EXCLUSIVE POLITICAL COVERAGE: NE DE NEWS, FEATURES, … · twenty-seventh year, no. 1364 canada’s...

TWENTY-SEVENTH YEAR, NO. 1364 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016 $5.00

NEWS ASIA NEWS PUBLIC OPINION

NEWS IMMIGRATION

NEWS THE TRAGICALLY HIP

NEWS DISARMAMENT

NEWS LOBBYING ACT

SADNESS, HOPE, AND GRACE, TOO

Feds reviewing inland refugee system, under pressure to scrap ‘safe countries’ list Trudeau government’s commitment

to nuclear disarmament questioned after UN vote

Ethics critic pushes for better enforcement of ‘20 per cent’ lobbying rule

BY PETER MAZEREEUW

The Liberal government took the fi rst step towards a possible free trade agree-ment with a collection of Southeast Asian countries earlier this month, as the future of the Trans-Pacifi c Partnership agreement remains mired in doubt.

The offi ce of Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.) quietly announced in a press release earlier this month that Canadian offi cials would be instructed to begin working on the terms of a “feasibility study” on the merits of a Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement.

The press release came after Ms. Free-land co-chaired a meeting of the economic ministers of the 10-country trade bloc, which stands for Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on Aug. 8.

BY MARCO VIGLIOTTI

The Trudeau government is reinvesting in public opinion research after it was virtu-ally abandoned in the fi nal years of the last Conservative government, though spending remains far below historical averages, ac-cording to veteran pollster Frank Graves.

“They’ve committed to doing more and more work...but it’s certainly nowhere near the levels it was historically both with the early stages of the Conservative govern-ment, certainly the Liberal government before that, and the Mulroney government before that,” he told The Hill Times.

Mr. Graves, founder and president of Ekos Research, said in an interview that the federal government has contracted more public opinion research work from his company since the election last fall. He linked this to the Liberals’ push to what they see as a return to evidence-based decision-making.

BY PETER MAZEREEUW

The Liberal government is re-evaluating the way it treats refugee claimants who ask for protection after arriving in Canada, but won’t say whether it will scrap some of the widely criticized restrictions on some refugee claim-ants brought in by the previous government.

Government offi cials met with refugee advocacy groups and researchers July 14 to gather suggestions on what to do with Canada’s asylum system, which is used to process applications for refugee status by people who have already arrived in the coun-try. People brought in from refugee camps abroad are processed in a different way. In 2014-15, the tribunal that decides on refugee claims in Canada was referred 13,500 claims, and the next year that creeped up to 16,500.

BY MARCO VIGLIOTTI

Critics are accusing the Trudeau govern-ment of failing an important test of global leadership by siding with the U.S. and other nuclear powers and voting against

beginning negotiations on a potential U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons, though the Liberals say these talks would likely prove fruitless.

BY CHELSEA NASH AND MARCO VIGLIOTTI

An ethics watchdog wants stronger oversight from Ottawa to ensure organiza-tions are complying with rules requiring public disclosure of lobbying activities.

Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democ-racy Watch and a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa, is calling on the federal government to stop letting organi-zations determine themselves if they are compliant with rules mandating registra-tion as lobbyists if advocacy efforts go beyond a pre-determined threshold.

“Self-regulation has been proven not to work at all,” he told The Hill Times.

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Liberals edge towards new Pacifi c trade agreement

The Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie embraces Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before last Saturday’s concert in Kingston, broadcast live on CBC to 11.7 million viewers. The show closed the Hip’s Man Machine Poem tour, possibly its last given Mr. Downie’s terminal cancer diagnosis. For more on the PM’s appearance and what it means for him politically, read Heard on the Hill, page 2, and Les Whittington, page 11. The Tragically Hip photograph by David Bastedo

Pollsters starting to see uptick in government work

EXCLUSIVE POLITICAL COVERAGE: NEWS, FEATURES, AND ANALYSIS INSIDE

POWERS: PSAC LANDS BLOW TO LIBERALS ON PHOENIX P.10

WHAT WOULDLAYTON THINK OF NDP NOW? P. 10 ELECTORAL REFORM PP. 5 & 12

SOFTWOOD LUMBER P. 3

Canada turns back on UN plan to ban nuclear arms: ex-senator Doug Roche, p.14

AL COVERAGE: NE DE

THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 20162FEATURE BUZZ

While his cabinet colleagues were milling around university dorms in Sudbury,

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) spent Saturday night hundreds of kilo-metres away, enjoying likely the last concert of arguably Canada’s greatest rock band.

The Tragically Hip closed out its Man Ma-chine Poem tour on Saturday night in front of a raucous hometown crowd in Kingston.

The tour is seen as the band’s last after it was publicly revealed in May that lead singer Gord Downie had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

The concert was broadcast live nation-wide by the CBC.

Mr. Trudeau attended the concert in the Limestone City, clad in a denim jean jacket and black Tragically Hip shirt.

He was interviewed by CBC broadcaster Ron McLean on-air prior to the concert about what the band meant to him and the nation.

The prime minister later tweeted: “On behalf of Canadians, I thank Gord Downie and the Hip for their decades of service to Cana-dian music. Forever in our hearts and playlists.”

He also posted a photo of him em-bracing Mr. Downie and another of him penning a personal message to the famed singer-songwriter on a wall in Kingston prior to the concert.

“The whole country is here in Kingston tonight! To say thanks, to say goodbye, to celebrate Canada’s band,” he wrote.

Mr. Downie singled out the prime minister during the concert, thanking him for attending and for pledging to work

diligently to address the challenges facing the country’s First Nations.

“Well, you know, Prime Minister Trudeau’s got me, his work with First Na-tions. He’s got everybody. He’s going to take us where we need to go,” the Hip lead singer said from the stage, as reported by the Canadian Press.

“It’s going to take us 100 years to fi gure out what the hell went on up there, but it isn’t cool and everybody knows that. It’s really, really bad, but we’re going to fi gure it out, you’re going to fi gure it out.”

After returning for an encore, Mr. Downie said “thank you to the prime minis-ter for coming to our show, it really means a lot to all of us.”

He then proceeded to laud Mr. Trudeau again for making First Nations people a major commitment for his government.

“We’re in good hands, folks, real good hands. He cares about the people way up North, that we were trained our entire lives to ignore, trained our entire lives to hear not a word of what’s going on up there,” Mr. Downie said.

“And what’s going on up there ain’t good. It’s maybe worse than it’s ever been, so it’s not on the improve. (But) we’re go-ing to get it fi xed and we got the guy to do it, to start, to help.”

Local MP and former Kingston may-or Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Ont.) was also in attendance for the concert.

He posted on Twitter that he fi rst heard the Hip’s music while working as a deliv-ery boy for the city’s daily newspaper.

“My 1st concert was at @FortHenry. My last will be tonight,” he wrote on Twitter about the Hip, referencing the historical site in Kingston.

Following the concert, Mr. Trudeau trav-elled north to Sudbury to reunite with his front bench colleagues for a late summer cabinet retreat, which wrapped up Monday.

The cabinet members, perhaps looking to avoid generating another controversy over lodging costs, were being housed at the dorms in the city’s Laurentian University.

Former university professor Jean-Yves Duclos (Québec, Que.), who now serves as minister of families, children and social de-velopment, seemed to revel in returning to a post-secondary campus, tweeting a photo of himself in his scarcely decorated dorm room.

“Fun to be back to university dorm life @laurentianU for weekend Cabinet retreat in #Sudbury,” he wrote on Twitter.

Some of the cabinet members bunked together in the dorm rooms for the dura-tion of the getaway, though Mr. Trudeau told reporters Monday that he had his room to himself.

“Being prime minister has its advan-tages,” he joked.

“I think I got a fl oor monitor’s room.”The Liberals drew fi re for spending

roughly $150,000 to accommodate cabinet members during a retreat in January in St. Andrews, N.B.

Ex-journalist jumps to Twitter

Former NDP candidate Jennifer Hollett is joining the fl ock at Twitter Canada.

Ms. Hollett has joined management at the microblogging site as its new head

of news and government. Her fi rst day was Monday.

“As lot a people have pointed out, I can’t think of a more perfect job for me,” she said in an interview.

“If you look at a Venn diagram of my career, it’s journalism, it’s politics, and tech. This is one of the few roles that brings it all together.”

She described herself as a huge fan and user of the site, joking that it will be nice to know she won’t get in trouble for check-ing Twitter while at work.

The microblogging site, famous for its 140-character limit and hashtags, has “reshaped” news and politics, and is a “big part of democratic renewal,” she said.

In the position Ms. Hollett will be respon-sible for fostering relationships with Cana-dian media outlets, government agencies, and political groups, focusing on new ways to use Twitter, create content and discovering what’s possible with the platform.

She said she would work closely with the media, journalists, politicians, different ministries, and governments to make sure they’re “getting the most out of Twitter.”

The position was most recently held by former Globe and Mail reporter Steve Ladurantaye.

He left this past spring to join the CBC as the managing editor of digital news.

“Great hire and good change in focus for the role,” Mr. Ladurantaye wrote in a Twitter post Monday, citing an article about Ms. Hollett’s hire.

“Canada can help solve Twitter’s problems.”CBC News anchor Reshmi Nair also

took to Twitter to offer congratulations, saying Ms. Hollett created her fi rst account on the site “way back when.”

Christopher Doyle, head of partner-ships of Twitter Canada, told The Hill Times the company is excited to welcome Ms. Hollett aboard.

“We’re incredibly excited to add Jennifer to our media partnerships team, given her tremendous experience and knowledge,” he said in an interview, adding that after her fi rst week in Toronto, she will head south for a weeklong orientation at the company’s San Francisco headquarters.

Ms. Hollett began her media career work-ing as a manager with Sony Music Canada in the 1990s. She later worked as a reporter and producer for the CBC, CTV, and Much Music, where she was a well-known VJ.

She holds a B.A. in journalism and com-munications from Concordia University and a master’s in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Gov-ernment at Harvard University.

While there, Ms. Hollett helped to de-velop the ‘Super Pac App’ for the 2012 U.S. election that allowed users to determine in real-time which political organization paid for the advertisement they were watching.

She then worked as the digital director for ex-NDP MP Olivia Chow’s unsuccess-ful Toronto mayoral campaign in 2014.

Ms. Hollett sought the NDP nomina-tion for the federal by-election in Toronto

Centre in 2013, though she was defeated by author and journalist Linda McQuaig.

The subsequent election was won by Liberal Chrystia Freeland, who now serves as the international trade minister.

Ms. Hollett later won the NDP nomination for the new central Toronto riding of Universi-ty-Rosedale in time for the 2015 election.

However, she was defeated by Ms. Freeland, who switched to run in the neigh-bouring riding.

Bélanger funeral scheduled for next weekend

The funeral for late Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger will be held on Saturday at Ot-tawa’s Notre Dame Basilica, according to reporting by the Ottawa Citizen.

Mr. Bélanger, who represented the rid-ing of Ottawa Vanier, died Aug. 15 after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis last fall.

The funeral is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.

Former MP Elsie Wayne passes away

Former New Brunswick MP Elsie Wayne has died at the age of 84.

Her passing was confi rmed Tuesday by New Brunswick’s offi cial opposition, ac-cording to the Canadian Press.

Ms. Wayne began her storied political career by winning election to Saint John City Council in 1977. She was elected as the city’s fi rst female mayor in 1983.

Along with Jean Charest, Ms. Wayne was one of only two MPs elected under the Progressive Conservative banner in the party’s disastrous showing in the 1993 federal election.

She represented the riding of Saint John until 2004.

Ms. Wayne sat as a member of the new Conservative Party upon its establishment.

Quebec MP pulls off an ‘Ironman’ performance

Conservative MP Alain Rayes (Rich-mond-Arthabaska, Que.) proved his mettle on the weekend, trudging through the slop-ing terrain of Mont Tremblant to complete his second Ironman triathlon.

Mr. Rayes, a former mayor of Victo-riaville, completed the gruelling test of physical endurance with his wife Cathe-rine Lacoste, who fi nished sixth in her age group, he said on Twitter.

The duo have spent the past 10 months training for the triathlon, which they also completed last summer, he said.

Competitors at the Ironman triathlon must complete a nearly 4 kilometre swim, a 180 km bike race and a 42 km run.

Mr. Rayes fi nished the daunting trek in just over 12 hours and 25 minutes, good enough to place 835 overall, according to the offi cial Ironman results page.

Mont Tremblant, part of the Laurentian chain, is one of the region’s most popular tourist destinations. It is located roughly 140 kilometres north of Ottawa.

[email protected] Hill Times

Final Hip show attracts high-profi le attendees

HEARD HILLONTHE

BY MARCO VIGLIOTTI

CLARIFICATION

Re: “Ranked-ballot system could have stopped Trump, says U.S. expert set to speak to MPs on electoral reform” (The Hill Times online/PDF, Aug. 17, p. 1). The story did not explicitly explain Prof. Eric Maskin’s majority-rule system.

Under it, the winner is the candidate who, according to voters’ rankings, would beat each other candidate in a head-to-head contest.

“Thus, if the candidates are A, B, and C, candidate A wins if A is ranked above B on a majority of ballots and A is also ranked above C by a majority,” Prof. Maskin explained in an email to The Hill Times.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau witnessed live what is likely the Tragically Hip’s fi nal concert Saturday night in Kingston. While there, he had the opportunity to meet with lead singer Gord Downie (pictured) and wrote a personal message on a wall outside the arena where the band performed. Photos courtesy of the offi cial Twitter account of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Former federal NDP candidate Jennifer Hollett has joined Twitter Canada as its new head of news and government. She described the job as being a perfect fi t for her. Photograph courtesy of Twitter

Conservative MP Alain Rayes and his wife, Catherine Lacoste, completed their second Ironman triathlon last weekend. Photograph courtesy of the Twitter account of Alain Rayes

3THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016

NEWS SOFTWOOD LUMBER

BY PETER MAZEREEUW

Canada’s foreign ministry is preparing a three-pronged strat-egy to counter the United States trade penalties expected on Cana-dian softwood lumber if the two countries can’t resolve the trade fracas by a mid-October deadline, according to one of the depart-ment’s top legal advisers.

“We’re not going to be in a position to prevent harm. What we can do is try to reduce it,” Robert Brookfi eld, who serves as director general of Global Affairs Canada’s Trade Law Bureau, told the House Trade Committee dur-ing a special summer meeting on the softwood lumber negotiations last week.

In response to a question from NDP trade critic Tracey Ramsey (Essex, Ont.), Mr. Brookfi eld said the government has been prepar-ing over the past year for the possibility that Canada and the U.S. won’t be able to reach a new agreement on softwood lumber after the previous deal expired last year.

The U.S. is expected to apply trade penalties to imports of Canadian softwood lumber once a one-year buffer period ends Oct. 12—as it has after the expiry of previous softwood lumber pacts at the request of the U.S. forestry sector—if a compromise can’t be reached.

The government has been working with other levels of government and the Canadian forestry industry to ensure “our numbers are in order” to address potential legal claims by the U.S. government used to justify trade penalties on Canadian softwood lumber, said Mr. Brookfi eld.

Liberal MP Steven MacKinnon (Gatineau, Que.), who attended the meeting as a temporary committee member, said he was “heartened by the fact that we are preparing for that eventuality, al-though clearly that is not Plan A.”

Quebec’s forestry sector, which Mr. MacKinnon said has a large footprint in the Outaouais region near his riding, has made “painful adjustments” to be seen as operating according to free-trade principles, he said.

The U.S. forestry sector has long argued that lumber pro-duced in most parts of Canada is indirectly subsidized by the Canadian government, since forestry companies in Canada harvest a much larger proportion of their trees from government land, as opposed to private land, compared to their U.S. competi-tors. The fee system for harvest-ing trees on government and private land is different, and U.S. companies have pointed to that to justify protection for their market

share as Canadian lumber has fl owed across the border over the past few decades.

