aid deal with Ukraine. “We very much need rare earth, they have great rare earth,” said Trump, who has made a previous demand for “$500B worth of rare earth.” — Here at home: Natural Resources and Energy Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON has long proposed deepening cooperation on developing critical minerals and uranium production and processing. — Back in 2020: Canada and the U.S. signed a pledge to cooperate on critical minerals. — Fast forward to now: As our colleague HANNAH NORTHEY points out, Ukraine’s “mineral wealth has emerged as yet another front in Trump’s foreign policy strategy that puts natural resources on the front lines, from Canada to Greenland and Ukraine.”
| | PLAYBOOK'S ONE-ON-ONE | |
AG MAN IN D.C. — The last time LAWRENCE MACAULAY joined a massive Canadian effort to lobby American counterparts, he produced one of the great photos of the NAFTA renegotiation era. Seldom has a 70-year-old man holding an ice cream cone ever looked so convincingly and contentedly boyish.
— That was then: MacAulay and then-U.S. Agriculture Secretary SONNY PERDUE dabbled in dairy diplomacy on a steamy June evening in Savannah, Georgia — and forged a lasting rapport. The following year, Perdue visited MacAulay's farm on Prince Edward Island. — This is now: On a Washington jaunt this week, with the threat of overlapping tariffs hanging over Canada-U.S. conversations, MacAulay didn't score a meeting with his newly confirmed counterpart, BROOKE ROLLINS, who was sworn in on Feb. 13. In conversation with Playbook, MacAulay played down the lack of tête-à-tête so early in her mandate. "It's not fair to ask her to start meeting [foreign counterparts]," he said. "Our offices are, of course, in contact, as you would expect, and we will certainly be talking soon, I would imagine, and meet whenever I can." — Trump loyalist: Rollins comes to the Agriculture Department by way of the America First Policy Institute, which she founded in 2021, and was described at the time as a “White House in waiting.” The AFPI has advocated for "tariffs where appropriate to support American workers and counter unfair practices that lead to distorted and unbalanced trade." — Meetings, meetings: MacAulay met with Sen. JOHN BOOZMAN (R-Ark.), the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee; Rep. G.T. THOMPSON (R-Pa), chair of the House Agriculture Committee; Rep. ANGIE CRAIG (D-Minn.), the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee; and various industry reps. Playbook asked about what came up in conversation — and how much success he had making the case against tariffs. → Borders and fentanyl: "It's certainly not a big part of the conversation, but it's been brought up." → Will Canada avoid tariffs? "I don't know. I don't think anybody knows, but we hope that what we're doing is what needs to be done. I don't want to hurt the Americans, and I certainly don't want to see Canadians hurt." — About that game: MacAulay watched the recent Canada-U.S. 4 Nations Face-Off championship showdown in his living room. "My wife went to bed and like a fool, I was screeching. Turned the television up to the highest volume. Just beyond myself. It was unreal. You would think I was a maniac, but I was so proud. Oh, my god."
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | Where the leaders are | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is in Montreal for an announcement and media avail with Olayuk Akesuk, the president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, and Natan Obed, the resident of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.
— Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE headlines a party fundraiser at First Canadian Place in downtown Toronto. — Bloc Québécois Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET joins Bloc Québécois candidate MARIE-NOËLLE CLOSSON-DUQUETTE in her Sainte-Thérèse riding for an event. — Playbook has no line of sight into NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH's itinerary. — Green Leader ELIZABETH MAY will attend the King Charles III Coronation Medal ceremony for Saanich-Gulf Islands for 25 constituents from her riding. | | DULY NOTED | |
VOTING DAY — Good morning, Ontario. It’s time to vote. That is all.
| | TALK OF THE TOWN | | TRADE ANGST — The Trump tariff threat brought more than 120 people to the Chateau Laurier on Thursday to hear from industry experts convened by the Canadian Club of Ottawa. In a keynote, CANDACE LAING, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, spoke about ways Canada can strengthen its hand and navigate the global chaos. — Quotes of note: “Even though we know logic is not playing the same role in Trump 2.0 as it did in Trump 1.0 … the education and information we can put in the hands of Americans still does matter. And it's important that we all continue to do that,” Laing said. “It's impossible to know what is going to happen next. It is true, there is an agenda and there is a plan. It is also true tariffs are used as a tactic. It is also evident that President Trump changes his mind, can spin wins out of losses, and sometimes assigns policy by a tweet or a microphone, and his staff finds out at that very moment the same time we do,” she added. “So this is a very unpredictable and dangerous environment.” — Wakeup call: Laing said Canada must focus on what it can control, including removing internal trade barriers between provinces, an issue that Canada is moving on at long last. “If we are so stressed about a 2.6 percent hit to our GDP, now is the time to go after at least the 4 percent we live with on the table every year, without question, because of our internal trade barriers.” — Uncertain summit: “This is a significant moment for Canada, as we have a G7 presidency. If there's a G7, we'll see what happens,” she said. Because of the uncertainty, the planning for the leaders summit and the business component, the B7, is “still up in the air.” “These are big deal moments that you usually have things locked down months and months and months and months in advance.” Laing was later joined by CATHERINE COBDEN, president of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, and MIKAELA MCQUADE at PwC Canada, in a discussion moderated by JEANNINE RITCHOT of the Privy Council Office.
