Politics Briefing: Cabinet ministers convened to review options to end the blockades, official testifies

Hello,

The federal government’s deputy secretary on emergency preparedness says cabinet was presented with an ever-expanding menu of options to help resolve the growing protests blockading Ottawa streets and border crossings across the country last winter.

Jacqueline Bogden is testifying on Friday at the Public Order Emergency Commission, which is scrutinizing the events and advice that led to the Liberals’ mid-February decision to invoke the Emergencies Act.

The Canadian Press reports that Ms. Bogden says once it became clear protesters did not plan to leave downtown Ottawa, several cabinet ministers convened to review what the federal government could contribute to end the blockades.

She says as time went on and disruptions got worse, deputy ministers across the country were tasked with brainstorming options within the federal jurisdiction to stop the protests.

Also, involving the commission, the federal government used a broader definition of a national-security threat than what is outlined in the Emergencies Act when it invoked the sweeping legislation in response to last winter’s convoy protests. Senior political reporter Marieke Walsh reports here.

And, on Thursday, the Finance Department’s most senior public servant said the federal government was in a race against time to stop the escalating economic damage created by the February border blockades. Story here. Reporter Shannon Proudfoot writes here about how the testimony of Michael Sabia, the Deputy Minister of Finance, showed how the blockades represented existential threat to economy and U.S.-Canada relationship.

Meanwhile, Eric Stubbs, newly installed as chief of the Ottawa Police Service said, on arrival in his new job, that the service is “not broken” as he vowed to listen and learn while building a strategic plan to carry the service beyond its current troubles. Story here from The Ottawa Citizen.

BREAKING FRIDAY – David Eby, British Columbia’s former attorney-general, is being sworn in Friday as the province’s new premier, replacing John Horgan. Please check The Globe and Mail this afternoon for coverage of Mr. Eby’s first news conference as premier.

This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.

TODAY’S HEADLINES

END OF THE LINE FOR 24 SUSSEX DRIVE – The prime minister’s official residence, 24 Sussex Drive, is to be cleared out and closed because of the declining state of the decades-old property, the commission that manages official residences in the Ottawa region says. Story here.

BOOST IN CHILDREN’S PAIN MEDICATION COMING – Health Canada officials say a large foreign supply of children’s ibuprofen and acetaminophen is expected to start showing up on pharmacy and retail shelves next week. Story here.

STRONGER ROLE FOR ARMED FORCES IN INDO-PACIFIC: PM – The Liberal government’s long-promised Indo-Pacific strategy will include new investments to strengthen the role the Canadian Armed Forces plays in the region, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday in Thailand. Story here.

RALLY BEHIND NEW GREEN LEADER: INTERIM LEADER – The outgoing Green leader has written to every party member with a personal plea to end internal “power struggles” and rally behind the new leader who takes the helm of the party this weekend. Story here.

GLOBE PUBLISHER/CEO AMONG THOSE INVESTED IN ORDER OF CANADA – Forty-eight people – ranging from activists and business leaders to writers and artists – were invested into the Order of Canada Thursday. Among the recipients was Phillip Crawley, publisher and CEO of The Globe and Mail. Story here.

OTTAWA AIMING FOR RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA – Ottawa will maintain a respectful relationship with China, International Trade Minister Mary Ng says. Story here.

SMITH HAS FIRED ALBERTA HEALTH AUTHORITY BOARD – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith fired the board of the province’s health authority on Thursday and replaced its members with a single administrator whose focus will be on developing a long-term plan for health care reform, improving ambulance response times and decreasing wait times for emergency rooms and surgeries. Story here. Meanwhile, Ms. Smith’s office says she has not done a “deep dive into her ancestry,” but remains proud of her heritage, in the wake of a report calling into question her claims of Cherokee ancestry. Story here from The National Post.

CLIMATE CHANGE EXPOSES WEAKNESS OF DISASTER PROGRAM – For more than 50 years, homeowners and businesses hit by fires, floods or storms have had a federal program to help governments decide who pays for the cleanup. However, climate change is exposing its weaknesses and renewing talk of big changes to come. Story here.