Canada’s forestry sector oper-ates differently in different parts of the country, but Canadian forestry lobbyists—in particular those from Quebec—have argued that they now operate in a de facto market-based system, just like their U.S. rivals. Atlantic pro-ducers, which typically harvest more trees on private land than elsewhere in Canada, and territo-rial producers won an exemption from restrictions on Canadian im-ports in the last softwood agree-ment, while producers elsewhere did not. However, 29 companies in Quebec and three in Ontario were granted exemptions, as they were “previously found by U.S. authori-ties not to benefi t from alleged subsidies,” according to Global Affairs Canada.

The government is also work-ing with American lawyers to prepare a challenge in U.S. courts to the process that would lead to trade penalties being brought against Canadian imports if a deal can’t be struck, Mr. Brook-fi eld said.

The government is prepar-ing a potential NAFTA challenge against the penalties in case the domestic challenge doesn’t work, he said.

The third part of the plan is a big-picture, long-term process of challenging U.S. trade prac-tices that are “inconsistent with [American] international obliga-tions” in international tribunals such as the World Trade Organi-zation, he said.

Canada is currently interven-ing in several such international legal cases against the U.S., in

part to “make sure that the law is more favourable to us” and that U.S. practices refl ect that, he said.

Canada and the U.S. have fought numerous legal battles over softwood lumber in the past decade or more, with complex rulings that have come down in favour of each party on different points.

White House, Liberals trying to dodge Congress

The government is committed to trying to reach a deal before Oct. 12, Martin Moen, Canada’s lead negotiator on the softwood issue, told the committee. How-ever, doing so by the deadline will be “challenging” given that Cana-dian softwood exporters have told the government that no deal is better than a bad deal, he said.

During the committee’s previ-ous study of the softwood nego-

tiations earlier this summer, Rich-ard Garneau, president and CEO of Central Canadian softwood gi-ant Resolute Forest Products, told the committee that the previous softwood agreement—which gave Canadian exporters the option of paying an export fee, or a lower fee if they limited the volume of their exports—had done substan-tial damage to Central Canadian producers.

“The government of Mr. Harper expropriated $1 billion U.S. from the Canadian industry and gave it as ransom to our competitors, even though Canada has proven, according to the law, that its indus-try was not subsidized and did not cause injury,” Mr. Garneau told the committee April 12.

Trade watchers have long warned that pre-election cam-paigning in the U.S. could make

reaching a softwood deal more diffi cult as time goes on. How-ever, the two countries are trying to reach a deal that would not require changes to U.S. law, and so would not require the approval of Congress, said Mr. Brookfi eld.

In order to do so, the U.S. government would have to get representatives of at least half of the U.S. forestry sector to sign off on the deal and waive their right to initiate investor-state law-suits against Canada under the NAFTA, he said.

The U.S. election is no excuse to fail to get a deal done, Con-servative MP and committee vice-chair Randy Hoback (Prince Albert, Sask.) told The Hill Times.

“It just takes willpower,” he said.

[email protected]@PJMazereeuw

Canada preparing legal counterattack to potential softwood duties We’re not going to be able to prevent harm to industry, says top government lawyer.

TIMELINE

THE CANADA-U.S. SOFTWOOD DISPUTE

1982: The U.S. lumber industry fi rst asks the U.S. government to impose a countervailing duty on Canadian imports, complaining that they are essentially subsi-dized through the relatively low stumpage fee paid by Canadian producers to the pro-vincial governments for the right to harvest trees on Crown land. After an investigation, the U.S. Department of Commerce decides not to impose a duty on Canadian imports.

1986: The U.S. industry pushes again for duties on Canadian imports, and this time the Commerce Department agrees to set a 15 per cent duty. Before the duty comes into effect, Canada and the U.S. reach a deal to phase in the tariff, and bring in a tax by Canada’s federal government on lumber exports from provinces that don’t adjust their stumpage system.

1991: Canada signals it will withdraw from that agreement, and the U.S. govern-ment imposes new countervailing duties. After fi ghting a drawn-out legal battle through a bilateral trade tribunal, the two countries agree in 1996 to a fi ve-year deal that includes quota, tariff, and fee controls on Canadian exports.

2001: After the 1996 deal ex-pires, the U.S. Commerce Department imposes duties of roughly 27 per cent on Canadian lumber, resulting in layoffs in the Canadian industry. That sets off another long legal battle through the WTO and a bilateral legal panel set up through the NAFTA. Finally, in 2006, the Harper and Bush governments reach a deal to refund the duties collected by

the United States to Canadian industry, and impose a new set of controls on Canadian exports, including an optional quota system and export fees based on the price of lumber.

Oct. 12, 2015: After a two-year extension, the Canada-U.S. softwood deal expires, starting a year-long negotiation period before the U.S. can bring in fresh duties on Canadian imports.

Aug. 18, 2016: Martin Moen, Canada’s chief negotiator for the softwood dispute, tells the House Trade Committee it will be challenging to reach an agreement with the U.S. on softwood before the October dead-line, and that the government is preparing a legal strategy if a deal cannot be reached.

Robert Brookfi eld and Martin Moen, two of the leads in the fed-eral public service on the softwood lumber ne-gotiations, brief the House Trade Committee last week. The Hill Times photograph by Peter Mazer-eeuw

THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 20164NEWS LOBBYING ACT

Federal lobbyists who receive payment are required by law to publicly register with the Offi ce of the Commissioner of Lobbying and document communications

with high-ranking government offi cials known as designated public offi ce holders when they’re related to things like awarding contracts or infl uencing policies, programs, or legislation.

There are some exemptions, however.

Under the federal Lobbying Act, in-house lobbyists employed by an organization are not required to register their activ-ity if government relations do not constitute “a signifi cant part of the duties of one employee or would constitute a signifi cant part of the duties of one employee if they were performed by only one employee.”

The current lobbying com-missioner, Karen Shepherd, has offi cially interpreted “a signifi cant part of the duties” to mean 20 per cent of the time over one month.

In other words, if one employ-ee in a corporation or organiza-tion is spending more than 20 per cent of their time lobbying the government—or if the total number of hours that several employees spend lobbying would

account for 20 per cent or more of one person’s time—then that organization or corporation must register their activity.

Time lobbying not only in-cludes actually communicating with government offi cials, accord-ing to the commissioner’s offi ce, but also any and all planning time, and travel time to and from any meetings.

However, it is left up to the groups themselves to determine if they are within the 20 per cent threshold.

“The onus is on lobbyists to comply with the Lobbying Act,” the commissioner’s offi ce said in a statement.

When presented with an al-legation of a breach of the 20 per cent rule, the commissioner’s offi ce said it takes steps to “de-termine the nature and extent of any communication between an organization and public offi ce holders.”

This is done through re-searching publicly available information, sending requests for information, or conducting

interviews with public offi ce hold-ers, lobbyists, their employers, and any other potential witnesses, according to the offi ce.

The commissioner has the authority to compel evidence to verify compliance during an investigation.

The commissioner takes all allegations seriously, her offi ce stated.

According to the offi ce, the de-cision to initiate an investigation can be triggered by an “external complaint or can be internally generated,” such as through moni-toring media reports, for instance.

If during an investigation, the commissioner has reason to believe an offence has occurred under the Lobbying Act, she must suspend her investigation and refer the case to police.

Chad Rogers, a lobbyist with Crestview Strategy, said if there’s ever any grey area about whether to register, he always would advise to seek out confi rmation from the commissioner’s offi ce.

“What you can do is seek out a proactive opinion, and have it in your back pocket. And if situa-tions change, you can say, ‘Look, we made our best effort,’” he said.

Questions surrounding the application and enforcement of the 20 per cent rule have also emerged in the courts.

Bruce Carson, a one-time adviser to former prime minister Stephen Harper, is currently fac-ing three counts of improper lob-bying relating to his work for the Energy Policy Institute of Canada and the Canada School of Energy and Environment (CSEE), where he served as executive director.

None of the allegations have been proven in court and Mr. Car-son has pleaded not guilty.

Patrick McCann, Mr. Carson’s attorney, argued during his trial in May that as an employee of the CSEE his client would have quali-fi ed as an in-house consultant, who must only register if lobby-ing constitutes a “signifi cant” part of their duties.

However, signifi cant is not explicitly defi ned anywhere in the Lobbying Act, Mr. McCann said.

Startup Canada says it’s keeping track of its hours

Victoria Lennox, co-founder and CEO of Startup Canada, a self-described “grassroots net-work of entrepreneurs” working to foster a national “environ-ment for entrepreneurship,” told The Hill Times that her group in 2014 sought out the opinion of the lobbying commissioner and it was told it was not required to publicly register.

She said it recently sought the opinion of the offi ce again to ensure Startup remains in compli-ance with the law.

“We contacted the commis-sioner late last week to verify if anything has changed. And if the commissioner [suggests] that we register, we will defi nitely regis-ter,” Ms. Lennox said on Aug. 18.

“As our relationship with Ot-tawa evolves, we want to make sure that we [are] compliant.”

When asked to confi rm if Startup solicited the opinion of lobbying commissioner, a spokes-person said the offi ce doesn’t comment on specifi c cases.

The group hosted its Startup Canada Day on the Hill in May, attracting government ministers, Members of Parliament, and senior bureaucrats.

Entrepreneurs, who had paid a fee to attend the event, and some of whom paid a membership fee to Startup Canada, were asked to provide policy recommendations to the ministers and deputy min-isters to aid in the development of the Liberal government’s innova-tion agenda.

On Startup Canada’s website, the event is plugged as an oppor-tunity “to provide direct input into Canada’s Innovation Strategy.”

Attendees included Finance Minister Bill Morneau (Toronto Centre, Ont.), Small Business and Tourism Minister Bardish Chag-ger (Waterloo, Ont.), and Arif Virani (Parkdale-High Park, Ont.), parliamentary secretary to the minister of immigration refugees and citizenship.

Ms. Lennox said “every single person who attended had to table a recommendation.”

One Ottawa lobbyist, who did not wish to be named in case he ever had to work with Startup Canada in any capacity, told The Hill Times that it sounded like lobbying to him.

“That strikes me, if you’re put-ting that out there, that: join this organization and we can change government policy...that’s lobby-ing. That’s what lobbying is. And if that is the case, then absolutely, you should be held to the same standards and legal framework that other lobbyists are.”

When Ms. Lennox was asked if she considered that event to be registrable activity under the Lobbying Act, she replied, “no, we’re not lobbying at this stage.”

When asked to clarify the difference between making these policy recommendations directly to government ministers and dep-uty ministers under the umbrella of Startup Canada, and a lobbyist making policy recommendations to the government on behalf of a client, she said, “Startup Canada does not dictate policy at all.”

The group, like public policy forums, “summarizes what the entrepreneurs say, and [feeds] it to government,” she said.

“Most of our work is to con-nect entrepreneurs to government directly. And we serve as a con-duit for their perspectives when asked to appear before commit-tees,” Ms. Lennox said, calling Startup a platform for “entrepre-neurs to connect with each other, customers, investors, [mentors], media, and government.”

Startup, though, keeps track of its activities to ensure that any-thing it does that may cross the line into registry-worth lobbying remains within the acceptable less-than-20-per-cent range, she said.

It uses a system called Hours to track the time its employees spend on government relations, according to Ms. Lennox.

It calculates all time devoted to government engagement, includ-ing preparatory work, she ex-plained.

However, Mr. Conacher said he believes the responsibility to ensure compliance should fall to the lobbying commissioner.

But he accused Ms. Shepherd, the “frontline enforcer” of these rules, of not performing her own inspections to ensure organizations are behaving lawfully, despite hav-ing the authority, he said.

“You don’t catch people unless you do inspections.”

[email protected], [email protected]

The Hill Times

Ethics critic pushes for better enforcement of ‘20 per cent’ lobbying rule The Startup Canada entrepreneurship network says it tracks its government relations to ensure it’s under the registration threshold. Duff Conacher accuses the lobbying commissioner of letting groups police themselves.

Continued from page 1

The offi ce of Lobbying Commissioner Karen Shepherd, left, says it takes all allegations of lobbying misconduct seriously. Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher, right, thinks the offi ce could be doing more proactive enforcement. The Hill Times photographs by Jake Wright and Cynthia Münster


NEWS ELECTORAL REFORM

BY TIM NAUMETZ

An Alberta political scientist cast doubt on the fi ndings of a study he published stating the Liberals would have gained ground in the 2015 election from the ranked ballot electoral system favoured by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, during a meeting of the House Electoral Reform Committee.

University of Lethbridge professor Harold Jansen, whose essay published last November helped to fuel opposition suspi-cion that the Liberal government has plans to replace Canada’s current winner-take-all method of electing MPs with the ranked ballot system, told a Commons special committee on electoral reform this week the analysis he conducted with fellow political scientist Peter McCormick was based upon assumptions about how people would behave.

The study said the 2015 elec-tion, under a ranked ballot sys-tem, would have given the Liberal party 205 House of Commons seats while reducing the Conser-vative seat count.

“I’m going to now rain all over the work that professor McCor-mick and I did,” Prof. Jansen, the chair of the political science department at the University of Lethbridge, told the committee

Monday in response to questions from Conservative MP Scott Reid about the position Prof. Jansen took in November on the benefi cial effect a ranked ballot system, also called the alternative vote system, would have on the Liberal party.

“The danger whenever you’re projecting backwards is…assum-ing that they would have voted the same way had the alternative vote been in place,” Prof. Jansen said.

In a ranked ballot system, voters would indicate their fi rst candidate choice on a ballot, and then rank their second choice, third choice, and on. After an initial vote count, the name of the candidate with the least number of votes would be discarded, and the second and subsequent choices on the ballots where that candidate placed fi rst would be assigned to each of the other choices. The assignment of alter-native choices would continue through counts until one candi-

date obtained more than 50 per cent of the votes.

“For example, in southern Al-berta where I live, in the constitu-ency of Lethbridge, it has been Conservative. It was Canadian Alliance before, as far back as anyone can remember, so Liber-als, New Democrats, Green Party supporters have to face some choices about, would you vote. So that’s the problem.”

“So if I look at how people say they they’re going to vote in a survey, I’m trying to project what’s going to happen. The hope with the alternative vote, and I think the reason the Liberals would seem to do well, and there have been other people who have done similar kinds of analyses, is because they are other parties’ second choices, that’s the key.”

“The argument that’s been made in favour of the alternative vote is that it’s going to encourage parties to reach out to supporters of other

parties and say ‘okay, I understand you’re supporting them, but here is what we have in common,’ to try to seek commonality rather than polarize,” said Prof. Jansen.

Prof. Jansen’s words of cau-tion came after Liberal MPs on the panel made a decision to press witnesses about the “downsides” of a proportional rep-resentation system favoured by the NDP, as well as Green Party Leader Elizabeth May (Saanich-Gulf Islands B.C.), who along with Bloc Québécois MP Luc Thériault (Montcalm, Que.) are sitting on the committee along-side members of the three recog-nized parties in the Commons.

Prof. Jansen and Prof. McCor-mick based their analysis of the ranked ballot system on an Ekos Research poll that asked electors to indicate their second prefer-ences for the 2015 vote. The political science team applied the survey results in electoral districts that were won with less than 50 per cent majorities, add-ing the second-choice party pref-erences to the candidate for the designated party. The study was published by Policy Options, the

“The joint feasibility study will explore the opportunities and challenges associated with a pos-sible FTA. These new initiatives will elevate the Canada-ASEAN partnership to new heights by strengthening engagement and expanding the economic relation-ship,” the press release said.

ASEAN includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Singa-pore, the Philippines, and Brunei. Four of those countries—Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam and Malay-sia—are also members of the Trans-Pacifi c Partnership agree-ment, the trade deal negotiated under Canada’s previous Conser-vative government.

