15 most influential Senate Biotechnology unelected legislation Policy briefing pp. 19-27 people in to watch p. 4 government pp. 16-17 TWENTY-EIGHTH YEAR, NO. 1469 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 $5.00 News Cabinet Why Canada has two trade ministers: trade in the age of Trump BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN Philippe Champagne (Saint- Maurice-Champlain, Que.) and ev- t’s “highly unusual” to have a erything to do with Ms. Freeland’s Itrade minister tasked to manage personality, deep connections, and all files except the relationship proven success, insiders suggest. with Canada’s largest trading Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s partner, but observers say the tactic (Papineau, Que.) decision to separate is fitting given the major NAFTA the file in January, when the two talks, general trade shakeup under were appointed to their current cabi- U.S. President Donald Trump, and net spots, “sends a message” to the an outgoing star minister best United States that Canada is serious suited for the job. about the NAFTA deal, said Sarah The North American Free Trade Goldfeder, a former U.S. diplomat. Agreement is at a scale that de- The need to have Ms. Freeland mands singular attention, and keep- take on the U.S. file stems from ing Chrystia Freeland (University- the renegotiation of an agreement Rosedale, Ont.) on the file makes that governs Canada’s largest trading relationship, and Mr. sense as she transitioned from trade Liberal Senator Lillian Dyck wasn’t granted Indian status until 1985 when the Charter of Rights and Freedoms prompted Trump’s generally pessimistic to foreign affairs, say observers. changes to the Indian Act that had long said woman like her Cree mother lost status if they married non-First Nations outlook toward trade that doesn’t Splitting the portfolio had men. Her father, too, faced legislated discrimination through the Chinese head tax and her son, like many grandchildren, less to do with rookie MP and wasn’t granted status until further changes were introduced in 2010. The HIll Times photograph by Andrew Meade incoming Trade Minister François- Continued on page 13 News Legislation News Phoenix Public Services brings Two Senators once denied in May-Cuconato as a Indian status fight bill so Phoenix ‘fixer’ the Canadian Radio-Television others can gain rights BY EMILY HAWS and Telecommunications Com- ublic Service and Procurement mission (CRTC). “Ms. May-Cuconato is an PCanada has hired veteran BY SAMANTA WRIGHT ALLEN marrying a non-First Nations man, bureaucrat and former Hill staffer accomplished government of a policy the Indian Act enshrined Danielle May-Cuconato to help Canada executive who possess- ong before Senator Lillian in 1876 along with others seen by fix the problem-plagued Phoenix es a strong record of achieving LDyck became the first First many as Canada’s attempt to force pay system. results and has over 10 years of Nations woman to sit in the Up- assimilation. She was named the assistant experience in human resources per Chamber, white Parliamentar- She didn’t live to see her deputy minister of the govern- and workplace management,” ians signed laws stripping women daughter, Sen. Dyck, get that ment department’s new Pay Jean-François Létourneau, of their Indian status and the status back in 1985, after the Publications Mail Agreement #40068926 Stabilization Project on Sept. 7, PSPC spokesperson, said in a ability to confer that legal identity creation of the Canadian Charter the department confirmed. Ms. statement. to their descendants. of Rights and Freedoms three May-Cuconato, a seasoned bu- Ms. May-Cuconato will be The Saskatchewan Senator can years prior forced amendments to reaucrat and former Liberal Hill working under Les Linklater, trace discriminatory Canadian remove sex discrimination from staffer, is regarded as someone associate deputy minister for legislation through her lineage, the act. It limited status to first who can connect the bureaucratic Public Services and Procurement an imposed heirloom she passed generations, though, so when Sen. Canada, said Mr. Létourneau, and political worlds in order to to her son. The $500 Chinese head Dyck gave birth to her son, he Liberal Senator Sandra Lovelace get the public service pay system and will take part in the new tax on her father was equiva- too was barred from status. That integrated team looking to fix the Nicholas gained Indian status in 1985. problems resolved before the next lent to two years’ salary for him changed seven years ago, in 2010, Photograph courtesy of Sandra Lovelace Nicholas federal election in 2019. Phoenix-related pay issues. when he immigrated as a youth. when Bill C-3 widened the legisla- Ms. May-Cuconato was for- Continued on page 12 Her mother, a residential school tion to include grandchildren Continued on page 6 merly the secretary general of survivor, lost her Cree status for born after 1951. 