TWENTY-EIGHTH YEAR, NO. 1402 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 $5.00 Grits, Tories Hill Parliamentary China trade pick Climbers associations Calgary ask for deal A look at Blaney’s budget boost Why Trump byelection campaign team could help Canada’s candidates Laura chances Heard on the Hill, p. 2 Ryckewaert, p. 16 Marco Vigliotti, p. 5 Peter Mazereeuw, p. 4 NEWS CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE Women’s march O’leary instructed his team From Washington to Ottawa not to respond to raitt’s attack BY CHELSEA NASH for representing “irresponsible populism” similar to that of Kevin O’leary instructed United States President Donald his campaign team not to respond Trump. Ms. Raitt also targeted to attacks from other leader- her parliamentary colleague ship candidates, such as Lisa and fellow candidate Kellie raitt’s anti-O’leary website, his Leitch (Simcoe-Grey, Ont.) at campaign chair says. the presser, though the website A few days into the new year, only mentions Mr. O’leary. At Ms. Raitt (Milton, Ont.) held the time, Mr. O’leary hadn’t an Ottawa press conference at entered the race, though Ms. which she announced a new Leitch had. website: StopKevinOLeary. com, and decried Mr. O’leary Continued on page 14 NEWS TRUDEAU TOWN HALLS ‘Risky’ coffee shop tour brings Trudeau back on brand: strategists BY PETER MAZEREEUW The Hill Times could not recall an- other recent prime minister roam- Forget the headlines; the ing the country to take unscripted prime minister’s tour of coffee questions from voters, so soon after shops and community centres winning an election. this month has been a winning The trip is an attempt to get political tactic, say pollsters and the Liberals on the front foot political strategists. again by playing to Mr. Trudeau’s Justin Trudeau’s (Papineau, strength as a retail politician, Que.) campaign-style tour across after months of negative press the eastern part of the country be- about fundraising and infl uence fore his cabinet retreat in Calgary scandals, and before the federal this week may be unprecedented in budget, the politicos said. recent times. A handful of political analysts and lobbyists contacted by Continued on page 6 NEWS TRUDEAu’s BAHAMAS VACATION The Aga Khan and Canada: a decades- Speaking up: Manitoba NDP MP Niki Ashton addresses thousands of people gathered at the Human Rights Monument on Elgin Street in Ottawa Jan. 21 for a march in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington. long, multi-partisan friendship Similar demonstrations took place around the world to protest Donald Trump’s presidency and raise awareness of women’s and human rights. For more Ottawa march photos, see Page 18. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade BY CHELSEA NASH Saskatchewan, Alta.) said “it is unfortunate that many Canadians With the recent hubbub about who are not familiar with the Aga Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Khan may hear his name for the Publications Mail Agreement #40068926 NEWS POLITICS Christmas vacation to the Aga fi rst time in the context of this Khan’s private island in the scandal with the prime minister.” Ministerial mandate letters to be Bahamas, the spiritual leader The spiritual leader has often for the world’s 15 million ismaili praised Canada as a leader in Muslims has been a topic of pluralism, multiculturalism, and revised following shuffl e, says PMO discussion in Canada. a beacon for the rest of the world While he is not usually at the to follow. BY MARCO VIGLIOTTI net shuffl e will receive revised releasing to the public the man- forefront of political scandal, ties be- He is personal friends with the mandate letters, The Hill Times date letters provided to cabinet tween the Aga Khan and the Canadi- current prime minister, as well The six Liberal MPs that as- has learned. ministers. Those letters lay out an government go back decades. as with former governor general sumed new ministerial portfolios The Trudeau government Conservative MP Garnett as part of an early January cabi- broke with tradition in 2015 by Continued on page 5 Genuis (Sherwood Park-Fort Continued on page 7 2 THE HILL TIMES, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017 FEATURE BUZZ support for the 2009 Honduran coup, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sundays from helping with the unsuccessful push in 2010 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, while ON to win Canada a seat on the United Na- additional parking will be available at 100 tions Security Council. Sussex Dr. HEARD THE HILL Ms. Kusie is married to James Kusie, There will also be several events hosted a former staffer to then-Conservative at the pavilion as part of the festivities, BY MARCO VIGLIOTTI minister John Baird in Ottawa, and current including a workshop on narwhal whales, government relations adviser to Imperial a jazz concert, a discussion on integrating Oil in Calgary. indigenous knowledge with Arctic science and environmental assessments, and a documentary fi lm festival to mark Interna- tional Day of Women in Science, Technol- Liberals, Conservatives Ex-Waterloo MP passes ogy, Engineering, and Math. away announce candidates for Delayed send-off for Former Liberal MP Andrew Telegdi has died at the age of 70, according to local behind-the-scenes star media reports. Calgary byelection He represented the riding of Waterloo, CTV makeup artist Jacquie Lambert and later Kitchener-Waterloo, from 1993 to will be feted at a retirement party Feb. 1. 