Canada’s current Liberal gov-ernment has signed the TPP but has not committed to ratifying it, in the face of opposition by some labour and civil society organizations. The

U.S. can also sink the TPP on its own if it chooses not to ratify the deal, and presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have both criticized the agreement during their campaigns.

The Canada-ASEAN announce-ment comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) prepares to embark on a trip to China Aug. 30 to Sept. 6, a regional rival of ASEAN that is also seeking to enter into free trade negotiations with Canada. Ms. Freeland has been tasked with boosting trade with China, but the government has so far not committed to taking China up on its offer.

An ASEAN trade deal could be Canada’s Plan B in the event that the TPP fails, said Carlo Dade, the director of the Canada West Foundation’s Centre for Trade and Investment Policy.

A feasibility study is a prelimi-nary step that must be taken before any trade negotiations are begun, said Mr. Dade. While the study is no guarantee of a deal, “it’s a com-mitment of resources, so that in and of itself is a signal,” he said.

The Aug. 8 press release also announced an “annual trade policy dialogue” in which Can-ada and ASEAN would discuss “greater trade liberalization, increased commercial coopera-tion, and measures to reduce barriers to trade.”

Conservative trade critic Gerry

Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask.) welcomed the prospect of free trade with ASEAN, pointing to Indonesia and the Philippines as the “big ticket” targets in the region.

Singapore is another attrac-tive target for Canada, as the two countries already held eight rounds of bilateral trade negotia-tions before putting them on hold in 2009, said Mr. Dade.

However, Mr. Ritz called the announcement an “obfuscation” to distract from the government’s indecision on the TPP. The govern-ment should ratify that agreement before moving on to deal with ASEAN, he said.

The government has been con-ducting consultations on the TPP for months, and has not commit-ted to an end date.

NDP trade critic Tracey Ramsey (Essex, Ont.) said she would reserve judgment on the Canada-ASEAN talks until the government made public more details about what the feasibil-

ity study would include, and what could be on the table for a Canada-ASEAN trade deal. She said she would wait to see whether Canada’s government took a “pro-gressive” approach to the terms of a deal, or aimed to copy the far-reaching TPP, which included chapters on intellectual property and investor-state arbitration that have been widely panned on the political left in North America.

Ms. Ramsey said she hoped the feasibility study would ex-amine human rights as well as economic considerations.

However, the government has not made any decisions about what the study will cover, or when it will be completed, according to an emailed statement from Global Affairs Cana-da spokesperson Diana Khaddaj.

Ms. Freeland and her parlia-mentary secretary, David Lametti (LaSalle -Émard -Verdun, Que.), were unavailable to comment on the deal, according to spokesper-son Alex Lawrence.

ASEAN a potential link to RCEPAs a group, the ASEAN mem-

bers are Canada’s sixth-largest merchandise trading partner, ac-cording to Global Affairs Canada, and have a combined population of 600 million people.

The feasibility study and trade dialogue “marks the fi rst step in a long process—but it is the fi rst for-mality to move this vital agreement forward,” said a statement sent to members of the Canada-ASEAN Business Council by president Wayne Farmer on Aug. 12.

Free trade negotiations are a top priority for the council, and Mr. Farmer accompanied Ms. Freeland on her trip to Vientiane, Laos, to take part in the ASEAN meeting, according to the state-ment, which characterized the government’s announcement as a “formal commitment.”

The feasibility study is a “very positive move,” said Eva Busza, the Asia Pacifi c Foundation’s vice-pres-ident of research and programs.

Canada needs to diversify its trading markets, starting with China, Japan, and ASEAN, she said.

Canada and Japan also have free trade negotiations that were put on hold as the TPP talks heated up.

Free trade discussions with ASEAN, and overtures from China, also raise the question of whether Canada could ultimately involve itself in the Regional Comprehen-sive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade talks, which so far includes the ASEAN countries as well as Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Japan, and South Korea, said Mr. Dade and Ms. Busza.

The RCEP is “less ambitious” in scope than the TPP, said Ms. Busza. However, if Canada were to earn itself an invitation to that deal, it would ensure Canadian companies would not lose ground to competitors in Australia and New Zealand, should the RCEP eventually come to fruition, said Mr. Dade.


Commons witness casts doubt on his own study of ranked ballot system

Liberals edge towards new Pacifi c trade agreement

The Electoral Reform Committee is planning 16 days of cross-country hearings as it continues its study of potential changes to Canada’s electoral system.

The Canada-ASEAN trade study was announced on the eve of PM’s visit to China, which is hoping for trade deals with both parties.

NEWS ASIA


Continued on page 18

A farmer works on a rice paddy in southern Vietnam. Canada is studying the merits of entering into another trade deal involving fast-growing Vietnam, which is also a member of the Trans-Pacifi c Partnership. Photograph courtesy of Global Affairs Canada

THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 20166NEWS IMMIGRATION

The government’s contro-versial Designated Countries of Origin (DCO) list was one of the key topics of the July 14 meeting, said Janet Dench, executive direc-tor of the Canadian Council for Refugees.

The DCO or “safe countries” list was created by the previous Conservative government, and includes countries that, according to the government, do not usually produce legitimate refugees. The list—which currently includes 42 countries—was designed to “ensure that people in need get protection fast, while those with unfounded claims are sent home quickly through expedited processing,” says the Immigra-tion, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada website.

However, an internal IRCC audit released this summer found that DCO claims had not been processed faster than those from other countries, leading NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.) to question what the point of the system was.

The Liberals promised during the election campaign to set up an “expert human rights panel” to determine which countries should fall on the DCO list. Since the Liberals came to power, the government has said little about how it will fulfi ll this promise, and IRCC and the offi ce of Im-migration Minister John McCal-lum (Markham-Thornhill, Ont.) declined to provide details when asked.

The promise of an expert panel wasn’t good enough to satisfy critics of the DCO list, such as the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) or Canadian Council for Refugees. CARL wrote in a brief submitted to the government in July that a human rights panel “cannot cure what is, at root, a discrimina-tory regime, introduced into the legislation for discriminatory purposes,” a sentiment Ms. Dench said was echoed by many in the July 14 consultation.

“There was a very clear mes-sage to the government from everybody that the designated-country-of-origin policy was not useful, was not credible, was not serving any purpose and was con-trary to the [Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms],” she said.

Critics say the DCO system kneecaps claimants from listed countries because they’re rushed

through the process. They also say so-called safe countries may in fact be quite dangerous, at least to some persecuted groups or in some areas.

When asked a series of ques-tions about the DCO system and the establishment of the expert panel, IRCC spokesperson Remi Lariviere wrote in an emailed statement that the government was considering how to make Canada’s asylum system “more fair and timely,” in part as a response to this summer’s consultations on the im-migration system and to the IRCC internal audit, which identifi ed several concerns with the system’s fairness and effi ciency.

The Liberal party had also promised on the campaign trail to provide a right for claimants from DCO countries to appeal decisions by the Immigration and Refugee Board, an arm’s-length tribunal, a right they had been denied under the system set up by the Conservatives. The Liberal government has already fulfi lled that promise by dropping a legal challenge initiated under the previous government to a Federal Court ruling last year, which held that the ban on appeals by DCO claimants was unconstitutional.

Department fi nds ‘need to reform’ system

The previous Conservative government overhauled the inland refugee system in 2012, after a rising number of refugee claims, few of which were accept-ed and many of which stemmed from countries the government of the day perceived to be generally safe, such as Mexico and Hunga-ry. Canada had also recently seen two ships arrive on its shores with dozens of migrants from Sri Lanka who claimed asylum.

The IRCC conducted an audit of its asylum system at the instruction of the Treasury Board, which had committed to a review of the program three years after major reforms by the Conservative government. The audit covered the period from December 2012 to December 2014. In addition to a number of positive fi ndings about the way the asylum system was operating, it identifi ed a series of shortcom-ings in Canada’s asylum system, including that DCO claimants were not processed faster than non-DCO claimants.

The audit also found “a need to reform the in-Canada asylum sys-tem due to the increasing number of claims, growing backlogs/in-ventories, and lengthy processing times,” and that “failed claimants are not being removed in a timely manner.”

Ms. Kwan said the DCO system has “only escalated other problems associated with it,” and the government should consider what the point of the system is if DCO cases are not being dealt with faster than others.

A rule banning refugee claim-ants from DCO countries from obtaining a work permit for 180 days is also “a major problem for a lot of people” who are unable to support themselves while they wait for the government to pro-cess their case, she said.

The idea of using a panel of experts to populate the DCO list fi rst surfaced in draft regula-tions for a 2010 bill passed by the then-minority Conservative government, the Balanced Refu-gee Reform Act. That idea was scrapped when the Conservatives won a majority government in 2011 before the act was imple-mented, and brought in another

refugee reform bill, the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act, that allowed the immigration minister to make those decisions based on claim numbers or hu-man rights-based criteria.

That act, brought in through Bill C-31, also allowed the govern-ment to designate groups of refu-gee claimants travelling together as part of an “irregular arrival.” Those claimants could then be labelled “designated foreign na-tionals” subject to tougher treat-ment by authorities, including mandatory detention for people 16 years or older—with detention reviews within two weeks, and every six months afterward—and a ban from becoming permanent residents, or sponsoring family members to come to Canada, for fi ve years. The law was brought in following the government’s detention of hundreds of refugee claimants who arrived on the Pacifi c Coast in 2010 aboard the MV Sun Sea.

The previous representative in Canada for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Furio De Angelis, told The Hill Times in June that the UNHCR would like to see the government end mandatory detention for desig-nated foreign nationals, and CARL and the Canadian Council for Refugees have both said the same.

Ms. Dench said she repeated that call during the July 14 meeting, but that the designated foreign national or “irregular arrivals” clause was not a central focus of the meeting, possibly because the provision has rarely been used by the government.

The federal government has only used the irregular ar-rival provision once, when it designated 85 individuals who crossed the Quebec border on

fi ve different dates as designated foreign nationals on Dec. 5, 2012, according to Canada Border Ser-vices Agency spokesperson Esme Bailey. Media reports at the time suggested the group included Romanians who went to Mexico, then illegally crossed into the United States and Canada.

Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel (Calgary Nose Hill, Alta.) said the govern-ment should focus on maintaining the integrity of the inland refugee system by ensuring the legitimacy of asylum claims, and on meeting the goals it sets for itself.

Ms. Rempel declined to say whether the existing system, mostly unchanged since the Conservatives left power, should be changed. “That’s really for the government to make that case for or against, if they’re going to change it,” she said.

The offi ce of Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale (Regina-Wascana, Sask.) did not directly answer questions about whether detention practices would be changed for asylum claimants. Mr. Goodale recently announced he would try to reduce the number of immigrants held in detention and that the govern-ment would spend $138 million to “transform the immigration detention system” in Canada following the deaths of several immigrant detainees in Canadian custody in recent years.

“Minister Goodale wants to make our immigration detention system more fair and humane. His focus is the implementation of the initiatives announced on August 15,” wrote spokesperson Scott Bardsley in an emailed statement.


Feds reviewing inland refugee system, under pressure to scrap ‘safe countries’ list Government offi cials got an earful from refugee groups about the Designated Countries of Origin system, which it has pledged to keep with some changes.


Immigration Minister John McCallum is overseeing a review of Canada’s asylum system, after the previous Conservative government imposed a series of tough measures aimed at discouraging illegitimate refugee claims. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia


NEWS PUBLIC OPINION RESEARCH

It pales in comparison, how-ever, to what was seen in even the early stages of the Conservative government, he said.

The Harper government spent $31 million polling Canadians in the 2006-07 fi scal year before cut-ting back to $4.9 million in 2013-2014, The Hill Times reported.

This stretch of scarce fund-ing represented a “very unusual period,” Mr. Graves said, with the government conducting “virtually no research” of any signifi cance during this span.

A 2003 auditor general’s re-port clocks in federal spending on public opinion research in 2002-03, under a previous Liberal government, at $23.7 million and $26.2 million the year before.

Mr. Graves partly attrib-uted lagging “rust” in the bureau-cratic channels in preventing the Liberals from revving up polling efforts back to previous levels.

“[It’s] going to take awhile for the bureaucracy to catch up

and for the resource envelope [to expand] to do this in levels which would be more commen-surate with the need and demand and express priority provided to this approach,” Mr. Graves said, noting that civil servants would also need to catch up with techno-logical advancements in the fi eld.

Ekos has historically been a large provider of public opinion research work for the government, and has likely regained its large market share this past year, he estimated.

It is also one of a handful of fi rms with standing offers with the government for public opin-ion research.

This allows the government to contract work to these companies without going through a separate bidding process each time. It’s also available for other services, including offi ce supplies.

Participating fi rms are required to undergo a vigorous vetting process that takes into account research capacity and cost, among other considerations, before being placed on the standing-offer rota-tion, according to Mr. Graves.

The most recent screening, he said, was held during the tenure of the former Conservative gov-ernment.

Pollsters optimistic after lean decade

Stephen Kiar, CEO and founder of Ottawa-based public

opinion and market research fi rm Phoenix SPI, said his company has also started to see an increase in public opinion research work in the last month or so.

After the election, the Liber-als proceeded “cautiously and deliberately,” as new ministers learned their departments, rel-evant issues, mandates, and staff, among other considerations, he said.

As a result, Phoenix didn’t see any increase in work before the government’s fi scal year ended on March 31, though things picked up afterwards, Mr. Kiar said, as departments began put-ting together their research plans for the coming year, and seeking the necessary approvals.

“It appears that many depart-ments have fi nished that plan-ning process and are starting to engage research fi rms like ours for their projects,” he explained.

Mr. Kiar said it’s too early to compare spending to the previous Conservative government, which he argued “savaged” the public opinion research budget, while dramatically increasing the media monitoring budget.

Under the Trudeau Liberals, mandate letters to cabinet minis-ters noted a need for Canadians to see the government’s “willing-ness to listen” and for the gov-ernment’s work to “be informed by performance measurement, evidence, and feedback from Canadians.”

Mr. Graves framed the period under the Conservatives that saw a “real paucity” of public opinion research as an “anomaly,” and part-ly blamed the scarcity of polling on what he saw as the government’s indifferent, sometimes “hostile” ap-proach to empirical research.

Critics accused the Harper government of gutting fund-ing for research and muzzling federal scientists. The Conserva-

tives axed the mandatory long-form census in 2011, drawing strong criticism from a wide range of groups worried about the consequences the decision would have on the reliability on the vital data gleaned from the sweeping survey of Canadians.

The Liberals reinstated the long-form census as mandatory shortly after assuming offi ce last November.

Kara Mitchelmore, CEO of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, an industry advocacy group, says numbers on polling activity for 2016 won’t be known until the end of the year, though she cited the re-establish-ment of the mandatory long-form cen-sus as leading to an increase in work.

“I can say anecdotally that with the re-instalment of the long form census, which MRIA strongly sup-ports, there is an obvious noticeable increase in data collec-tion roles,” she said in an emailed statement, noting that this will “trickle down” into more analyst roles, which is “great news” for the industry.

Mr. Graves said he expects funding for polling to eventually be restored to previous heights, though predicted it would only reach a quarter of the historic average this year.

That’s still “a lot better” than what we saw in the late stages of the previous government, he noted.

Optics are also likely playing a role in taming a huge surge in polling funding, Mr. Graves said, arguing that if govern-ment spending doesn’t surge to 2006 levels, there likely will be continual increases under the Liberals.

Some pollsters have argued that the Federal Accountability Act, which changed the rules

around reporting public opinion research work by outside fi rms, discour-aged govern-ments from contracting polling work.

The legisla-tion, brought in 2006 by the Conservatives, promised transparency in procure-ment for ad-vertising and public opinion research and for the release of reports on all govern-ment polls to the Library of Parliament within six months.

