Cannabis policy briefing pp. 15-24 HILL Tories Feds gave CLIMBERS: have $235- Issues limited million House Trade director strategy Committee Let’s not to Aga Khan leaves panic options Foundation of misses a golden Chagger’s about trade Canada over last opportunity p. 13 office p. 29 deals p. 10 p. 9 five years p. 14 TWENTY-NINTH YEAR, NO. 1500 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018 $5.00 News Conservatives News Ethics New ethics Seven Conservative MPs face czar Dion divisive nomination challenges, says he ‘has no IOUs,’ party denies it’s behind the move not looking • Conservative for another MP Jim Eglinski told Hill staffer promotion, Ryan Oudekirk this is it that he was ‘disappointed’ and BY ABBAS RANA anada’s new ethics commis- ‘not happy’ with Csioner, who has been criti- the nomination cized by government whistleblow- ers as a life-long bureaucrat who challenge. protects his bosses, says he is best-placed to do the job because • Seven incumbent he’s not interested in pleasing higher-ups and has no IOUs. Conservative Conservative leader Andrew Mario Dion, who decided to do Scheer, pictured last month on media interviews about his new MPs are facing Paliament Hill. The Conservative job over the last two weeks, said Party denies it’s involved in the he’s financially secure, not pursu- nomination open challenges of seven of its ing any future career promotions incumbent MPs. The Hill Times in the federal government, and challenges, including photograph by Andrew Meade that his current position is as high Jim Eglinski, Cheryl as he will get professionally. “I’m probably in the best situation Gallant, Mike Lake, BY ABBAS RANA which the party strongly denies. Joseph Ben-Ami, former cam- because I have acquired financial “There were some OLO staff- paign manager for Conservative independence, I’m not pursuing other Kellie Leitch, even Conservative MPs are ers last fall who were overheard MP Brad Trost’s (Saskatoon-Uni- promotions, I’m 61 years old, I have Deepak Obhrai, Sfacing nomination challenges musing about the need to organize versity, Sask.) unsuccessful leader- 37 years of service,” said Mr. Dion, for the 2019 election, but there challenges against a handful of ship campaign. “Three of them, for who took over his new position on David Tilson, is widespread speculation the incumbent MPs, and the four were sure, are facing challenges.” Jan. 9, in an interview with The Hill party’s leadership is behind at Brad Trost, Kellie Leitch, Maxime Times. “I do not have IOUs.” and Brad Trost. least some of those challenges, Bernier, and Cheryl Gallant,” said Continued on page 27 Continued on page 30 News Senate Publications Mail Agreement #40068926 Lobbyists get ‘too much time’ in Senate committees, says ISG deputy ahead of back-to-Parliament meeting BY PETER MAZEREEUW importance” when it comes to ing member of the Independent meeting on the Hill on Feb. 5. cial industry,” said Sen. Raymonde gathering input for the Senate’s Senators Group, who is planning “We should be more aware of Saint-Germain (De la Vallière, Que.), obbyists have been given study of legislation at committee, to raise the issue during a day- the intent of some lobbyists, that is L“too much time and too much says the second-highest rank- long Independent Senators Group to promote a special cause of spe- Continued on page 28 2 MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018 | THE HILL TIMES The interview, which is accom- panied by a video, is part of National Post’s series called Heard on the Hill “Speakeasy,” Mr. Ivi- son said. Past guests have included NDP by Shruti Shekar MP Nathan Cullen and Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, though he said most of the time it’s just How Ivison got an himself and his col- league, National Post reporter Marie-Dani- elle Smith chatting. exclusive interview Mr. Ivison said he drank on a cider because, as he told his Facebook friends, “my with PM at Chelsea Pub body has decided I drank enough beer for two lifetimes and has rebelled,” while Mr. Trudeau drank a beer. But, despite the casual location, it wasn’t as loose as Mr. Ivison had hoped. “It was a little bit different; he is so pol- ished and disciplined now that it is hard to get him off his talking points,” Mr. Ivison said. “I [hoped] that the ca- She said yes: NDP leader Jagmeet Singh engaged Toronto fashion designer sual environment and Gurkiran Kaur on Jan. 16. Photograph courtesy of Jagmeet Singh’s Twitter some more philosophi- cal questions about politics and family did that. It was certainly less adversarial than an Jagmeet Singh gets engaged, interview across a desk in his office.” The Jan. 16 piece focused on the federal and Twitter goes bonkers