Publications Mail Agreement #40068926 F A economic recovery energy investment in calls for federal clean resiliency prompts renewable energy Oil demanddrop, News THIRTY-FIRST YEAR, NO.1729 said that it’sgoing tobe “years” May (Saanich-GulfIslands, B.C.), about theeconomy onMay 6, Ms. clean energy. through increased stimulusfor to pursuea “resilient recovery” chance”a “once-in-a-generation the fedsshouldtake advantage of environmental advocates saying oil sands, withanumberof able sectorover thebeleaguered government tosupporttherenew- beth May iscallingonthefederal pandemic, GreenParty MPEliza- in demandamidtheCOVID-19 seen recentanddramatic drops fate asoilandgas, which have energy hasn’tsharedthesame to remain untouched Chamber’s footprint plans, but Red Block renovation catch-up onCentre Senate playing News construction ofthefinal Visitors’ Block building’srenovation and on proposed plansfortheCentre Climbers BY MIKE LAPOINTE BY LAURA RYCKEWAERT ‘disappointed’ When speakingtoreporters showing that renewable ollowing recent evidence Senators areplaying catch-up fter aslow starttotheyear, in Senate’s regressing Dalphond Hill Clean energy Centre Block reno p.17 reforms Continued onpage15 Continued onpage 12

p. 4

C C programs to be built into economic programs tobebuilt intoeconomic mate changeandtheneedforgreen ‘ridiculous.’ documents, are out electronic print needing to requests, like to fillaccess are facing departments limitations some says the Maynard Caroline Commissioner Information BYSAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN BYSAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN agenda among April’s top-lobbied files Environment, resource development News News access innovation amidCOVID-19 need to send ‘serious message’ about Canada’s information czar says feds sons forCanada’sapproach tocli- OVID-19 isofferingimportantles- further delays toanalready OVID-19 isexpectedtocause Access to informationAccess to Lobbying C anada Heard on the Hill ’ s P p.2 oliti stable fundingtoheroffice, sioner, while alsocallingfor Canada’s information commis- “overwhelmed” system, warns ral Resources Minister Seamus the listduringpandemic. files andpushingthemtothetop of bying theministers focusedonthese recovery, say someofthegroups lob- Over the last two months, Natu- c

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N ews line Maynard says herofficehas increase incomplaints. which already facesa49percent bied incabinet, according toa among thetopthreemostlob - (North Vancouver, B.C.)have been Jonathan WilkinsonMinister Pearl, N.L.)and Environment O’Regan (St. John’s South–Mount Outside ofthepandemic, Caro - p a p er

p. 10 Tragedy challenge? Who’sup to the LesWhittingtonp.11 post-Year of WEDNESDAY, MAY 20,2020$5.00 March 2019. While shehasn’tyet plaints, from the3,346onfileasof at least5,000outstanding com- April 2020putoverall lobbying communications reportmentions. Canada up16percentwith100 169 mentions, andEnvironment cent comparedto April 2019, with with Natural Resources up104per the mostindemandlastmonth, departments alsoappearedamong lobby registry onMay 18. Their Hill Times analysisofthefederal The 2,176communications in Canada Commissioner of of theInformation courtesy ofOffice backlog. likely toaddthe with COVID-19 to accessrequests ways torespond and findinnovative disclose documents they proactively to departmentsso 'serious message' needs tosenda says thegovernment Caroline Maynard Commissioner Information Continued onpage 14 Continued onpage16 Photograph Photograph

2 WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 | THE HILL TIMES

Former Mulroney comms master pens book on political communication in post-truth age

Heard on the Hill Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump have relatively little in common, but, among that short list by Neil Moss is the fact that both were household names before they led their countries. A new book by a former Hill reporter and past political communications czar looks at the political capital given to those who are “well-known ‘A very difficult few for being well-known.” Bill Fox’s Trump, Trudeau, Tweets, Truth takes a look at the past to understand the present. weeks’: MPs pay tribute “Discussing how the military-industrial complex of the 1950s gave way to today’s celebrity-distribution complex, Bill Fox examines the amount of power accorded to to Snowbirds fatal crash people well-known for being well-known, from Donald Trump to Justin Trudeau,” the book’s description reads. “Taking on a Canadian perspective, Fox victim Jennifer Casey addresses the disturbing cries of ‘fake’ news in the post-truth age and demonstrates how journalism, no longer the domain of a select A Snowbird few political reporters and editors, has be- plane crashed come decentralized and disaggregated.” in Kamloops, Mr. Fox is a former bureau chief for The B.C. on May Toronto Star in both Ottawa and Wash- 17, leading to ington. He later became spokesperson for the death of then-opposition leader Brian Mulroney public affairs and then director of communications in Mr. officer Captain Mulroney’s office as prime minister follow- Jennifer Casey. ing the 1984 federal election. Captain Richard The 320-page book is due to be released Bill Fox’s Trump, Trudeau, Tweets, Truth will be MacDougall, by McGill-Queen’s University Press in published in September. Book cover image the plane’s September. courtesy of McGill-Queen’s University Press pilot, was injured in the crash. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia A pandemic can’t keep Catherine McKenna out of the pool

arliamentarians commemorated the As MPs adjust to the new normal of life pates in a weekly swim with Parliamentar- Plife of a Snowbird public affairs officer Tory pundit Rachel during the coronavirus pandemic, Infra- ians from all political stripes at the pool in following a crash in Kamloops, B.C., which structure Minister Catherine McKenna has the Château Laurier on Thursdays at 6:45 happened less than a month after six mem- Curran joins Facebook’s taken up stationary swimming in an above- a.m. bers of the Canadian Forces were killed in ground pool. Along with the MP for Ottawa Centre, a helicopter crash off the coast of Greece. public policy group Ms. McKenna posted a Twitter video Ont., participants have included Conserva- Snowbirds spokesperson Captain Jen- showing off her new set-up, which features tive MPs Steven Blaney and David Sweet, nifer Casey was killed in the crash on May a pulley chord to keep her in place as she Liberal MPs Anthony Housefather and 17 and pilot Captain Richard MacDougall Rachel Curran, swims in the compact pool. William Amos, and Green Party Parliamen- was injured. pictured at “Getting this sorted out is how I spent tary Leader Elizabeth May. “This has been the Manning the long weekend,” she tweeted. “And now I Ms. McKenna was previously the a very difficult few Conference on can get my swim on. I feel better already!” captain of the University of Toronto swim weeks for mem- March 24, 2019, In normal times, Ms. McKenna partici- team. bers of the Cana- started her new dian Armed Forces,” job at Facebook Prime Minister Canada on May Justin Trudeau told 18. The Hill reporters on May Times photograph Senators to discuss National Autism Strategy in 19. by Andrew Meade The Snowbirds webinar this week had been perform- ing aerial shows Jennifer Casey across Canada A former staffer in Stephen Harper’s of- Four Senators will take part in a webi- joined the as part of Opera- fice as prime minister has joined Facebook nar to discuss the future of the National Snowbirds as a tion Inspiration in Canada’s public policy team. Autism Strategy on May 22. public affairs tribute to those on Rachel Curran announced her new job Participating in the webinar will be non- officer in 2018. the front lines of in a tweet on May 18, her first day in the affliated Senator Jim Munson, Conserva- Photograph courtesy the coronavirus new gig. tive Senator Leo Housakos, and Indepen- of the Department of pandemic. “I have long been passionate about dent Senators Wanda Thomas Bernard and National Defence Capt. Casey was social media platforms as essential tools Peter Boehm. a journalist in Hali- of democracy. They are a critical means of Sen. Munson has been a vocal advocate fax before joining the Armed Forces in 2014. organization and communication, often for for autism-related causes, including spon- “The Snowbirds have been traveling those who have not traditionally had a voice soring Bill S-206 in the 41st Parliament, across the country for the past few weeks or influence in political spheres,” she wrote. which led to April 2 being declared World lifting Canadians’ spirits as part of Opera- “In the current context, where we can- Autism Awareness Day. He also partici- tion Inspiration. This is a tragic end to a not easily meet face-to-face, I am even pated in the Senate Social Affairs, Science, tour that has brought much needed joy to more appreciative of these platforms as and Technology Committee’s report on so many,” Conservative Leader Andrew critical tools of personal and professional autism treatment funding in 2007, titled Scheer said in a statement. connection,” Ms. Curran added. Pay Now or Pay Later: Autism Families in Kamloops-area Conservative MP Cathy Ms. Curran worked in the Prime Min- Crisis. McLeod noted the crash in a series of ister’s Office from 2009 to 2015, first as During the last election, the Canadian tweets. policy adviser for social affairs and ending Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance said “We were thrilled as they [the Snow- as policy director for the last four years of it had received a pledge from the Liberals birds] undertook Operation Inspiration the Harper government. to develop a National Autism Strategy, ac- with the goal of boosting morale as we More recently, she’s appeared as a cording to a CTV report. have all endured COVID-19. We watched Conservative pundit on CBC’s Power and The webinar will take place through with pride yesterday as they arrived in Politics, and founded government rela- Zoom on May 22 from 3-4 p.m. Senators Kamloops,” she wrote. tions firm Wellington Advocacy with fellow will also be answering written questions “Just as they were there for us, I know Harper PMO alum Nick Koolsbergen. from viewers during a planned Q&A seg- Non-affliated Senator Jim Munson will be one that everyone in Kamloops and every She’s also been part of the faculty of Car- ment of the webinar. of four members of the Red Chamber taking Canadian is there for the Snowbird family leton University’s political management [email protected] part in a webinar on a National Autism Strategy. now,” Ms. McLeod added. master’s program. The Hill Times The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade T:10.375"

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The Hills Times 4 WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 | THE HILL TIMES Opinion All Senators are equal in rights, privileges, and duties

In March, ISG How do we reboot? Though the shift to Facilitator Yuen Maybe by starting with a basic Pau Woo and principle: all Senators are equal more independent Conservative in rights, privileges, and duties, Senators has Senate Leader regardless of their political views Don Plett or group affiliation. produced a record secured the Each Senator must be free to suspension act independently and to vote of legislative of a Senate with his or her conscience, once principle duly informed and in consider- contributions, and that allowed ation of the Senate’s role. Senators to Each Senator must be provid- improvements in keep their ed access to sufficient resources gender and minority committee and to adequate opportunities to seats regardless discharge her or his duties in the representation, it of affiliation in Chamber and at committees. the Chamber. The allocation of seats on seems some old The Hill Times standing committees should, as a photographs by right, be proportional to the com- habits are picking up Andrew Meade position of the Senate, including the non-affiliated Senators. In the steam. U.K. House of Commons, the al- location of seats is determined by the Speaker based on the compo- sition of the Commons. pointed office holders, they know tive powers to all Senate groups, a particular recognized party or The selection of the individu- these anti-democratic practices rather than reducing this problem. recognized parliamentary group als to populate the committees cannot be justified to the House In its new majoritarian po- for any reason, he or she simulta- should be left to the relevant of Commons or the public. Rather sitioning, the ISG resists non- neously cease to be a member of group, or to those that are non- than face these issues head on, affiliated Senators obtaining, any committee… with the resulting affiliated Senators. the Conservatives change the as a right, committee seats and vacancy to be filled by the leader or The selection of the chairs of subject, claiming to work to potentially becoming the chair or facilitator of the party or group to the committees should be made preserve the Westminster model. vice-chair of committees, because which the Senator had belonged.” by the Senate as a whole, as in ISG Senator Pierre J. Dalphond However, they refer to a version group membership is seen as a This departure from the Rules of the U.K. House of Commons. Opinion of the Westminster model that prerequisite. Simply put, opportu- the Senate protects the leadership The Speaker pro tempore does not exist. nities to participate equally in the of the two largest groups from los- should be elected by a secret On the other hand, in its cen- Senate’s work depend on mem- ing members to other groups. ballot, as the House of Commons he equality of Senators, a tral strategy, the ISG is reacting bership in a group—a traditional In short, the old dynamic of elects its Speaker. Tfoundational institutional to Conservative intransigence by mechanism of party discipline. “fear and favour,” to quote Sena- Deprived of the power to offer principle, is being tested by the engaging in a confrontational dy- Even more consequential, on tor Peter Harder, is now the rule rewards and impose penalties, leadership of two main groups namic, confident that its majority March 11, 2020, Senator Yuen Pau in the ISG like in the Conserva- leaderships in the Senate will no in the Senate, the Independent shall always prevail. Thus, in the Woo, the ISG facilitator, sec- tive caucus, which the ISG op- longer be in a position to con- Senators Group (ISG) and the recent months, the ISG bargained onded by Senator Don Plett, the poses politically. trol, bluntly or discretely, “their” Conservatives. hard to get a clear majority of Conservative leader, secured the Instead of using its majority members. When I joined the Senate to the standing committees’ chairs suspension, without debate, of a to develop a new model based on Finally, party dominance contribute to a constitutionally or group dominance must be valid modernization of the Up- avoided, as is the case in the per House of our Parliament, I House of Lords where none of was not sure how independence the four groups (Conservatives, would fit in a place dominated by Labour, Liberal-Democrats, and political parties and their whips Crossbenchers) can ever expect since 1867. But I hoped that the to have a majority. For example, new appointment process would the Parliament of Canada Act bring meaningful change to the and the Rules of the Senate could culture of the institution. state that no recognized group in Two years since my appoint- the Senate can have more than 35 ment, I am disappointed about or 40 members. current trends in the Senate. The overall result would be an Though the shift to more indepen- Upper Chamber where Senators, dent Senators has produced a re- appointed until the age of 75, can cord of legislative contributions, be independent from leaderships and improvements in gender and and equal in the fulfillment of the minority representation, it seems Senate’s constitutional role. Like some old habits are picking up at the House of Lords, this role steam. is to perform a complementary On one hand, a diminishing function to the House of Com- Conservative caucus resists any mons by providing sober second change, including rule changes thought in reviewing bills and they previously supported to suggesting improvements, and reduce obstruction and increase by conducting a less-partisan Party or group dominance in the Senate should be avoided, as it is in the U.K. House of Lords, writes Sen. Pierre transparency. Even the aboli- oversight of government action Dalphond. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade tion of the two-hour long dinner and expenses. It is not resisting break cannot find acceptance, the will of the elected Chamber, a reform adopted by the House to allocate to its members, and to long-established principle found equality, in its central strategy, the except in cases of unconstitu- of Commons in 1982. In reality, have the sole power to nominate at subsection 12-2(3) of the Rules ISG is now pursuing majoritari- tional legislation or violations of the Conservatives are scared to the Speaker pro tempore (deputy of the Senate: “Senators appointed anism without realizing that to fundamental rights. Canadians lose obstructive powers that they speaker). The strategy of the ISG to committees shall serve for the replace party dominance by group deserve that. have exercised for years against leadership is to take a hard line duration of the session.” Both dominance preserves the basic Pierre J. Dalphond is an Inde- bills adopted by the elected MPs, on some symbolic rule changes leaderships managed to replace aspect of the old system that pre- pendent Senator from Quebec including government bills and that exacerbate conflict between this rule with its opposite: “if a vented the realization of the intent (De Lorimier). private members’ bills. As ap- groups, and that extend obstruc- Senator ceases to be a member of of the framers of our Constitution. The Hill Times Let’s build a more resilient Canada