| | | | A message from Canada's federal workers:  
| | | | | MEDIA ROOM | | — The CBC’s DAVID COCHRANE scooped news that ANITA ANAND is set to announce she plans to run again in the next election — a reversal of her recent decision to do the opposite. — A team at the Globe reports that Liberal leadership candidate MARK CARNEY said he was not involved in Brookfield’s decision to move its headquarters to the U.S., "but company records show the relocation was completed during his tenure." — “Americans should stop treating attacks on their neighbor as a joke,” ALICE SOUTHEY and TABATHA SOUTHEY write in Foreign Policy. — IAN AUSTEN of The New York Times talked to DEBBIE HARTLEN of The Flag Shop Nova Scotia, where sales are way up. “Isn’t it wonderful?” she said. “Thank you, Trump.” — POLITICO's MARIE J. FRENCH reports: ELON MUSK's bad rep among Dems threatens EV sales push in statehouses. — “Our geography used to protect us fairly well, but that’s not so much the case anymore. What we do have is our allies. Having lots of friends is our strength,” Chief of the Defense Staff JENNIE CARIGNAN tells Maclean’s. — CARINE ABOUSEIF explains in The Walrus why the trade war poses a threat to Canadian health care.
| | PROZONE | | For POLITICO Pro subscribers, our latest policy newsletter by SUE ALLAN and MICKEY DJURIC: Just trying to keep up with the Trump threats. From Pro trade reporter DOUG PALMER: New U.S. Trade Representative JAMIESON GREER to lead demoralized trade agency with uncertain future. Pro energy reporter JAMES BIKALES interrogates EPA Administrator LEE ZELDIN's critiques of Lion Electric. In other news for Pro readers: — Trump creates more confusion on tariffs. — Musk and Trump's federal layoffs are just getting started. — European Commission pushes EU’s 2040 climate target law into spring. — Godfather of GDPR fears EU will ‘give in’ to Trump’s pressure on tech laws. — EPA moves to ditch finding that greenhouse gases cause harm.
| | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: HBD to Conservative MP LIANNE ROOD, former NDP MPs LIBBY DAVIES and WAYNE MARSTON, along with former Liberal Cabinet minister MARYANN MIHYCHUK.
More birthday balloons to author and lawyer MAUREEN MCTEER. Celebrate your day with the Playbook community. Send us the details. We’ll let everyone know. Spotted: JOHN RALSTON SAUL, weighing in on POTUS: "What a nutbar." Liberal MP RUBY SAHOTA's wallet, lost and found. Noted: The Supreme Court of Canada is moving on from X … Liberals are holding a March 1 nomination meeting in advance of the upcoming Halifax by-election … WILL GREAVES announced that he’ll be running for the Liberals in Victoria, British Columbia … Liberals recently acclaimed PATRICK AGBOKOU as their candidate in Saint-Jean, Quebec. They also acclaimed SYED NAQVI in London-Fanshawe, Ontario. Movers and shakers: LESLIE SCANLON has been named Canada’s ambassador to Israel. She replaces LISA STADELBAUER, who departed last July. The U.S. Senate confirmed Trump’s nominee for U.S. trade representative, JAMIESON GREER. Our colleagues on the trade team note it was by a far narrower margin — 56-43 — than is traditional for the president’s top trade official. The Hill Times reports that CORY PIKE will be MÉLANIE JOLY’s new chief of staff … JACKSON SKAM, a member's assistant to Conservative MP MIKE LAKE, is leaving for a new gig as policy adviser at Employment and Social Development Canada. Media mentions: Former journalist and political aide MICHAEL DEN TANDT announced that he’s joining the Bank of Canada as the director of speechwriting and policy content.
| | | | 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 | | Wednesday’s answer: In a 2000 federal leaders' debate, Canadian Alliance Leader STOCKWELL DAY held up a written sign that read “NO 2-TIER HEALTH CARE". Props to HADYN PLACE, JONATHAN MOSER, SIMON PALAMAR, DUANE BRATT, JENN JEFFERYS, MALCOLM MCKAY, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, JOHN INCA ANDERSON, YAROSLAV BARAN, CAMERON RYAN, ADAM SMITH, MARJORY LEBRETON, SHAUGHN MCARTHUR, MARCEL MARCOTTE, DARRYL DAMUDE, ALYSON FAIR, PATRICK DION, BARRY J. MCLOUGHLIN, BRANDON RABIDEAU, GREG MACEACHERN. RAY DEL BIANCO, JEREMY WALLACE, CHRIS RANDS, SARAH ANDREWS, DEREK DECLOET, SUSIE HEATH, DANIEL PROUSSALIDIS, JOHN DILLON, LAURA JARVIS, MARK AGNEW and GARY COLLINS. Today’s question: Who said the following of 24 Sussex: “An old, crumbling building with asbestos, which we know is poison, really is so lacking of vision.” Send your answer to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Writing tomorrow's Playbook: MICKEY DJURIC. Advertise in our Playbook. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
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