Oliphant reflects on all- Privacy and Scott encompassing push to Taylor bring Canadians home p. 4 Security in p.6 a Digital Feds shy on contact- Age tracing app details p. 15 Policy briefing pp. 13-19 Hill Climbers p.12 THIRTY-FIRST YEAR, NO. 1725 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020 $5.00 News Public Service News Translators News NAFTA 2.0 As union members Some politicos, face COVID-19 Interpreter injuries dairy groups say pandemic ‘head the feds promised on,’ PSAC calls for new NAFTA would feds to return to spike due to virtual start in August, bargaining table while trade BY MIKE LAPOINTE Parliament, prompt experts say start ith union members “fac- date was being Wing the pandemic head on” at our borders, in federal calls for quality controls hurried by Trump penitentiaries, and by process- ing millions of financial support BY NEIL MOSS claims under tight timelines, the ‘We are getting too close to our worst-case scenario,’ says CAPE, the head of Canada’s largest federal ome opposition Parliamentar- public service union is calling for union representing staff interpreters on Parliament Hill. Sians say the federal govern- the federal government to return ment misled them on when the to the bargaining table to reach An interpreter new NAFTA will come into force, an elusive contract settlement for works during a believing they had an assur- more than 140,000 federal public press conference ance that the updated trade pact service workers as the COVID-19 in the West Block would start at the beginning of crisis rumbles on. on March 27. The August and not a month before, “We’ve got thousands stepping House says it’s to the detriment of Canada’s up to the plate to get the job done, ‘working closely’ dairy sector. and some are doing completely with MPs to make But trade experts say the new jobs wherever there has been sure they have the Trump administration forced the a need to support the govern- right equipment, Canadian government’s hand ment’s relief efforts,” said Pub- which interpreters with a desire to see the Canada- lic Service Alliance of Canada say will reduce United States-Mexico Agreement (PSAC) national president Chris injuries among their (CUSMA) come into force briskly. Aylward in an interview with The number. The Hill Conservative Senate Leader Hill Times. Times photograph by Don Plett (Landmark, Man.) told “They continue to do that Andrew Meade The Hill Times that he was given without a fair contract, and we’re “a direct promise” from Senator not too sure why the federal Marc Gold (Stadacona, Que.), government is so reluctant to go BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN tion and led to a rise in workplace Parliamentarians and witnesses the government’s representative back to the bargaining table,” in the Senate, that the CUSMA he said, pointing to the Ontario injuries reported by interpreters, have made interpreters’ jobs more ith subpar equipment and according to two groups represent- difficult since the House of Com- wouldn’t enter into force until government’s recent settlement Aug. 1 in order to guarantee with provincial teachers’ unions Wspotty connectivity, Parlia- ing parliamentary interpreters. mons moved to virtual meetings, ment’s virtual meetings have com- Inconsistent audio and visual Continued on page 11 promised the quality of interpreta- quality and poor practices from Continued on page 5 Continued on page 20 News COVID-19 Publications Mail Agreement #40068926 whole-of-government concerted The scramble for PPE: ‘This country has never effort to respond to something like this,” said Neil Brodie, a vice-presi- dent with Bluesky Strategy Group seen procurement like it is occurring now’ and a former Harper-era cabinet staffer, who spent two years, BY LAURA RYCKEWAERT tors, and beyond, the federal equipment needed in the fight described as “unprecedented” and from 2006 to 2008, working as a government has been working against COVID-19 in a massive, “24/7” for those involved. rom face masks, to medical to secure millions of pieces of cross-ministry and -jurisdictional “Since the Second World War Fgowns, testing kits, ventila- medical and personal protective collaborative effort that’s been there probably hasn’t been a Continued on page 21 2 WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020 | THE HILL TIMES A one-term MP, Mr. Sohi served as the Dominic Barton to infrastructure and communities minister from 2015 to 2017 before taking over the participate in Canadian natural resources file, which he maintained International Council event until his electoral defeat in October. Heard on the Hill “During my time in public office, I have away from public eyes gained comprehensive experience [and] by Neil Moss honed my skills by successfully managing Canada’s top diplomat in China will complex issues [and] policies, divergent give the