COVID-19 has disrupted our 1. Invest stimulus into Canada’s tions, manufacturing electric vehicles and deploying charging infrastructure, building way of life, and immediate fast-growing clean energy and cleantech sectors and businesses and maintaining wind, solar and hydro relief has rightfully been the committed to the local production and projects, producing renewable fuels and priority of governments. But export of world-leading low- and more. zero-carbon commodities; as the conversation in Climate leadership is also enhancing competitiveness and creating new oppor- Canada evolves to one of 2. Act quickly to support clean energy tunities in other sectors of the economy. and cleantech solutions and business- economic recovery, import- These include present and future jobs in es by expanding existing initiatives and low-carbon concrete, steel and alumi- ant questions arise. programs; and num, the auto sector, sustainably What does recovery look like? How loud and clear that Canada produced mass timber, agriculture, and can we deliver a cleaner, innovative and 3. Share will continue and expand on its mining or supplying the metals and diverse economy? How do we ensure best-in-class climate and environmen- minerals used in many clean technolo- recovery measures aren’t just shov- tal policies. gies. el-ready but shovel-worthy? We can’t leave any sector or region A resilient recovery creates winners Federal and provincial government stimu- behind. That means training and retraining across the country. The time is now to lus and recovery efforts can create jobs, for Canadians whose past jobs may not invest in people and projects that will encourage economic diversification and return, in programs that can and should diversify our economy and improve our equity, spur cleantech innovation, cut both start now while unemployed workers are health and wellbeing. carbon pollution and illness-causing air sitting at home. pollution, and make Canada more resil- It’s how we build a more ient. The clean energy sector employs resilient Canada. 298,000 Canadians in a wide range of We ask Canadian governments to commit jobs: insulating homes, developing clean to a three-part recovery and resilience technologies and energy storage solu- plan:

Over 200 signatories representing over 2,000 Canadian companies have signed

on to support a resilient recovery. Add your organization at resilientrecovery.ca

Acquire Industries Ltd., AddÉnergie, AES, Ameresco Canada Inc., American Clean Energy Solutions Inc., Arterran Renewables Ltd., Atticus Financial Group, Autochargers.ca Corporation, Avalon Mechanical Consultants Ltd., Ayur Financial Strategies Inc., Barkley Project Group, BayWa r.e Solar Systems Inc., BC Bioenergy Network, Black Current, Bonlook, Building Future, Innovation, Business on Camera, C Returns Inc, Canada Clean Fuels, Canadian Association of, Physicians for the Environment, Canadian Council of Canadians, CAPSolar,, Carbon Axion, Carbon Busters Inc., Carbon Free Group, Carboniq, Cellufuel, ChargeHub - MogileTechnologies Inc., ChargeLab, Chinook Power Corp., Citoyen concerné, City Green, Clean Foundation, CoEnergy Co-operative, Collected Conscience, Consolidated Biofuels, Eavor Technolo- gies Inc., EcoGen Energy & Build, EcoSafe Zero Waste, EH2 Solar, energyhub.org, EnergyX Solutions Inc., Enersion, Enliten, Ensyn Technologies, Envigour Policy Consulting, EnviroCentre, envision SYNERGY, Equilibrium Engineering, Es design, Exactus Energy, Firefly GHG Consulting, Fluent Energy Consulting, Fort Capital Partners, Fulcrum Projects Ltd., Geotab Inc., Go Wild Solar Solutions, GOOD Company, Great Canadian Solar Ltd., Great Canadian Solar, Halton Environmental Network, Huron Clean Energy, IAQ Inc, Impact Engineering, Innoltek, InnovÉÉ, Institut du véhicule innovant (IVI), iSun Energy, JE&M CONSULTING LTD., Jupiter Hydro Inc., Konnecta, Kootenay Solar Corp., L & A Energy Consulting Ltd., LanzaTech Inc., Letenda, Light house, LINCit, Maison du développement durable des Laurentides, MANTLE314, Melka Consulting, MKB & Co., MKI, Montroc Consulting Inc., Naked Snacks, Nergica, Nerva Energy Group Inc., New Power Post, NISP Canada, Noventa Energy, Nutana Power, Okanagan Solar, Okos Smart Homes Inc., Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-operative, Pacific Rim Engineered Products, Pantero, Passmore Group Inc., Pisces RPM, Polaris Strategy, Posterity Group, Provencher Roy Design Intérieur, PyroGenesis Canada Inc., R & G Stategic Communications, RainGrid Inc., rareEarth Project, Marketing Ltd., Recharge Véhicule Électrique, ReFeed Canada, Renewble Energy Group, RESCo Energy Inc., Saskatchewan Electric Vehicle Association, SES Consulting, Signature Electric Ltd., Sketch Nanotechnologies, Sol Power Projects, Solaires Entreprises Inc., SolarShare ,Soluna Energy Inc., Somerset Foundation, Spark Charging Solutions Inc., Spectergy, Steeper Energy, Sustainable Hamilton Burlington, Sustainable Marine Energy, Sustainable Resources Management Inc., S.W.E.B, SWTCH, TBL Communications, Trottier Family Foundation, United Chargers Inc., Upswing Solutions, VadimUS, Verbio, Volta Technique, Waste to Energy Generating Inc., Water Rangers, Waterfall Group and more at resilientrecovery.ca 6 WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 | THE HILL TIMES Comment

It’s time for a Conservative eye exam By the way, 69 per cent of Conservative supporters think that there are too many non-white immigrants in Canada, accord- because the Tories can’t read the room ing to an April 2019 Ekos poll, meaning they’re racists. In terms of the Tory base, which came first, cally over the last few months said. “The service sector—par- ignoring the risk to life, isn’t the chicken or the egg? Did the The same untethered since the federal election in ticularly sectors hit first like resonating with women. Conservative Party, which began October, when the Liberals were education and child care, retail, This party can’t read a room. its most recent assault on im- rage that the handed a minority in Parliament. personal services and restau- It’s easy to see how the Con- migration with Harper’s “barbaric Republicans showed Now they’re dominating nearly rants—is more female-dominat- servatives got here: they went full cultural practices” hotline, radical- every demographic imaginable. ed. Usually paid less than men, Republican. The same unteth- ize its base, or was their messag- Barack Obama during The Liberals are about to catch and more likely to hold part- ered rage that the Republicans ing attractive to already hardened a charge with all this homiciding. time jobs and work for multiple showed Barack Obama during his white supremacists? It’s difficult his presidency is Overall, the Liberal Party employers than men, the service presidency is the same unhinged to tell, but at this rate they’re syn- leads the Conservative Party by sector’s gender-skew challenges hatred Conservatives have for onymous with one another. the same unhinged 14.4 percentage points, nation- governments to improve exist- Justin Trudeau. This dispropor- Take Derek Sloan. Last week, I ally, with Conservatives at 28.3 ing income supports to prevent tionate response to a democrati- wrote about the threat of disin- hatred Conservatives per cent and Liberals at 42.7 per desperate and counter-productive cally elected prime minister led formation coming from people have for Justin cent. This is a far cry from the economic survival plans.” them to seek allies such as Fox and institutions of authority who results of Election 43, which saw The current economic down- News. In 2017, Peter Kent and Mi- platform conspiracy theories, mis- Trudeau—and right the Conservatives capture the turn isn’t called a “shecession” chelle Rempel Garner appeared information, and general garbage popular vote at 34.4 per cent, because it’s neatly hashtagable; on Fox News to “educate” Ameri- opinions. Sloan’s racist diatribe now it isn’t helping compared to the Liberals’ 33.1 rather it’s due to the fact that 63 cans about the Omar Khadr case, against Dr. Tam was a white per cent, thereby setting up the per cent of the job losses were a man whose Charter and human supremacist conspiracy theory their cause. Hillary Clinton “but we won the those held by women, and women rights were trampled on by their elevated to the mainstream by popular vote” argument. What an lost more hours of work than lord and saviour, Stephen Harper. someone running for the leader ignominious freefall in the span men. Women are also the es- The dog whistles have become of the modern Conservative party. of seven months. Must be all sential workers because it is still louder in recent years, as the Far-right conspirators “allege that those efficiencies they found. women who do the majority of Conservatives have embraced, Tam is a long-time Chinese spy, The most damning statistic, caregiving. And in our society, or at least stayed silent about, sent to rise through the public and possibly the most egregious caregiving labour is severely the racism of the far-right they health bureaucracy to one day result, is the Tories’ forfeiture of undervalued and underpaid. spent so much energy courting. use the coronavirus scare as a the women’s vote: the Liberals This is particularly true of single See: United We Roll “protests,” way to increase Chinese influ- are crushing the Tories by about mothers, women of colour, and which used a combination of ence. They wonder whether her 30 percentage points (50 per cent immigrant women who work in xenophobia, anti-Semitism (the loyalties can really be vouched versus 21 per cent, respectively). these sectors. term “globalist” is code for “Jews”) for and warn that she may import Erica Ifill *Laughs in feminism.* The Tory squawking over the and general racism to support— the Chinese government’s heavy- Bad+Bitchy In The Toronto Star, econo- perils of big government doesn’t checks notes—Big Oil. A CBC handed ideologies and methods at mist Armine Yalnizyan called hit the same when your precari- piece on the issue noted, “The the expense of Canadians’ rights,” this “the first service-driven ous work doesn’t provide proper rally has also been associated according to an op-ed in Foreign TTAWA—Congratulations downturn in history.” In previous benefits or child care and is a with Yellow Vests Canada, a group Policy. The Conservatives spoke OConservatives, you played recessions, goods and manufac- breeding ground for COVID-19, whose Facebook page is rife with volumes with their silence. What yourselves. turing were affected first, thereby such as Amazon warehouses racist and xenophobic views, they’re finding out is that bet- On May 12, Ekos Research hitting the male workforce first, and Cargill meat plants. It’s no particularly towards Muslims and ting against inclusion is betting released its latest polling results followed by recoveries led by an surprise this line of messaging immigrants. In fact, the United We against winning national elec- that captured political support increase in female labour partici- from older, white men, who have Roll convoy was originally named tions. amid the coronavirus pandemic. pation. This time, services have the privilege to rage about debt the Yellow Vest Convoy, but was Erica Ifill is a co-host of the And boy, were they revealing. The been hit first, and that changes and deficits (in a historically low- changed due to the obviously Bad+Bitchy podcast. landscape has changed dramati- the demographics affected, she interest-rate environment) while problematic association.” The Hill Times

Leadership campaigns of any were not the prime movers with reason, those strategies worked party are reservoirs of bullshit. this approach. for Stephen Harper, but it is time Big ideas needed in Nothing exemplifies this better Hopefully, with three months to evolve. than membership sign-up num- to go before the new leader of the A final word on the man bers and candidate endorsements. Conservative Party is chosen, the the CPC leadership candidates Both are public relations tools campaigns will get a bit more ad- are looking to replace: Andrew CPC’s snoozefest of designed to project enthusiasm venturous and maybe even discuss Scheer. It was disappointing to and winnability for the recipi- some of the big ideas the party discover on the weekend that the ent candidate. They are used to needs to embrace. Yes, some of you issue of dual citizenship was back a leadership race motivate volunteers, raise money, will know this is a familiar refrain in the news because he had not attempt to shape media cover- from me. But it needs voicing again. followed through on his renuncia- age, and, most of all, convince the The Conservative Party’s lead- tion process. That is his personal designated electorate to vote for ership campaign to date has been choice, but why again was it left Hopefully, with three months to go before the winner. an utter snoozefest. Of course, it to the media to dig up and for Getting some high-profile in- is difficult to capture much of the Scheer to limply explain? the new leader of the Conservative Party is dividuals’ endorsement only ever public conscience during the pan- Scheer’s poor handling of the matters if that person gets out, demic, but still, there are three citizenship debate during the chosen, the campaigns will get a bit more organizes, and delivers votes on months ahead to hope for better. election cut right to his credibility. adventurous and maybe even discuss some of election day. As for membership Some of the drowsy nature of the I suppose it speaks to his political tallies, having a person sign up campaign is by design, unless skill set that he did not recognize the big ideas the party needs to embrace. is one thing, getting them to vote you are Derek Sloan and your ap- the story could bite him again if is entirely another. Longstanding proach is shock and blah. he did not manage it properly. party members are more likely to Front runners MacKay and And he did not. The conversa- TTAWA—A key date has been vote than new arrivals. Erin O’Toole have been cautious, tion has returned, and while he Opassed in the Conservative Years ago, during leadership sticking to rock-ribbed Conserva- is still the leader, it impacts the Party’s leadership race. Friday, May races of the past, I remember my tive voters’ favourite themes— credibility of the organization. 15 was the last day for people to father and I put my mother and Trudeau the inept, carbon taxa- Another reason why it would be join the party to vote in the contest. some other cousins on the elec- tion, reigning in China, etc. That great for a big ideas discussion Peter MacKay’s team claims to toral lists. They had no idea they is the predictable playbook of the among Conservative leadership have out-done his competitors were on the list until the robocalls well-trained but overly mechanis- candidates, so no one would have in signing people up. While it is started coming and thereafter tic Harper-era advisers they have. to walk down that memory lane. hard to verify the accuracy of the the renewal forms arrived in the They are guided by a “win the Tim Powers is vice-chairman campaign’s assertion, it is done mail. Let’s just say Dad and I got leadership first and worry about of Summa Strategies and manag- Tim Powers to signify that Team Mackay has a good, expletive-laden rant about the rest later” mantra. ing director of Abacus Data. He is Plain Speak momentum. Something that’s been our unique approach from those But if it makes everything so a former adviser to Conservative suggested, anecdotally, in many family members impacted. I can bland and predictable, is that the political leaders. places, that they do not have. assure you the Powers family best way to retool? For very good The Hill Times T:10.375” T:13.5”

From network to teamwork, Canada leads the way.