David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, told The Hill Times last year that the Accountability Act is still a “barrier” against governments using more polls.

“Government, regardless of its political stripe, is still sensitive about bad press,” he said.


Pollsters starting to see uptick in government work The Liberals are doing more public opinion work, but still less than predecessors: pollster.


Ekos pollster Frank Graves, pictured speaking at a Green Party convention in Ottawa earlier this month, attributed ‘rust’ in the bureaucracy in preventing the Liberals from revving up polling to previous levels. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Phoenix SPI CEO and founder Stephen Kiar, pictured, said his company has also started to see an increase in public opinion research work in the last month or so. Photograph courtesy of Stephen Kiar

THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 20168

EDITORIAL PUBLIC PURSE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

First there was Jane Philpott and the limousine rides (or was it a sedan?).

The health minister charged taxpayers about $3,700 to be ferried around the Toronto area in a luxury car on two occasions, and another $3,814 for 20 trips to Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

But that has since snowballed to Air Canada executive lounge access billed to taxpayers for more than $500 for the year.

And now Environment Minister Catherine McKenna is also under fi re for spending thousands of dollars on a pho-tographer to take photos of her during last year’s Paris climate change summit.

The expense problems clouded over what was supposed to be the Liberals’ good-news story that they were gear-ing up for a busy fall legislative session, with some cabinet ship-shaping and teambuilding at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont.

Speaking of the cabinet retreat, ministers stayed in drab student dorms with cinder-block walls this time around, after having been criticized for spending big money on accommodations during previous cabinet retreats. The 30-mem-ber cabinet and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spent nearly $150,000 to stay in a swish, seaside New Brunswick resort in January. Then they had another retreat in a mountain lodge in Kananaskis, Alta. in April.

To her credit, Ms. Philpott immediately admitted to The National Post, which fi rst reported her bills, that the car claim was “inappropriate” and she wouldn’t do it again. She quickly apologized for the

high cost and agreed to pay back $3,700. Her offi ce, according to CTV, is reviewing the airport trips to make sure they were fair-market value. And she’s paying back the Air Canada lounge bill.

Nevertheless, the ethics commissioner has launched a probe of a possible breach of confl ict-of-interest rules because Ms. Philpott used a car service owned by a man who volunteered on her election campaign.

Ms. McKenna, too, is admitting things could be done differently. She said her offi ce is reviewing the policy used to hire the photographer, and that “I think there are ways that we can reduce costs.”

Taking heat on ministerial expenses, the prime minister wasn’t ruling out changing the way ministers report what they spend.

“We need to be demonstrating that we are accountable, that we are respon-sible stewards of the public purse,” CTV reported him saying.

But in the face of the Trudeau government’s commitment to openness and transparency come constant suggestions of overspending taxpayers’ money. It’s red meat to the official opposition Conservatives, who just love to spit back former Chrétien-era cabinet minister David Dingwall’s “entitled to my entitlements” phrase to the Liberals.

Spending too much public money is the Liberals’ Achilles heel. And their pledge to transparency leaves them vulnerable to scrutiny for everything they release.

They need to make more frugal use of the public purse.

Re: “May should leave Greens because Greens have left her,” (Aug. 15, p. 14).

Warren Kinsella’s article leaves one dis-tressed and disappointed.

This is not only because Mr. Kinsella par-rots well-known Israeli government talking points (referring to the “anti-democratic states that surround it” and claiming that “BDS is...essentially racist”), but also because he dis-plays not an iota of empathy for the millions of Palestinians living under the daily humilia-tions of occupation, while decrying that BDS aims at “punishing” Israeli citizens “for the alleged omissions of their government.”

Putting aside the merits or defi ciencies of the BDS movement, Mr. Kinsella defi nite-ly needs to be educated on the realities of Israel’s occupation. He could have recount-ed the number of Palestinian home demoli-tions this year to date (684 according to the UN), the number of Palestinian children in detention or solitary confi nement (at least 400 according to B’Tselem and other rights groups), the increasing use of “administra-tive detention” to lock away Palestinians without charges or trial, the almost 100 per cent conviction rate of Palestinians in Israeli

courts and the corresponding impunity of Israeli forces even when there is incon-trovertible documentary evidence of their criminal wrongdoing, and the unchecked expansion of Jews-only roads and settle-ments that are considered illegal by the international community, including Canada.

He points out that Israeli factories em-ploy Palestinians—as if building a factory in occupied territory by the occupier is something to be encouraged.

He alleges that BDS “seeks to replace dialogue and debate with punishment.” The rhetoric emanating from prominent politicians such as Israel Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman cannot be described as “dialogue.” He frequently suggests that Arabs should be “relocated” or expelled.

One is left wondering where Mr. Kinsella stood in the 1970s and 1980s as the anti-apartheid movement reached its apogee. Did he support that struggle or did he denounce it as racist and a means to punish ordinary white South Africans “for the al-leged omissions of their government?”

Ali Sarwar Ottawa, Ont.

Many small communities have no banks but still have a post offi ce. It’s time

for the Canada Post Corporation to expand into banking services. It should service communities that no longer have a bank. Since Canada Post is owned by you and me and not shareholders, it ensures the profi ts stay here helping our towns rather that go offshore.

Canada Post could also become an internet provider, as it still has the largest number of retail counters across Canada. It has about 6,300 retail outlets. That is much more than the number of Tim Hortons outlets. RBC Royal Bank has approximately 4,300 ATMs.

Canada Post could have the largest fl eet of electric vehicles and lead the way in

trying to help our auto companies with this contract—GM, Ford, or Chrysler perhaps. Canada Post could install wind towers in rural communities or solar panels. And it could provide internet service in all post offi ces for ordering online, for those people without internet.

All this could ensure all Canadians could continue to have great service, as well as door-to-door service.

We can provide a check-in for the elderly, or the delivery of groceries in each town and community.

This would also ensure good jobs, ben-efi ts, and pensions continue for our younger generations.

Diane MitchellOttawa, Ont.

Re: “Legal status of Canada Park pending, Palestinians and Israelis negotiating:

Fegelman,” (Aug. 15, p. 8). Here is a simple solution to the Israeli-Palestinian confl ict: if the Palestinians agree to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and give up violence aimed at the destruction of Israel, the foundation will be laid for an enduring peace in the region. As long as the Palestinians remain com-mitted to the destruction of Israel through violence and political pressure, peace will

remain a distant dream.Israel has the legal, political, and moral

rights to exist as the only Jewish state in the world. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists have more than one state where they are the majority. Israel is the only state where the Jewish people are the majority. The recognition of this fact is key to peace in the region.

Mahmood ElahiOttawa, Ont.

Kinsella’s BDS stance disappointing

Expand Canada Post service to banking and beyond

Simple solution to Israeli-Palestinian confl ict

EDITORIALSENIOR REPORTERS Tim Naumetz and Laura RyckewaertREPORTER, POWER & INFLUENCE ASSISTANT EDITOR Rachel AielloNEWS REPORTERS Chelsea Nash, Marco VigliottiPHOTOGRAPHERS Sam Garcia, Andrew Meade, Cynthia Münster, and Jake Wright POWER & INFLUENCE ASSISTANT EDITOR Christina LeadlayEDITORIAL CARTOONIST Michael De AdderCONTRIBUTING WRITERS Denis Calnan, Simon Doyle, Christopher Guly, Leslie MacKinnon, Carl Meyer, Cynthia Münster, and Selina ChignallCOLUMNISTS Keith Brooks, Karl Bélanger, Andrew Cardozo, John Chenier, David Coletto, Sheila Copps,

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Expenses: the Liberals’ Achilles heel


INSIDE DEFENCE AARON DRIVER

OTTAWA—The public relations branch of Daesh was quick

to stoke the vivid imagination of Canadian fear-mongers in the wake of the Aug. 10 terror-related incident in Strathroy, Ont.

Something called the al-Wa’d Foundation—cheerleaders of the evildoers also known as Islamic State, ISIS, and ISIL—produced and published a couple of slick-looking posters. One depicts a lone jihadist fi ghter standing next to a wolf (yes, a wolf) overlooking some snow-covered mountains and a post-apocalyptic Toronto skyline. The bizarre text reads: “O worshippers of the cross in

Canada, now now fi ghting came, our wolves will come to you, from where you will not know, so you won’t enjoy life.” The second poster simply shows a Daesh evildoer walking the destroyed streets of Toronto with the caption “soon, very soon.”

To make sure we got the con-nection, Daesh issued a statement claiming Aaron Driver, who the police allege blew up an explosive device in the back of a taxicab in Strathroy on his way to try to harm others, is “one of [its] soldiers.” Scary stuff. Be afraid be-cause Daesh walks among us and the apocalypse is nigh.

Except for the fact that the actual events that occurred in Strathroy run counter to any such nightmarish, doomsday scenario. Aaron Driver was not a Daesh soldier; he had never travelled to the Middle East and he had received no formal training in martial skills. He was a 24-year-old misguided youth who had converted to Islam. He was not secretive about his radicalization and his very public support for Daesh had drawn attention from not only the Canadian authorities, but also from the religious leaders at his local mosque.

Driver had been placed on a peace bond. Outside of inexplica-

bly allowing a taxi driver to pick up Driver at his residence, the RCMP tactical squad was already well sited to block any attempted attack. Sitting in a driveway in Strathroy, Driver did not blow up Toronto as pictured in the Daesh posters. Hell, Driver’s device was so weak that when he exploded it close to him it did not kill him, and it failed to seriously injure the hapless cabbie. As was proven by the autopsy, the subsequent barrage of police bullets killed the demented Driver.

In the 15 years since 9/11 and when the War on Terror began, there have only been three other radical Islam-inspired attacks in Canada. On Oct. 20, 2014, Martin Couture-Rouleau used his car to kill Warrant Offi cer Patrice Vin-cent and wound a second soldier in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.; he was then killed by Quebec police. Two days later, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot and killed

Corporal Nathan Cirillo at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa, then stormed Parliament Hill. Zehaf-Bibeau wounded one security guard before dying in a hail of police bullets.

The only other attack, and this is a stretch, was the March 14 stabbing incident at a Toronto recruitment centre that left two soldiers with minor injuries. Ayanle Hassan Ali, the 27-year-old attacker, had claimed to be motivated by Allah.

None of these four attackers had any actual affi liation with Daesh.

Forgotten by those who would buy into the Donald Trump rheto-ric of fearing all things Islam is the fact that non-Muslim-inspired attackers have been far more deadly for Canadian security forces during that same post-9/11 timeframe.

There was the June 4, 2014 rampage by Justin Bourque in

Moncton, N.B. that killed three RCMP offi cers and severely wounded two other Mounties. After his arrest, Bourque claimed he was lashing out against an op-pressive government.

Also disdainful of the law was James Roszko, who shot and killed four members of the RCMP on his farm in Mayerthorpe, Alta., back in March 2005.

Despite what the Daesh poster designers and Trump would have you believe, Islamic extremism is not the real threat to Canadian security. It is the disillusioned mentally ill from all walks of life who pose the threat. If Daesh wants our fear to prevent us from enjoying life, then the best way to defeat it is to enjoy life to the full-est. Don’t worry, be happy.

Scott Taylor is editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps magazine.


Islamic extremism is not the real threat to Canadian security If Daesh wants our fear to prevent us from enjoying life, then the best way to defeat it is to enjoy life to the fullest.

“Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the fi rst time as tragedy, the sec-ond time as farce.”

—Karl Marx, 1852

LONDON, U.K.—We would all prefer a farce to a tragedy,

so let us hope that Marx was right. But he has been wrong a few times in the past, so we must entertain the possibility that what awaits us is tragedy.

The “fi rst time,” in this instance, was the 1930s, when the painfully slow recovery from a global fi nan-cial crash led to political polariza-tion, beggar-my-neighbour trade wars, and the rise to power of anti-democratic, ultra-nationalist lead-ers in a number of countries. The consequences included the Second World War, death camps, the fi rst and only use of nuclear weapons, and 40 years of Cold War.

Well, we had our global fi nan-cial crash in 2008, and the recovery has certainly been slow. Average incomes in many Western countries have still not recovered to pre-2008 levels, and the growth of national-ist and racist sentiment is evident in major countries like Britain (the Brexit vote), France (the rise of the National Front), and above all the United States (Donald Trump).

The wave of non-violent demo-cratic revolutions that transformed

so many developing countries at the end of the Cold War ended with the failure of the “Arab Spring,” leaving a new dictatorship in Egypt and civil wars across the Middle East. In parts of Asia the process has even gone into reverse (mili-tary rule in Thailand, death squads run by a populist elected govern-ment in the Philippines).

Authoritarian, ultra-nationalist governments hostile to the Euro-pean Union have come to power in post-Communist Eastern Europe (Fidesz in Hungary, the Law and Justice government in Poland). And a trade war is brewing between the United States and China no matter who wins the United States elec-tion in November.

You could add to the list of worries a new ruler in China (Xi Jinping) who is more autocratic and readier to play the national-ist card than any other Chinese leader since Mao, and a Japanese prime minister (Shinzo Abe) who promises to remove the anti-war clause from the constitution. Not to mention Russia’s Vladimir Pu-tin, who is addicted to high-stakes international brinkmanship.

Quite a list, but does it really mean that we are back in 1936 (fas-cists in power in Germany, Italy, and Japan, civil war in Spain, the Great Purge in the Soviet Union), with the catastrophe of global war just three years away? Or is it just a grab-bag of local problems, failures, and wor-ries of the sort that are bound to ex-ist in a world of almost 200 indepen-dent countries? Probably the latter.

Right- and left-wing parties are a legitimate and inevitable part of any democratic society, but they both tend to spin off or mutate into more extreme and paranoid versions of themselves in times of economic hardship. It is diffi cult to argue, however, that the times are really that bad at the moment.

Times are very hard in most developed countries for the old working class, which has been left behind by globalization, and that is where most of the support for right-wing extremism comes from. But there really aren’t enough of them to take over the state: Trump will not win in November, the National Front will not win next year’s French election, and the Brexiteers in Britain—well, that remains to be seen.

The Middle East is a disaster area, of course, but it is a pretty isolated disaster area, apart from occasional small-scale terrorist outrages in Western countries. To

live in fear of a worldwide Islamic caliphate is as delusional as to hope for it.

Democracy is not in retreat in Africa or Latin America, and the pluses and the minuses more or less balance out in Asia (military rule in Thailand and more author-itarian elected governments in the Philippines and Indonesia, but more democracy in Burma and Sri Lanka). Nor should we see the triumph of a couple of ultra-nationalist parties in traditionally nationalist Eastern European countries as a sign of things to come in the rest of Europe.

This is not to say that the Euro-pean Union will survive in the long term without major changes. We are going through a historic shift of the centre of gravity of the global economy from the North Atlantic world to Asia, and many things will have to change as a result.

It is possible that the United States and China might stumble into a military confrontation at some point: that risk is implicit in the kind of power shift that is un-derway in the early 21

st century. But we are not on the brink of any great and awful calamity in the world. It is not 1936.

Gwynne Dyer is a United Kingdom-based independent journalist.

The Hill Times

Is 2016 the new 1936?Slow recovery from a global fi nancial crash leading to political polarization, beggar-my-neighbour trade wars, and the rise of ultra-nationalist leaders. Sound familiar?

GLOBAL AFFAIRS NATIONALISM

GWYNNE DYER

SCOTT TAYLOR

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said after the Aug. 10 Strathroy incident that Canada’s terrorism threat level would stay at ‘medium,’ where it’s been for nearly the last two years. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 201610PLAIN SPEAK PUBLIC SERVICE

ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—A strange thing happened last week

at home in Newfoundland and

Labrador. No, it wasn’t Mark Critch going all shirtless with Justin Trudeau, or Danny Wil-liams professing his unrequited love for Stephen Harper. It was something potentially more politi-cally potent.

