| | | |  | | By Mickey Djuric and Sue Allan | Presented by The Motion Picture Association – 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: → All of Canada’s premiers are in D.C. with a message for DONALD TRUMP. → Former U.S. ambassador DAVID COHEN says ixnay on the annexation talk. → Does the USTR-to-be have beef with Canada? Yes, yes and yes. |  | HALLWAY CONVERSATION | | | 
"My medical schooling didn't cover enough psychiatry to pretend to understand what makes the president tick," Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey tells POLITICO. | The Canadian Press | FUREY’S FURY — The premier of Canada’s easternmost province is in Washington today to push back against President DONALD TRUMP’s “imperialistic, if not colonialist” agenda. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier ANDREW FUREY is one of 13 Canadian premiers heading to Capitol Hill to meet with Trump appointees and allies with the clock ticking until the next across-the-board tariff deadline. — Make no mistake: Furey told Playbook that he is not in D.C. to “bend the knee or kiss the ring.” The premier said he's on the mission to defend Canadians, adding that it would be wrong to arrive in Washington and say: "Yes, president. What can we do differently?" Furey says Trump continues to move the goalposts: “We need to draw a line in the sand firmly as Canadians, be prepared to defend it, which I think we are, or else the whole beach will be eroded." Playbook spoke to Furey by phone after he arrived in Washington. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. What do you make of the president going after a democratic ally, raising doubts about our sovereignty? I think he's steadfast on reestablishing a different — not better — but different world order. His comments are both insulting to Canadians. I see it as an assault on our democratic institutions. What do you think he wants the new world order to be? I'm not sure where his agenda is with respect to foreign affairs, but it certainly appears to be an imperialistic, if not colonialistic agenda, that seems to be fixated on expansion of the United States’ footprint whether that’s in the Middle East, Denmark or Canada. I don't think we should dismiss it. We need to take it incredibly seriously. We need to make sure that as Canadians, we’re prepared — and I think we are — to stand united proudly in the face of such an assault. Do you believe across-the-board tariffs are inevitable? Yes. He ran his campaign on it. He's appointed people around him who truly believe in tariffs. It just doesn't make any sense when it relates to the bilateral relationship between Canada and the United States. There’s discussion circulating that Trump is interested in Canada’s water. Have you heard that at all? Sure, you hear all kinds of things. My medical schooling didn't cover enough psychiatry to pretend to understand what makes the president tick, but his agenda is continuously changing. So yesterday it was about the banks. Today it's about water. Tomorrow it will be about, you know, apples from Nova Scotia. Who knows? Our Pro subscribers can read the entire conversation here.
| | | | A message from The Motion Picture Association – Canada: Canadians love streaming, but Ottawa's new rules could mean higher prices, fewer choices, and less global reach for our film and TV industry. We need a better approach—one that protects affordability, promotes competition, and creates real opportunities for Canadian talent. Let's give consumers the freedom to watch what they want, without unnecessary costs and restrictions. Click here to learn more. | | | | | DRIVING THE DAY | |
CONVERSATION STARTERS — Some stories we’re following in Ottawa, Washington and Brussels, where the PM will hold a presser later this morning:
→ Border control: KEVIN BROSSEAU is Canada’s new “Fentanyl Czar.” The release from the PM is here. The Globe’s STEVEN CHASE reports: “While Mr. Brosseau has little national profile, he served as deputy national security and intelligence adviser to the Prime Minister until his appointment to the newly created position.” → Wake-up call: Former Prime Minister STEPHEN HARPER told an invitation-only audience in Ottawa on Tuesday: “If I was still prime minister, I would be prepared to impoverish the country and not be annexed, if that was the option we’re facing,” Harper said. “Now, because I do think that if Trump were determined, he could really do wide structural and economic damage, but I wouldn’t accept that. … I would accept any level of damage to preserve the independence of the country.” The Star’s TONDA MACCHARLES has the story. → Tariffs on tariffs: ALEXANDER PANETTA and CAMERON MACINTOSH of CBC News confirmed the following with the White House: “Should all its trade actions take effect in March, it would indeed pile tariff on top of tariff, to reach the larger number of 50 per cent on some items.” Ford chief executive JIM FARLEY said Tuesday: “A 25 percent tariff across the Mexico and Canadian border will blow a hole in the U.S. industry that we have never seen.” He also warned the move could lead to job losses, the NYT reports. → Emergency talks: Our colleagues in Brussels report that European ministers will hold emergency talks on Trump’s escalating trade war today. The one question on everybody’s mind: How hard should they push back against the United States leader? | | Where the leaders are | |
— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is in Brussels. Top of his agenda is a meeting with NATO chief MARK RUTTE. Defense Minister BILL BLAIR will join.
