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Articles by Andy Blatchford
Meet the Trudeau protege who might one day have his job
OTTAWA, Ont. — Mélanie Joly’s political resume is longer than you might think — student activist leader, out-of-the-blue candidate who nearly became a big-city mayor and now Canada’s face on the world stage. The foreign minister’s career — which includes a high-profile Cabinet demotion — has elevated her into a cluster of Liberals who could one day take over from party leader Justin Trudeau. It’s not that Liberals like Joly are openly maneuvering for Trudeau’s job.
Meet the Trudeau protege who might one day have his job
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly's name is not the only one that comes up in chatter about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s eventual replacement. It’s rarely the first one, either. | Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press OTTAWA, Ont. — Mélanie Joly’s political resume is longer than you might think — student activist leader, out-of-the-blue candidate who nearly became a big-city mayor and now Canada’s face on the world stage.
Dentalcare is a molar right
| Subscribe here | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading the Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey with Maura Forrest and Andy Blatchford. Today, dentalcare goes to committee. Plus, STEVEN GUILBEAULT and CHARLIE ANGUS tussle over the speed of climate action. And a pension expert sorts out truth from fiction on the politics of CPP contributions. Oh, and JUSTIN TRUDEAU and PIERRE POILIEVRE square off for the first time in question period.
Trudeau vs. Poilievre: Inflation takes top billing as showdown begins
A few hours later, Trudeau directed his public remarks at a Liberal caucus retreat squarely at his new foil. “Now is not the time for politicians to exploit fears and to pit people one against the other,” Trudeau said in a speech in St. Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick. He insisted Liberals have tried to work with all parties. “But this doesn’t mean that we’re not going to be calling out highly questionable, reckless economic ideas… .
Jenni Byrne is just getting started
“Kudos to her,” Fred DeLorey, O’Toole’s national campaign director in 2021, tells POLITICO. “You can’t deny her abilities when she takes out leaders and then helps put in the one she wants. I don’t know anyone else who could accomplish that.” Enemies consider Byrne a ruthless, no-holds-barred politico willing to turn on allies the moment she’s crossed.
‘There’s a lot of anxiety,’ as suspects in Saskatchewan stabbings evade police manhunt
Damien Sanderson, left, and Myles Sanderson are wanted in one of Canada’s deadliest mass casualties. | Royal Canadian Mounted Police via AP A manhunt has entered its second day for two suspects in a stabbing rampage that left 10 dead and at least 15 injured in Saskatchewan.
GOP Senate nominee in blue Washington says she supports state law guaranteeing abortion up to fetal viability
1 day ago Former president Donald Trump on Saturday accused Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor and Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman of using multiple illegal drugs.
Tanks for the memories: War upends ethnic relations in Estonia
NARVA, Estonia — Anna Gisser was out for a stroll through Narva’s leafy Siivertsi park last week, when the 82-year-old pensioner was stopped by two policemen and told to wait. Workers were in the park loading a Soviet-era tank memorial onto a truck and carting it off to a museum — part of Tallinn’s effort to remove what for ethnic Estonians glorifies half a century of brutal Soviet occupation, but what local Russian-speakers feel commemorates fallen Red Army soldiers from World War II.
Biden’s Ottawa whisperer
U.S. ambassador David Cohen has been tasked with repairing the U.S.-Canada relationship. First though, he has to help Canada get past Trump. President Joe Biden’s old friend David Cohen was settling into his new job when he was confronted by pimply, pulpy blobs festering in the U.S.-Canada relationship.
Biden’s Ottawa whisperer
But Cohen, who arrived in Ottawa on Dec. 1, has a lot more on his plate than potatoes: The two countries are in the midst of serious conversations — if not outright disputes — over lumber, dairy, oil pipelines, China, defense spending, critical minerals, digital taxes, gun smuggling and climate change. As Biden’s envoy, he’s the designatedpoint person in repairing a damaged friendship.
How hotter summers threaten European wildlife
People aren't the only ones suffering through this summer’s scorching temperatures. Animal populations across Europe are struggling to survive and adapt to heat waves, droughts and wildfires — raising fears that the Continent's changing climate will decimate already threatened biodiversity. “It is difficult for many animals to go about their normal routines," said Andreas Nord, an ecologist with Sweden's Lund University.