2008. He also served as a City of Waterloo The event, set to start at 6 p.m., will be held Business project councillor from 1985 to 1993. at the South Block Whiskey Bar on Sparks manager Haley Liberal MP and Government House Street. Brown will look to Leader Bardish Chagger (Waterloo, Ont.) She announced her retirement in De- fl ip Jason Kenney’s served as Mr. Telegdi’s parliamentary as- cember. old riding of Calgary sistant. Lobbyist and frequent CTV Powerplay Midnapore Liberal guest Greg MacEachern described Ms. red. She was Lambert as “funny and kind,” saying she acclaimed as the “makes some of us look good in spite of Liberal candidate Young Parliamentarians ourselves.” for the upcoming byelection in the conference heading to riding this past nation’s capital Can you have a weekend. Photo courtesy of the Haley The house’s internal governing body leadership debate Brown campaign has approved a funding request that will see an international conference of Parlia- without candidates? mentarians come to Ottawa this November. The Board of Internal Economy (BOIE) has approved temporary funding in the upcoming fi scal year that will see the Inter- Parliamentary Union, an international group that fosters co-ordination and co- operation among Parliamentarians, bring he federal Liberals and Conservatives dissolved into Calgary Midnapore, only its Global Conference of Young Parliamen- Thave chosen their candidates for an elected members of right-leaning parties tarians to the nation’s capital. upcoming byelection to fi ll the seat that over the course of its 27 years of existence. The funding will be divided among the formerly belonged to ex-Conservative cabi- The date of the byelection has yet to be two legislative chambers using the usual net minister Jason Kenney. announced. It must be set by March 22. formula: 30 per cent for the Senate, and 70 Business project manager Haley Brown Meanwhile, the Conservatives elected per cent for the House, according to newly was acclaimed as the Liberal Party candi- Stephanie Kusie on Jan. 10 as the party’s released minutes from the secretive BOie’s date in Calgary Midnapore on Sunday. candidate for the byelection. She defeated Oct. 27 meeting. She was the Liberal candidate in the 2015 businessman Myles McDougall and long- The conference is open to young men election, fi nishing a distant second to Mr. time Calgary Midnapore Conservative and women members of national parlia- Kenney, who resigned as an MP in Septem- board member Jack Redekop in the nomi- ments, as well as IPU observers and se- ber to seek the leadership of the Progressive lected youth organizations, networks, and Conservative Party of Alberta. Ms. Brown associations, according to the IPU. received 14,396 votes, or 22.7 per cent of the The third edition of the conference was vote. Mr. Kenney won 42,421 votes, repre- held last March in Lusaka, Zambia. senting 66.7 per cent of the ballots cast. It focused on groups of society in dan- “haley Brown is a passionate advocate ger of being left out of the development for middle class families in her community agenda, and several key issues such as cli- and across Canada, and I know that she mate change and more equitable economic The race to replace Thomas Mulcair, pictured, as will be a tireless champion for Calgary models, according to the IPU. NDP leader may not have any offi cial candidates, Midnapore in Ottawa,” Prime Minister The BOIE also approved funding, under but the party has still scheduled a debate for Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) said in a the same sharing formula, for the 56th March. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright prepared statement. Regional Commonwealth Parliamentary Ms. Brown, who holds a B.A. from Association Conference, which will be held the University of Calgary and a project in Ottawa in July 2018, and for the annual The federal NDP has scheduled a de- management certifi cate from hamilton’s session of the North Atlantic Treaty Orga- bate for candidates seeking the party’s McMaster University, has led a variety of nization’s parliamentary assembly, to be leadership in March.