The PM will also attend a working lunch with European Council President ANTÓNIO COSTA and European Commission President URSULA VON DER LEYEN. He will later return to Ottawa. — Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE will headline an evening party fundraiser at a private residence in Toronto's Yorkville neighborhood. — Bloc Québécois Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET and NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH have not shared their public plans for the day. — Green Leader ELIZABETH MAY has no public engagements on her schedule.
| | DULY NOTED | |
— International Trade Minister MARY NG is headed to Australia on Thursday where she’ll attend the Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum.
This is Canada’s first trade mission of 2025, and comes as Ottawa looks to diversify Canada's trade in the Indo-Pacific region. — Defense Minister BILL BLAIR is in Brussels to attend a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Blair will also visit NATO HQ to meet with counterparts. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Blair will attend the Munich Security Conference in Germany. 5:30 p.m. Liberal leadership candidate RUBY DHALLA headlines a campaign fundraiser at a downtown Toronto restaurant. 8 p.m. (5 p.m. PT) Liberal leadership candidate MARK CARNEY headlines a campaign fundraiser at a private residence in Vancouver. | | | | 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. | | | | | | | Talk of the town | | | 
"The current situation between President Trump and Canada is creating a lot of consternation, and I feel badly about that," former U.S. Ambassador David Cohen tells Playbook. | Larry Busacca/Getty Images for WICT | ENOUGH ALREADY — No longer bound by the Hatch Act that (mostly) prevented him from wading into political matters, former U.S. ambassador to Canada DAVID COHEN has some things to say. When Playbook caught up with Cohen on Monday night, he confessed he’d been trying to keep a low profile since moving home in January. But after TRUMP signed an executive order that expanded steel and aluminum tariffs to all countries — including Canada — the retired ambassador had to say something. — First, a disclaimer: While speaking from his home in Philadelphia where he was bracing for a winter storm and counting the days until the Eagles parade, Cohen made one thing clear: he’s not speaking on behalf of anyone. “I’m no longer the U.S. ambassador to Canada, and I don't represent the country or this administration in any official way. So, the most I am is an interested commentator, hopefully with some knowledge. But I'm not any more than that,” he said. Let’s dive in. — Empty threat: Trump is obsessed with making Canada the 51st state. Cohen isn’t buying it. “Canada has expressed so clearly, so definitively — and I'm not surprised by this — that there's no interest in being the 51st state,” he said. “And the United States has no authority to annex Canada and to make it a state if Canada is not interested in engaging in those conversations. So, the repeated invocation of Canada as a 51st state is puzzling to me at best.” — Seriously, not happening: “It can't happen without Canada's consent, and Canada's got no interest in it. So with the same reason, I'm not particularly troubled by those comments about Greenland or Panama,” Cohen said. — But, but, but: He would not rule out Americans using military force should they want Canada. “Look, I've learned long ago that you never say never to anything. I have trouble getting my brain around the fact the United States would exercise its first aggressive, proactive military action in a century or more, against Canada.” — Stop it, Trump: “I don't know what the point is in continuing to talk about it,” Cohen said. — Moving on: Cohen said Trump’s Monday tariff announcement will be “helpful” to the American aluminum and steel industry, which has lost market share to countries like Canada, China and Japan. But he cautioned they could harm U.S. industries that rely on foreign imports, like the automotive industry. Cohen also warned about wielding tariffs to force concessions on things unrelated to trade — for instance, beefed-up border security. He said it’s a “dangerous” game to play that leads to retaliation and American job losses. — All apologies: “I miss the Canadians. I miss my people in Mission Canada. And I miss the many Canadians who I had gotten to meet,” Cohen said before signing off. “Obviously, the current situation between President Trump and Canada is creating a lot of consternation, and I feel badly about that.” — Read more: An extended version of our conversation with the former ambassador can be found here. | | | | A message from The Motion Picture Association – Canada:  
| | | | | For your radar | |
LUMBER, DAIRY, DST — In three terse replies, U.S. trade representative nominee JAMIESON GREER signalled that he’s going to have plenty to say about economic irritants between Canada and the U.S.