Canadian International Council stakeholder interests, intergovernmental an update on his work abroad in a private relations, Indigenous relations, [and] col- event this week. laboration with the private sector,” Mr. Sohi tweeted on May 4. Globe and Mail Alar Strategy Group is led by its princi- pal Richard Maksymetz, who is a former chief of staff to Finance Minister Bill Morneau. team wins National Mr. Sohi was victim to the Liberal shutout in Alberta during the last election, which saw four MPs who won their ridings in 2015 under the Grit banner lose their Newspaper Award for seats to Conservative challengers amid discontent over the federal government’s handling of the energy file. The former MP for Edmonton Mill SNC-Lavalin reporting Woods, Alta., lost his seat to Conservative Dominic Barton is pictured at the Special House MP Tim Uppal, who he had previously Committee on Canada-China Relations on Feb. defeated in the 2015 election by 92 votes. Robert Fife 5. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Mr. Sohi was one of two cabinet mem- was one of Since taking up the post in Beijing, bers who weren’t re-elected in 2019. The four Globe other being former public safety minister and Mail Dominic Barton has made few public ap- pearances—most notably his testimony Ralph Goodale who was named Prime reporters Minister Justin Trudeau‘s special adviser who won before the Special House Committee on Canada-China Relations on Feb. 5. to the downing of Ukrainian airlines Flight the National 752 near Tehran in January. The air disaster Newspaper According to the event description, Mr. Barton will speak on May 7 about the work resulted in the deaths of 55 Canadian citi- Award zens and 30 permanent residents. for best of the embassy to “navigate the recent political challenges while staying true to Canada’s reporting. values and protecting our interests.” Sophie Grégoire Trudeau The Hill Mr. Barton told the special committee Times file in February that the “utmost priority” of his launches mental health photograph goals and objectives as ambassador is to work for the release of Canadians Michael podcast Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been detained by Chinese authorities since Fresh off her COVID-19 recovery, December 2018 in apparent retaliation for Sophie Grégoire Trudeau is launching a the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wan- podcast with a focus on mental health. team of reporters headlined by Globe Ms. Nolen’s prize is her eighth National zhou, as well as the clemency of Robert A and Mail parliamentary bureau chief Newspaper Award. Schellenberg who was sentenced to death Sophie Robert Fife and reporters Steven Chase in January 2019 after he was previously Grégoire and Daniel Leblanc won the National given a 15-year sentence for alleged in- Trudeau, Newspaper Award for political reporting Grant Mitchell bids adieu volvement in a drug-smuggling operation. pictured at the for their coverage of the pressure from The event will be moderated by Cana- Liberal Party Justin Trudeau‘s Prime Minister’s Office to to the Red Chamber dian International Council president Ben convention give SNC-Lavalin a deferred prosecution Rowswell, a former Canadian diplomat in 2018, will agreement. More than six years shy of his manda- who served as ambassador to Venezuela speak to a The team of reporters who won the tory retirement date, non-affiliated Senator from 2014 to 2017. wide-ranging John Wesley Dafoe Award also includes Grant Mitchell announced that he is leav- Embassy counsellor Daniel Koldyk, the group of Toronto-based Globe and Mail justice re- ing the Upper Chamber. chief representative of Finance Canada guests for her porter Sean Fine. in China, will also offer remarks. Former new podcast. The bombshell story that was published Grant Mitchell senior-level bureaucrat Margaret McCuaig- The Hill Times on Feb. 7, 2019, reported that the PMO had was the Johnston, a fellow at the University of photograph put pressure on then-justice minister Jody government Alberta’s China Institute, will also partici- by Cynthia Wilson-Raybould to end the prosecution of liaison in the pate. Münster engineering firm SNC-Lavalin. Senate from The virtual event will be open to Cana- At the time, Mr. Trudeau denied his 2016 to last dian International Council members only. Ms. Grégoire Trudeau will speak to a office pressured Ms. Wilson-Raybould. January. The It will be under Chatham House rules, wide-ranging group of guests on the WE But in the weeks to come, there would be Hill Times which means members aren’t allowed to Well-being podcast, including Olympians fairly damning testimony in front of the photograph by divulge any information from the meeting Silken Laumann and Tessa Virtue, academ- House Justice Committee. The fallout of the Andrew Meade with attribution to any specific speaker.