CRACKDOWN ON WEARING MILITARY UNIFORMS, MEDALS IN CIVILIAN COURT – The Canadian Armed Forces is cracking down on the wearing of uniforms and medals in civilian courts, saying such attire will be banned from non-military trials except in certain circumstances. Story here.

THIS AND THAT

TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, Nov.18, accessible here.

DAYS SINCE CONSERVATIVE LEADER PIERRE POILIEVRE TOOK MEDIA QUESTIONS IN OTTAWA: 66

WITNESSES, FRIDAY, AT PUBLIC ORDER EMERGENCY COMMISSION IN OTTAWA:

-Jacquie Bogden, Deputy Secretary to the federal cabinet on emergency preparedness and COVID recovery, and Jeff Hutchinson, Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Emergency Preparedness.

-Janice Charette, Clerk of the Privy Council, and Nathalie Drouin, deputy clerk of the Privy Council.

MINISTERS ON THE ROAD – Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, in Vancouver, made a funding announcement on marine preparedness, response and partnerships during the next phase of the Oceans Protection Plan. Also present: Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, in Québec City, made a funding announcement for projects at the city airport. Environment Minister, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, held a a news conference to conclude his participation in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27; In St. John’s, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan Jr. announced $9.9-million in funding to support renovations to the First Light Friendship Centre. Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, in Winnipeg, announced federal funding for innovation and economic growth in Manitoba.

ANAND AT HALIFAX SECURITY FORUM – Defence Minister Anita Anand is in Halifax co-hosting the 14th annual Halifax International Security Forum, which gathers defence and security experts and others to discuss global peace and security challenges. Speakers at the forum, which runs to Sunday, include Estonian President Alar Karis, U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd J. Austin, Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff Wayne Eyre and General Raymund Andrejczak, chief of the general defence staff for the Polish Armed Forces. Ms. Anand was scheduled, on Friday, to hold an opening news conference, and deliver a keynote speech. She was also scheduled to meet with U.S. Defence Staff Austin on Saturday.

KEY DANIELLE SMITH SPEECH – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, in Calgary, was scheduled to deliver her inaugural keynote address to the Calgary business community, followed by a fireside chat with Calgary Chamber President and CEO, Deborah Yedlin.

PRIME MINISTER’S DAY

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Bangkok, Thailand for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, attended the official welcome by Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Retreat I on balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth.

Mr. Trudeau was also scheduled to meet with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, United States Vice-President Kamala Harris, and participate in the APEC Leaders’ informal dialogue with guests. He was also scheduled to participate in the APEC Leaders’ dialogue with the APEC Business Advisory Council. Mr. Trudeau was also scheduled to hold a media availability, have an audience with Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand, and depart for the Djerba, Tunisia where he is attending the Summit of la Francophonie on Saturday and Sunday.

LEADERS

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet is in France on a trip, as party leader, that runs through to Nov. 26.

No schedules released for other party leaders.

THE DECIBEL

Friday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast features Rupi Kaur, one of the most famous poets in the world. When she was just 21, she self-published her first collection of poetry, Milk and Honey. She’s written two more collections since, and her books have sold over 11 million copies. Ms. Kaur talks about how it all started, managing mental health in the pandemic and why she thinks other people should start writing. The Decibel is here.

OPINION

The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on how, on Chinese election interference, the Trudeau government is talking loudly and doing nothing: “The Trudeau government is in the midst of a long-overdue reappraisal of its previously naive relationship with China. It has in recent weeks been making a great deal of noise about this, and leaking details of a brief chat with Mr. Xi, and then having a public contretemps with him, is just more noise. What Canada needs on this file is not loud political marketing but quiet, substantial action – to change our laws so that foreign powers cannot mess with our democracy.”

Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be thanking Chinese President Xi Jinping for their awkward G20 encounter: “Not since the Zapruder film has a clip been studied this closely: the 45 seconds of seemingly spontaneous back-and-forth between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese President Xi…