At a time when connections matter most, Canada not only continues to have the fastest download speed experience among the G7countries, but has tied with South Korea for having the fastest network download speeds in the world.

It’s a testament to the dedication of our engineers and technicians that our nation’s networks are 40% faster than this time last year. To those who have worked tirelessly in making sure Canadians continue to have friends, family and vital information at their fi ngertips, we want to say thank you.

Stay safe. Stay connected.

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Opensignal – The State of Mobile Network Experience 2020: One year into the 5G era, May 2020, based on independent analysis of mobile measurements recorded during the period January 1 – March 30, 2020 © 2020 Opensignal Limited. © 2020 TELUS.

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EDITOR Kate Malloy MANAGING EDITOR Charelle Evelyn PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY BY PUBLISHERS Anne Marie Creskey, DEPUTY EDITORS Peter Mazereeuw, Laura Ryckewaert HILL TIMES PUBLISHING INC. Jim Creskey, Ross Dickson ASSISTANT DEPUTY EDITOR Abbas Rana 246 Queen Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5E4 GENERAL MANAGER, CFO Andrew Morrow DIGITAL EDITOR Beatrice Paez

Editorial Letters to the Editor

Governments must be guided by a common set It’s time to flip the of principles in response to the coronavirus

n these unprecedented times, govern- Trudeau and the Government of Canada switch on virtual sittings Iments must act rapidly to tackle the to stay guided by the following principles: COVID-19 pandemic. Because the deci- • Do no harm; fter a few weeks of study, the Pro- debate bills seems needlessly obstruc- sions of policymakers have particularly • Put people first; Acedure and House Affairs Commit- tive in this pandemic environment, when significant impacts on communities, it is • Protect human rights and vulnerable tee put out report on May 15 about the there’s a seemingly viable solution being critical that their decisions be guided by populations; potential peaks and pitfalls of having the presented. a common set of principles. The actions • Universal in access to social support House of Commons sit virtually. Why should the Liberals’ prospective being taken by governments around the and new COVID-19 medicines and vac- As was to be expected, there was legislation about a buyback program for world are being immediately felt and will cines; hardly raving consensus on the way now-prohibited firearms be restricted to have long-term implications. • Guided by the science and deliberate in forward. The committee’s 51-page report MPs who can physically get themselves Unfortunately, we are already bearing not allowing ulterior motives influence; came appended with two dissenting to Ottawa safely when there’s a workable witness to some unintended consequences • Transparent, accountable, and participa- reports, one each from the Conservatives virtual platform for them to ask questions causing harm. For example, polio eradica- tory in an approach to engage a diverse and NDP. But what the group did seem to and debate the forthcoming bill? tion immunization campaigns have been array of stakeholders; agree on was that the last few weeks of On May 25, the current agreement to halted; major increases in population sur- • Global in solidarity, coordination, and virtual committee meetings have shown suspend the House runs out, and if past is veillance are sweeping across nations; and resource sharing; and that there’s room for House business to prologue, there will not be an agreement impoverished populations who lack the • Future-focused to ensure actions taken be done without cramming everyone into before that date rolls around to push the means to practice self-isolation and social now support the rebuilding of a more the Chamber. adjournment any longer. distancing are being persecuted. equitable and just world for all. While the committee report recom- The Conservatives have already said Across all stages of the COVID-19 Robyn Christine Waite mends that “the House of Commons move they want Parliament to properly re- response, I call on Prime Minister Justin Ottawa, Ont. to additional virtual proceedings, dur- sume, and on May 19 the Bloc Québécois ing the current pandemic, for all regular outlined the demands they want to see business of the House,” the Conservatives met before giving support for a further don’t want to see anything but in-person suspension of the House. sittings “to consider legislation, a budget Among these is that the Liberals and or an Address in Reply,” kiboshing the the Conservatives respect the agree- idea of hybrid sittings that would have ment between parties regarding how MPs participating both in-person and many of each parties’ MPs are in the Treatment of seniors is reminiscent online. Chamber. The Bloc said that while they, The House of Commons administra- the NDP, and the Greens have been of the worst mind sets, says reader tion has indicated that this type of system keeping to the prescribed, agreed-upon is ready to go, with a brief from House number of bums in seats, the two largest t wasn’t just the Nazis who experiment- who is dispensable and who can simply Speaker Anthony Rota, who has partici- parties have not. Ied with eugenics. be hidden off the grid in institutional pated in a test run of the system, outlin- As Conservative MP Scott Reid Sweden also surreptitiously enforced settings, because they are deemed to be ing this his team “is tooled to support demonstrated a few weeks (years?) ago, the practice until the mid 1970s, steril- burdens and bed blockers? the House’s function as a deliberative if MPs want to be in the House, there’s izing “undesirables” without informed What do we plan to do to address this assembly engaged in debate.” nothing that can keep them out. Providing consent. Canada also has had its dark and where do disability and age sit in our The prospect of conducting votes a platform online for elected officials to chapters with medical experimentation human-rights bodies’ priorities versus virtually is something that does require meaningfully participate can and should on people with mentally disabilities in race or ethnicity or issues impacting First more thought and study, but to imme- happen, as soon as possible. institutions. Nations? diately put the brakes on being able to The Hill Times So, it is not unreasonable to consider What role has eugenics continued to whether a variant of eugenics has framed play, including as a contributor to the our attitudes to seniors—in particular, the devastation no longer able to be hidden in conditions where frail elders are placed in long-term care and other seniors housing institutional settings and conditions that “solutions”? And how does it still inform have facilitated the ravaging of the virus. our less-than-stellar record of access to In addition to this, after the pandemic judicial remedies that have also been crisis has passed, are there conditions outsourced to industry to save on costs in those settings that encourage a more to the Crown and add to the silo mental- rapid physical and cognitive deteriora- ity of fragmented oversight for assisted tion than aging at home? How does the living and long-term care and seniors’ labelling of seniors as a burden and “bed residences. blockers” also not smack of a eugenics And finally, rather than pointing to mindset, where seniors are treated as Sweden as an example, how up to date second-class citizens? are those in favour of that country’s ap- Where are the human rights watch- proach to COVID-19 on what the statistics dogs? Are our human-rights bodies as are now revealing about the downside to vocal, historically, regarding complaints the Swedish approach and its dark his- linked to grounds of age, including medi- tory of dabbling in eugenics? cal care and financial well-being, or has Sometimes cheap comes at huge cost efficiency been the steering model? public cost—as we are learning from our How has a deeply ingrained, but more defective supply chain. subtle, mindset inherited from eugenics Bev Kennedy steered our policies and priorities as to Fredericton, N.B.

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funded a multinational empire of U.S. President Donald Trump How does a dog not only not Amid an escalation of contractors, freelancers, and off- and Vice-President Mike Pence bark but not twitch during an the-books operatives. The degree pictured April 16 during a assault so brazen that it produced covert warfare tactics to which that power—telegraphed COVID-19 task force briefing. the relentless, deadly lunacy in the early post-9/11 narratives With a global pandemic being of Donald Trump’s presidency changing the global of the Iraq intelligence fiasco and leveraged and a presidential … and still spend $500 billion? balance of power, the reporting that legitimized election under attack by If the intelligence community it—undermined democracy in not just Russia and other wasn’t bugging, tracking, hack- perhaps Western the world’s sole superpower was usual suspects, but also by ing, and counter-operating evident in the hacking of the the incumbent himself, can against global anti-democracy intelligence agencies Senate Intelligence Committee by the intelligence community interests, who was it bugging, the CIA over the post-9/11 torture marshal its formidable tracking, hacking, and counter- could start counter- report and the Edward Snowden outcome-curating powers to operating against? operating. revelations of global surveillance thwart corruption, restore Now, with a global pandemic by what had become a borderless sanity, and save democracy? being leveraged as a power grab behemoth of intelligence agen- Photograph courtesy of The by those same anti-democracy cies, including Canada’s. White House’s Flickr/Joyce N. interests and a presidential elec- Two decades on from 9/11, Boghosian tion under attack by not just Rus- it’s hard not to be struck by the a Third World War waged with an “While we were sleeping in the sia and other usual suspects, but irony that a fateful power shift industrial escalation of disinforma- last decade and a half, China had also by the incumbent himself, from elected to unelected hands tion campaigns, deception opera- a remarkable rise in capabilities can the intelligence community in Washington and elsewhere, tions, psychological warfare, and that are stunning,” said then- marshal its formidable outcome- justified by the need to protect every other trick in Espionage for director of national intelligence curating powers to thwart cor- democracy and uphold freedom, Dummies. Dan Coats. ruption, restore sanity, and save has produced a global bedlam of If the intelligence community You do not have to have spent democracy? Lisa Van Dusen bullying authoritarians, stolen isn’t fighting fire with fire in a the past two decades as an intel- Taking public responsibility elections, weaponized imbe- war it’s ideally equipped to win, ligence asset, target, or operative for the integrity of the process What Fresh Hell ciles, and hourly instalments of what is it doing? to know that the post-9/11 era that will produce November’s intelligence-style, intelligence- Much of this has been ratio- has been anything but drowsy for U.S. election result might be a insulting narrative warfare that nalized by the concurrent, two-de- spooks. What were those doubled good start. If that fails, at least mong the questions that has commodified deceit on an cade expansion of China’s power intelligence budgets spent on if people will know precisely what loomed after September A unprecedented scale. as the bad cop in a systematic not the gathering, analyzing, and sort of war they’re dealing with. It 11, 2001, was how intelligence The intelligence community has degradation of democracy and acting upon of information about seems—so far, at least—it’s not a agencies would handle the power been the dog that didn’t bark in the American influence across the a geopolitical power realignment cold one. they’d acquired through a conflu- battle against what has proven to globe. In their annual threat re- so obvious to the naked eye that Lisa Van Dusen is associate ence of unprecedented public be a greater threat than terrorism port before Congress in February some of us wrote quite a few editor of Policy Magazine and license, massive funding, and new to the rules-based international or- 2019, U.S. intelligence officials of- words about it in real time, includ- was a Washington and New York- technology. der: a reality-hijacking cocktail of fered an explanation for the past ing from Washington? The War on based editor at UPI, AP, and ABC. As the internet fuelled a post- corruption, propaganda, and—for two decades preposterous even by Terror didn’t come with blinders She writes a weekly column for 9/11 revolution in covert capabili- lack of a less melodramatic, more today’s stratospheric standards of to the rest of reality and was not The Hill Times. ties, that explosion in resources accurate term—weaponized evil; preposterousness. conducted by somnambulists. The Hill Times