U.S. ambassador says Biden is ‘eager’ to visit Canada - when timing permits Original
The connection President Joe Biden, right, has with Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has eased strain at the top following four tumultuous years in the relationship under the Trump administration. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo OTTAWA, Ont. — Joe Biden will visit Canada — he just needs an opening. “President Biden will come to Canada in person,” David Cohen, U.S. ambassador to Canada, told POLITICO on Wednesday during an interview at the embassy in Ottawa. “There are ongoing discussions.
Stephen Harper has something to say
| Subscribe here | | Follow Politico Canada Thanks for reading the Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey, with Maura Forrest and Andy Blatchford. We're still in Edmonton, following the papal visit. But we're also in Ottawa, keeping our finger on the pulse of contentious parliamentary committees. Plus, the Tory endorsement to end all Tory endorsements dropped Monday evening.
Trudeau: Canada first NATO ally to ratify membership bids by Finland and Sweden
“Their membership will make NATO stronger," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said of Sweden and Finland. | Getty Images OTTAWA, Ont. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada on Tuesday became the first NATO member to formally approve applications by Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. Trudeau is now urging other allies to move quickly to finalize their own ratification processes. “This brings the two countries a step closer to full membership,” he said in a statement.
Take a number, sit in line: Canada troubleshoots passport line chaos with a bulk order for chairs
The Canadian government has a quick fix for the crush of people standing in line for passports: 801 chairs — to be delivered ASAP. The Trudeau government has been under fire for weeks over long lineups at passport offices as a crush of Canadians look to travel abroad, many for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. The backlog has also sent wait times for immigration application services soaring.
Take a number, sit in line: Canada troubleshoots passport line chaos with a bulk order for chairs Original
People camp out overnight in line outside a Service Canada passport office in Vancouver, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. | Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press OTTAWA, Ont. — The Canadian government has a quick fix for the crush of people standing in line for passports: 801 chairs — to be delivered ASAP. The Trudeau government has been under fire for weeks over long lineups at passport offices as a crush of Canadians look to travel abroad, many for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
All talk, no traction
I l Subscribe here Programming note: We’ll be off Friday for Canada Day but back in your inboxes on Monday. WELCOME TO OTTAWA PLAYBOOK. We’re your hosts, Maura Forrest and Andy Blatchford, with Nick Taylor-Vaisey. Today, how far will Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU go to support NATO? Also, get ready for another political interference scandal to dominate the summer. And an update on the mystery candidate for Ottawa mayor! At the G-7.
Why Freeland needs to bring home the bacon
| Subscribe here | Welcome to the Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey, with Andy Blatchford and Maura Forrest.Today, Finance Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND makes a "major" speech on the economy. We ask everybody in our Rolodex to tell us what she should say. Also, more hints at a mystery candidate for Ottawa mayor. Send in your guesses now! Did someone forward Ottawa Playbook your way? Click here to sign up for your own edition.
Canada drops vaccine mandates for domestic travel
An Air Canada Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet approaches the Toronto Pearson International Airport for a landing on March 13, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. | Cole Burston/Getty Images OTTAWA, Ont. — Unvaccinated Canadians will be able to fly domestically and abroad as of June 20 as the Trudeau government suspends proof-of-vaccination requirements for travel.
O’Toole blames China for Conservative election results
Erin O’Toole says Chinese interference is to blame for the defeat of as many as nine Conservative candidates in the 2021 federal election. The former Conservative leader’s remark, made during a podcast this week, advances an unusually specific allegation at a time of widespread warnings about state actors trying to undermine Canada’s democratic process.
O’Toole blames China for Conservative election results
O’Toole, under whom the Conservatives won the popular vote but lost the election, was unavailable for an interview Wednesday, his office said. Conservative MP Michael Chong told POLITICO he shares O’Toole’s views. Chong, who serves as their party’s foreign affairs critic, said Wednesday that after the election he was initially cautious about blaming Beijing for interfering in the vote. The evidence at the time, he said, wasn’t conclusive — but that has since changed.
