Politics This Morning: high-level party insiders to appear before House Affairs Committee on China’s attempted interference in Canada’s elections; Trudeau to meet with Artemis II Crew members

Good Tuesday morning, MPs will hear from some high-level party players today at the Procedure and House Affairs Committee who will be asked about China's attempted meddling in Canadian elections. HAMISH MARSHALL, who served as national campaign manager for the Conservatives from 2017 to 2019, and is now a partner at One Persuasion Inc., is scheduled to make an appearance in front of the House Procedure and Affairs Committee, as well as Liberal Party of Canada national director AZAM ISHMAEL. Senior adviser to the prime minister JEREMEY BROADHURST, a key architect in the Liberal Party’s success for many years, is also set to appear, as well as national campaign manager for the Conservative Party FRED DELOREY. As previously reported by The Hill Times in January 2023, Broadhurst is on the short-list of the prime minister's most-trusted advisers and he has spent years as a senior strategist for the Liberal Party and government. Marshall worked as a director of Rebel Media Ltd. prior to his time managing Conservative MP and former leader ANDREW SCHEER'S national election campaign in 2019. The committee will continue discussions on foreign election interference starting at 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then again, starting at 6:30 p.m. Trudeau holds cabinet meeting Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU has a busy day. He's holding a cabinet meeting at 10 a.m., and at 2 p.m., he will attend Question Period. At 4:15 p.m., he will meet with the members of the Artemis II Crew, including commander REID WISEMAN; pilot VICTOR GLOVER; and mission specialists CHRISTINA HAMMOCK KOCH and JEREMY HANSEN. At 4:35 p.m., the prime minister and member of the Artemis II Crew will meet with industry experts and youth who will showcase their space exploration projects. The PM will be joined by Industry Minister FRANCOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE. At 6:15 p.m, the prime minister will participate in an industry panel discussion with members of the Artemis II Crew, moderated by Canadian Space Agency president LISA CAMPBELL and NASA administrator Senator BILL NELSON. The PM will be joined by Champagne. After this, the prime minister will speak with the African Union Commission chairperson, H.E. MOUSSA FAKI MAHAMAT. PSAC workers in second week on the picket lines As of Monday evening, there was still no end in sight in the showdown between the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), Canada's largest federal public service union, and the federal government over wage increases and work-from-home arrangements. Public Service Alliance of Canada members picket the Treasury Board Secretariat office at 90 Elgin Street on April 20, 2023. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Last week, more than a 100,000 workers exercised their right to strike, as Canada’s largest federal public union flexed its muscles, affecting government services across the board, most notably passports and tax services. Yesterday, the Treasury Board said the union came to the table with more than 570 demands, and that agreement was reached on most demands during negotiations over the last three weeks. But what remains are four key demands: “wage increases; making telework a negotiated right for some employees; a ban on contracting out; and a requirement that, in the event that the size of the workforce needs to be adjusted, decisions concerning which employees to retain would be based on seniority,” according to the government. The union is looking for a 4.5 per cent increase annually over four years, while the government has proposed nine per cent increase over three years. On telework, the government is proposing a joint review with the unions to take stock of the “post-pandemic world.” In an open letter to public servants, Treasury Board Minister MONA FORTIER wrote that "it’s important for Canadians and public servants to understand what the government is doing to end the stress and strain from the labour disruption," and that encouraged employees to speak with their PSAC representative. "We call on the PSAC to urgently work with the government to negotiate the final key proposals at the table," wrote Fortier. "This will ensure that workers receive fair, competitive agreements and together, we can resume providing important services to Canadians." In case you missed it Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU met with German President FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER in his office across the street from Parliament early yesterday morning. Trudeau said he knows “a lot of people are very happy to see” Steinmeier and that he was looking forward to seeing him visit the Arctic. The German president said he not only appreciated the invitation to Canada, but the opportunity to “see the high north of Canada and how the Inuit are fighting against the consequences of climate change,” according to CP. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomes the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Parliament Hill on April 24, 2023. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Trudeau met with Steinmeier once again at the Rockcliffe Park house of German ambassador SABINE SPARWASSER ahead of a lunch, alongside Gov. Gen. MARY SIMON and the spouses of Simon, Trudeau and Steinmeier. As for the hot potato that is Bill-C11, the Online Streaming Act, Senator DON PLETT, leader of the opposition in the Senate, issued a statement yesterday afternoon saying the Trudeau government has “decided, and demonstrated, that speedy passage of its legislation trumps Senate independence” regarding the government’s curtailment of debate on the bill. “The time allocation motion is not only a slap in the face of Canadians who have legitimate concerns with Bill C-11; it is a slap in the face of all Senators in the Upper Chamber who tried to improve this flawed legislation,” said Plett in a statement. “The sunny ways have turned to dark days,” said the Senator. What’s happening in committee? There are 13 committees meeting today, including the House Transport Committee which will be looking at inter-city transport by bus in Canada, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee which will be discussing the situation at the Russia-Ukraine border from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. The House Ethics Committee will meet from 3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. in the Wellington Building, and will hear from journalist DEAN BEEBY, and co-founder of Democracy Watch DUFF CONACHER, who will be appearing by videoconference. Later in the afternoon, officials from CSIS, Immigration, National Defence, and Library and Archives Canada are scheduled to speak as well. The House Natural Resources Committee is set to discuss federal assistance for various natural resources industries today from 3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., and the House National Defence Committee will receive a briefing on the war in Ukraine, including testimony from senior adviser to the president at the RAND Corporation by videoconference BRIAN JENKINS and ANDREW RASIULIS, fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. The House Human Resources and Status of Persons with Disabilities Committee will meet from 3:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. at the Wellington Building to discuss Bill C-35, an Act Respecting Early Learning and Child Care in Canada. What else is in the news? Immigration Minister SEAN FRASER announced yesterday that the government is set to introduce new immigration measures to support Sudanese temporary residents who are currently in Canada and may be unable to return home due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in their country. The Globe and Mail reported Monday afternoon that Auditor-General KAREN HOGAN’S office cannot investigate a donation to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation from two Chinese businessman, with a spokeswoman saying a probe is “not within the Auditor-General’s remit.” It’s Tuesday’s Beautiful Book Give-Away 'Vanishing Fish: Shifting Baselines and the Future of Global Fisheries,' by Daniel Pauly. Image courtesy of Greystone Books & the David Suzuki Institute It’s Tuesday, which means it’s Tuesday's Beautiful Book Give-Away. This week’s give-away book is Vanishing Fish: Shifting Baselines and the Future of Global Fisheries, by DANIEL PAULY, and published by Greystone Books and the David Suzuki Institute. TED DANSON, (yes the actor and advocate), says: “This new book of his—despite its forbidding title—is optimistic, because it shows that we know how we could make our fisheries sustainable, and save ocean biodiversity.” And speaking of DAVID SUZUKI, he says: “Pauly’s insights into global fisheries provide an understanding of the root causes of our unsustainable ocean fishery.” This week’s question: what is an acoustic fish-finder? Whoever answers correctly first will receive a free copy of this book. Please email your response to: news@hilltimes.com with the subject line: Tuesday's Book Give-Away. mlapointe@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: high-level party insiders to appear before House Affairs Committee on China’s attempted interference in Canada’s elections; Trudeau to meet with Artemis II Crew members

Plus, there's still no end in sight in the Public Service Alliance of Canada's showdown with the federal government, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with German President Frank Waler-Steinmeier yesterday.

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Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: high-level party insiders to appear before House Affairs Committee on China’s attempted interference in Canada’s elections; Trudeau to meet with Artemis II Crew members

Plus, there's still no end in sight in the Public Service Alliance of Canada's showdown with the federal government, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with German President Frank Waler-Steinmeier yesterday.

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