While in St. John’s doing my summer stint of guest hosting on Voice of the Common Man (VOCM) radio, the discussion about the troubles of the Phoenix pay system came to our airwaves. Previously, stories and chats about that mess were limited. Perhaps they were viewed as a story restricted to Ottawa. Not anymore. Newfoundlanders’ bit-terness with cabin taxes usually trumps the woes of unpaid public servants, but not last week.

In a clever strategic move, the leadership of the Public Service Al-liance of Canada (PSAC) took the story of Phoenix on the road. What better place to take it than New-foundland and Labrador, the home

of Minister of Public Services and Procurement Judy Foote!

PSAC leadership organized a press conference and a protest in St. John’s. They demystifi ed this Phoenix and showed it to be a turd for many: apparently 80,000 Canadians including some locals. The provincial media lapped it up as nothing quite sells like poking a politician in the eye in their own backyard.

Bill Ryan, a local crewmember on coast guard ships, shared his woes with the system. Speaking at the PSAC news conference he recounted how he missed two pay periods. “I was at sea, 700 miles offshore. Our internet connection is dismal to say the least at sea,” stated Ryan.

Ryan humanized the story. He captured the frustration of it all by noting that it took two days just to download forms to request tide-over pay. Then he had to wait until he went back to port to fi le

them. He made a powerful point, saying: “I shouldn’t have to deal with family at home that is wor-ried to death because we have no money coming in. A pat on the back saying, ‘Thanks for coming to work, we’ll pay you whenever,’ isn’t going to cut it.”

No disrespect to other PSAC members, but it is easier for the broader public to have empathy for a guy like Ryan working in what could be described as a life-saving job than a policy analyst trapped in a cubicle in Gatineau down a few bucks. The average person’s give-a-crap meter goes off as the story transforms itself from one about faceless civil servants not being paid on time to something real to them. It starts the “Hey, did you hear John is part of pay mess” kitchen table con-versations that the government of the day doesn’t want.

While Judy Foote has been out, visible and communicating

her frustration with the Phoenix mess, it hasn’t yet seemed to mute PSAC. Certainly, the government has set up emergency payment plans for workers affected. But the reality is a 911 response from a massive bureaucracy is a bit of a molasses pour.

The Liberal government hopes to have all pay matters addressed by Oct. 31. The union says that is unrealistic. The longer this lingers, the bigger the opportunity for political damage to what so far has been a Tefl on-coated government.

Gord Downie can endorse the prime minister, and some in the government can say they inher-ited this pile of poop from the Tories, but neither of those things is going to put pay in public servants’ pockets. Getting some money in the bank matters here for all concerned; this problem just can’t be talked away. It is no longer a story about effete Ot-tawa bureaucrats not getting fi ve weeks of paid holidays. It is now a tale of the neighbour you like getting screwed over.

Tim Powers is vice-chairman of Summa Strategies and manag-ing director of Abacus Data. He is a former adviser to Conservative political leaders.


PSAC levels masterful blow to feds over Phoenix pay system The longer this lingers, the bigger the opportunity for political damage. Coast-guard ship crewmember Bill Ryan last week put a human face on the cost of the fi asco.

MONTREAL—Five years on, what would Jack Layton make

of the Canadian political landscape and the gloomy state of the party he led to unprecedented heights before his premature death?

Because he always tended to see a glass half full rather than half empty I believe he would probably fi rst note some bright spots.

For instance, Layton was convinced there was still within

the Canadian electorate a large constituency for a big-tent ap-proach to politics and an appetite for aspirational political goals. On that basis he would fi nd that Jus-tin Trudeau’s victory—as bitter-sweet as it may have been for the NDP—validated his conviction.

And then, as opposed to some New Democrat activists who feel it is clipping their party’s wings on the environmental front, Layton would certainly not regret the ad-vent in Alberta of an NDP govern-ment and the opportunity to have a national conversation on climate change on different terms.

It is under Layton that the fed-eral NDP moderated its stance on pipelines. A Rachel Notley major-ity victory in Alberta was not on anyone’s radar at the time.

As a partisan politician, he would likely take some satisfac-tion from the fact that the fi rst New Democrat woman elected to provincial leadership in Canada struck at the heart of Conserva-tive Canada.

Layton would mostly be relieved that a contingent of 16 mostly solid Quebec MPs is left from the orange wave. It was never a given that the party’s presence in the province would outlive his leadership.

Historically, the federal NDP has tended to fare best when the Liberals have been weak. Lay-ton’s own watch as leader coin-cided with such a period. But last fall, the party managed to achieve its second-best seat score ever in spite of the Liberal surge in sup-port. Layton would probably fi nd some solace in the notion that the progressive pool has expanded over the Harper decade in power.

He would not be terribly surprised by the post-election detachment of so many NDP sympathizers, a phenomenon that is translating these days by a steep decline in support in public opinion polls.

The notion that many progres-sive Canadians place on keeping the Conservatives out of power ahead of NDP fortunes is one the late leader experienced fi rst hand.

When he was president of the Canadian Auto Workers union, Buzz Hargrove urged the NDP to abandon the fi ght against Stephen Harper in Quebec to the Bloc Québécois.

In 2006, Hargrove campaigned with Paul Martin.

At the last national conven-tion Layton presided over, less than two months after the party’s historic breakthrough in Quebec, he was rightly celebrated for his election performance. But it was not all rainbows and roses. Among NDP members, elation over the party’s accession to the rank of offi cial Opposition was often tempered by dismay at the advent of a Harper majority.

But even an optimist such as Layton would be hard-pressed to fi nd a silver lining to the funk that has seized the NDP in the 10 months since the federal election. Even when the party was reduced to less than a dozen MPs in 1993, it did not seem as lost for direc-tion as it is now. It is turning out to be harder to get over a defeat

on the fi eld of expectations than to move on from an actual rout.

The reluctance of the next gen-eration of New Democrats to step up to the leadership plate would trouble him. He would not be particularly thrilled by speculation that Green Party Leader Elizabeth May could or should jump ship to come lead the NDP. She always seemed to click more with her Lib-eral counterparts (and vice versa).

The New Democrat angst is palpable on the ground.

I live in Laurier-Ste-Marie, Que. a riding the NDP twice won against no less than then-Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe.

This week something that looked like an in-store raffl e ticket was slipped into my mail slot. It was MP Hélène Laverdière’s latest correspondence.

It would be an exaggeration to call it a householder for it gave no sense of the NDP’s plans for the next sitting of Parliament. Instead it was a straw poll designed to produce a list of priorities for the party to tackle. One can only wonder what Layton would make of the NDP turning itself into a blank slate.

Chantal Hébert is a national affairs writer for The Toronto Star. This column was released Aug. 20.

The Hill Times

What Jack Layton would have thought of the NDP now The party won its second-best seat score ever last year. Still, even when it was reduced to less than a dozen MPs in 1993, it didn’t seem as lost for direction as it is today.

INSIDE POLITICS NEW DEMOCRATS

TIM POWERS

CHANTAL HÉBERT

Jack Layton, pictured two months before his August 2011 death, would have found that Justin Trudeau’s victory—as bittersweet as it may have been for the NDP—validated his conviction for a big-tent approach to politics, writes Chantal Hébert. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright


NEED TO KNOW THE TRAGICALLY HIP

OTTAWA—Could Gord Downie and company ever have chosen a more ironic

band name than the one they came up with?On Saturday, the tragedy, courage, and ar-

tistic majesty was abundantly evident as the group pulled Canada together in a national outpouring of pride, appreciation, and grief unlike anything seen before in this country.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was there, wearing a Tragically Hip T-shirt, among the tens of thousands of others who jammed the Kingston arena or cheered the performance under a huge screen in the city’s spacious downtown square.

Downie, whose words are freighted with the extra meaning of those who may not be around too much longer, singled out Trudeau for praise, particularly for the Liberals’ efforts to deal with longstanding aboriginal issues. Canada is in good hands, Downie told the crowd.

Trudeau being there for the Tragically Hip’s last concert was no surprise. It’s in keeping with who he is and his approach, even as prime minister.

He won the election, after all, in large part by understanding and connecting with today’s Canada—and younger people—in a much more perceptive and engaging way than anyone thought possible.

The proof of that connection is more obvi-ous with each passing week, as Trudeau con-tinues to enjoy spectacularly high popularity numbers 10 months after winning power.

The Canada that Trudeau has tapped into is not the aging, angry country that put Stephen Harper and the Conservatives in offi ce for a decade.

It is a more optimistic, generous place with an eye to the future, faith in Canada, and a commitment to make it a better home for everyone, not just for the well-off or the culturally pure. Along with this is an aware-ness of and willingness to fully acknowledge and face shortcomings, whether it’s inequal-ity, prejudice, or climate change.

This in itself marks a major change from the dominant mentality of recent decades, when the public good was often subordinate to demands for austerity and smaller government.

Unlike many other political leaders, Trudeau dared to challenge the cost-cutters and program-slashers, realizing that Canadi-ans believed that carefully managed govern-ment could be a force for good rather than an overweening, wasteful interference.

Trudeau’s belief in this post-neoliberal Canada always seemed unwavering—something voters of every stripe responded to with unusual fervour in last fall’s elec-tion campaign.

The trick will be to live up to this mandate.The economy, which will always spell

the difference between success and failure, is stuck in a long-term mediocre spell and it’s not obvious how anyone can revive it.

Even after petroleum prices come back up, development in the important oil and gas sector will hinge on building a pipeline to allow Canadian producers to export more crude to overseas export markets. And it’s not at all clear if any new pipelines will ever overcome objections from those fearing more spills or environmentalists who see pipelines as enablers of pollution.

The idea that initiating better controls over greenhouse gases will open the way for social licence for new pipeline construction is a beguiling one and it made a good cam-paign slogan. But it fails to take into account the potential pollution and fi erce opposition to pipelines among average Canadians and various levels of government.

Reinvigorating the manufacturing economy will not be easy at a time when business is leery about investing to expand and the export sector has not recovered from the 2008-09 recession.

Access to more markets in Europe and Asia through free-trade deals should hold out promise for an export-dependent country like Canada. But Britain’s decision to leave the European Union has raised questions about the value of Ottawa’s trade liberaliza-tion pact with the European Union. And the Trans-Pacifi c Partnership, which in theory should provide Canadian companies with important new markets, is in limbo because of the U.S. election campaign.

So there’s no obvious source for the momentum needed to move the country out of the current economic doldrums. And a failure to get things rolling again would heavily affect Trudeau’s youthful support-ers, who bear the brunt of unemployment and many other economic woes.

Redressing decades of neglect and indif-ference with regard to aboriginals will also challenge the Trudeau government’s abilities. It will be a very long, costly project that runs the risk of leaving everyone on all sides frustrated and unsatisfi ed, no matter how commendable Ottawa’s intentions may be.

Internationally, all the goodwill in the

world will do little to neutralize the threat of terrorism or curb Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hegemonic impulse. These forces will be a challenge—and a potential minefi eld—for all Western governments in coming years.

But the spirit of Gord Downie’s last performance was a unifying inspiration in a country looking for leadership in a time of change and renewal.

Les Whittington is an Ottawa journalist and a regular contributor to The Hill Times.


Sadness and hope on a defi ning evening for the next Canada Trudeau being at the last Hip concert is in keeping with his approach, connecting with young Canadians.

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In this timely and important briefing, we’ll offer informative content on:

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Economics of air travel: How is the federal government responding to pressure on it to lift foreign ownership caps on airlines, help discount carriers take flight, scrap

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PUBLICATION DATE: October 26, 2016 BOOKING DEADLINE: October 21, 2016

AVIATION

LES WHITTINGTON

Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie performs at the band’s last show, in Kingston on Aug. 20. Twitter photograph courtesy of Adam Scotti

THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 201612OPINION ELECTORAL REFORM

There’s a false notion out there that democracy means rule

by the majority. This approach denies the values of those who have valid reasons for voting against an idea or an ideology. It denies the opportunity to amend or change a proposal so that it addresses the needs of more than just the majority. In many cases you can substitute majority for bully. The bully gets to make the rules and everyone else has to abide by them.

Democracy means rule by the people, all the people, not just the ones who lucked or tricked or bullied their way into a major-ity position. Good government would take into account the ideas, concerns and perspectives of all citizens when making and chang-ing laws and policy. That’s what the fi rst, second and third reading of bills are all about, and the Senate review, and consultations and lobbying and citizen advo-cacy—to review, revise, improve, amend and shape the legislation and policies so that they meet the needs of most of the people most of the time. It’s supposed to be an inclusive, iterative process, so that by third and fi nal reading, everyone has had their concerns addressed and are all willing to vote for the proposal.

That’s why those other parties have seats in Parliament, not to be shut out, but to add value to the government and to Canada. This is exactly why minority governments are usually so much better at governing and do more for their citizens than majority governments. The ruling minor-ity is obliged to amend their proposed legislation, adjust their policies, and change their spend-ing plans, in order to get their bills passed. It compels coopera-tion, which results in better and more inclusive policies.

The electoral system we have now in Canada, fi rst-past-the-post (FPTP), along with our open-to-abuse campaign fundraising rules, allows a small elite, often a false majority, to create and drive and bully Canada without at all considering the day-to-day realities of the true majority of Canadians, including all the rest of us.

With a government elected ac-cording to a system of proportion-al representation (PR) we would get closer to real democracy. PR governments are more likely to be minority and coalition govern-ments that consider the concerns

of a much broader range of citizens’ voices. Almost all OECD countries use some form of PR.

Canada should have a form of mixed member proportional (MMP) electoral system, as recommended by the Law Com-mission of Canada in their 2004 report Voting Counts.

Referenda are undemocraticA referendum is a form of

FPTP. It reduces complex socio-political issues down to simplistic yes/no choices and then imposes the majority (bully) decision on everyone, even in very close votes. The winner takes all, as in FPTP.

Referenda completely deny the rights and interests of the minority. In the Brexit vote, 48 per cent of the population of Britain weren’t able to have any infl u-ence; and there was no opportu-nity to offer alternatives, options, new ideas, or other ways to solve the problems facing Britain today. Just a simple choice: leave the EU completely or keep things exactly as they are—a very simplistic assessment of the problems and their solutions.

Canada should defi nitely not hold a referendum on the very important questions of electoral reform. We need a fulsome discus-sion of the options with all Cana-dians, not just a yes/no choice. It’s a complex problem, it will require a complex solution. In the end, we need to create an electoral system that refl ects the needs and wishes of as many Canadians as possible so that from now on, the decisions we make together meet everyone’s needs.

Even with a robust propor-tional representation electoral system, the independence of the decisions made by governments and elected offi ce holders can be unethically infl uenced by obliga-tions to campaign donors and third party supporters.

There is a big motivation to maximize campaign spending—it can and does have a signifi cant effect on election outcomes. Usu-ally the candidate who spends the most is the one who wins. Not always, but usually. This biases the outcomes of elections in favour of the wealthy elite, and against the middle and lower income groups. The result of this centuries old

in-built bias is the inequality gap; perpetuated and increased over the years because of multiple govern-ments’ willingness to put in place laws that benefi t the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us.

If government’s role is to provide a level playing fi eld for all citizens, then we should be re-moving the great advantage that money brings to some candidates.

I suggest that we create a public campaign funding system with only a small proportion of additional private funding permitted. When candidate de-clared themselves, the govern-ment would provide them with a fi xed, small, sum to spend on their campaign, and support all candidates equally through things like sponsoring televised debates, and space in newspapers or on websites. It would be up to the candidate to be creative and strategic with their resources and to win on their own good quali-ties, not on how many signs they could pay for.

Canada should limit third party political expenditures. There is good reason for groups like the Council of Canadians,

Fair Vote Canada, or the unions to fund issue-based campaigns. It is quite another thing for a group of fi nanciers to use their fi nancial advantage to infl uence public policy and voter choice.

