Drinking for what

Jul 06, 2023

By ZI-ANN LUM, KYLE DUGGAN and JOSEPH GEDEON

06/02/2023 06:00 AM EDT

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Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. I’m your host, Zi-Ann Lum, with Kyle Duggan and Joseph Gedeon. It's party season and Sen. PATRICK BRAZEAU is out to close a knowledge gap about alcohol. Health Canada reveals its cost projection for new cigarette labels. Plus, Cabinet's Covid-19 subcommittee is no more.

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD — The June cocktail circuit is back in full force but it isn't for everyone. Sen. PATRICK BRAZEAU, for one, avoids the Hill's drinking scene.

"Since 2016, I have not I have not attended any reception where alcohol is being served just for personal reasons," the independent, non-affiliated Quebec senator told Playbook. Participating in too many receptions once upon a time made him a victim to politics’ boozy culture, he said.

"I learned my lesson the hard way," he said, referencing dark chapters in his life that he's been candid about, involving substance abuse issues that started with social drinking.

Brazeau is three years sober now and on a mission to get health warning labels on alcoholic beverages. His Senate public bill, if passed, would require labels to identify what volume of liquid is considered a "standard drink" and how many of them are in a container. The label would also include a Health Canada warning about the link between alcohol consumption and certain cancers.

— Indulgence and excess: Alcohol is seeped into Hill culture, a tradition upheld by an unconventional lifestyle connected by individuals with a shared tolerance for erratic work schedules. Reaching for a drink at receptions, garden parties and working meals are, for some, one way to bring levity to long days.

It's not just the indulgence that worries Brazeau, it's the known health concerns.

— Knowledge gap: "It's one of the only carcinogens that comes with absolutely no information," he said. "No labels nor warnings whatsoever like we have with cannabis and tobacco products."

Related from POLITICO's JOSEPH GEDEON: Canada is putting "virtually unavoidable" health warning labels on individual cigarettes.

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction says that while 76.5 percent of Canadians over age 15 drink alcohol, only a minority (25 percent) are aware of its link to nearly 7,000 cancer deaths in Canada annually.

— Sober thoughts: Brazeau's bill is in the Senate at second reading. He's hopeful it will eventually be sent to committee so experts can be brought in to study the merits of a health label on booze. There seems to be widespread support for it in principle.

Conservative Sen. DON PLETT called the bill a "perfect" candidate for study at committee. Alcohol abuse, he said, "is a terrible scourge on our society, which is all too common and extracts a heavy price from those who fall into its clutches."

— Here's the but: Plett told his Senate colleagues that he isn't convinced of the efficacy of alcohol warning labels, citing at least 47 countries that have adopted them (including the United States) and the lack of consensus on what quantity is considered a low-risk level of alcohol consumption.

"My doctor has told me that one glass of wine per day will help my blood pressure. Two glasses of wine per day will increase my blood pressure," Plett said in the chamber earlier this week.

"I had a perfect solution. I went and bought a larger glass, but he said that wasn't the answer to my problem."

— Big picture: The bill tackles the lack of retail health information about alcohol consumption, Brazeau said. He acknowledged the alcohol lobby's influence over public policy, noting the government rolling back a planned 6.3 percent "escalator tax" on all alcoholic products to 2 percent in its budget this year.

"They will do absolutely everything that they can to ensure that there are never any labels on their product, and the word ‘cancer’ on their product," Brazeau said. "Because we all know that that would lead to a reduction in sales."

If there were health labels on cans and bottles when he started drinking, the 48-year-old wonders if they would have made him think about alcohol differently — and if his relationship with the substance could have turned out differently.

"This bill is not telling people what they should be doing, what they should not be doing," he said. "It's just providing them with access to health information because it's my firm belief that it's every Canadian consumers’ right to know."

Want to talk about unscrutinized aspects of Hill culture? We want to hear from you.

— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is in Toronto to meet Polish Prime Minister MATEUSZ MORAWIECKI. The pair have a bilat at 10:30 a.m. and a joint press conference at 12 p.m. before they sit down for a 1 p.m. luncheon.

— Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND is also in Toronto and will join Trudeau for the 10:30 a.m. bilat and 1 p.m. luncheon with Morawiecki.

— NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH is in Winnipeg to canvass with his party's Winnipeg South Centre candidate, JULIA RIDDELL.

8:30 a.m. The Canadian Global Affairs Institute holds its annual conference at the KPMG offices in Ottawa. Speakers include International Trade Minister MARY NG, National Security and Intelligence Adviser JODY THOMAS, U.S. Ambassador DAVID COHEN, German Ambassador SABINE SPARWASSER, Ukrainian Ambassador YULIYA KOVALIV, JOHN MANLEY and PETER MACKAY.

10:30 a.m. Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE will hold a press conference in Winnipeg.

READING THE ROOM — The prime minister's office quietly refreshed a list of Cabinet committees this week, dropping one from the mix. The "subcommittee on the federal response to the coronavirus disease" is no more.

Health Canada spokesperson ANNE GÉNIER told Playbook the subcommittee was discontinued in April, crediting "increased population immunity" for a generally stabilized Covid situation in Canada.