More from Morneau: Canada shouldn’t have used Trump as ‘punching bag’
Ottawa is still buzzing about Bill Morneau and his sharp take on the Trudeau Cabinet. But it turns out Wednesday’s keynote was not the first time the former finance minister has taken his former colleagues to task. During a Feb. 25 speech in Washington, mostly overlooked after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a day earlier, Morneau took issue with the Trudeau government’s approach to Canada-U.S. relations during the tumultuous era of former President Donald Trump.
Bill Morneau unplugged
| Subscribe here | l Welcome to the Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey, with Andy Blatchford and Maura Forrest. Today, Ontario votes. Plus, is MICHELLE REMPEL GARNER gunning for a job in a different Canadian capital? And we have the World Milk Day exchange you can't miss. Did someone forward Ottawa Playbook your way? Click here to sign up for your own edition. It’s free! Last call for in-person trivia.
More from Morneau: Canada shouldn’t have used Trump as ‘punching bag’ Original
Former Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who has kept a relatively low profile since leaving politics in the summer of 2020, grabbed a lot of attention — and some pushback — with Wednesday’s speech. | Jason Lee-Pool/Getty Images OTTAWA, Ont. — Ottawa is still buzzing about Bill Morneau and his sharp take on the Trudeau Cabinet. But it turns out Wednesday’s keynote was not the first time the former finance minister has taken his former colleagues to task. During a Feb.
Morneau unleashes on Trudeau’s economic policies
Then-Minister of Finance Bill Morneau announces his resignation during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Aug. 17, 2020. | Justin Tang/The Canadian Press OTTAWA, Ont. — Justin Trudeau’s former finance minister Bill Morneau had choice words for his former colleagues in a rare public speech Wednesday night in which he criticized the Liberal government’s economic policies.
Behind Joly’s plan to modernize Canadian diplomacy
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada wants to better prepare its diplomats for an increasingly uncertain world. “Crises used to be something that happened every once in a decade — but now they’re happening every year,” Joly told POLITICO in an interview Monday evening. “We need to keep up with these challenging times.”
Behind Joly's plan to modernize Canadian diplomacy
Melanie Joly said she wants to empower<b> </b>the foreign service<b> </b>“to be at more tables, with louder voices and better equipment to meet the moment.” | Marcus Brandt/Pool via AP Photo OTTAWA, Ont. —Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada wants to better prepare its diplomats for an increasingly uncertain world. “Crises used to be something that happened every once in a decade — but now they’re happening every year,” Joly told POLITICO in an interview Monday evening.
A big week for Conservatives
| Subscribe here | Follow Politico Canada Welcome to Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey with Andy Blatchford and Zi-Ann Lum. Today marks the start of the homestretch in an anticlimactic Ontario provincial campaign. Plus, Friday's an enormously important waypoint for federal Tories jockeying for the party's leadership. Also, birds. Did someone forward you this Playbook? Click here to sign up for your own subscription to this free newsletter.
Pardon my French
| Subscribe here | l Welcome to the Ottawa Playbook. I'm your host, Zi-Ann Lum in Ottawa with Andy Blatchford in Laval, Quebec. Conservative leadership contenders throw down en français. The U.S. shares its China strategy. Our colleagues in Davos debate: Is globalization over? Plus, national defense wants to hire a company of professional actors. Did someone forward Ottawa Playbook your way?Click here to sign up for your own edition. It’s free! Debate night in Laval.
Conservative frontrunner deploys populist strike on Ottawa’s elites Original
The vote happened days after a convoy of truckers started what would turn out to be a three-week occupation of Ottawa’s downtown core to protest vaccine mandates and other government-imposed Covid-19 measures. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino accused the movement of being driven by elements determined to “overthrow” the government. Even though polls show the majority of Canadians opposed the “Freedom Convoy,” Poilievre has vocally embraced the trucker movement.
Conservatives face-à-face
I l l Subscribe here WELCOME TO OTTAWA PLAYBOOK. We’re your hosts, Andy Blatchford and Maura Forrest. Today, the Conservative leadership contenders go head-to-head in French in Laval. We take a look at PIERRE POILIEVRE versus the elites. And we dive into the Ontario election’s race for second place. FACE-À-FACE 2022 — Conservative leadership candidates will converge tonight in the vast Montreal suburb of Laval, where they will cross swords in the contest’s final official debate.