government denying funding to groups NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced who will not support abortion in an online on social media his engagement to Toronto- application form as part of the federal gov- based entrepreneur and fashion designer ernment’s summer jobs program. Gurkiran Kaur on Jan. 16 at a private party “One reader wrote to me subsequently in Toronto. asking why I didn’t tell him he is destroy- “She said ‘Yes,’” Mr. Singh posted on ing Canada and trying to push Islamic val- Twitter and Instagram with a picture of his ues down Canadians’ throats. ‘If you can’t soon-to-be wife. ask proper questions, retire,’ he said,” Mr. You don’t say, John: National Post columnist John Ivison interviewed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Shortly after the announcement, The Ivison said, noting that asking a question at the Chelsea Pub in Chelsea, Que., but he joked that he really wanted to do it while getting Canadian Press reported that members like that would have been good for TV but pedicures for the Post’s new ‘Speakeasy’ series. Screenshot of The National Post’s video of the media were invited to the proposal ultimately “would have been a very short which elicited Twitter to blow up and poke interview that yielded next to nothing.” fun at Mr. Singh’s choice of inviting the eadlined “John Ivison has a pint with a good meeting point. I had originally sug- Mr. Ivison said Mr. Trudeau offered conces- media to a private and personal event. the PM: This Liberal’s not for turning,” gested the Spa Nordik for us to get our toes sions on the summer jobs program application, H Environics’ Greg MacEachern tweeted: National Post columnist John Ivison inter- done together!” said Mr. Ivison, adding that he committed to reducing the debt-to-GDP ration, “I invited members of the media, including viewed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over had hounded the Prime Minister’s Office for a and opened up more about the demands of his the Canadian Press, to watch me unpack a glass of beer at a local pub in Chelsea, while and that the interview was supposed to job and balancing it with family time. a new humidifier this weekend. Did they Que., but Mr. Ivison was pushing for the have happened before Christmas. Mr. Ivison said the interview wasn’t show? Nooooooo... #RelashionshipBias interview to be done over a spa treatment. Good thing they didn’t do the spa inter- “earth-shattering, but not bad.” It was one #Cdnpoli.” “I have a place in Chelsea, he was heading view because the optics would have been of the top 10 stories on National News- Warren Kinsella, president of Daisy to Harrington Lake, so the [Chelsea Pub] was horrible, but Mr. Ivison was kidding, I think. watch in the last week and the last month. Consulting and a former federal Liberal staffer and strategist, tweeted that same night: “When I proposed to @lisakinsella in Times Square one New Year’s Eve, no me- REGISTER at www.energy.ca dia or press handlers were present whatso- ever, however, a NYC cop told us to hurry up or we would be arrested.” Mr. Singh’s criticism of having the media present at a personal life event came 2017 Canadian Energy Industry UPDATES & INSIGHTS after he and Ms. Kaur made headlines in December when the two were caught on ENERGY TRADE IN NORTH AMERICA social media at a ceremony that looked like an engagement celebration. ISSUES and OPPORTUNITIES At the time, the couple denied an engagement and said the ceremony was a Westin Hotel Ottawa | February 5, 2018 | 1:00 pm – 5:15 pm Rokha, a traditional Punjabi ceremony held before a formal engagement takes place. During the event families of both sides meet and agree on a future engagement. “Firstly, the proposal wasn’t a complete Hear from US and Canadian Ambassadors and from leading experts from industry, think tanks, and the media. surprise. Gurkiran and I have had many conversations about taking our relation- Canada–US Energy Developments | Cross-Border Infrastructure | Energy Aspects of NAFTA | ship to this level and part of that conver- Patterns of Continental Energy Trade in Oil, Gas and Electricity | Integration of Energy Markets sation was about how a public presence would factor in. That’s just the reality,” Mr. Singh said in a statement to The Hill RECEPTION to follow from 5:15 pm to 6:45 pm Times. “We’re very interested in striking the right balance between events which ENERGY INSIGHTS FROM THE EXPERTS | LATEST INFORMATION, TRENDS, DEVELOPMENTS, OUTLOOK FOR 2018 will be more private and others that will have more of a public factor.” Mr. Singh was elected as NDP leader last fall. View full program at www.energy.ca | For more info, contact Krystal Underhill, 613-232-8239 ext.