Hundreds of locally based, independent internet provid- Boost of federal support needed for ers in this country are keeping Canadians connected through this current crisis. They also seek better cross-Canada internet connectivity to expand their networks so they can connect even more, but the sidelined from the virtual proceed- reality is that low population With universal access ings after several unsuccessful densities in the areas they serve attempts to join in from home. mean it will be uneconomic to to quality broadband While the majority of Canadi- do so without government help. ans live in urban centres with good With the right amount of fund- services, more broadband connections, millions ing, properly allocated, and Canadians will be able of others outside those centres partnerships with government, continue to have issues connecting. however, they will be able to to fully participate in The trouble MPs had participating reach many more Canadians, in their recent virtual parliamenta- and do it soon. and contribute to our ry session serves as a perfect illus- For Canada, the return on this tration of Canada’s shortcomings kind of government investment modern economy and when it comes to universal access is clear: with universal access to help to get us quickly to high-quality broadband internet quality broadband services, more service. The federal, provincial, Canadians will be able to fully back on our feet. and territorial governments have participate in and contribute to Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan could barely be understood designated broadband internet as our modern economy and help to during the April 28 inaugural virtual meeting of the House’s special COVID-19 an essential service during this get us quickly back on our feet. By Chris Allen, Jonathan Black, Pandemic Committee due to a poor internet connection. Screencap via ParlVu current pandemic; however, more And no Parliamentarian, regard- Jonathan Holmes, & Jay Thomson government support is needed to less of what riding they represent Unfortunately, the virtual ses- on behalf of constituents across ensure that service is available to across this vast and great country, t the end of April, the House sion was not without its issues. the country. Canadians living in our rural and will again be deprived of the Aof Commons held its first- Over the three hours, several That being said, the ability of a remote communities. ability to fulfill their democratic ever and historical virtual Parlia- participants had trouble hear- Member to fully participate in the As governments look at ways duties because of a problem con- ment through the all-Member of ing the Member speaking and session was largely dependent on for Canada to recover both finan- necting. Parliament Special Committee many had difficulty accessing the where they live—that is because cially and socially from the COV- Chris Allen is a board member on the COVID-19 Pandemic. The simultaneous interpretation. As the quality of their internet con- ID-19 pandemic, making expedited of the British Columbia Broad- session used video conferencing, a result, there may never have nection is dependent on where investments into rural broadband band Association, Jonathan just like thousands of Canadians been so many Points of Order they live. For example, Minister must be high on their list. In- Black is executive director of the have been doing over the past few within one sitting. Nevertheless, of Natural Resources Seamus creased and expedited government Canadian Association of Wireless weeks to connect with family and the event was an overall success O’Regan, joining from Newfound- investments in Canada’s broad- Internet Service Providers, Jona- friends, to access online educa- as it allowed our MPs to debate land and Labrador, could barely band infrastructure will advance than Holmes is executive director tion and emergency services, and as they were elected to do, albeit be understood due to a poor the ability of all Canadians to of the Independent Telecommu- to continue working. For its part, confined to their homes like the internet connection. Kyle Seeback, participate in our digital economy, nications Providers Association, this session brought together our rest of us. The prime minister from southwestern Ontario, also which will be crucial for stimulat- and Jay Thomson is CEO of the hundreds of federally elected and cabinet ministers were able complained about connectivity is- ing economic recovery by generat- Canadian Communication Sys- officials for a true test of virtual to provide updates and were sues. And eastern Saskatchewan’s ing employment opportunities and tems Alliance. democracy. presented with questions posed Cathay Wagantall found herself promoting business growth. The Hill Times 10 WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 | THE HILL TIMES Opinion

experience family violence no are brought sharply into focus his weekly weekend morning press The hidden crisis longer have a safe refuge while and demand our immediate at- conferences. For those brief mo- at school or in daycare programs, tention and action. ments, our often-forgotten citizens they no longer have access to a Besides the many urgent fund- are given the focus they need. predictable meal, and face an ing needs, the government must The federal government has of COVID-19: the increased risk of abuse due to also consider the mid- and longer- also committed funding for emer- the economic downturn. Simply term needs of organizations gency shelters for women and kids put, social isolation is as much serving children and youth who fleeing violence and support for an enemy to these children, as are facing a backlog of service Kids Help Phone and the Breakfast kids are not alright the proximity to a trusted adult provision with limited resources Clubs of Canada. To be clear, these can often save their lives. and restricted fundraising capa- funds are just the beginning of steadily dropping in global rank- First Nations, Métis, and Inuit bilities. Children’s hospitals need what is needed and by no means The establishment of ings over the past decade when children living in remote and ru- significant funding to support the are sufficient. The government it comes to the well-being of our ral communities are particularly immediate needs of their patients must make significant investments a Commissioner of eight million children. One-third vulnerable due to overcrowded as they transition to virtual sup- to fulfill its obligation to provide of kids in Canada do not enjoy for and to protect children. Arguably, one of the Children and Youth a safe and healthy childhood. One proven and effective strat- greatest immediate Poverty plagues far too many egy involves the establishment of impacts of the would move Canada children; half of First Nations a Commissioner of Children and coronavirus is the children on reserve live in pov- Youth, which would move Canada in the direction sudden and extensive erty and a quarter of our young in the direction of fulfilling our obli- disruption of children’s people sometimes go to bed or gations to ensure the provision and of fulfilling our lives, with kids finding school hungry. protection of kids. In times of crisis that their sources of obligations to ensure Canadians are coming to such as these, the concerns of our security, stimulation, terms with the repercussions of children and youth have often gone and stability have the provision and the COVID-19 crisis, and a reck- unheard and unnoticed. We must been suddenly ripped oning is at hand for our young- not repeat history. Children and protection of kids. away, write Senator est citizens. While the pandemic youth deserve a representative that Rosemary Moodie and affects all Canadians, children will advocate for their protection Sara Austin. Photograph and youth are particularly at risk. and prioritize their well-being in courtesy of Pixabay Arguably, one of the greatest times of peace and in times of crisis. immediate impacts is the sudden They deserve someone dedicated to and extensive disruption of their ensuring that every child can live in lives, with kids finding that their housing, lack of clean water, ports and rapidly scale up mental conditions of optimal social, physi- sources of security, stimulation, and limited access to hospitals health programs. Child protection cal, mental, cultural, and spiritual and stability have been suddenly in case they do become sick. We agencies need funding to support development. They deserve a Com- ripped away. need to be gravely concerned programming to assist children missioner for Children and Youth. COVID-19 has magnified about children who face in- and youth in and out of care. Senator Rosemary Moodie the inequity and gaps that exist creased vulnerability in resi- A silver lining arising from this is an Independent Senator for Independent Senator Rosemary in Canadian society. Children, dential care, group homes, and devastating pandemic is the emerg- Toronto and a neonatologist and Moodie & Sara Austin through their dependence on par- other settings that do not have ing response of federal, provincial, pediatrician. Sara Austin is the Opinion ents or caregivers, are affected the necessary infection preven- and municipal governments to chil- founder and CEO of Children by the economic pressures and tion teams or equipment. While dren. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau First Canada and a longstanding anada is failing its children. stresses that arise from the cur- these concerns existed prior to frequently speaks directly to chil- advocate for children. CAs a country, we have been rent economic crisis. Kids who COVID’s emergence, now they dren and answers their questions in The Hill Times

DND has since confirmed that eyewitness testimony will be part of Canadians deserved better than their official investigation into the cause of the crash. With this being the case, one has to wonder why the deceptive details about chopper crash Canadian media, myself included, were being fed such deceptive details in the initial 48 hours. Chief of the Defence that of a mystery crash spark- To wit; the Fredericton did not In this era of ‘fake Staff General Jonathan ing a major search and rescue “lose contact” with the helicopter Vance is pictured at an operation by the NATO naval task if the crew actually watched it news’ by malign April 30 press conference group. crash. The search site would have about the RCAF Cyclone Commentators pondered the involved a few hundred square feet actors, we need helicopter that crashed vastness of the Ionian Sea posing of ocean, not the entire Ionian Sea. our official sources the previous day. Initial a challenge for the searchers, What makes no sense is why information from the and social media posters prayed someone in the DND communi- to provide us with Department of National for the rescue of the five missing cation chain of command would Defence indicated the members. have felt it a good idea to change accurate details. In HMCS Fredericton Late in the afternoon on May the details to add some unneces- ‘lost contact’ with the 1, a full 48 hours after the crash, sary mystery to the incident, not this case, DND was helicopter, when it was DND issued an updated statement to mention generating false hope inexplicably off the later revealed that it went wherein the “confirmed missing” among the friends and family of down in sight of the ship. were now “presumed deceased.” the five “confirmed missing.” mark. The Hill Times photograph No longer was it a “search and There would be no need to cover by Andrew Meade rescue” operation, it had transi- up the fact that the helicopter was tioned into a “search and recov- doing a photo pass at the time, as ev- ery” task. eryone familiar with RCN operations lets and it was soon circulating on 148 Cyclone helicopter.” As a nation united in grief, knows this is a routine exercise. Canadian social media platforms. We were also informed that Canada mourned the loss of Cap- I understand that DND would Most mainstream media the “HMCS Fredericton and tains Brenden Ian MacDonald, want to have complete certainty reporters were leery that this NATO allies continue to search Kevin Hagen, Maxime Miron- before announcing the death of story could in fact be “fake news” for the other five members of the Morin, Sub-Lieutenants Abbigail the crew to the public. However, if as the Greek media were report- helicopter’s crew.” Details as to Cowbrough and Matthew Pyke, from the outset we were told the ing the downed helicopter to be a the cause of the crash were un- and Master-Corporal Matthew Cyclone crash was witnessed by Sikorsky Sea King, which are no known and media were informed Cousins. sailors aboard Fredericton and no Scott Taylor longer in service with the Royal that the crew of the HMCS Fred- Once the initial shock of this survivors were seen, that would Canadian Navy. ericton “had lost contact with the tragedy subsided, additional have been more accurate. Inside Defence When the Department of Na- helicopter” prior to the crash. details of the crash began to sur- In this era of “fake news” by tional Defence did issue a formal When this story did break in face. It turns out that the Cyclone malign actors, we need our offi- TTAWA—On April 29, an statement on April 30, Canadians Canada, with official confirma- was in sight of the Fredericton at cial sources to provide us with ac- ORCAF Cyclone helicopter were advised that “one member tion complete with the name the time of the accident. In full curate details. In this case, DND crashed in the Mediterranean of the Canadian Armed Forces of the individual killed and the view, in fact, as the helicopter was was inexplicably off the mark. Sea while returning to the HMCS (CAF) was killed … and five other names of the five “confirmed allegedly doing a low-level flypast Scott Taylor is the editor and Fredericton from a training mis- members remain missing follow- missing,” it resonated throughout as part of a photoshoot when it publisher of Esprit de Corps sion. Word of this tragedy was ing an accident involving a Royal the military community like a suddenly and violently plunged magazine. first reported by Greek news out- Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CH- wildfire. The scenario painted was into the waves. The Hill Times THE HILL TIMES | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 11 Comment Beyond COVID-19: an unchartable political course for months, maybe years

As with No one (leaving aside everything else, Donald Trump and the virus raises questions about his fantasies) thinks Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s the road back to future and, beyond that, prosperity will be about how the wider national easy. The task will be political daunting, whether it’s scene will be transformed, Trudeau or someone writes Les Whittington. else carrying the The Hill Times photograph by prime minister’s Andrew Meade mantle.

Les Whittington slowly and too incrementally to Deputy Prime Minister Need to Know head off widespread infections Chrystia Freeland— and economic devastation. pictured arriving in the No one (leaving aside Donald House of Commons TTAWA—Prime Minister Trump and his fantasies) thinks for a meeting of the OJustin Trudeau, who came the road back to prosperity will Special Committee on to power touting “sunny ways,” be easy. The short-term chal- the COVID-19 Pandemic is now presiding over Canada in lenge will be getting the economy on May 6—is the Liberal what can only be called the Year back on its feet in the midst of figure seeming most likely of Tragedy. formidable uncertainties raised to succeed Justin Trudeau The death of a member of by Canadians’ addiction to debt, and is coming through the the Snowbirds team engaged in the collapse of real estate, wide- crisis without much, if any, a cross-country flight program spread bankruptcies, financial damage to her reputation, to cheer up Canadians during CO- market weakness, unprecedented writes Les Whittington. VID-19 is only the latest. There’s joblessness, potential inflation, The Hill Times photograph the pandemic itself, which has at and governments that will have by Andrew Meade least temporarily brought modern used up all their fiscal ammuni- life to a halt and produced a death tion. NDP Leader Jagmeet toll here of 6,000. Longer term, Canada will Singh, pictured at a In January, the country was have to retool its medical system, press conference in the already in shock over the 57 undertake major adjustments to West Block on April Canadians killed in the shooting its globally attuned, and in some 29, can’t seem to get down of a passenger jet in Iran. cases, foreign-dominated manu- much traction, despite And then Canada experienced its facturing sector, and give thought a large burst of support worse mass murder ever when to profoundly rethinking the for generous government a man with a known, but un- structure of the economy when programs, writes Les checked, history of domestic vio- it comes to capital investment, Whittington. The Hill Times lence and gun obsession in Nova employment, education/training, photograph by Andrew Scotia killed 22 people. The more and financial supports for work- Meade managerial, almost dour tone ing people. Trudeau settled on after the fall As a political matter, one election—presumably a response has to wonder what’s ahead for to the Blackface scandal and the Trudeau, who didn’t even want to Liberals’ minority government run for Liberal leader because of status—has been fitting. his family until it became clear in As with everything else, the 2011 he was the party’s best hope virus raises questions about for a comeback. By the time the climate change, not to mention candidate Derek Sloan dragging buy-in on the value of collective Trudeau’s future and, beyond recovery takes shape in a couple the COVID rebuild—issues whose the (apparently apathetic) party supports and active government that, about how the wider of years (assuming the minor- resolution would at the least into racist territory by attack- adheres. national political scene will be ity government lasts that long), require one more mandate. ing Chief Public Health Officer If the pandemic were not transformed. The prime minister it’s not hard to imagine Trudeau Another factor will be how Theresa Tam. The appeals to the enough of a challenge, the pos- is being given pretty good marks bowing out. Getting the country formidable the other major par- far right and social conservatives sible socio-economic upheaval for his handling of the pandemic through COVID would be more ties appear over the next year. The needed to win the leadership may afterwards will play out against once it hit emergency levels. than enough for anyone’s legacy. large burst of support for gener- leave the winner—presumably what could be a more fractured And the federal government has And the Liberal figure who now ous government programs during Erin O’Toole over Peter MacKay federal-provincial landscape, responded to the unprecedented seems most likely to succeed the epidemic should theoretically at this point—so hemmed in as escalating demands for action on emergency in the only way pos- Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister help the NDP. But Jagmeet Singh, to preclude a wider appeal to the climate change, dangerous trade sible—rolling out hundreds of Chrystia Freeland, is coming for all his worthwhile ideas, can’t more centrist voters the party will protectionist trends, and resumed billions of dollars in financial through the crisis without much, seem to get much traction. And need to win an election. tensions over Indigenous issues. support. But as Canadians look if any, damage to her reputa- the outlook for the Conservatives There is also the question of The task will be daunting, whether back post-COVID, the prevail- tion. On the other hand, Trudeau seems murkier by the day, with whether the warmed-over Harper it’s Trudeau or someone else carry- ing view may be that the prime may feel he has to stay on to outgoing leader Andrew Scheer mindset of small government, ing the prime minister’s mantle. minister put too much faith in the deal with a very significant array accusing Canadians grappling lower taxes, and the evil of gov- Les Whittington is a regular inherently over-cautious views of of unfinished business such as with the emergency of being lazy ernment budget deficits will reso- columnist for The Hill Times. health bureaucrats and acted too Indigenous reconciliation and and Ontario MP and leadership nate if Canadians’ COVID-driven The Hill Times 12 WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 | THE HILL TIMES THE HILL TIMES | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 13 Comment News Centre Block reno Centre Block reno News