What follows is excerpted from Greer’s written response this week to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee: Question: Do you agree it is important for the United States to stay engaged and to prioritize the following issues: → A. Ensure the United States’ lumber producers have appropriate recourse against subsidized and dumped lumber. Yes. → B. Achieve market access for America’s dairy producers, including by addressing Canada’s administration of its tariff rate quotas. Yes. → C. Ensure American companies are not unfairly disadvantaged through discriminatory digital services taxes. Yes.
| | MEDIA ROOM | |
— A new Léger poll shows a nationwide dead heat between Liberals and Conservatives — if, that is, MARK CARNEY leads the party. With JUSTIN TRUDEAU in charge for the time being, the Liberals still trail PIERRE POILIEVRE's party by 9 points.
— U.S. Vice President JD VANCE will meet Friday with Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, POLITICO’s IRIE SENTNER reports. — DICKSON DELORME, aka QUICK DICK MCDICK, joined “Real Talk” with RYAN JESPERSEN to talk Trump, Trudeau and tariffs. — From the Globe’s MARIYA POSTELNYAK and ERICA ALINI: A consumer’s guide to patriotic shopping. — From CLAIRE GAGNÉ and NAOMI HARRIS in Maclean’s: Why Gen Z will never leave home.
| | PROZONE | |
For POLITICO subscribers, our latest policy newsletter by MIKE BLANCHFIELD: “Yesterday, it was about the banks. Today, it's about water.”
In other news for Pro readers: — Trump vows to undo Biden’s light bulb, showerhead, toilet rules. — More than 180 nations miss UN deadline to submit climate targets. — Vance warns Europe to go easy on tech regulation. — Trump demands $500B in rare earths from Ukraine for continued support. — Inside the new plan to seize Russia’s shadow fleet. | | | | 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. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | |
Birthdays: HBD to retired Sen. PIERRE-HUGUES BOISVENU, former deputy premier of Ontario GEORGE SMITHERMAN and PHIL TRINH of Maple Leaf Strategies.
Got a document to share? A birthday coming up? Send details our way. Noted: The Liberal Party of Canada has picked Ottawa as the city where it will reveal its new leader on March 9. Spotted: Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE, calling on Canadians to show off their patriotism and “raise the flag” on Saturday. (Former PMs JOE CLARK, KIM CAMPBELL, JEAN CHRÉTIEN, PAUL MARTIN and STEPHEN HARPER made a similar pledge in response to “threats and insults” from TRUMP.) Liberal leadership candidate KARINA GOULD, on a speed date with comedian MARK CRITCH on “This Hour Has 22 Minutes.” Ontario Premier DOUG FORD, getting a laugh over his desire to ship CBC Washington correspondent KATIE SIMPSON back to Queen’s Park “with no tariffs.” Movers and shakers: Sandstone Group brought on ABBEY MARTYNES as public affairs consultant and MEILI FAILLE as senior adviser. The Bank of Canada appointed MICHELLE ALEXOPOULOS to its second outsider position. | | | | A message from The Motion Picture Association – Canada: Canadians love to stream TV shows and movies, and want the benefits of lots of choice, healthy competition and affordable prices. But Ottawa's new streaming regulations and taxes and could drive up prices, make it harder for people to find and choose the content they want to watch, and limit opportunity for Canadian film and TV workers to make content that will be seen around the world. There's a better way - give consumers more freedom to choose what they want to watch, promote more competition, and more opportunities for Canadian workers. Click here to learn more. | | | | | TRIVIA | |
Tuesday’s answer: The Diamond Jubilee portrait of Queen Elizabeth II now graces the Senate foyer. It was painted by PHIL RICHARDS and weighs 320 pounds (or 145 kilograms).
Props to ROBERT MCDOUGALL, BOB GORDON, JENN KEAY, BILL WATSON, SHAUGHN MCARTHUR, JOHN ECKER, RAY DEL BIANCO, MARCEL MARCOTTE and LAURA JARVIS. Everyone gets bonus marks. Wednesday’s question: Which finance minister purchased black New Balance sneakers with blue trim on them before presenting his federal budget? Answers to ottawaplaybook@politico.com Writing tomorrow's Playbook: 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 | | | |