"As of spring 2023, following more than 100 meetings over three years, the subcommittee wound down its activities having fulfilled its mandate," Génier said in an email. "Other Cabinet committees will assume any future work on Covid-related issues."

SYSTEM GOT BORKED — Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU's National Security and Intelligence Adviser JODY THOMAS blamed a "breakdown" in the system as the reason why intel on Conservative MP MICHAEL CHONG being targeted by China never made it up the chain to ministers, with no "single" point of failure.

— Buried in papers: It was part of a trickle of details to come from her Thursday procedure and House affairs committee appearance, including a description of the torrent of classified information blasted at senior bureaucrats. Canada's top spy agency collects 3,000 to 4,000 pieces of intel a month (plus all the secrets shared through the international Five Eyes alliance), so she can end up with a briefing package to the tune of 50 to 100 pieces of intelligence a day, maybe more.

But some of those documents might never make it to a senior bureaucrat, who might be preoccupied with other hot files, or could miss an information package while off on vacation before it's destroyed for security purposes, which presumably comes with an Inspector Gadget-style warning that this message will self destruct in 30 seconds.

Conservative MP MICHAEL COOPER's questioning exposed that this is pretty much what happened when Thomas was deputy minister of defense in 2021, and her office became one of the black holes that ate a key memo about Chinese interference while she was on vacation.

Her assertion that the gaps in the system have been fixed was met with skepticism.

NDP MP RACHEL BLANEY said, "So, are you really telling me this [system] was completely broken and in two or three weeks, you fixed the problem?"

— Deflect, deflect, deflect: If it isn't everyone's fault, it's someone's. At the hearing, BILL BLAIR, who was public safety minister in 2021,seemed to pin blame on CSIS Director DAVID VIGNEAULT for not ensuring Blair's office received the memo warning about Chong being targeted by Beijing.

— Flag for follow up: Thomas acknowledged the potential for foreign interference in the nomination processes of Canadian political parties is a "distinct problem" that must be dealt with and the government will need to discuss this directly with Canada's political parties.

Thomas also revealed the three MPs who have come forward about being targeted — Chong, ERIN O’TOOLE and JENNY KWAN — have not faced any physical threat to their security.

— What's next: A red-letter date: Special rapporteur DAVID JOHNSTON appears at PROC on Tuesday for three hours.

— Further listening: Ex-diplomat COLIN ROBERTSON speaks with intelligence expert WESLEY WARK and journalism professor CHRIS WADDELL on the Global Exchange podcast about foreign interference and the media.

COST FOR NEW SMOKES — Canada will be the first country in the world to label individual cigarettes, a move that will come with a C$210 million price tag over the next 10 years, Health Canada's TAMMY JARBEAU tells POLITICO in an email.

It's part of an aggressive federal strategy to dissuade smokers from getting their next pack, with the goal of lowering the percentage of Canadians who smoke to less than 5 percent nationwide by 2035.

The hard-to-miss warnings — which will come with intense phrases like, "Cigarettes cause impotence" and "Poison in every puff" — are the result of public research conducted by Health Canada between 2018 and 2020. The aim is to resonate with young smokers in particular. The tobacco industry was also involved in consultations that ran between 2017 and 2021.

— Coming to a store near you … eventually: The regulation goes into effect in August, though the newly branded cigarettes are only set to reach retailers by April 2024.

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Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 5, 2023. | Daniel Cole/AP Photo

Who's up: Ukraine's Defense Minister OLEKSIY REZNIKOV, for his power-play move beaming into CANSEC this week, announcing Canada's defense review "is scheduled to be released in July."

Who's down: BILL BLAIR, whose accountability style saw him blame CSIS Director DAVID VIGNEAULT this week for not taking additional steps to make sure his former office (public safety) got a May 2021 memo about Beijing's plans to target Conservative MP MICHAEL CHONG.

A helicopter carrying water flies over heavy smoke from an out-of-control fire in a suburban community outside of Halifax that spread quickly, engulfing multiple homes and forcing the evacuation of local residents on May 28, 2023. | The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese

— Halifax Fire's deputy chief is pleading with residents to stop illegal burns, SUZANNE RENT and JENNIFER HENDERSON report for Halifax Examiner.

— For Policy Options, KATHERYN MAY reports on JOHN HANNAFORD as a "wild-card pick" for the next Privy Council Office clerk — and changing eligibility criteria for the top public servant job.

— The Stellantis deal had Ontario Premier DOUG FORD on the phone with Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND until 2 a.m., reports the Toronto Star's ROBERT BENZIE, TONDA MACCHARLES and ROB FERGUSON.

— CP's MICKEY DJURIC reports: Meta to test blocking news on Instagram, Facebook for some Canadians.

— JASON MARKUSOFF makes his Herle Burly podcast debut with pollster JANET BROWN to sink their teeth into Alberta's election results.

— POLITICO's JONATHAN LEMIRE, ADAM CANCRYN and JENNIFER HABERKORN run through how Team Biden sought to ace the debt ceiling standoff.