As with MPs, PSPC presented The 1980 referendum three options for the final phase Senate playing catch-up on Centre Block renovation of the underground Visitors’ Wel- come Centre, the first phase of which was constructed alongside renovations to the West Block campaign: a shining plans, but Red Chamber’s footprint to remain untouched building. Once complete, the VWC will connect the West Block, Centre Block, and East Block The Centre where we had the opportunity to requirements, it will mean a re- underground and serve as the Canadian moment ‘We’re going to get left Block do something and let it slide and duction in the number of offices. new public entrance for all three. building, as didn’t follow through. Right up Designers are currently The Senate has also requested a behind if we don’t get up pictured on francophones, anglophones, and allophones. until the moments before we ad- “pursuing an opportunity” to add multi-purpose room to be located April 1. Public Given the turbulence in We were hampered by our diversity, compared journed the Senate and all went Senate offices to the sixth floor, in the VWC; previous asks for an and running and voice our Services and to the monolithic PQ. At first, there was a home because of COVID, there which could allow space for 22 exercise room with showers and Procurement the world over the last four decision to focus on the nationalist vote: our concerns and our issues was a day there where we could to 23 offices “based on current lockers and a separate cafeteria Canada is slogan, “Mon Non est Québécois” was a play on have populated committees and design test fits,” she said. On top for Senators have since been working decades, of war, genocide, words, encouraging francophone Quebecers to quickly,’ says ISG Senator got things rolling. We chose not to of this, they’ve identified 600 scrapped. to finalize vote “Non.” The Canadian flag was put aside. do that, and I’m as much to blame square metres of “unused space” The smallest option would recession, and now, Sabi Marwah of design schematic Then the “Yvette” movement changed as any of the other leaders in not over the Hall of Honour, which allow for one large committee design plans the campaign, when PQ minister Lise Pay- insisting,” he said. “provides an opportunity to cre- room for the Senate, along with COVID-19, only the smallest plans for Centre Block’s for Centre ette compared federalist women to the doc- One thing Senators didn’t get ate new, shared touch-down space “limited” parliamentary business Block's of minds think Quebec and ile school girl in an old Quebec text book. on May 14 were cost estimates to support Parliamentarians who and material-handling spaces, and renovation. renovation by This enraged feminist federalists, and are- for the proposed design options, have offices outside the Centre a boutique and tour co-ordination late spring or Canada would have been nas everywhere were packed with women something MPs had requested in Block.” As well, Ms. Garrett noted space for the Library of Parlia- early summer. from Montreal to Matane. Their contribu- March. Quebec ISG Senator Marc the Senate administration has ment. The medium-sized option Continued from page 1 The Hill Times better off with a ‘Oui’ in 1980. tion was a fervent display of pro-Canadian Forest, a member of the Inter- asked PSPC to look into a partial would also fit in a multimedia photograph by passion and the Canadian flag alongside Welcome Centre, with the Upper Cham- nal Economy Committee, told or complete infill of Centre room, a multipurpose room, postal Andrew Meade the fleur de lis. The campaign developed ber’s oversight subcommittee still being the CBC he plans to ask Public Block’s eastern-most courtyard and printing services, three Senate momentum, and we worked harder. formed, but Alberta Senator Scott Tannas Services Minister Anita Anand to potentially fit in another six to committee rooms (one small, one At the Paul Sauvé arena rally on May 14, says he thinks so long as it gets underway (Oakville, Ont.) to appear to nine Senate offices. medium, and one large), space for we pulled out all the stops to fill the house. soon, Senators will still get one last proper explain the lack of such informa- MPs will similarly see their of- storage and Senate administra- I was put in charge of accompanying then- kick at the can. tion. fice space reduced, from 69 to an tion offices, a “curated parliamen- prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who “Now that decisions are getting made, it That said, Mr. Wright indicated estimated 44, according to PSPC. tary program” for visitors, and a had been accused by Lévesque of being is important that we have one last look to the department expects “some ad- Adding to the crunch for space re-located Charles Lynch room less a Québécois because he had an Anglo make sure that everything that’s in there ditional costs” to the project—as is the fact that committee room for press conferences. The largest middle name. Trudeau took the podium last, we are satisfied [with], or we’re satisfied as with others in the precinct—as a requirements have changed signifi- option would allow for all three and brought the house down with promises to why we’re not going to get our way,” said result of the COVID-19 pandemic, cantly. Senate standards now re- committee rooms to be large. Andrew Caddell of constitutional renewal, and a reply to Sen. Tannas, who chaired the Senate Inter- noting industry estimates of a five nal Economy, Budgets, and Administration per cent increase in site costs due With All Due Respect Lévesque: “Yes, my name is Elliott, mais PSPC mon nom est Québécois!” Committee’s subcommittee on the Long to impacts on productivity, ad- director On May 19, we worked until midnight Term Vision and Plan (LTVP) during the ditional efforts to compartmental- general TTAWA—Forty years ago today, I was training thousands of campaign workers, last Parliament. The LTVP is the govern- ize work sites and add new wash Jennifer Ostanding in the Verdun Auditorium in and met at HQ five hours later. May 20 was ment’s name for its massive, decades-long, The Senate Internal Economy Commit- ing to the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring Parliament’s input to stations and bathroom facilities, Garrett, south-centre Montreal, when a woman said an unseasonably hot day, and reports indi- and multi-billion-dollar effort to renovate tee was briefed on design options for Centre CIBA settled on its vice-chairs finalize design and determine a and to provide more personal pictured to me in French, “This is proof we can be cated people were lined up in the heat as the Parliamentary Precinct. Block’s renovation and construction of the and began the work of nailing baseline cost, schedule, and scope,” protective equipment. May 14. good Québécois and Canadians at the same the “Oui” blocked polls in our strong ridings. “I’m a little bit frustrated that we are final phase of the Visitors’ Welcome Centre down the composition of its own Mr. Wright told Senators on May 14. Screenshot time.” It was a key message of the tumultu- I was among dozens of workers armed with having to play catch-up on some of these (VWC) by Public Services and Procurement subcommittees, five of which were Some “key decisions are re- courtesy of ous six weeks that led to the historic victory writs to free entry into polling stations. That things,” he said, but noted that the subcom- Canada (PSPC) assistant deputy minister finalized on May 14, including the quired to maintain momentum in Senate office space a top SenVu of the “No” side in the Quebec referendum. evening, I was attacked by a security guard mittee’s ability to focus on the matter and Rob Wright and director general of the Cen- subcommittee on the LTVP, which the implementation of the LTVP,” concern in Centre Block I was reminded of that night recently when I prevented polls from being blocked “carve out good, solid blocks of time” and tre Block project Jennifer Garrett on May 14. will include one extra member, he said. when the Journal de Quebec published a in an allophone neighbourhood. Then, bat- previous work to advocate for Senators’ MPs got a similar briefing, focused on reno: PSPC series of negative commentaries on the tered and bruised, I went to Verdun Audito- ideas and concerns should make that pos- options for the House of Commons Cham- PSPC With the number of Senators “failure” of the 1980 referendum and “what rium with my colleagues to celebrate. sible. ber and the VWC, on Feb. 18. A month assistant staying static, the Red Chamber if” the “Oui” had won. The atmosphere The subcommittee was “active” in pro- later, the House Board of Internal Economy deputy will keep its existing footprint in The series was a of collegiality and viding “a lot of input” last year, said Sen. finalized its new MP working group to minister Centre Block, Ms. Garrett con- pre-emptive strike purpose was one of Tannas, and in the absence of Senators, oversee and provide feedback on Centre Rob firmed, but is set to lose capacity against the anniver- the great joys of that the Senate administration has been busy Block renovation plans. Wright, in its north and south visitors’ sary of this shining campaign. I formed weighing in on plans in recent months. But the Senate had a slow start to the pictured galleries. moment in Canadian friendships that have “If we can get it up and going in the year, parliamentary-work wise, in particu- May 14. As with the House Chamber, history from Journal lasted a lifetime. next couple of weeks maximum—a week lar due to disagreement and negotiations Screenshot those steep galleries present “sig- publisher and former Sadly, COVID-19 pre- even better—and we can start stepping over the budgets to be allocated to each courtesy of nificant accessibility limitations” Parti Québécois vents us from gather- through the issues I think we can get Senate group—in light of the CSG’s forma- SenVu and do not meet modern codes, quire all rooms to be broadcast- and As well, Senators have been leader Pierre-Karl ing to celebrate. But, everything that needs to get accomplished, tion in November 2019—which in turn held and to address that, she estimated video conferencing-capable, and in- asked to weigh in on entrance op- Péladeau. like war veterans, we accomplished and get kind of caught back up talks to finalize the new make up of the Senate will lose 25 per cent clude support space for translation, tions for the final VWC, specifically, As an organizer have our memories. up” by the end of June. Senate committees. capacity, from 274 seats to rough- TV control rooms, IT rooms, food whether to have one consolidated in that campaign, ly 200. The House is projected to services, cloakrooms, and furniture entrance for the entire complex, or Former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau I will always believe I remember it as if lose even more capacity, from 578 storage, noted Ms. Garrett. separate entrances for the public pictured delivering a speech during the 1980 we won because we CSG Senator it were yesterday, seats to an estimated 316. The Senate has told PSPC it and for House and Senate visitors, referendum. The 'Non' campaign won because weren’t afraid to show Scott and I have a differ- MPs are faced with tough deci- requires 10 broadcast-capable and whether to have the entrance(s) we weren’t afraid to show a passion for Canada to a passion for Canada to Tannas, ent perspective. In sions over how best to renovate committee rooms. PSPC has said hug the Vaux Wall or extend further counter the fervour of the indépendentistes, and counter the fervour of pictured mid-March 1980, I with one seat allocated for a non- In ending the meeting May 14, the House of Commons Chamber it’s taking a “campus approach” to into Parliament Hill’s lawns. we found compromises between the positions of the indépendentistes, tuning in had left my job as a affiliated Senator, along with two Ontario ISG Senator Sabi Mar- to ensure it can accommodate fu- accommodating this ask, looking Having three entrances would a wide variety of parties, writes Andrew Caddell. and we found compro- for the the radio reporter to join seats for the Independent Senators wah, Internal Economy Commit- ture Parliaments, with it already at Centre Block, the VWC, the increase “operational costs,” but Photographs courtesy of the Library and Archives mises between the po- Senate the “Non” campaign Group, one for the Conservatives, tee chair, stressed the importance having been stretched to fit in the East Block, and Block 2 along the Parliamentary Protective Canada/Robert Cooper sitions of a wide variety Internal as a co-ordinator for of parties. Like any Economy’s and one for the CSG. of getting the LTVP subcommittee existing 338 MPs. That number is Wellington Street—the overhaul Service has indicated it’s “neu- five Montreal ridings Canadian success, we virtual Membership of these subcom- up and running “quicker than the expected to grow to around 460 in of which is part of the next phase tral from a security perspective” for only $125 a week. Over a period of six had passion for an idea, the capacity to express meeting on mittees now needs to be estab- others, because there are some 50 years’ time. of the LTVP—to find space. whether there are one or three, weeks, working 18 hours a day, I had the it, and the ability to work together. May 14. lished, after which its meeting very urgent issues that need to be By contrast, key decisions fac- Mr. Wright noted that the said Mr. Wright. He noted there chance to observe the campaign from close Admittedly, the national unity road has Screenshot schedule will be set. dealt with.” ing Senators, as laid out by PSPC, planned architectural design com- currently isn’t “unanimity” be- proximity. been bumpy since, with language battles and courtesy of But Senators now face a “I’m really worried about that; relate to the size and location of petition for Block 2—bounded by tween the various stakeholders— When we began, the odds were stacked the notoriously tight 1995 referendum. But, SenVu significant time crunch—even they’re moving at a pace that’s Senators’ offices in Centre Block, Wellington and Sparks Streets, the House, the Senate, the Library, against the “Non” side. There had been an given the turbulence in the world over the greater than the one that caused very, very fast and we’re going and the size and operational and Metcalfe and O’Connor and the PPS—on “which is best.” ineffective federal advertising blitz encour- last four decades, of war, genocide, reces- MPs concern in February. to get left behind if we don’t get capability of the Visitors’ Welcome Streets—would be launched soon; Accessibility in general, from aging people to say “Non Merci!” and the PQ sion, and now, COVID-19, only the smallest In January, Ms. Garrett indi- up and running and voice our Centre, along with the configura- an advance procurement notice mobility to ensuring space for had obliterated the Liberals in the National of minds think Quebec and Canada would cated PSPC is targeting a “spring, concerns and our issues quickly,” tion of its entrances. for the competition was first sign-language interpretation, Assembly debate. The 107-word question have been better off with a “Oui” in 1980. summer time frame” to finalize he said. Currently, there are 25 Sena- made public in January. was a top concern for Senators, was as soft as possible, asking for a “man- Andrew Caddell is retired from Global schematic design plans for Centre Sen. Tannas lamented the tor office suites in Centre Block, Among the decisions PSPC who requested more details on date to negotiate sovereignty-association.” Affairs Canada, where he was a senior Sen. Tannas, who is now interim leader While the Internal Economy Committee, Block’s renovation. MPs and Senate’s “foot-dragging” at the excluding the Senate Speaker’s wants from Senators by this an “accessibility working group” Led by the charismatic René Lévesque, the policy adviser. He previously worked as an of the new Canadian Senators Group, is no as an executive committee, was able to meet Senators alike have repeatedly start of the session and said it’s suites, but modern accommoda- spring is whether or not—and if that Mr. Wright indicated PSPC PQ was a 200,000 person juggernaut. adviser to Liberal governments. He is a fel- longer a member of the Internal Economy through this time, it was busy with debate stressed the importance of over- an “important” lesson to all that tion standards require more space so, how—Parliamentarians will is working with as it finalizes Working out of a rundown factory in low with the Canadian Global Affairs Insti- Committee but is still able to attend and over budget allocations and reviews of a sight and input from Parliamen- “when it’s time to do something, per office unit, said Ms. Garrett, take part in the jury that will schematic design plans for Centre east-end Montreal, the “Non” campaign led tute and a principal of QIT Canada. He can weigh in at meetings, including those of its draft harassment policy and financial state- tarians on renovation plans. get it done.” and with limited space available oversee this competition, and Block’s renovation. by then-Quebec Liberal leader Claude Ryan be reached at [email protected]. subcommittees—albeit without any voting ments for the 2018-19 fiscal year. On April “For the Centre Block specifi- “There were a number of mo- in the Centre Block, and the need decisions on its requirements for [email protected] was a complex group of political parties, The Hill Times powers—and plans to do so. 14, in its first virtual meeting after adjourn- cally, we are at a critical juncture ments over the last many months to accommodate other renovation the block. The Hill Times 14 WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 | THE HILL TIMES News Lobbying Environment, resource development agenda among April’s top-lobbied files

