National security Murray transparency Sinclair on the Senate, group reconciliation, releases and white first report supremacy p. 6 We shouldn’t be surprised by what p. 18 Biden administration's doing p. 14 THIRTY-SECOND YEAR, NO. 1797 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2021 $5.00 News Opinion News Some potential ‘The embodiment Liberal and of colonialism’: Conservative Many strong it’s time for an candidates in Indigenous governor general, but it won’t unheld ridings Indigenous candidates be easy, say some concerned Indigenous Senators nominations won’t BY PETER MAZEREEUW be done before for Canada’s next & ABBAS RANA next election call ppointing an Indigenous Aperson to serve as Canada’s next governor general could help BY ABBAS RANA governor general, advance reconciliation, but would come with unique challenges as iberals and Conservatives well, say some current and former Lare picking up the pace on Indigenous Senators. nominating candidates in unheld Since Julie Payette’s resigna- ridings across the country, but tion as GG last month, Hill circles some potential candidates say could be inspirational have been awash with specula- they’re concerned the nomination tion about who will succeed her. Last week, the PMO communica- Continued on page 16 Continued on page 17 News ‘Racism is the News issue here, not ‘It’s long overdue’: Lynn Beyak’: unions, FBEC Senator Mary weigh in on top Jane McCallum leadership’s vows to keep push for greater Former Harper-era cabinet minister Leona Aglukkaq, top left; former Chrétien-era cabinet minister Ethel Blondin-Andrew; former diversity, inclusion pressing Senate Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette; former AFN national chief Phil Fontaine; Indspire CEO Roberta Jamieson; former Liberal MP Tina Keeper; former N.W.T. premier Bob McLeod, above left; N.W.T. Liberal MP Michael McLeod; Ghislain Picard, chief of in federal public Publications Mail Agreement #40068926 to tackle bigotry the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador; former NDP MP Romeo Saganash; Inuit environmentalist and former ITK president Mary Simon; and federal Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal. The Hill Times files photographs and handouts service BY PETER MAZEREEUW BY MIKE LAPOINTE BY ANDREW CARDOZO ynn Beyak’s retirement last bureaucrat. Not to say that a white In this period of reconciliation, week from the Senate won’t male is not the right candidate, but such a development would be nion leaders and a Federal L he departure of Julie Payette as put an end to the debate on racism let’s have an inspirational gover- positive. The position also has an Black Employee Caucus rep- governor general was sudden U in the Red Chamber if Indepen- T nor general, just one who’s less important symbolic and some- resentative say the steps are “long and we need a reliable replace- dent Senator Mary Jane McCal- narcissistic than the outgoing one. times governance role because of overdue,” following Privy Council ment soon. But that should not lum has anything to say about it. There is a growing view that it is the special relationship between Clerk Ian Shugart’s recent “call mean we go back to the default time for an Indigenous governor Continued on page 4 candidate; a white, male, safe general in Canada. Continued on page 7 Continued on page 15 2 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | THE HILL TIMES more than five years. The limit had been in place since the 1990s and was lifted in 2018 by the Liberals, though it was only loosely enforced until Mr. Harper’s government took office. Heard on the Hill The party alleged at the time that people found loopholes to get around the by Palak Mangat rule of five years. Former Liberal MP Caesar- Chavannes to talk about racism As O’Toole looks to in the office on Feb. 2 Former Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Cha- vannes is taking part in a chat this week centre Conservatives, about addressing racism in the workplace. In what is being framed as an “action-ori- ented dialogue,” Ms. Caesar-Chavannes will walk the public through how to maintain party greenlights former health and sustainability while confronting racism and setting appropriate boundaries. Jonathan Kalles, a former PMO aide and adviser to multiple Liberal cabinet ministers, Former has joined McMillan. Photograph courtesy of Liberal P.E.I. minister as MP Celina Jonathan Kalles’ Twitter Caesar- Chavannes, Conservative candidate pictured in McMillan LLP and the managing director June 2019, of McMillan Vantage Policy Group. has a new Mr. Kalles will be a member of the Mon- book coming treal office, after helping lead the Liberals’ 2019 out. The campaign in the province. Before that, he prac- Hill Times tised corporate and commercial law in the city. photograph He has in the past worked for former by Andrew