For POLITICO Pro subscribers, our latest policy newsletter from KYLE DUGGAN and JOSEPH GEDEON: PM's adviser describes firehose of classified documents.

In other news for Pro subscribers:

— Southeast Asian trade partners push for EV tax perks.

— Why old finance is becoming a bit like crypto.

— China lambasts EU, U.S. over trade meeting statement.

— ‘The weirdest legislation that anybody has ever been asked to vote on.’

— POLITICO Pro Q&A: Goldman Sachs President of Global Affairs Jared Cohen.

Birthdays: HBD today to journalist and author KEVIN NEWMAN.

Celebrating Saturday: Conservative Party Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE, retired Sen. HOWARD WETSTON and CUPE's HUGH POULIOT.

Sunday birthdays: Conservative MP MIKE LAKE and Sandstone Group's NARESH RAGHUBEER.

Send birthdays to [email protected].

Spotted: Inside a comically crowded Air Canada lounge at the Ottawa airport Thursday evening: Liberal MP BARDISH CHAGGER and the NDP's DANIEL BLAIKIE sharing notes, Cabmin DIANE LEBOUTHILLIER, Conservative MPs BOB ZIMMER and TED FALK.

And in the airport proper: LLOYD LONGFIELD, KELLY BLOCK, MIKE LAKE, ED FAST and JUDY SGRO. NDP MP ALISTAIR MACGREGOR and Conservative MP MARC DALTON heading to their far-flung West Coast ridings in business class.

Sen. DAVID WELLS’ proud-dad post celebrating son ALEX's convocation at Memorial University … "Effervescent" Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE making the rounds at CANSEC and picking up a heavy box … Photo receipt of International Trade Minister MARY NG's call with Ukrainian First Vice Minister YULIA SVYRYDENKO and Ukraine's Deputy Economy Minister TARAS KACHKA.

A bunch of Liberals drinking milk for World Milk Day: Agriculture Minister MARIE-CLAUDE BIBEAU, Treasury Board President MONA FORTIER, National Revenue Minister DIANE LEBOUTHILLIER, Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT, Tourism Minister RANDY BOISSONNAULT, PAUL CHIANG, RECHIE VALDEZ, MARIE-FRANCE LALONDE, JUDY SGRO, SHAFQAT ALI, ANNIE KOUTRAKIS, FRANCESCO SORBARA, VALERIE BRADFORD and ANGELO IACONO.

Sen. ROB BLACK also posed with a glass of milk, mid-gulp.

Conservative MP ANNA ROBERTS is the latest guest on caucus colleague MICHELLE FERRERI's "People Before Politics" web series.

Movers and shakers: PMO Communications Director CAMERON AHMAD bids the Hill adieu today after nine years with Trudeau.

MARIANNE RIVOALEN appointed the new chief justice of Manitoba.

Media mentions: PHILLIP CRAWLEY is retiring as the Globe and Mail's CEO at the end of August and ANDREW SAUNDERS, the newspaper's chief revenue officer, has been named as his successor.

CBC News’ AUDREY NEVEU is leaving Edmonton and the Alberta Legislature Press Gallery to head home to Montreal.

→ Find upcoming House committees here → Keep track of Senate committees here

8:30 a.m. The Canadian Global Affairs Institute holds its annual conference at the KPMG offices in Ottawa. Speakers include International Trade Minister MARY NG, National Security and Intelligence Adviser JODY THOMAS, U.S. Ambassador DAVID COHEN, German Ambassador SABINE SPARWASSER, Ukrainian Ambassador YULIYA KOVALIV, JOHN MANLEY and PETER MACKAY.

8:45 a.m. The House natural resources committee meets to continue their study of Canada's pulp and paper industry.

8:45 a.m. Increased Francophone immigration to Canada is the topic of study at the House official languages committee.

8:45 a.m. The House public safety committee meets to study Bill C-20 with witnesses from the Customs and Immigration Union, National Police Federation and the Quebec Immigration Lawyers Association.

8:45 a.m. Familiar faces THOMAS JUNEAU and ANDREW MITROVICA on the witness list for the House access to information committee's study of foreign interference and threats to the integrity of democratic institutions, intellectual property and the Canadian state.

9:30 a.m. The Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians hosts its annual memorial service in the Senate chamber.

10:30 a.m. Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE will hold a press conference in Winnipeg.

Behind closed doors: The House human resources committee will review a draft report of their national housing strategy study; the House human resource committee's subcommittee on agenda and procedure meets separately to talk about "committee business"; the House foreign affairs committee's subcommittee on international human rights meets to discuss their study of the Chinese government's residential boarding schools and preschools in the Tibet Autonomous Regions.

Thursday's answer: R.B. BENNETT was an initial investor in the Calgary Petroleum Products Company that started drilling wells in 1913.

Props to GUY SKIPWORTH, GEORGE SCHOENHOFER, DOUG SWEET, SHAUGHN MCARTHUR, NANCI WAUGH, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, GERMAINE MALABRE, GEORGE YOUNG and KATE DALGLEISH.

Today's question: How many consecutive years has a McGuinty, at either the federal or provincial level, held office in Ottawa South?

Send your answer to [email protected]

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