Electronic votingCanada should also put in place

an electronic voting system for federal and provincial elections. It would increase voter turn out and make democracy more easily avail-able to more Canadians.

Of course there would have to be extensive security con-trols, checks and oversight of the system, but we are one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world; surely we can fi gure it out.

Katie Oppen is an Ottawa-based activist who volunteers with Fair Vote Canada and the Professional Institute of the Public Service, and focuses her ef-forts on democratic reform, wom-en’s rights and reducing income inequality. A version of this op-ed was originally submitted as a brief to the House Electoral Re-form Committee.

The Hill Times

Democracy does not mean majority rule Our current electoral system allows a small, often false majority to drive and bully Canada without accounting for the desires of the rest of us.

KATIE OPPEN

The House Electoral Reform Committee is reviewing potential changes to Canada’s electoral

system. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright


OPINION ENERGY

The G20 has a credibility challenge. The 2008 and 2009 leaders’ summits dealt

effectively with the fi nancial crisis. Since then, the G20 has had a limited impact on economic growth outcomes and little infl u-ence on multilateral and regional develop-ments. By dealing with fossil fuel subsidies at the upcoming G20 leaders’ meeting, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can address that credibility gap and also advance Cana-dian national interests.

In 2009 the G20 committed “to phase out and rationalize over the medium term inef-fi cient fossil fuel subsidies”. They accepted that ineffi cient fossil fuel subsidies encour-age wasteful consumption, reduce energy security, impede investment in clean energy and undermine efforts to deal with climate change. But no precise timeline was set for fulfi lling that pledge.

Removing subsidies is as painful as extracting impacted wisdom teeth. It is especially hard to do when oil prices are low. Low prices have led to job losses and economic challenges in Alberta and other parts of Canada. That being said, the rationale to phase out fossil fuel subsidies is persuasive. It delivers on an explicit Lib-eral election promise and offsets adverse health and environmental effects.

The current fossil fuel subsidies also create confl icting incentives, undercutting Canada’s other efforts to reduce our car-bon emissions. Ending tax breaks that sub-sidize exploration for additional reserves is a no-brainer. Those future discoveries should never be exploited: to meet climate change targets, two-thirds of the world’s already proven fossil fuel reserves must remain in the ground.

It is not simple to infl uence the G20, even for a prime minister. The leaders’ communique for the September summit in China is already drafted. The fi nal commu-nique is based on extensive preparations, consultations and negotiation that began last December when China assumed the G20 presidency. At this late date, the cur-rent draft will be diffi cult to change.

However, Canada can infl uence the out-come positively, keeping future summits in mind. There are four criteria for any idea to make the G20’s agenda. First, the idea must achieve consensus among powerful coun-tries that are not like-minded. Second, it must be clear that action will help resolve a future inevitable crisis. Third, advocates for an idea must be able to show good pros-pects for success and win-win outcomes. And fi nally, no organization other than the G20 should be capable of the initiative.

In 2009, the G20 requested an analysis of the scope of energy subsidies and sug-gestions for how to implement a phase-out. The report was provided at the next sum-mit by four heavy-hitters: the IEA, OPEC, the OECD and the World Bank. Prime Min-

ister Trudeau could suggest a joint report from these same organizations in 2017 on implementing commitments on ineffi cient fossil fuel subsidies, with policy options for carbon pricing and border tax adjustments.

That work is badly needed. The terms of reference for the joint report could include options for a standard defi nition of “ineffi -cient subsidies,” a phrase that countries can currently use as a loophole. There’s also a need to consider a central repository for collecting and auditing data, consequences for income distribution, forecasts of emis-sions impacts and more.

By specifying the Canadian schedule for phasing out subsidies—a necessary step to keep the Liberals’ election prom-

ise—the prime minister could spur G20 action to address the climate tragedy of the commons. Tackling fossil fuel subsidies is a way for Canada to be a leader in global diplomacy and show the value of forums like the G20, while also being on the side of the angels in the climate change debate.

Barry Carin is a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. He has served in a number of senior offi cial posi-tions in the Government of Canada and played an instrumental role in developing the initial arguments for the G20 and a leader’s level G20.

The Hill Times

Trudeau should target fossil fuel subsidies at the G20 It’s not simple to infl uence the G20, even for a prime minister, but progress on fossil fuel subsidies is badly needed.




In this important and timely policy briefing on Canada’s North, The Hill

Times takes a deep look at how climate change is transforming the Arctic and what it all means; we look into Irving Shipbuilding Inc.’s $2-million funding commitment with the Nunavut Arctic College; we find out the latest on Transport Canada’s initiative to buy pilotless aerial drones for the North and the federal government’s

move to improve surveillance of the Arctic; we dig into Canada’s plans to include the North Pole when it submits its Arctic continental shelf claim in 2018; we find out why Canada performs worst of North American governments in not living up to promises to protect their oceans; and we look into the Supreme Court’s hearing of an appeal against seismic testing in Arctic waters.

BE A PART OF IT.

PUBLICATION DATE: October 24, 2016 BOOKING DEADLINE: October 19, 2016

THE NORTH

BARRY CARIN

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has work to do if he plans to fulfi ll his commitment to end fossil fuel subsidies. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 201614OPINION FOREIGN AFFAIRS

EDMONTON—In an amazing diplomatic volte-face, the Ca-

nadian government last week in Geneva voted against starting, in 2017, negotiations to ban nuclear weapons. The government turned its back on an important nuclear disarmament initiative and sided

with the nuclear weapons states that want to keep and modernize their nuclear arsenals for the rest of the 21st century.

This is an astounding Canadi-an action and has given the back of the government’s hand to civil society groups across Canada and 900 members of the Order of Canada who have urged the government to join in nuclear ne-gotiations as called for by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The Mexican govern-ment hailed the Geneva vote as the “most signifi cant contribution to nuclear disarmament in two decades.” But the Canadian gov-ernment scorned it.

The vote took place at the Open-Ended Working Group on Nuclear Disarmament, estab-lished by a United Nations resolu-tion, which has been meeting throughout 2016 to fi nd a legal path to the elimination of nuclear

weapons. The meeting ended with 68 nations voting yes, 22 voting no, and 13 abstaining on a report containing a wide range of well-considered measures, including negotiations, to break out of the nuclear disarmament logjam that continues to endanger the world community.

The blame for the Cana-dian diplomatic debacle belongs squarely on the desk of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose offi ce won’t even answer letters or phone calls from high-ranking persons trying to alert him to the need for Canadian action. Tariq Rauf, one of the world’s leading experts on nuclear disarmament, says that Trudeau “seems disen-gaged on nuclear arms control” and that the government has “un-dermined” the nuclear disarma-ment work so valiantly champi-oned by Pierre Trudeau.

In 1983, at the height of the Cold War, Pierre Trudeau led a peace mission to Moscow, Wash-ington, and other nuclear capitals to call a halt to the nuclear arms race. In 1998, a Liberal govern-ment caused NATO to review its nuclear policies. In 2000, the gov-ernment was a chief negotiator in obtaining a consensus at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

The Harper government showed little interest in nuclear disarmament, but when Justin Trudeau revived Canada’s in-volvement in the United Nations’ agenda, many observers, both in Canada and abroad, expected

he would turn his attention to the worsening nuclear weapons threat to world peace.

However, United States-Russia relations deteriorated and NATO toughened all its stands. Neither the current prime minister nor Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion has shown any inclination to challenge NATO’s outmoded Stra-tegic Concept, which holds that nuclear weapons are the “supreme guarantee” of security. The For-eign Affairs offi cials just follow along, and so Canada joined with NATO states in opposing the new Geneva report, the very essence of which expressed “deep con-cern over the threat to humanity posed by the existence of nuclear weapons and the catastrophic hu-manitarian consequences of any detonation.” At the very moment Canadian leadership was once more needed, Canada took a dive.

It’s hard to overstate the dangers to the world posed by the 15,350 nuclear weapons in existence, many of them on hair-trigger alert.

Piecemeal nuclear disarma-ment measures have all failed to halt the modernization programs now being carried out by the nuclear powers, which are spend-ing enormous amounts of money to keep their nuclear arsenals.

So frustrated are many nations with the big powers’ continued violations of the Non-Prolifer-ation Treaty (NPT), which calls for “good faith” negotiations, that they started a process to highlight the threat to human-

ity. This led to a UN resolution setting up a working group in Geneva. The fi ve major nuclear weapons states—the U.S., Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China—boycotted the process. And Canada joined a group of Western states calling themselves “progressive,” but who actually undermined comprehensive ef-forts to eliminate nuclear weap-ons by holding out for piecemeal measures that have never stopped the nuclear arms race.

Mr. Dion openly admits that Canada won’t support new efforts because of “obligations” to NATO. Well, what about our obligations to the United Nations, to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, to safeguard hu-manity from a nuclear catastrophe?

What is perplexing about the Canadian vote is that Canada gave up much of what it wants. The report supports a variety of approaches to achieve a legal prohibition of nuclear weapons, many of which, such as the Com-prehensive Test Ban and a ban on the production of fi ssile materials, are in the Canadian catalogue of demands. It says explicitly that “there is more than one way in which nuclear disarmament can be achieved.” But because it also includes negotiations, Canada opposes it.

Canada could have abstained, as Norway and the Netherlands, two other NATO countries, did. But Canada didn’t even use this diplomatic device to at least keep the door to negotiations open. No, Canada slammed it shut. That is an insult to all those Canadians who do see the humanitarian value of a nuclear weapons-free world.

The report recognizes that, at the start, the nuclear powers won’t participate and that merely prohibiting nuclear weapons does not mean their immediate elimination. But bringing willing nations together can lead to the “stigmatization” of nuclear weap-ons and further progress down the road.

Why is the Canadian govern-ment opposed to “stigmatization?” Because it will lead to delegiti-mizing the possession of nuclear weapons and challenge the military doctrine of nuclear deter-rence. Washington defi nitely does not want that to happen.

The Canadian government is trying to have it both ways: to support the “unequivocal under-taking” it has made to the NPT to eliminate nuclear weapons, and to support NATO’s fi xation on the value of nuclear weapons.

Now what is the government going to do? There is bound to be a vote in the UN General Assem-bly in mid-October on a resolu-tion establishing a negotiating process. Will Canada succumb to the nuclear hegemony of the big powers or will it stand up for Ca-nadian values and support a UN-sponsored negotiating process? When Justin Trudeau is fi nally seized of the issue and sees it in the light of his aspirations for a Canadian seat on the Security Council, we may get the answer Canada deserves.

Former senator and ambas-sador for disarmament, Douglas Roche served as chairman of the United Nations Disarmament Committee. His forthcoming book is Hope Not Fear: Building Peace in a Fractured World.


Canada turns back on UN plan to ban nuclear arms At the very moment Canadian leadership was once more needed, the country took a dive.

DOUGLAS ROCHE

Tariq Rauf, who specializes in nuclear disarmament, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, ‘seems disengaged on nuclear arms control.’ UN photograph by Amanda Voisard


NEWS NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

A U.N. working group on nu-clear disarmament voted on Fri-day in Geneva to adopt a report calling on the General Assembly to begin negotiations on prohibit-ing nuclear weapons in 2017.

Specifi cally, it says widespread support exists among member states for the start of the negotiations.

Despite historic support for nuclear disarmament, Canada was one of 22 of the 103 nations in the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) that voted against adoption of the report, drawing swift condemnation from pro-disarmament activists.

“We think it’s very disappoint-ing,” said Murray Thomson, the famed peace activist who currently serves as a coordinator for Ca-nadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention, a non-profi t group that “seeks to inform and educate Cana-dians on the increasing danger of nuclear proliferation and nuclear war,” according to its website.

Mr. Thomson, a recipient of the Pearson Peace Medal and a member of the Order of Canada, theorized that the Trudeau government opposed the report because it supported the claim of the North Atlantic Treaty Orga-nization that nuclear weapons provide the supreme guarantee of security, which he slammed as a “dangerous delusion.”

Despite the criticism, possible negotiations on a ban treaty seem unlikely to carry much weight, with all fi ve nuclear powers—the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom—boycotting the process, according to former Senator and disarma-ment ambassador Douglas Roche.

The report was originally to be adopted by consensus,

but Australia called for a vote on behalf of a group of nations that opposed the nuclear weapons convention, according to report-ing by the Japan Times.

Australia and some NATO states also voted against begin-ning negotiations at the General Assembly, while 13 other coun-tries abstained, including Japan and Switzerland, according to the Japan Times.

In total, 68 nations supported the report.

Mr. Roche strongly con-demned Canada’s decision, ques-tioning in an op-ed in The Hill Times why the Trudeau govern-ment didn’t merely abstain from voting to at least “keep the door to negotiations open.”

By decisively voicing no, the government insulted all Cana-dians who see the humanitarian value of a nuclear weapons-free world, he said.

Tariq Rauf, a Canadian who currently serves as director of disarmament at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, acknowledged that the OEWG process is largely an “ide-ological and symbolic exercise,” though he argued that the vote against negotiations could hurt Canada’s reputation as a cham-pion of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

He also expressed disappoint-ed with the Trudeau government for refusing to reverse course on the disarmament policies etched out by the Conservatives.

“We don’t see any change, it’s pretty much the same as it was under the Harper govern-ment,” Mr. Rauf said in an inter-view from Vienna.

He accused key offi cials in Global Affairs Canada of encour-aging the Liberals to oppose the report, saying these bureaucrats were “socialized” into adopting the defence and security thinking of the United States, Great Britain, and other Western powers after serving for nearly 10 years under the Conservatives.

The offi cials could also be wary of upsetting powerful coun-terparts in Washington, Brussels, and elsewhere, who would not hesitate to go directly to the min-ister’s offi ce to lodge complaints, Mr. Rauf said.

He called on the government to replace key Harper-era offi cials

in the Global Affairs depart-ment with new staff empowered by strong instructions from the government.

These bureaucrats wield con-siderable infl uence because they prepare the memos sent to the minister and prime minister with recommendations, he explained.

The Canadian government, however, said it voted against the report because it did not believe negotiations on a ban treaty would be effective in advancing nuclear disarmament.

“Canada does support an eventual nuclear weapons con-vention, but only as the ultimate step of the step-by-step approach to nuclear disarmament,” said John Babcock, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, in an emailed statement.

Without the involvement of the nuclear powers, he said, any resulting nuclear ban treaty would only serve to “duplicate” existing commitments in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and would fail to contribute to the “dismantlement of a single nuclear weapon.”

Mr. Babcock said the Trudeau government believes the more effective path forward would be negotiating a treaty prohibiting future production of fi ssile mate-rial for weapons, such as high-enriched uranium and plutonium.

The potential treaty has “broad support” and represents “signifi cant and realistic” prog-ress towards ridding the world of nuclear weapons, he said.

Mr. Rauf, however, called on Canada to adopt a more activist course in pursuing nuclear dis-armament, pushing for a return

to the approach favoured by the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who as prime minister embarked on a global trip preaching nuclear dis-armament.

“We don’t see any of that lead-ership coming out of the current government,” he said.

Mr. Rauf also lauded the ac-tions of former foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy, who served in the role from 1997 to 2000, as a member of the Jean Chretien Liberal government.

Mr. Axworthy, he said, told NATO allies that nuclear weapons in Europe were nonsensical and called for a reduction of nuclear arsenals.

Canada needs a similarly more “activist foreign minister,” according to Mr. Rauf.

Unfortunately, Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent, Que.) has failed to emerge as a “decisive force” on these impor-tant international issues, he argued.

[email protected]

Trudeau government’s commitment to nuclear disarmament questioned after UN vote The defence and security philosophies of the U.S. and Great Britain may have infl uenced decision-makers in Global Affairs Canada, says analyst Tariq Rauf.