‘Deep change is Over the last most businesses, including those two months in the “devastated” oil sector and possible and it can in lobbying, those expected to go in the field Natural to do the environmental assess- happen fast,’ says Resources ment work, added Mr. D’Avignon, Minister who also updated Mr. Wilkinson the CEO of Ocean Seamus its recent polls, asking more than O'Regan and 1,300 businesses about federal Wise Conservation Environment programs and the impact of the Association, which Minister coronavirus. More than half of the Jonathan businesses were temporarily shut helped push the Wilkinson, have down and 38 per cent wondered if both cracked they would reopen, he said. environment minister the top three It appears Canada is “getting in cabinet. ready to pivot to recovery,” said to be among the most- The Hill Times Derek Nighbor, president of the photographs by Forest Products Association of lobbied in cabinet in Andrew Meade Canada, and that brings forward the last two months. questions about stimulus spend- ing and green infrastructure. The industry has “embraced the green Continued from page 1 agenda,” he said, but there needs down 12.5 per cent compared to Mr. Wilkinson and his predeces- There’s clearly going to be “a We didn’t move into dealing with to be smart regulation so Canada April 2019. While most depart- sor, now-Infrastructure Minister before and after” with the econ- COVID-19 because we were well can move to quickly recover.“We ments saw their number rise, Catherine McKenna (Ottawa omy, and with so much money prepared and we wanted to.” can’t be layering burdensome meetings with MPs and their staff Centre, Ont.), have been “quietly” already being spent on Canada’s Greg D’Avignon, president tax requirements” on businesses were down 63 per cent, with only working on a recovery program COVID-19 response, it “makes of the Business Council of B.C. “fighting for their lives,” he said, 384 communications reported that could zero in on clean tech the decisions on what money is (BCBC), said after the pandemic and this moment calls for a “pru- compared to 1,039 in 2019. The re- and climate change. being spent after the crisis really Canada will have to “fight for dent and thoughtful approach” to verse was true the month before, It made sense to reach out in crucial,” said Mr. Hughes, as an every nickel of GDP growth and regulatory policy frameworks to when March communications March to the B.C. MP and former indication of what the govern- every job we can recreate” in a avoid unintended consequences. with MPs and their staff went up fisheries minister because there ment is going to get behind to world that’s going to be hyper- Mr. Nighbor said he’s been 113 per cent, with 697 mentions are so many common interests, drive the economic recovery. competitive. impressed by the volume of work compared to 328 in March 2019. said Lasse Gustavsson, CEO of In “a strange way,” he said he “This is an opportunity to and speed of the government’s But the pace of communica- Ocean Wise Conservation As- sees the approach to the pandem- rethink and reimagine Canada in response to date, noting there’ve tions with other departments sociation, which is headquartered ic and climate change as similar, a competitive global world that’s been waves to the group’s advoca- in April were almost all up, at the Vancouver Aquarium and because it’s difficult to see what’s going to be more isolated with cy over the course of the pandemic. including Innovation by 34 per has more than 40 scientists work- hurting us and causing economic shorter supply chains,” said Mr. The first was around the cent (mentioned in 268 reports), ing in its research and education hardship, but the evidence is ever- D’Avignon, whose group met with forestry sector’s essential service Finance Canada by 56 per cent program. present and demands response. Mr. Wilkinson in March and April. designation, given wood chips (266), Natural Resources by 80 After closing its “If the world’s from sawmills go to pulp mills per cent (149), and Employment doors in March, the Innovation going to consume en- for key products like masks and and Social Development Canada aquarium lost 85 per Minister ergy, we need to posi- gowns, toilet paper, and sanitary (up 142 per cent to 128 mentions). cent of its revenue Navdeep tion ourselves so they wipes. It was important to raise Health Minister Patty Hajdu’s and cut 65 per cent Bains was consume Canadian awareness with officials about the (Thunder Bay-Superior North, of its staff. “It’s clear” the most energy,” like lique- sector and keeping the Canada- Ont.) numbers dropped most no- it is dependent on lobbied fied natural gas in U.S. border open to trade. The tably, from 16 mentions in March government support minister in B.C., he said, point- next wave was focused on health down to two in early April, with for its survival and April. The ing to the group’s and safety, he added, noting many the Canadian Medical Associa- was making that case Hill Times Low Carbon Indus- of their members freed up per- tion and the Canadian Nurses in recent meetings, photograph trial Strategy which sonal protective equipment from Association. he said. by Andrew argues B.C. products, their operations to address gaps Mr. O’Regan was the most- He echoed the Meade on average, represent in local hospitals, and now he lobbied minister in March, men- assessment of other half the greenhouse said the focus is on liquidity and tioned in 35 filings, and dropped environment groups gas intensity of prod- cash flow support for businesses. down to second spot in April, pushing for green ucts sold elsewhere, The International Union of Op- with 28, behind Innovation Minis- programs to form the and thus are a better erating Engineers had two meet- ter Navdeep Bains’ (Mississauga- bulk of the govern- choice for the envi- ings with Mr. O’Regan, since the Malton, Ont.) 30. Mr. O’Regan’s ment’s recovery ronment. sector where its members have April dance card is full of those efforts. One new ad- He dismissed as been affected have been those in the oil and gas sector, as well vocacy group focused “ridiculous” the dec- working in the oil industry. as business and forestry, includ- on green recovery, laration that the oil The pandemic and an “ill-timed ing several mentions from the called the Task Force for Resil- “I very much think the two are patch is “dead” by Green parlia- pricing war” has made it “a perfect Canadian Association of Petro- ient Recovery, the CBC reported, linked in that the next normal mentary leader Elizabeth May storm when it comes to that in- leum Producers, Cenovus Energy includes Gerald Butts, the former economy for Canada, it’s going to (Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.) and dustry,” said the union’s Canadian Inc., Chevron Canada Limited, chief adviser to Prime Minister be a green economy,” he said, and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Fran- director, Lionel Railton. ExxonMobil Canada Ltd., and the Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.). the only question is how quickly çois Blanchet (Beloeil-Chambly, As for the pandemic being International Union of Operating Governments have more li- the change comes. Que.), adding lowering the carbon a moment to shift direction on Can- Engineers. cense now to push transformation Offering a similar comparison, economy is possible but this ap- ada’s climate response, his focus is Mr. Wilkinson, meanwhile in a moment like this, said Mr. Mr. Gustavsson said COVID-19 proach is just “aspirational.” on “just transition” for the thou- remained the third most-lobbied Gustavsson. brings a lesson that the better This disruption has shown the sands who work in the industry. in April and March, with 22 and “In crisis, as a politician you prepared Canada is for disrup- government can work at greater “It’s really more about iden- 23 mentions, respectively. The have permission to do things that tion, “the less chaos we will have.” speed, but that doesn’t mean add- tifying how those workers have organizations that reached out were more difficult before the The ocean, as the largest active ing to processes, which he said has been impacted and then talking include oil and forestry compa- criticism,” he said. “We will toler- carbon sink on Earth and where put Canada behind in competitive- to the government about what nies, universities, and groups like ate the change.” Ocean Wise focuses the bulk of its ness. For example, the government systems or joint programs we can Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Elliot Hughes, a senior ad- research, is a key component in the delayed bringing in planned regu- bring to bear to help train the David Suzuki Foundation, CARE viser at Summa Strategies who fight against climate change, he lations for the Clean Fuel Standard. workers who are being displaced,” Canada, the Canadian Steel previously worked in the Liberal added. BCBC was also among busi- he said, adding he still sees some Producers Association, Chemistry finance and defence minister’s “This is just a rehearsal for the ness groups arguing for delaying life in the oil and gas sector, with Industry Association of Canada, offices, said he sees these minis- big transformation that we need the implementation of anything projects like the Trans Mountain and Woodfibre LNG. ters as popular points of contact, to go through. There’s a couple that would bring “uncertainty or pipeline expansion still in the Neither are regulars at the in part, because this moment is things we can learn: deep change added business cost.” works. government’s daily briefings, but “an inflection point” for where is possible and it can happen fast,” There’s already too much un- [email protected] as The Canadian Press reported, Canada proceeds on climate. he said. “This was not a choice. certainty and limited cash flow for The Hill Times THE HILL TIMES | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 15 Clean energy News

Green Party MP Elizabeth Oil demand drop, May, left, Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, right. Ms. May says ‘the disruptive technology is here—the fact that, in a renewable energy pandemic, when demand for everything is down, even against those headwinds, demand for renewable resiliency prompts energy is up.’ The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