Conservative frontrunner deploys populist strike on Ottawa’s elites
Pierre Poilievre is on a quest to replace Justin Trudeau. He’s not out simply to upend the political establishment — he wants to burn it down. “The most powerful people in the country … will be accountable when I’m prime minister,” Poilievre, the frontrunner in the race for the Conservative Party leadership, says in a campaign ad.
Joly: Canada is working to rekindle relations with Beijing
In conversation with POLITICO’s David M. Herszenhorn for an episode of the EU Confidential podcast, Canada’s foreign minister discussed trade deals, Russia’s war on Ukraine, and Trudeau government foreign policy. Here are some of the highlights: Making news: Joly disclosed that she will release the Trudeau government’s long-awaited Indo-Pacific strategy in the “coming weeks.” The framework will address Canada’s relationship with China, she said.
Canada joins Five Eyes in ban on Huawei and ZTE
Canada announced it will ban Chinese telecoms Huawei and ZTE. | Sean Gallup/Getty Images OTTAWA, Ont. — Canada will ban Huawei and ZTE from the country’s fifth-generation wireless network over national security concerns, a long-awaited decision it announced Thursdayafter years of pressure from allies. “The threats to Canadians are greater than ever, and we will protect them,” Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told reporters in Ottawa.
Galapalooza
WELCOME TO OTTAWA PLAYBOOK. I’m your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey with Andy Blatchford and Maura Forrest.Today… Ottawa’s A-list comes out to play. Zi-Ann Lum shares a download from Capitol Hill. Plus, should Ottawa do something about gas prices? Joanna Chiu, author of 'China Unbound,' was named winner of the night's crown jewel: The Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for political writing. | Nick Taylor-Vaisey BALLROOM BLITZ — Who was at last night’s Politics and the Pen gala at the Chȃteau Laurier? Uh, everybody.
Pope Francis to build on apology during July visit to Canada
Pope John Paul II made the most-recent papal visit to Canada 20 years ago. | Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images OTTAWA, Ont. — Pope Francis will spend part of his summer in Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit where he is expected to build on his apology to the Indigenous peoples of Canada.
The presumed frontrunner to win Canada’s Conservative Party leadership race is vowing, if he becomes prime minister, to fire the Bank of Canada’s governor. Pierre Poilievre made the threat to central bank Governor Tiff Macklem when asked Wednesday during a leadership debate in Edmonton about Canada’s red-hot inflation.
Frontrunner for Canada's Conservative leadership promises to fire central bank governor
Candidate Pierre Poilievre speaks at the Conservative Party of Canada English leadership debate in Edmonton, Alberta on May 11, 2022. | Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press OTTAWA, Ont. — The presumed frontrunner to win Canada’s Conservative Party leadership race is vowing, if he becomes prime minister, to fire the Bank of Canada’s governor.
Canada taking ‘comprehensive look’ at joining U.S. ballistic missile defense
Canadian National Defense Minister Anita Anand speaks during a news conference, Thursday, April 28, 2022, in Washington. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo OTTAWA, Ont. — Defense Minister Anita Anand says Canada is examining the possibility of joining the United States’ ballistic missile defense system, an openness that comes nearly two decades after Ottawa first rejected an invitation to participate.
Trudeau to outlaw foreign home buyers in Canada as affordability fears heat up
Canadian households are also feeling the pinch from months of scorching inflation, much of it fed by surging food and gas prices. The annual inflation rate hit a 31-year high in March of 6.7 percent. Political rivals clearly see mounting cost-of-living fears as a vulnerability for the prime minister. Runaway home prices, felt by younger Canadians in particular, are at the heart of the debate. The Trudeau government used its recent budget to respond to the worries.
Canada is open to Americans who may lose access to abortions, but there's a catch
Political reaction in Canada to the draft Supreme Court opinion has been swift, with no shortage of posturing. Americans have always been free to travel to Canada for medical care, for example. “If an American wanted a medical procedure, they could get one, they would just have to pay for it out of pocket,” Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Minister Karina Gould told reporters Wednesday on her way into a Liberal caucus meeting.