2 wednesdaY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 | THE HILL TIMES CPAC rings in 25 years with packed bash The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade Heard on the Hill About 400 people came to CPAC’s 25th anniversary shindig on Sept. 18, at the by Shruti Shekar Sir John A. Macdonald Building, including 100 MPs, 100 Hill staffers, and cabinet ministers Bardish Chagger and Karina Gould. Reporters’ team breaks three-year losing streak to take Conservative MP Tony Clement and the National Arts home Hill softball title CPAC CEO Catherine Cano and Liberal MP Denis Paradis. Centre’s Rosemary Thompson. The recreational softball team, Exposés, broke their three-year losing streak and won their league championship Sept. 16. Top row (left to right): Drake Fenton, Tyler Dawson, The NDP whip’s office’s Theresa Kavanagh Michael Woods, Bluesky Strategy’s Elizabeth Gray-Smith and CPAC's Glen McInnis. and former NDP MP Svend Robinson. Peter O’Neil, Eric Scharf, Brian Platt. Bottom row (left to right): Evan Arthur, Megan Levesque, Michelle O’Doherty, Laura Beaulne-Stuebing, and Alison Mah. Photograph courtesy of Peter O’Neil fter three years of losing, former Vancou- the Federation of Canadian Municipali- Aver Sun journalist Peter O’Neil and the ties, Evan Arthur, Megan Levesque, and rest of his recreational softball team of report- Michelle O’Doherty. ers and friends won a Hill league champion- “Some teams are more fun to play ship Sept. 16, with a final score of 31-7. against than others. Some take the game “We lost our first game Thursday night, more seriously than others do,” Ms. then won both games Friday evening,” Mr. Beaulne-Stuebing said. “It’s fun to beat the National Observer’s Carl Meyer, freelance reporter Christopher Guly, and the National Post’s Marie-Danielle Smith. O’Neil said in an email. “We played three ones who take it super seriously and kind games between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in of take it [badly] that they didn’t win.” the blazing sun Saturday, and as the final two were against strong Tory teams I don’t think any of us thought we’d go very far.” #bannukes graffiti urges Mr. O’Neil is now a senior analyst in the Privy Council Office. MPs to sign nuclear treaty The Exposés team was also a bit beat up, as Mr. O’Neil had suffered a slight knee As MPs returned to the Hill Sept. 18, injury and had been sidelined for most of many may have seen “#ban nukes” spray- the season, and pitcher Drake Fenton of painted on the ground around the parlia- The Ottawa Citizen had been in a lot of mentary precinct. pain from an injury of his own. “Every MP and Senator has already received an invitation to ‘sign’ the Nuclear He said the team eschewed preparation Rogers' Phil Lind, whose company is one of the consortium of for the final games of the playoffs, assum- Weapons Ban Treaty at a ceremony on Par- cable firms in charge of the station. ing they would lose. liament Hill, Sept. 20,” said Steve Staples, B.C. NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson. “Only one person brought sun lotion, vice-president of the Rideau Institute, in an and we were dehydrated, hungry, and short email to The Hill Times. of water by the end of the second game,” The Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty was Liberal MP Alexandra Mendès Mr. O’Neil said. “Luckily Laura was able to signed by 122 countries at the United points to her Montreal riding on rush out and get us some water, bananas, Nations on July 7, The Associated Press re- a map of Canada’s ridings. At the granola bars, and Gatorade to revive us be- ported. The Netherlands opposed the treaty, party CPAC launched Route 338, fore we went out and won the final game.” Singapore abstained from the vote, and multimedia profiles of each of the Laura Beaulne-Stuebing, the team Canada did not take part in negotiations. 338 electoral districts. captain and senior producer working for The treaty will be open for signatures the National Association of Friendship on Sept. 20 and will only take effect after Centres, said in a phone interview that 50 countries have ratified it. the Exposés was placed 12th out of the 15 The treaty, if ratified, prohibits coun- teams in the league. She said it was a big tries from testing, producing, or acquiring hurrah when the team won in the finals. nuclear weapons or nuclear explosives. “We had been a team that had grown since Fears of a nuclear threat have grown it started four years ago, and every year is bet- since North Korea accelerated its nuclear ter than the last,” Ms. Beaulne-Stuebing said.