WEEK AHEAD IN PARLIAMENT: BROADBENT TO APPEAR AT COMMITTEE MONDAY

MONDAY, AUGUST 29• The House of Commons Special Committee on

Electoral Reform is scheduled to meet 2 to 4:30 p.m. in Room C-110, 1 Wellington St. in a televised meeting. Witnesses: Broadbent Institute chair and founder Ed Broadbent, former (2002-3) Quebec democratic reform minister Jean-Pierre Charbonneau, and University of Toronto associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Democracy, Constitutionalism, and Electoral Law Yasmin Dawood (by videoconference).

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30• The House Electoral Reform Committee is set

to meet 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Room 237-C, Centre Block in a televised meeting. Witnesses: Mouvement Démocratie Nouvelle president Jean-Sébastien Dufresne, Harvard University Adams University economics professor Eric Maskin, and University of Toronto School of Public Policy and Governance director and political science associate professor Peter John Loewen.

Broadbent Institute chair and founder Ed Broadbent, pictured in 2014, is set to speak be-fore the Elec-toral Reform Committee on Aug. 29. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright


Rosemary McCarney is Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. The Liberal government is taking heat for instructing Ms. McCarney’s team to oppose a UN motion for a ban on nuclear weapons. Giuseppe Carot-enuto photograph courtesy of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 201616POLITICAL STAFFERS

It’s been just over a month since Conservative MP Tony Clement

offi cially threw his hat into the ring in the race to become the next Conservative Party leader, which will be decided in May 2017, and as he continues to shape his of-fi cial campaign team, Hill Climb-ers has learned of a number of conservative organizers who are already lending a hand.

Mr. Clement, who’s repre-sented the federal riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ont. since 2006, is now one of seven candidates who’ve indicated they’re run-ning in the Conservative Party’s leadership race, after announc-ing his bid on July 12 in an event featuring his campaign logo and the hashtag, #empower. Mr. Clem-ent’s campaign logo uses a green line to make the “O” of his fi rst-name look like the power button of a computer.

On Aug. 12, Mr. Clement host-ed an hour-long Twitter question-and-answer session using the hashtag, #AskTony. A few days later, he indicated in a follow-up tweet that he “would not unilater-ally abandon farmers by ending SM [supply-management].”

Just last week, Conservative MP Brad Trost, who represents Saskatoon-University, Sask. and has become known for being a social conservative, also threw his hat in the ring. He joins Conser-vative MPs Kellie Leitch, Michael Chong, and Maxime Bernier who announced their bids for leader-ship early on last spring, as well as Conservative MP Deepak Ob-hrai, who announced his interest in becoming the next Conserva-tive leader on July 14. Earlier this week, former Conservative MP Pierre Lemieux, another social conservative, also indicated a leadership bid.

There’s also been a fair bit of buzz around the potential leader-ship bids of a few other Conser-vative MPs, in particular former minister and Conservative MP Erin O’Toole, as well as former

House speaker and Conservative MP Andrew Scheer. Last week, talk also emerged of a possible run by former B.C. Conservative MP Andrew Saxton. Interested candidates have until Feb. 24 to join the race and until March 28 to sell new party memberships. Conservative Party members will cast their votes to choose the next leader at a convention set to take place May 27, 2017.

Half of the declared can-didates for the Conservative leadership represent federal Ontario ridings, and Mr. Clem-ent’s team to date includes many experienced Ontario conservative operatives.

Mike Crase, who’s become a well-known organizer and cam-paigner in conservative circles in Ontario over the years, is cam-paign manager to Mr. Clement.

Mr. Crase is a former aide to former Conservative MP Stella Ambler, who represented Missis-sauga South, Ont. from 2011 up until the 2015 federal election. Mr. Crase is now chief operating offi cer of Electright Inc., which describes itself online as providing “profes-sional political campaign services” and is based in Mississauga.

He helped out the federal Con-servative party during the 2015 campaign as a regional organizer and has also served as campaign manager to former Conserva-tive MPs Bob Dechert and Julian Fantino. In 2013, he served as campaign manager to then-Toron-to deputy mayor Doug Holyday in his bid as the Progressive Conser-vative candidate in a byelection race in Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Ont. Mr. Holyday won with roughly 46 per cent support, but was later unseated by his Liberal rival in the race, Peter Milczyn, in the 2014 Ontario election.

John Capobianco, a senior vice-president and partner at Fleish-manHillard in Toronto, is a senior adviser to Mr. Clement’s campaign. Mr. Capobianco is also currently a vice-chair of the Ontario Cham-ber of Commerce, and is a former senior vice-president at public affairs fi rm Edelman. As well, He’s a two-time former Conserva-tive candidate, having run for the federal party in 2004 and 2006 in Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Ont.

“Since Tony launched in mid-July, he’s been active and the campaign has been active getting a lot of support and encourage-ment over the last couple of weeks, and support’s coming in fairly strong and fundraising will

also be clicking in and we suspect more information and more news to come in the weeks ahead,” Mr. Capobianco told Hill Climbers last week.

Helping out with fundraising for the campaign on a volunteer basis is former Oakville regional councillor Stephen Sparling, who’s currently president and CEO of Halton Government Rela-tions and a member of Staples Promotional Products Canada’s executive committee focused on national accounts and govern-ment sales.

Mr. Sparling was an Oakville regional councillor from 1991 to 2000, during which time he served as chairman of the Halton Planning and Public Works Com-mission, and is a former presi-dent of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, amongst other past experience.

He’s been an active Ontario conservative for decades, includ-ing as a provincial and federal party fundraiser, and even ran as a federal Progressive Conserva-tive candidate in Oakville, Ont. in 1997, ultimately losing to Liberal Bonnie Brown. A couple of years later, he ran for presidency of the federal PC party, but ultimately lost to Conservative MP (and former minister) Peter Van Loan (York-Simcoe, Ont.).

Former Queen’s Park Progres-sive Conservative staffer Brian Patterson is offi cial agent for Mr. Clement’s campaign. He previ-ously worked in the Ontario PC leader’s offi ce under then-leader Tim Hudak and worked for Mr. Clement during his time as a minister in Mike Harris’ Ontario PC government.

Before joining Mr. Clem-ent’s offi ce at Queen’s Park, Mr. Patterson worked for a time for then-economic development min-ister Bill Saunderson. He’s also a former executive director of the Ontario PC party.

During his years in the pro-vincial Ontario PC government, Mr. Clement spent time as the provincial minister for health and long-term care, environment, and municipal affairs and housing.

Two of Mr. Clement’s former staffers during his time as a federal minister in the Harper Conservative government are also lending a hand to his leader-ship campaign. Mr. Clement was named federal health minister in 2006, before becoming industry minister in 2008 and later presi-dent of the Treasury Board up until the Liberal government was sworn in last fall.

Ken Bednarek, who was a policy adviser to Mr. Clement as federal health minister, is helping out with policy for the campaign. Mr. Bednarek switched over to serve as a senior adviser to then-justice minister Rob Nicholson in 2007. When Peter MacKay took over as minister in 2013, he stayed on and continued to work in the offi ce up until last year.

Tenzin Khangsar, a former chief of staff to Mr. Clement as industry minister and for a time as Treasury Board president, is also helping out the campaign on the West Coast.

Mr. Khangsar ran as a candi-date for the federal Conservatives in Brossard-La Prairie, Que. in 2006, ultimately placing third, and is also former chief of staff to then-secretary of state for multicultural-ism and Canadian identity Jason Kenney on the Hill. Since leaving the Hill in 2012, Mr. Khangsar has worked for Deloitte Canada as an executive adviser in Vancouver, and before that spent about two years as managing director and execu-tive vice president at RCI Capital Group in the city.

He’s currently spinning a number of plates, according to his LinkedIn profi le, as president of Viralyze in Vancouver, B.C.; a director with the Planterra Founda-

tion; a principal with Snowlion Ventures; a board member with Northstar Trade Finance; chair of the B.C government’s multicultural advisory committee; an adviser on the RCMP’s cultural diversity advisory committee; president of the Canada-India Business Council in Vancouver; vice-chairman of the Asia Pacifi c Democrat Union; and is an honorary consul for the gov-ernment of Mongolia in B.C.

Bill King, who was chief of staff to Mr. Clement as federal health minister and for a time as industry minister, is an adviser to Mr. Clement’s leadership cam-paign on a volunteer basis.

Mr. King has been an elected councillor with Lanark Highlands Township in Ontario since 2014 and is currently also a principal with Sagebrush Communica-tions and owner of Blackwood Originals in Lanark, Ont., which describes itself online as “home to one-of-a-kind, Canadian-made furniture and home décor.”

He’s a former executive as-sistant to Mike Harris, includ-ing for a time during his years as Ontario PC premier, and is a former executive vice-president at Hill & Knowlton strategies. Mr. King has also been a board director for Humingbird Centre for the Performing Arts, Fishing Forever and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, according to his LinkedIn account.

Sandra Buckler, a former director of communications to then Conservative prime minister Ste-phen Harper, isn’t playing a formal role with the campaign but has volunteered some communications and media relations advice.

Finally, Christine Simundson, a former constituency assistant to Mr. Dechert as the Conserva-tive MP for Mississauga-Erindale, Ont., is also supporting and advis-ing Mr. Clement’s campaign.


Clement leadership campaign led by Crase, Ontario-heavy team includes former staffers

HILL CLIMBERSBY LAURA RYCKEWAERT

Stephen Sparling, Brian Patterson and John Capobianco have also volunteered to help the campaign, among others.

Former Conservative minister Tony Clement is facing off with fi ve rivals—and counting—for the leadership of the federal Conservatives. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Ken Bednarek is helping out Tony Clement’s Conservative leadership campaign with policy advice. Photograph courtesy of LinkedIn

Mike Crase is campaign manager to Mr. Clement. Photograph courtesy of Twitter

Sandra Buckler isn’t offi cially working for the campaign, but has provided some communications advice. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Stephen Sparling is helping with campaign fundraising. Photograph courtesy of LinkedIn

FleishmanHillard’s John Capobianco is a senior adviser to Mr. Clement’s campaign. The Hill Times fi le photo

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Every year, hundreds of foreign diplomats and their family members arrive in Canada to

spend the next few years on posting. They join the close to 8,000 diplomats and accompanying family members stationed in Canada, chiefl y in the national capital region.

Inside this important and timely special section of The Hill Times, we’ll give new diplomats to Ottawa practical tips on how to do their jobs effectively, including sources of information and infl uence.

We’ll provide helpful resources to make it easier for them to make the most of life in Canada for themselves and their families, and to understand Canada’s Parliament and government as well as media, lobbying, and business worlds. This is a must-read for new envoys to Canada to understand and reach out to political, business, and media movers and shakers in Ottawa.

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THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 201618FEATURE DIPLOMATIC PARTIESNEWS ELECTORAL REFORM

Institute for Research on Public Policy magazine.

The calculation gave the Liberal party a total of 205 Commons seats for the Oct. 19, election, well more than the 184 seats Liberal candidates actually won to give Mr. Trudeau and his government a majority in the Com-mons, even though the party won only 39 per cent of the vote across the country.

The Conservative party, not as popular as a second choice, would have won only 73 seats rather than the 99 seats its candidates won to put the party into offi cial opposition. In a similar calculation for the 2011 fed-eral election, but using broader data from the Canadian Election Study, Prof. Jansen’s calculation applying alternative voting ret-roactively reduced the 166-seat Conserva-tive majority to 150 seats, a strong minority, and increased the number of Liberal seats to 39 from 34, while the NDP would have won 116 seats instead of 103. The Green Party result would not have changed, re-maining at one seat.

Although Mr. Trudeau stated during the campaign for the 2013 Liberal leadership elec-tion that he favoured a ranked ballot system rather than proportional representation—where there are more MPs elected in each riding as parties are allotted seats according to their percentage of the popular vote—the Liberal Party subsequently adopted a policy resolution supporting either ranked ballots or proportional representation or both.

Committee on the moveWith lines starting to form between the

12 members of the committee and Con-servative MPs persistently injecting their support for a national referendum on any changes to Canada’s federal electoral sys-tem, the committee has revealed plans for 16 days of hearings across Canada, from St. John’s, N.L., to Victoria, B.C., from late Sep-tember through the fi rst week of October.

The travel would be covered by a $300,000 budget the government had al-lotted to the committee while setting aside $10.7 million in the federal budget for government “outreach” on a new electoral system through to 2020, a year after the next scheduled federal election.

As Liberals questioned witnesses during the electoral reform hearings this week, they focused on elector concerns regard-ing one of the main proportional represen-tation options, where voters are able to cast ballots supporting individual candidates nominated by party members in each elec-toral district as well as a limited number of

other candidates who have been selected by the parties and can be elected based on the percentage of the party’s vote.

“I truly feel that we do really create two classes of MPs, one that’s responsible to the party, and one that’s responsible to their constituents, and right now, the system we have, I think as an MP, you feel this balance that you have to create between party and constituents and try to come up with what’s best for both,” Liberal MP Ruby Sahota (Brampton North, Ont.) said as she ques-tioned University of Ottawa law dean Na-thalie Des Rosiers, the former legal adviser to the Canadian Civil Liberties Association who has in the past also taken part in major election reform studies in Canada.

Ms. Des Rosiers said the past evidence has shown that in Scotland and New Zea-land, which have moved to proportional representation from the same fi rst-past-the-post electoral system Canada has used since Confederation, the party “list” MPs, who are not directly elected by voters, co-operate with those who are directly elected by supporters of the same party.

“The list MPs are not sitting out there doing different things, they are sharing the work, offering different services and so on,” said Ms. Des Rosiers.

Liberal MP John Aldag (Cloverdale-Langley City, B.C.) acknowledged the Liberal MPs were pointedly asking ques-tions about some aspects of proportional representation.

“It’s not that I have any real personal beefs with it, it’s just I want to understand strengths and weaknesses of any of the systems we look at,” Mr. Aldag said in an interview.

University of Calgary political science professor Barry Cooper told the committee Tuesday Mr. Trudeau and his government have no mandate to change Canada’s fed-eral electoral system.

He argued the Liberals should put it to electors as the principal issue in the next federal election.

“The government today does not have a mandate, thirty-nine per cent doesn’t con-stitute a mandate, particularly when this was a very minor part of their platform, and there was nothing specifi c in it,” Prof. Cooper said in an interview after his com-mittee testimony.

“Under the conventions of the regime that we have, responsible government, it’s the job of the executive to say what they have in mind. And if it’s as fundamental as this, they need some additional legitimacy rather than simply a [past] general elec-tion,” Prof. Cooper said.

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Côte d’Ivoire celebrates national day

Chad marks national day at Chateau Laurier bash

The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia

Ambassador N’Goran Kouamé and his wife, Affoue Angele Kouamé, hosted a reception Aug. 13 at their home to mark the 56th anniversary of Côte d’Ivoire’s independence.

Ladies fi rst! Guests grab grub.

Mr. Adoum and Rwandan Acting High Commissioner Shakilla Umutoni.

Brazilian Ambassador Pedro Fernando Brêtas Bastos is welcomed by Mr. Adoum.

South African High Commissioner Membathisi Mdladlana greets Mahamat Ali Adoum, ambassador of Chad, at Chad’s Aug. 11 national day reception at the Chateau Laurier.

Kenneth Neufeld, director general at the Western and Central Africa bureau at Global Affairs Canada, speaks to the crowd in front of an unfortunately placed Canadian fl ag.

Committee to travel across Canada this fall



FEATURE EVENTS

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 24 Canadian Medical Association’s 149th Annual

Meeting—Physicians from across the country—including medical students and residents—are in Vancouver for this conference. Speeches include incoming CMA president Dr. Granger Avery on Aug. 24. Until Aug. 24. Westin Bayshore Hotel, Vancouver, B.C. Media briefi ng planned for Aug. 24 at 1 p.m. PDT. Reporters may participate by teleconference by dialing 1-877-234-4610; code: 7962151#.