start looking at those efforts, you can cer- calling for the recent “oil price meltdown” calls for federal clean tainly achieve multiple objectives through to be used as a catalyst to drive Canada’s that,” said Ms. Petrevan. “Job creation, clean renewable energy transition are “invest- tech innovation, economic diversification, ing in a false flag,” and that climate policy cutting pollution, just making Canada gen- goals will actually be hampered without energy investment in erally more resilient.” federal liquidity support for the oil and “That is certainly a piece where I could gas sector. see renewables playing a role,” said Ms. “We are an economy which has a sig- Petrevan. nificant amount of activity pinned to our economic recovery Her organization is one of 260 signa- hydrocarbons, so it’s a real question of tories to an open letter representing 2,098 how can we actually leverage that asset in companies asking the government to the best possible way, while also actually the energy source the most resilient to the pursue a “resilient recovery” by committing continuing to build opportunities of it,” said Demand for renewable COVID-19 current crisis,” according to the to a three-part recovery plan that would Mr. Henry in a May 19 interview with The report. see stimulus investment in Canada’s clean Hill Times. “There certainly is a lot that can energy is set to increase Oil price futures plummeted dramatical- energy sector, expand existing clean en- happen in terms of both clean technology in 2020, according to ly on April 20, with the West Texas Interme- ergy initiatives and programs, and clearly [and] improving the overall health of the diate (WTI) benchmark closing in negative signal the country will continue to expand renewable ecosystem in Canada as it gets the International Energy territory at -$37.63 a barrel. The WTI, the on environmental policies. connected to our hydrocarbons and man- main oil benchmark for North America, Stephen Cornish, CEO of the David aging that emission intensity.” Agency. ‘We have an closed at $31.82 on May 18. Brent crude Suzuki Foundation, told The Hill Times that Mr. Henry said Canada is looking at a dropped to $19.33 a barrel on April 21, and there’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity pathway that is going to involve significant amazing chance to do a closed at $34.81 a barrel on May 18. with mid- and long-term stimulus to build the transformation and that the process will “When you have a product, where type of economy that he wants to see. require more than asking people to simply really large societal rethink,’ the break-even point is far higher than “I think it’s important that we not only change their consumption habits. “The says Green Party MP the price you can get for the foreseeable look sector by sector, but look across the reality is, the energy systems already are future, and by the time you might get any economy from a systems view to see how integrated,” he said, and, “in many respects, Elizabeth May. kind of demand for that product, nobody the investments of today will put us in Canada’s recent climate policy pieces have wants it, so putting money into oil sands good stead for tomorrow and make our increased that integration.” as a strategy to help rebuild our economy economy and our country more resilient, “We’re looking at an energy system that Continued from page 1 post-pandemic is a huge loser,” said Ms. more regional, more equitable, and better is fully integrated throughout all aspects for the oil sector to come back to where it May. “I don’t know when it will occur to able to face future shocks down the road,” of society, and this is where I think that’s was prior to the economic fallout from the Trudeau and his cabinet that continuing said Mr. Cornish. where we’ve sort of lost sight,” said Mr. pandemic, “if at all.” to build the Trans Mountain Pipeline as a The West is already the energy capital Henry, who added that when comments In response to a follow-up question Canadian government operation, that will of Canada, but also has everything it needs like “oil is dead” are made, “you’re really from CBC’s Julie Van Dusen, Ms. May then cost us $10- to $12-billion more than it to remain the energy capital of Canada overlooking the fact that these players who remarked that “oil is dead,” and that “for already has makes no sense at all.” well into the future, according to Mr. Cor- are generally driving these major invest- people in the sector, it’s very important that Ms. May said “we have an amazing nish. ments, to investing in these technologies, there be just-transition funds, that there be chance to do a really large societal re- “We know that Regina has the same are oil and gas producers that are becom- strategies that go to every worker, every think.” solar potential as Mexico, we know that ing increasingly integrated.” community.” “The only thing I regret about reac- geothermal capacity in Alberta has only “What they are asking for here is an In an interview with The Hill Times on tion to what I said was the idea that I was scratched the surface, they have the trained opportunity to demonstrate that leadership, May 15, Ms. May, the Green’s parliamen- being unkind to Alberta—I want people in workforce from welders to pipe fitters— so if we’re going to think about a clean tary leader, said what she was referring to Alberta to have good jobs, I want people in they have the know-how to get these things technology-led, infrastructure-led recovery, in that exchange “was that there’s no point Alberta’s economy to come back,” said Ms. done,” said Mr. Cornish. “It would be really then they need to be involved and given the in imagining that it makes any sense for May. “If you want people to come back, you amazing to see solar and geo-thermal tools to [do so],” said Mr. Henry. the federal government to try to bail out don’t hand them a life preserver made of leap over natural gas to head towards the The Liberals’ climate change plan any company operating in the oil sands, concrete.” hydrogen fuel cells of tomorrow.” contains more than 50 different measures because there is no saving them.” Asked by reporters to respond to Ms. Canada tried to rebuild the same to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while “The disruptive technology is here—the May’s comment on May 7, Prime Minister economy it already had in place following ensuring Canadians seize the economic op- fact that in a pandemic, when demand for Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) said he the 2008 recession, said Mr. Cornish, with portunities that can be enabled by a transi- everything is down, even against those didn’t “share that assessment.” only a few strings attached to bailouts for tion to a low-carbon future, according to a headwinds, demand for renewable en- “As we move forward towards a differ- the auto industry. press release from Environment Minister ergy is up,” said Ms. May, referring to the ent energy mix, as we move forward to “And one of the reasons our manufac- Jonathan Wilkinson (North Vancouver, International Energy Agency’s (IEA) recent lower fossil-fuel emissions, lower green- turing sector in Canada is not competitive B.C.) on Earth Day, April 22. report anticipating a five per cent increase house gas emissions, we need the innova- is because of our high energy costs,” said “We are investing in clean energy, build- in demand for renewable energy in 2020, tion, the hard work, and the vision and the Mr. Cornish. “So if we go to renewables ing greener communities, expanding public and that a full 30 per cent of electricity creativity of people working right now in and drive our energy costs down, then that transit, phasing out coal power, introducing around the world will be generated from the energy sector,” he said. opens up a whole area for manufacturing new standards so our cars run on cleaner renewable energy by year’s end. and for jobs, and there could be stipula- fuels, banning harmful single-use plastics, Renewable energy has so far been the Economic recovery about ‘building tions on some of this funding that it be investing in clean technology, and more,” energy source most resilient to COVID-19 linked to made-in-Canada production.” according to Mr. Wilkinson. lockdown measures, according to the resiliency for the long term’ The environment minister also told The report, which also finds that a faster global Sarah Petrevan, policy director at Clean Economy has ‘significant amount Canadian Press on May 15 that although economic recovery would have a “minimal Energy Canada, said the stage is set for the the government’s plan on banning some impact” on renewable energy production, government to back renewable projects as of activity’ pinned to hydrocarbons single-use plastics will likely be delayed, “though it would enable more new renew- an important piece in Canada’s economic Aaron Henry, senior director of natural the governments remains firmly committed ables-based projects to be completed.” recovery following the pandemic. resources and sustainable growth at to its environmental agenda. “If recovery is slower, renewable energy “Economic recovery is about building the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, [email protected] would still increase, making renewables resiliency for the long term, and when you recently penned a piece arguing that those The Hill Times

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ing] on a permanent basis, at a minimum, the same amount that Canada’s information czar says feds we received in the last four years, which is $3-million a year. Ide- ally, I would get more than that need to send ‘serious message’ about because then I can also innovate and, and make [better] processes and hire more investigators. But if I was to get the money, at least access innovation amid COVID-19 on a permanent basis, I could keep my investigators that I hire, I could have a longer plan.” Information Caroline So ideally, how much would you like? Maynard “I don’t think I can say how Commissioner says her much I asked [the government office already for]. Forty-five investigators would Caroline Maynard has at least be what I would need to start 5,000 maintaining the rhythm of the says the limitations outstanding complaints that are coming in and some departments complaints— going at the backlog so that we up 49 per could reduce it and not overwhelm are facing to fill cent from institutions with our own requests. the 3,300 Because that’s the issue that we access requests, like reported have, too—even if I have, let’s say to end last $8-million, and I can hire 100 inves- needing to print out year. The tigators, institutions are not going Hill Times to be able to sustain my requests.” electronic documents, photograph by are ‘ridiculous.’ Sam Garcia How many investigators do you have now? “Right now we have 62.” Continued from page 1 There’s an upcoming manda- seen an increase corresponding tory parliamentary review of the with the novel coronavirus, she access law. How do you think it’s said she expects they will come. working and do you recommend Ms. Maynard said she’s worried any changes? the system and government isn’t VID-19 will add to the backlog, The mation without waiting for it to From what you observed, how “We haven’t heard anything ex- prepared for an increase in access re- Hill Times spoke with Ms. Maynard be asked. I think they need also has the coronavirus affected the cept that Mr. Duclos has confirmed quests that often accompany a crisis. about how the system is working. to start thinking about new tools, backlogs that are being reported? that it’s going to be started this It’s “ridiculous,” for example, This interview has been edited for new technology, new ways of “We haven’t heard anything summer before the anniversary date, that some offices are printing grammar, clarity, and length. communicating with Canadians.” because I don’t have access to the which is June 21, and he’s confirmed documents they have electroni- administration of it. Treasury Board that my office will be consulted, so cally to process in the access sys- You sent a letter to Minister Du- Some agencies still aren’t accept- is the one that [has] that information. that’s great news. We have started tem—just one of the limitations clos [on April 28], saying that the ing requests or saying they’re on We know they’re doing a survey a little working group looking at she’s heard is causing delays. COVID-19 has put the system in hold. We’re now two months into every week with institutions asking the act to prepare for this and we While her team was fully a critical phase that may soon be this pandemic, do you think there’s them how many are fully operating will present recommendations to operational when they moved to beyond repair. What do you see a responsibility to adopt some and what kind of limitations they Parliament and to the government, work-from-home in March, that happening? of those innovative techniques have. We’ve seen, on our end, an mainly with respect to timelines and wasn’t the case for many gov- “Historically, we’ve seen anytime now and does it concern you that increase in responses to our requests exemptions and exclusions that we ernment institutions, she noted, there’s a crisis, there’s an increase responses aren’t happening? for complaints. Some institutions think need to be reviewed. which will likely translate to in access requests. What I’m wor- “Actually, the [Access to took a little longer to connect their “One example is the cabinet more complaints to her office. ried about is we already have a Information] Act doesn’t allow employees from home. confidences, and the fact that we A “serious message” needs to very busy and overwhelmed access institutions to suspend applica- “Because of that, yes, it’s going are not allowed to see the docu- come from Treasury Board Presi- system in all depart- to affect the backlog for ments. I think that we should be dent Jean-Yves Duclos (Québec, ments, and now that all The President sure. The access units allowed to see it.” Que.) directing departments to of the departments are of the Treasury were already over- start thinking about innovations to working from home, a Board Jean- whelmed. There was a Your office’s annual report is also respond to access files and calling lot of them are work- Yves Duclos is lack of resources and I due soon. What are some high- for more information to be proac- ing on issues related to aware of the think that when they go lights on the year? tively disclosed. In an April 28 letter, COVID. ‘seriousness of back—if they were not “I’m trying to come up with a she warned of the impact of chronic “I’m really worried. the situation,’ fully operating—that’s brand new look and feel, like add- underfunding, according to The Canadians, they need with access definitely going to affect ing more information about dif- Canadian Press, which reported the answers, and they are delays, them.” ferent institutions, good practices, government is eyeing new technol- asking for more and according lessons learned.” ogy to clear the backlog. more information, so to the How has it affected All government operations have they won’t stop. And it’s information your volume? Do you How many outstanding com- been impacted by COVID-19 and their right. I just want commissioner. have a percentage plaints are there? the Treasury Board Secretariat has them to realize that it’s The Hill Times increase over the last “At least 5,000.” given “guidance” for institutions to going to be probably an photograph by month or so? make “best efforts” to respond to increase in requests, and Andrew Meade “The complaints have That’s up from about 3,000 last year. such requests and proactively pub- they should be ready for not increased. In the last “I think we finished with 5,500 lish information, “in accordance with that, which I don’t think two years, we’ve had an complaints closed, and that was operational realities,” said spokesper- right now we are.” increase in administra- a record for the office. But we son Martin Potvin by email. tive complaints, mainly received over 6,000 new cases, so He said Mr. Duclos appreci- Have you received a response tion requests and I’m a little wor- related to the [Immigra- my inventory keeps going up.” ated Ms. Maynard’s feedback and and what action do you think is ried about these types of answers tion, Refugees, and Citizenship has committed to making COVID- required? and I’ve made the Treasury Board Canada] … so that hasn’t slowed Given that, how is our system related information available, “The President of the Treasury president aware of that, too. I down, but comparing to last year, working? Is it broken? How and when workplace restrictions Board confirmed that he is aware want him to remind institutions the complaints number seems to would you describe it? begin to be lifted, outstanding [and] from his remarks I under- of their obligation and responsi- be very similar. But I suspect that “It’s definitely in need of love. requests will be addressed. stand he was aware of the serious- bilities under the act. I think it’s a lot of people haven’t received a We need three things: we need in- Asked about the backlog, Mr. ness of the situation. I think we interesting that people don’t have response yet. So I suspect we’ll see vestments in resources and money; Potvin didn’t provide any numbers need a message from him and access to emails or electronic an increase in the next few months.” we need innovation in new systems; but said the secretariat is looking from our prime minister—a seri- documents. You would think that and we need a new culture. We defi- into new technologies to ease any ous message from the leaders—to in 2020, most people are work- You’ve already in the last year de- nitely need the leaders to show that backlog due to the pandemic, and all the institutions for them to start ing, in the new age, electroni- scribed funding to your office as they are believing in openness and at what “tools and capacities” ATIP thinking about innovations and cally. What I’m told is that a lot a stop-gap approach. How much transparency so that the govern- offices need to improve their abil- more information being proactive- of institutions are still printing new funding would you recom- ment switches from a secretive type ity to process requests remotely. ly disclosed … really providing an documents that they have elec- mend for it to stop being a stop- of culture to an open and transpar- With her office’s annual report open and transparent [system]. tronically to process it through gap? And what would you like ent culture. This is the thing that I due this month, an upcoming man- “That should be a big oppor- the access software. So that’s one your permanent budget to sit at? think Canadians deserve.” datory parliamentary review of the tunity right now, when there’s a of the limitations that they have, “Right now what I’m asking is, [email protected] access law, and predictions that CO- crisis like this, to give the infor- which, I think, it’s ridiculous.” at least, to give it to me [fund- The Hill Times THE HILL TIMES | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 17

hill climbers by Laura Ryckewaert New press secretary in International Development Minister Gould’s office