Bill Browder on Russia's war on Ukraine: 'It’s not going to end'
OTTAWA, Ont. — Bill Browder, a U.S. investor and prominent anti-Putin critic, says the Russian president’s endgame in Ukraine is to ensure he stays in power at home. And to do that, Vladimir Putin will stay at war, Browder says. “It’s not going to end — it's going to carry on and on and on,” Browder, who heads the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, tells POLITICO. “Vladimir Putin is not going to back down and Ukrainians are not going to give up their country.
Bill Browder on Russia's war on Ukraine: 'It’s not going to end'
“Vladimir Putin is not going to back down and Ukrainians are not going to give up their country. This war will, unfortunately, be a long-lasting war in which many more atrocities will be committed, many more heartbreaks will happen and Russia will become even more isolated than they already are in the international community.” The founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management has a deep knowledge of the president and the way Putin’s Russia operates.
Budget 2022: Lockup to afterparty
| Subscribe here | Follow Politico Canada WELCOME TO OTTAWA PLAYBOOK. I'm your host, Nick Taylor-Vaisey with Andy Blatchford, Sue Allan and Zi-Ann Lum.We all spent several hours in a room with a book prepared by a Liberal government that has a new lease on life after inking a three-year deal with the opposition New Democrats. They tabled it on a Thursday and then skipped town into a two-week break from the House. Here's what we learned. The Liberals spent too much. The Liberals spent just enough.
Canada's 2022 budget: Plan to boost military spending 'falls flat' amid high hopes
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland speaks at a news conference in the media lockup, ahead of the tabling of the federal budget, in Ottawa, Ont., on Thursday, April 7, 2022. | Justin Tang/Canadian Press OTTAWA, Ont. — After weeks of tough talk about defense spending, Justin Trudeau’s government unveiled a budget Thursday with only an incremental boost for Canada’s military.
Five takeaways from Canada’s 2022 budget
Inflation is raising the cost of living around the world, Freeland said in the House of Commons. “Snarled supply chains have driven prices higher at the checkout counter,” she said. “Buying a house is out of reach for far too many Canadians. And now, [Vladimir] Putin’s barbaric war is making food and gas even more expensive.” Here are five takeaways from Freeland’s budget: <b>Uncertainty is certain. </b> During her budget speech, Freeland called Feb. 24 a day of infamy that has transformed the world.
Decoding the freedom-loving firebrand who wants to be Canada's next PM
The next leader needs to have it all: red meat for the party base, suburban-friendly ideas and charisma to match Prime Minister Trudeau — or whoever follows in his footsteps. A growing movement of grassroots Conservatives are convinced they’ve found their guy in Pierre Poilievre. He may be young, at just 42, but he’s no rookie.
Canada wants digital giants to compensate local news outlets
In this photo illustration, a message is seen on Facebook mobile, on Feb. 18, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. | Getty Images OTTAWA, Ont. — Canada is taking on Big Tech with new legislation that would force companies like Facebook and Google to compensate the struggling domestic news industry for the use of its content. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez unveiled the proposed, Australian-style “Online News Act” on Tuesday.
Canada circles back to Lockheed for F-35s
Plane models stand outside the Lockheed Martin Corporation in Fort Worth, Texas. | Tom Pennington/Getty Images OTTAWA, Ont. — Canada is pursuing a deal to purchase 88 F-35s from Lockheed Martin, an about-face for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who swore in 2015 to find another source for next-generation fighter jets. The federal government announced Monday that it will spend up to C$19 billion to buy warplanes to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s aging CF-18 fleet.
Cudzoziemcy na froncie wojny z Rosją. "Bronią całego regionu, nie tylko Ukrainy"
Stworzony przez Ukraińców Legion Cudzoziemski już walczy z Rosjanami Olbrzymią część żołnierzy tworzą w nim Amerykanie, Gruzini i Kanadyjczycy. Są też m.in. Polacy Wiele informacji na temat Legionu jest tajnych.
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