heritage ministers Mélanie Joly and Pablo Meade Rodriguez, along with then-border security and organized crime reduction minister Bill Blair, who now holds the public safety The online chat comes just one day portfolio. after her book, Can You Hear Me Now, is set to be released on Feb. 2, which tack- Former AFN aide Hutchinson les exactly that topic but in the Canadian political context. now with CTV in Winnipeg A former communications aide with the Assembly of First Nations in Ottawa has moved to a gig with CTV Morning Live in Winnipeg. Michael Hutchinson, who was a former interim communications director with the Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, pictured at left on Jan. 25, has tapped a former Liberal AFN, returned to Manitoba for the stint provincial health minister, Doug Currie, pictured at right in October 2020, to run for the party in this month. the next vote. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade, photograph courtesy of Doug Currie's Twitter According to his bio, Mr. Hutchinson has dabbled in both the communications and journalism. He has helped groups onservative Leader Erin O’Toole got tunities” and helps facilitate voting in the like the Indian Climate Commission and Ca bit of a boost recently in his plan to country’s elections, supports the federal Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and frame the party as one that sits “squarely in and provincial parties, but is “financially has worked as a print reporter with The the centre” of the political spectrum. and organizationally independent,” says its Calgary Straight and Aboriginal Times. A former Liberal health minister for the website. He was a host of APTN’s National province of Prince Edward Island, Doug News for seven years and helped produce Currie, is running under the federal Con- its sit-down interview show, Face to Face, servative banner in the riding of Charlotte- as well. He can be seen on CTV Morning town, P.E.I., in the next election, the party Live on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. said last week, in hopes of ousting incum- Celina Caesar-Chavannes’ Can You Hear Me bent Liberal Sean Casey. Now? will be released on Feb. 2. Photograph Mr. Currie, who held the education, at- courtesy of Penguin Random House Canada Separated at birth, eh? torney general, and justice portfolios under Liberal premiers Robert Ghiz and Wade She will be joined by Larissa Crawford, MacLauchlan, served as an MLA from founder of Future Ancestors Services, a group 2007 until his resignation in 2017. Mr. Cur- that launched in April 2020 and pushes for rie ran unchallenged for the Tory nod and equity and climate justice through anti-racism told the CBC the switch in party allegiance and ancestral accountability lenses. “wasn’t about blue versus red.” The online chat is slated for Feb. 3 and “For me, this decision’s not really about kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Those interested can political spectrum, it’s more about bringing Nigel Wright, left, John Baird, and Patrick Muttart register online at Eventbrite. my passion and my concern and care for are helping to shore up overseas voters for the the city,” he said. “It was more about public Conservative Party. The Hill Times files photographs service, and you know, I’m very passionate Jonathan Kalles, former PMO Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli, left, about it.” Those involved include former top adviser, cabinet staffer, now at and actor Stanley Tucci, right. Photograph Mr. Currie could be in for a tough fight; Harper-era cabinet minister John Baird, courtesy House of Commons, BBC the thrice-elected Mr. Casey took the rid- who held the environment, foreign af- McMillan Vantage Policy Group ing by 44.2 per cent of the vote in the 2019 fairs, and transport files; Nigel Wright, Jonathan Kalles, a former PMO adviser election or with 8,509 votes, ahead of the Mr. Harper’s former chief of staff; and on the Quebec regional affairs file, has Green candidate’s 23.2 per cent (4,458 former aide and campaign strategist joined McMillan LLP as counsel in the votes), the Conservative candidate’s 20.4 Patrick Muttart, who helped frame the firm’s government relations group and Mc- per cent (3,924 votes) and the NDP’s can- government’s agenda and communica- Millan Vantage Policy Group as the senior didate who won 11.4 per cent of the vote tions strategy. consultant for Quebec. (2,193 votes). Mr. Wright told The Globe and Mail the Mr. Kalles, known as “Jono” to his group already has a “solid base” of traction friends and colleagues, left Prime Minister Harper-era political players in Asia, the Middle East, the U.S., and the Justin Trudeau‘s PMO in July 2020 after U.K. While it may not be able to outright more than a year on the job, is fully bilin- to mobilize overseas voters for sway elections, Mr.