Hastings Plowing Match and Farm Show—Wednesday, Aug. 24, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 2431 Queensborough Rd., Queens-borough, Ont. Hastings-Lennox and Addington, Ont.

Public Consultations on Future of 100 Wellington St.—The federal government is seeking feedback on how best to transform the 100 Wellington Building, facing Parliament Hill (the former U.S. Embassy) into a key Canadian institution. An online survey is available until Sept. 9 at canada.ca/100WellingtonStreet.

THURSDAY, AUG. 25 Liberal Caucus Retreat—The Liberals will hold a

two-day caucus retreat Aug. 25-26 in Saguenay, Que. For more information, please call Liberal Party media relations at [email protected] or 613-627-2384.

TUESDAY, AUG. 30Prime Minister to Travel to China—Prime Minister Justin

Trudeau is set to go on an offi cial visit to China and to attend the G20 summit there, Aug. 30 to Sept. 6. The offi cial visit includes stops in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Hong Kong. The G20 Leaders’ Summit is to take place Sept. 4 and 5 in Hangzhou, China. For more information, media may call the PMO Press Offi ce at 613-957-5555.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 7Bank of Canada Release—The bank is expected to

make its latest interest rate announcement. 10 a.m.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 8Scandal and the Road to Redemption—How do you

protect your organization’s reputation before and after scandal strikes? Using real-life examples, this session looks at the core elements of reputational protection from a legal and public relations perspective. This is part of Gowling WLG’s Risk to Reward seminar series, 10 breakfast seminars on critical business and legal issues to be held at the fi rm’s Ottawa offi ce throughout 2016. This seminar series is suited toward business owners, execu-tives, and in-house counsel in eastern Ontario. 7:30-9 a.m. Sept. 8. Gowling WLG, 160 Elgin St., 20th fl oor (suite 2600), Ottawa. No cost, but registration necessary as space is limited. gowlingwlg.com/risktoreward.

MONDAY, SEPT. 12Toronto Global Forum—The International Economic

Forum of the Americas presents this annual summit on topics including fi nance, innovation, energy, trade and infrastructure. Confi rmed speakers include: Interna-tional Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Canadian Ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton and his U.S. counterpart Bruce Heyman, Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, Guinea President Alpha Condé, and the CEOs/presidents of companies including Suncor, CAE, Monsanto, and UPS. Until Sept. 14. Fairmont Royal York, 100 Front St. W., Toronto. forum-americas.org/toronto/2016

TUESDAY, SEPT. 13 Conservative Caucus Retreat—The Conservatives

will hold a two-day summer caucus retreat Sept. 13-14 in Halifax. For more information, contact Cory Hann, director of communications, Conservative Party of Canada at [email protected]

NDP Caucus Retreat—The NDP are gathering Sept. 13-15 in Montreal. Please call the NDP Media Centre at 613-222-2351 or [email protected]

A Roundtable with ex-PCO Special Adviser Ward Elcock—The Conference of Defence Associations In-

stitute presents a roundtable with former Privy Council Offi ce special adviser on human smuggling and CSIS director Ward Elcock. Sept. 13. KPMG, 150 Elgin St., suite 1800, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Not for media attribu-tion and no media reporting. $15-$50. Includes lunch/refreshments. Register via cdainstitute.ca

FRIDAY, SEPT. 16 Parliamentary Press Gallery Barbecue and Unveil-

ing—The Parliamentary Press Gallery will hold its annual barbecue mugging for full-time members only in the East Block Courtyard on Friday, Sept. 16, at 12 noon. The gallery will also unveil the members’ photo portrait to commemorate the gallery’s 150th anniversary. If it rains, the BBQ will be held in Room 237-C Centre Block.

Carleton University’s School of Journalism 70th Anni-versary of Granting of Canada’s First Bachelor of Journalism Degrees—Women in Journalism Luncheon, featuring CBC’s Susan Ormiston, The Toronto Star’s Alyshah Hasham, Com-plex Media’s Anita Li, and CBC Ottawa’s Joanne Chianello. Sept. 16, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. River Building, Carleton University. Tickets are $25 per person, includes lunch.

Leap to Where? Elements of a Canadian Climate Policy That Could Be Both Feasible and Enough: Thomas Homer-Dixon—Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.), Carleton University, River Building Theatre (RB2200), 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa. Registration: carleton.ca/fpa. For more information, call Cassie Hodgins, Carleton University, 613-520-2600 x 2995.

Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced Canada will host this world summit in Montreal. More details to be announced.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 17 Canadian Press/CBC Parliament Hill Open—Mont

Cascades Golf Club, Cantley, Que., (30 minutes from Ottawa). Tee times start at 11 a.m.; best-ball format, with prizes for fi rst place, second place and “most honest” scores, plus closest-to-the-pin and long drive prizes for both men and women. Sign up as a complete foursome or as a single or pair. Cost: $95, includes green fee, power cart, and steak dinner. Email CP Ot-tawa’s James McCarten ([email protected]) or the CBC’s Paul MacInnis ([email protected]) for more information or to hold your space, or reach James at 613-231-8602 or 613-794-0848 and Paul at 613-288-6611 or 613-293-3494.

Trudeau to Attend Global Citizen Concert—Interna-tional advocacy organization Global Citizen in support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is hosting Usher, Half Moon Run, Metric, Grimes, and Charlotte Cardin for a free-ticketed concert on Saturday, Sept. 17. Bell Centre, Montreal. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to attend as a special guest. The event will celebrate progress in global health and development. Earn the chance to win tickets by following the steps via globalcitizen.org/canada.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 18 Canada Army Run—This event raises money for

injured and ill soldiers and military families in need. It welcomes participants from across Canada and the world as they run, walk, and roll across Ottawa. The half-marathon is 94 per cent sold out, while the 5K is already at 79 per cent sold out. The Commander’s Challenge, a new addition this year, is sold out. For more information, including how to register, visit armyrun.ca.

MONDAY, SEPT. 19 House Resumes Sitting—The House resumes sit-

ting on Sept. 19 at 11 a.m. after a 13-week break. The House adjourned June 17.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 20 Cabinet Meeting—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is

expected to hold a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20 on the Hill. For more information, call the PMO Press Offi ce at 613-957-5555.

2016 Canadian Inland Ports Conference—On Sept. 20-21, 2016, the Van Horne Institute will be hosting the 2016 Canadian Inland Ports Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This conference will bring together leading experts from around the world to discuss inland ports and their importance to their local, provincial, and national economies. It will showcase fi ve of Canada’s Inland Ports located across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC; as well as major Canadian ports, airports, and stake-holders. Early bird registration before Aug. 22: $495. Registration after Aug. 22 $600. Please contact Bryndis Whitson at [email protected] or 403-220-2114 for more information. http://www.vanhorneinstitute.com/event/2016-canadian-inland-ports-conference/

Canada to Co-Host Leaders’ Summit on the Global Refugee Crisis—United States President Barack Obama will host this summit on the margins of opening of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly in New York City. Sept. 20. Canada is co-hosting this summit with the United States, along with Ethiopia, Germany, Jordan, Mexico, Sweden, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 21 Liberal Caucus Meeting—The Liberals will meet in

Room 237-C Centre Block on Parliament Hill. For more information, please call Liberal Party media relations at [email protected] or 613-627-2384.

Conservative Caucus Meeting—The Conservatives will meet for their national caucus meeting. For more information, contact Cory Hann, director of commu-nications, Conservative Party of Canada at [email protected]

NDP Caucus Meeting—The NDP caucus will meet from 9:15 a.m.-11 a.m. in Room 112-N Centre Block, on Wednesday. Please call the NDP Media Centre at 613-222-2351 or [email protected]

Consiglio Di Nino Honours Dinner—The former senator is to be honoured at this dinner. Albany Club, 91 King Street E., Toronto. albanyclub.ca/events

THURSDAY, SEPT. 22TD Presents The Walrus Talks Arctic—The Walrus

Talks returns to the Canadian Museum of Nature (240 McLeod St., Ottawa) on Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. TD Presents The Walrus Talks Arctic features leading Canadians giving short, focused Walrus Talks exploring the issues and opportunities that make the North unique. Featuring ITK president Natan Obed, research scientist Jeffery M. Saarela, aboriginal languages and culture advocate Fibbie Tatti, and more. $12-$20. Full event details and tickets available online at thewalrus.ca/events

EU-Canada Energy Conference 2016—This confer-ence offers an opportunity to support the promotion of best policies and regulatory practices for effi cient, sus-tainable, and environmentally friendly energy produc-tion and use. It will focus on such topics as unconven-tional gas and LNG, smart grids, and renewable energy, as well as COP21 implementation. The EU ambassador to Canada will deliver the opening/closing remarks. Victoria Hall, John G. Diefenbaker Building, 111 Sus-sex Dr., Ottawa. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. To register/more info: eucanada40.ca/events/canada-energy-conference

FRIDAY, SEPT. 23Canada-India Innovation Conference—The Canada-

India Centre for Excellence will be hosting the Canada-India Innovation Conference at Carleton University from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The conference will bring together experts from academia, private sector and government to identify policy, technology, and business collabora-tion opportunities between the two countries, and how Canadians can build long-term relationships with their Indian counterparts. For more information, visit http://carleton.ca/india/cu-events/canada-india-innovation-conference. It is free to attend.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 24Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Visit B.C.,

Yukon—The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set for their second offi cial Royal Tour to Canada, Sept. 24-Oct. 1. They will visit fi ve communities in British Columbia and two in Yukon. In B.C.: Victoria (Sept. 24, 27, 29, Oct. 1), Vancouver (Sept. 25), Bella Bella (Sept. 26), Kelowna (Sept. 27), and Haida Gwaii (Sept. 30). In Yukon: Whitehorse (Sept. 27, 28) and Carcross (Sept. 28). An offi cial welcome to Canada and British Columbia will be held on Sept. 24 in Victoria, includ-ing an honour-guard review and speeches. A public celebration will be held on Sept. 28 in Whitehorse.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 27Senate Resumes Sitting—The Senate is expected

to resume sitting on Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. The Senate adjourned June 22.

ICAO Triennial Assembly—The International Civil Avia-tion Organization, a UN specialized agency headquartered in Montreal, will host its 39th triennial assembly. ICAO’s 191 member states and a large number of international organizations are invited to the assembly, which establishes the organization’s worldwide policy. ICAO headquarters, 999 Robert-Bourassa Blvd., Montreal. Until Oct. 7.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 28One Young World Summit—A global forum for

young leaders (18 to 30) from over 190 countries, the annual summit allows delegates to network with peers, share ideas, and develop solutions to address urgent global issues. This year’s speakers include: musician Cher on wildlife rights and conservation, BBC foreign correspondent John Simpson, and Academy Award-winning producer Jon Landau (Titanic, Avatar). Sept. 28-Oct. 1, Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 29Bacon & Eggheads Breakfast—The Partnership

Group for Science and Engineering presents a talk, Living with Forest Fires: Lessons from Fort McMurray,

with Mike Flannigan, University of Alberta. Sept. 29, 7:30 a.m. Parliamentary Dining Room, Centre Block. No charge to MPs, Senators, and media. All others, $25. Pre-registration required by Mon., Sept. 26 by contacting Donna Boag, PAGSE [email protected] or call 613-991-6369.

Duck Unlimited Canada Conservation Reception—All MPs and Senators are invited to this event from 5 to 7 p.m. Sir John A. Macdonald Building, Room 200, 144 Wellington St., Ottawa. The event’s theme is “Conservation for the future.”

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30Nature Canada Ball—Join Ball Patron Sophie

Grégoire Trudeau and author Margaret Atwood for a spectacular evening celebrating nature and Nature Canada’s work connecting children to their Nature-Hood. Sept. 30, 7 p.m., Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Ottawa. Information on tickets at naturecanada.ca or 613-562-3447 x298.

MONDAY, OCT. 3Maritime Security Challenges 2016: Pacifi c

Seapower—Presented by the Navy League of Canada, the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacifi c Center for Security Studies (a U.S. Depart-ment of Defense organization), this conference will feature presentations and discussion on “The Strategic Nexus of Pacifi c Seapower.” Scheduled speakers in-clude Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy and Admiral Scott H. Swift, commander of the U.S. Navy’s pacifi c fl eet. Until Oct. 6. Victoria, B.C. mscconference.com

FRIDAY, OCT. 7Arctic Circle Assembly—The Arctic Circle is a net-

work of international dialogue and co-operation on the future of the Arctic. It is an open democratic platform with participation from governments, organizations, corporations, universities, think tanks, environmental associations, indigenous communities, and others.The annual Arctic Circle Assembly is the largest annual international gathering on the Arctic, attended by more than 2,000 participants from 50 countries. Until Oct. 9. Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center, Reykja-vík, Iceland. Register via arcticcircle.org

WEDNESDAY OCT. 12Alexandre Trudeau—Alexandre Trudeau, the younger

brother of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will present to the Canada China Friendship Society on his new book Barbarian Lost: Travels in the New China, at Christ Church Cathedral, 414 Sparks St. 7:30 p.m. Free for members of the Canada China Friendship Society, $10 for non-members, and $5 for students. ccfso.org/home-top/alexandre-trudeau

TUESDAY, OCT. 18GreenPAC Breakfast—GreenPAC will be hosting

a breakfast event in the Parliamentary restaurant be-tween 7:30 and 9 a.m. It will bring together environ-mentally-focused Members of Parliament from four political parties as well as other people, associations, and corporations.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 19Bank of Canada Release—The bank is expected to

make its latest interest rate announcement as well as publish its quarterly Monetary Policy Report. 10 a.m.

EU-Canada Arctic Conference—The conference, to be hosted in Ottawa, aims to bring together Northern-ers and other decision-makers from both sides of the Atlantic and to highlight the possibilities for close co-operation between Canada and the EU on Arctic matters. The event is part of the celebration of the 40 years of the EU in Canada. To register/more info: eucanada40.ca/events/the-arctic-region

The Parliamentary Calendar is a free listing. Send in your political, cultural, diplomatic, or governmental event in a paragraph with all the relevant details under the subject line ‘Parliamentary Calendar’ to [email protected] by Wednesday at noon before the Monday paper or by Friday at noon for the Wednesday paper. We can’t guarantee inclusion of every event, but we will defi nitely do our best.


PM to speak at Unifor convention Aug. 24

Parliamentary Calendar

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured, wwwis set to speak to the more than 1,800 Unifor union members gathered at Ottawa’s Shaw Centre for their convention on Aug. 24 at 10 a.m. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia




In this important defence policy briefing, The Hill Times looks into the

latest on where the government’s at on the F-35s and on the Saudi arms deal. We follow up on the current defence review and how Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan does not want to cut military personnel or major infrastructure. We look into how Eastern European NATO allies have been pressing Canada to deploy up to 1,000 soldiers into the region and concerns about Russian aggression. We look further into the outgoing head of the Navy’s comments on

Canada’s vulnerability and how Canada should invest in sensors to improve maritime surveillance and work more closely with the U.S. We also look into DND’s launch of energy efficiency upgrades on seven military bases and we followup on Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance’s comments on how conflict prevention is going to be a key job for Canada’s military and its allies in an uncertain world.

BE A PART OF THIS IMPORTANT POLICY BRIEFING.

PUBLICATION DATE: September 26, 2016

BOOKING DEADLINE: September 21, 2016

DEFENCE

EXCLUSIVE POLITICAL COVERAGE: NE DE NEWS, FEATURES, … · twenty-seventh year, no. 1364 canada’s...

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Transcript of EXCLUSIVE POLITICAL COVERAGE: NE DE NEWS, FEATURES, … · twenty-seventh year, no. 1364 canada’s...