International Development Minister Karina Gould, pictured Innovation, Science, and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains, pictured at a ministerial briefing on during the COVID-19 in the West Block on March 20. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Before Times at a European tary to Ontario’s health minister Indira Ms. Simard no doubt had a strange and Union Day Naidoo-Harris and a former president of busy last few months on the Hill, with her reception at the Ontario Young Liberals, as listed on her boss, Mr. Bains, tasked with helping with the National LinkedIn page. the re-tooling of industries in Canada to Arts Centre on Sher Rodrigo is director of operations address needs arising from the COVID-19 May 8, 2019, to Ms. Gould. pandemic—like increased demand for with EU Geoffroi Montpetit remains chief of personal protective equipment and hand Ambassador staff in the international development sanitizer—among other things. Mr. Bains to Canada minister’s office, as previously reported. is part of the special cabinet committee on Peteris The team also currently includes: Hanna COVID-19 and has been part of a number Ustubs. The Button, director of policy; Helen Gao, of ministerial briefings over recent weeks, Hill Times policy adviser; Matthew Hall, policy ad- with Ms. Simard having been spotted ac- photograph by viser; Russell Milon, director of parliamen- companying him. Sam Garcia tary affairs; David Frank-Savoie, special Parliamentary affairs and issues man- assistant; and ministerial driver Shawn agement adviser Alexander Jagric has Sylvestre. stepped in as acting press secretary to Mr. Bains as of May 18. He similarly joined Mr. Municipalities. He’s also spent less than Simard exits Innovation Bains’ team in December and before then Meanwhile, Innovation a year as a communications aide with the had been working for Transport Minister Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône- Minister Bains’ office Marc Garneau since January 2016, ending Minister Navdeep Bains Alpes and later as a communications aide Innovation, Science, and Industry as a senior special assistant for issues with the commune of Sainte-Foy-Lès-Lyon Minister Navdeep Bains is in need of a new management and communications. recently bade farewell to in France, amongst other past roles. lead media contact following the recent his lead media contact, In Ms. Gould’s office, he’s working exit of Véronique Simard. Alexander under the minister’s director of communi- Ms. Simard marked her last day in the Jagric is Véronique Simard. cations, Louis Bélanger, who also currently minister’s office, and on the Hill, on May now acting oversees special assistant for communica- 15, and is set to join the private sector. press N APARTMENT NEAR PARLIAMENT tions Margaret Jaques. secretary to AHILL—International Development Samantha Smitiuch has also recently Mr. Bains. Minister Karina Gould has added a press been brought on board the international Photograph secretary to her ministerial team, with development minister’s team as a senior courtesy of Guillaume Dumas taking on the role in adviser for operations. LinkedIn March. Mr. Dumas previously spent a year, Samantha from August 2018 to August 2019, as a Smitiuch press and public affairs officer with the of- is now fice of the Consulate General of France in a senior Toronto, as noted on his LinkedIn profile. adviser for operations Guillaume to Ms. Dumas Gould. is press Photograph Véronique Simard, pictured along with other Vanessa Hage-Moussa is director of secretary courtesy of cabinet staffers at a March 20 ministerial communications to Mr. Bains and currently to the LinkedIn briefing on COVID-19 in the West Block building. also oversees communications advisers international The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Mollie Anderson and Shauna Roddey. development Ryan Dunn is chief of staff to the in- minister. Ms. Simard joined Mr. Bains’ office as novation minister. The team of political Photograph a senior adviser for communications and staffers supporting Mr. Bains also cur- courtesy of media relations, serving as his de facto rently includes: Sarah Hussaini, policy LinkedIn press secretary, in December, after the director; Parvinder Sachdeva, deputy cabinet shuffle that followed the 2019 fed- policy director; Celine Caira, policy eral election. Before then, she’d been press adviser; Lambert Lorrain, policy adviser; secretary to then-employment minister Marco Chan, policy adviser; Michael Patty Hajdu for a little more than a year Power, director of parliamentary affairs; Ms. Smitiuch was previously working and a half. Sam Eberlee, parliamentary affairs and on the Hill as an assistant to Ms. Gould in During the election, Ms. Simard was issues management adviser; Tasha Ismail, her office as the Liberal MP for Burlington, part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s director of operations; Theresa McMa- Since then, he’s been a bilingual writer Ont., having moved to Ottawa from Toronto leader’s tour advance team, travelling nus, operations adviser; and Timothy and editor for Elections Canada on an as- at the beginning of 2019 to do so. Before ahead of the Liberal leader to scope out Logan, special assistant for B.C. regional needed—or casual—basis, and in Febru- then, she’d been working as a Liberal locations and plan events. affairs. ary, served as a revision deputy returning staffer at Queen’s Park, last as a regional A former assistant consultant with Hill There are also two parliamentary secre- officer for Elections Ontario for the Feb. adviser for the southwest in the Ontario and Knowlton Strategies, Ms. Simard first tary assistants on board: Amanda Woodley 27 provincial byelections in Ottawa-Vanier Liberal caucus services office. began working on Parliament Hill in April who supports Liberal MP Will Amos as and Orléans. Both ridings were ultimately A graduate of Queen’s University, 2016, starting as an assistant to Liberal parliamentary secretary for science and held by Ontario Liberals. Ms. Smitiuch is also a former operations MP Steven MacKinnon, who’s represented is also a special assistant for policy to Mr. Mr. Dumas has previously spent five adviser to then-education minister Mitzie Gatineau, Que., since 2015. A year later, Bains; and Sean Matthew O’Neill, who’s months each working as a social media Hunter, having also previously done op- she joined the Prime Minister’s Office as an assistant to Liberal MP Ali Ehsassi as officer for the European Parliament, as erations work for then-finance minister executive assistant to then-executive direc- the parliamentary secretary for innovation an assistant to the press officer of the Dwight Duncan and then-energy minister tor of communications and planning Kate and industry. Canadian Embassy in Paris, France, and Bob Chiarelli, and is a former executive Purchase; she left the top office in May [email protected] as a writer for the Federation of Canadian assistant to then-parliamentary secre- 2018 to join Ms. Hajdu’s team. The Hill Times 18 WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 | THE HILL TIMES CLASSIFIEDS Information and advertisement placement: 613-232-5952 • [email protected]

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In this important and timely defence policy briefing, The Hill Times looks into how the military is helping with the COVID-19 global pandemic. With all eyes on this global crisis, we take a look at what’s going on with the federal government’s procurement of ships, jets, and ice breakers. We also take a look at NATO and how it’s holding up with present realities.

Call to consult • 613 234 5758 For more information or to reserve your government relations [email protected] • [email protected] and public affairs advertising space, contact The Hill Times display advertising department at 613-688-8841. THE HILL TIMES | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 19 Events Feature

FRIDAY, MAY 22 Implementing Financial Sector Policy Reforms Parliamentary in Africa— By implementing policy and insti- Parties of the past tutional reforms such as the establishment of Calendar a new capital requirement for banks and the revocation of licenses of insolvent financial The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia institutions, Ghana has accomplished what arguably amounts to the most sweeping clean-up With COVID-19 putting a pause on diplomatic gatherings in Ottawa, The Hill Times of financial services in the nation’s history. Dr. is offering a look back with (some never-before-seen) images of celebrations and special Ernest Addison, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, will deliver remarks on “Implementing Financial events that have occurred at this time in years past. Sector Policy Reforms in Africa,” a webinar hosted by McGill University as part of a Max Bell School MPP Complexity Seminar with Nii Addy. Friday, May 22, at 11 a.m. Register online. Cameroon marks 50 years of ties with Canada An Afternoon with Rick Hansen— Be part of history Special as Rick Hansen donates the entire collection from his Man In Motion World Tour to the Canadian Museum of History. It will become part of the National Collec- COVID-19 tion, preserved for its significance to Canada. In con- versation with Dr. Jenny Ellison, curator of Sports and Leisure, Hansen will share behind-the-scenes stories of the Man In Motion World Tour and reflect upon committee key artifacts that shaped his journey. Join live on the museum’s Facebook and YouTube pages on Friday, Jillian Stirk, then-Department of Foreign Affairs May 22 at 2 p.m. After the event, visit Museum at and International Trade assistant deputy minister meets in House Home to view the discussion and dig deeper into the Man In Motion World Tour Collection. for Europe, shares a toast with Mr. Azoh-Mbi. Senators at Home: Honing in on the National Autism on May 20 Strategy—The Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance hosts a webinar, “Senators at Home: Honing in on the National Autism Strategy.” Senators Jim Munson, Leo Housakos, Wanda Thomas Bernard, as scheduled and Peter Boehm will discuss the what and why that should underlie the National Autism Strategy. Friday, May 22, from 3-4 p.m. (This event was postponed adjournment from May 15.) Register via Eventbrite. Cameroon High Commissioner Solomon Anu’a-Gheyle Azoh-Mbi gives Michael Smith, then-high commissioner for the TUESDAY, MAY 26 a speech at a May 23, 2012, party marking his country’s national day Bahamas, looks on as his wife, Suzanne Smith, greets Mr. end looms The Implementation of CUSMA: Relevance and 50 years of diplomatic relations with Canada. Anu’a-Gheyle Azoh-Mbi and his wife, Mercy Azoh Mbi. Post-COVID-19— The ratification of CUSMA is experiencing delays but is still on the horizon for Canada, the United States and Mexico. Join the WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 C.D. Howe Institute to hear Mexico’s Undersec- House Not Sitting—The House has been retary of Foreign Trade, Luz María de la Mora suspended until Monday, May 25, and the spring present on the new trade deal’s implementation Azerbaijan throws independence day fête schedule is still not confirmed due to the global and fostering a more prosperous relationship be- pandemic. However, during this adjournment time, tween Mexico and Canada. C.D. Howe Institute a Special COVID-19 Pandemic Committee has members and their guests can register online for been established, composed of all members of the the event, which takes place Tuesday, May 26, House, to meet on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Thursdays. The Wednesday meeting will be in per- WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 son, while the Tuesday and Thursday sessions will be held virtually. As per the original sitting calendar, Looking Through the Retro-Scope—Former pre- if the House resumes on May 25, it will sit for four mier of British Columbia Christy Clark will speak weeks, until its scheduled adjournment on June on “Looking Through the Retro-Scope,” exploring 23, but none of this has been confirmed yet. The why policy makers missed so many opportunities House was also scheduled to adjourn again for three to prepare for the pandemic, and why governments The Hill Times Publisher Anne Marie Creskey is months and to return in the fall on Monday, Sept. frequently fail to learn from history, hosted by greeted by then-Ambassador of Azerbaijan Farid 21, for three straight weeks. It was scheduled to McGill University, at 4:30 p.m. Register online. Shafiyev and his wife, Ulkar Shafiyeva at the Then-Zimbabwean Ambassador adjourn for one week and to sit again from Oct. 19 THURSDAY, MAY 28–SATURDAY, JUNE 6 until Nov. 6. It was scheduled to break again for one country’s national day party on May 14, 2012. Florence Chideya and Mr. Shafiyev. week and to sit again from Nov. 16 to Dec. 11. And Hot Docs Festival Online—Hot Docs will be pre- that would be it for 2020. We’ll update you once sented online this year because of the pandemic, the House calendar has been confirmed. from May 28 to June 6. Introduced at the 2017 Senate Not Sitting—The Senate has extended Hot Docs Festival, the $50,000 award and cash its suspension due to the COVID-19 virus until prize have traditionally been given to the Canadian June 2. The June possible sitting days were June feature documentary screened at the Hot Docs 1, 5, 8, 12, 15, and 19. The Senate was sched- Festival that receives the highest average rating as uled to sit June 2-4; June 9-11; June 16-18; and determined by audience poll. This year, the award June 22, 23, it was scheduled to break on June will honour the top five Canadian documentaries 24 for St. Jean Baptiste Day; and it was scheduled in the audience poll and will present each direc- to sit June 25 and June 26. The Senate was tor with a cash prize of $10,000. The Hot Docs scheduled to break from June 29 until Sept. 22. Festival Online will offer more than 135 official The Senate’s possible September sitting days are selections for at-home audiences to stream directly Then-Lithuanian Ambassador Ginte Damusis and Esprit de Corps publisher Scott Taylor Sept. 21, 25, 28. It’s scheduled to sit Sept. 22-24 from www.hotdocs.ca on its recently launched and Sept. 29-Oct. 1, with a possible sitting day on Hot Docs at Home TVOD platform. Although the then-Swedish Ambassador Teppo Tauriainen. greets Mr. Shafiyev and Ms. Shafiyev. Friday, Oct. 2. The possible Senate sitting days are festival wraps on June 6, a majority of films will Oct. 5, 9, 19, 23, 26, and 30. It’s scheduled to sit be available for extended post-festival viewing Oct. 6-8; it takes a break from Oct. 12-16; it will until June 24. The film lineup is available at www. sit Oct. 20-22; and Oct. 27-29. The November hotdocs.ca/festivalonline. possible Senate days are: Nov. 2, 6, 16, 20, 23, The Parliamentary Calendar is a free events 27, 30. It’s scheduled to sit Nov. 3-5; it will take listing. Send in your political, cultural, diplo- Ottawa welcomes new Haitian leader a break from Nov. 9-13; it will sit Nov. 17-19; matic, or governmental event in a paragraph with and Nov. 24-26. The possible December Senate all the relevant details under the subject line sitting days are: Dec. 4, 7, and 11. The Senate is ‘Parliamentary Calendar’ to [email protected] scheduled to sit Dec. 1-3; Dec. 8-10 and it will sit by Wednesday at noon before the Monday paper Dec. 14-18. We’ll also update you once the Senate or by Friday at noon for the Wednesday paper. calendar has been confirmed. We can’t guarantee inclusion of every event, Keeping Food on the Table—The C.D. Howe but we will definitely do our best. Events can be Institute hosts a webinar on “Keeping Food On updated daily online, too. the Table: COVID-19 and the Canadian Food The Hill Times Supply Chain,” featuring Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Then-Foreign Minister Peter McKay, former MP professor, food distribution and policy, Dalhousie Barbara Jean McDougall and Mr. Préval. University; Keith Currie, president, Ontario Federation of Agriculture; and Barry Sawyer, Extra! Extra! national council vice-president, United Food and Commercial Workers of Canada. C.D. Howe Read the full Institute members and their guests can register online for the event, which takes place Wednes- Parliamentary day, May 20, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Calendar Policies for the Great Global Shutdown and Beyond— Bank of Canada Deputy Governor Timothy Lane will deliver remarks on “Policies for the Great Global Shut- online down and Beyond” at a videoconference hosted by the Then-Haitian president-elect Réné Préval and then- Then-Argentinian Ambassador Arturo CFA Society Winnipeg and the Manitoba Association Governor General Michaëlle Jean attend a reception in Bothamley, then-Haitian Ambassador for Business Economics, on Wednesday, May 20, at 2 honour of Mr. Préval’s honour on April 30, 2006. p.m. EST. A webcast of the speech will be available on Robert H. Tippenhauer, and Mr. Préval. the Bank of Canada’s website. Stay connected to decision-makers Inside Ottawa & Inside Canada Inside Now in stock Ottawa Directory Save time, have all political phone numbers and email addresses at your fingertips. Inside Ottawa includes: • Federal riding profiles • MP contact details, both Hill and constituency • House committee clerks and membership • Senators’ contact details and committee membership • Current photos in colour • Prime Minister’s Office and Privy Council Office staff contacts • Ministers’ offices staff contacts • Speaker’s office contacts • Committee charts with current photos • List of shadow cabinet and opposition critics • Key political, government and media contacts • Sitting calendar 2020 • Renumeration • Session tip sheet

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