By Zi-Ann Lum

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In today's edition:

→ A new report challenges one department’s anti-racism strategy.

→ Some staggering statistics about Canada’s worst wildfire season.

READING THE ROOM — Years of tall talk from Ottawa about its anti-racism strategy have translated into easy, make-work projects that have achieved little, a recently disclosed public opinion research report reveals.

— Tick tock: It’s been two years and one federal election since IAN SHUGART, former clerk of the Privy Council, sent a letter telling deputy ministers and the heads of federal and separate agencies to get serious about anti-racism, equity and inclusion.

— Insight that C$99,779 buys: In December, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) enlisted Pollara Strategic Insights to conduct six interviews and 15 two-hour focus groups. The firm booked virtual time with employees at various levels with responsibility for a range of files.

Minister SEAN FRASER headed the department at the time the contract was awarded.

The goal was to understand how racism is experienced within the department and to uncover what employees think about management’s handling of it. The March report also tried to solicit ideas about policy change.

Some findings and highlights from Pollara’s interviews with 62 employees:

— Employees want an independent, external body to probe complaints: “We help people leave their countries and get protection within Canada, and within IRCC we can’t even get that protection. We put our careers and salaries on the line [if we decide to report].”

— Confidence in the department is undermined by the perception that it’s an old boys’ club: “[The people in positions of power] all have similar ways of speaking, similar backgrounds. Where they went to school. It’s that Franco-Canadian, Laurentian elite, immersion school thing. It seems like a club that we are not a part of, and we don’t know how to get in. It’s a government-wide issue but at IRCC we should be better, because we are bringing in immigrants.”

— Consultants don’t always abide by the department’s anti-racism values: “I’m shocked at the things that have come out of consultants’ mouths. There is no proper vetting process for consultants.”

— WFH is considered an escape: “Working from home was like erasing my exposure to all these daily microaggressions. Having that out of my work environment has helped me. But now, when people bring up their concerns, all they get [from management] is this media line saying we are committed to equity instead of saying IRCC gets it.”

— It creates disillusionment when “known offenders” in foreign postings soar without accountability or consequence: “Being a Black person here is an extreme sport. I kid you not. We are not protected.”

Interview participants with experience in foreign postings said they witnessed managers mock the accents of locally engaged staff — either asking them to repeat things or pretending not to understand.

Also on the record: IRCC employees claiming they’d witnessed leaders express “overt disdain and even hatred for people from certain countries and for immigrants to Canada.”

— Double standard in immigration policy for Ukrainian refugees: One employee said decisions were “flawed and racialized people saw it immediately.”

“To open the doors and just say come on in … that has never been done before. Not in Yemen, not in Syria...”

“When I was onboarding, and I saw the approval rates from different countries and the differential in willingness to support arriving Afghans versus Ukrainians ... I was expecting there to be a difference. I am not naïve. But it’s the extent of the difference that struck me.”

— What’s next: One employee urged the department to address racism before biases become entrenched in automated processes. “Our aggressive output targets have us moving fast towards technological solutions. Once it gets embedded in that machine and it's running, good luck trying to get it modified.”

Fraser’s 2021 marching orders made no mention of prioritizing guardrails for technological solutions. The prime minister’s new mandate letters are expected to drop around the time of next week’s Cabinet retreat in Charlottetown.

— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is on vacation.

— Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in Peace Country, Alberta, where she will tour an energy production facility at 1:45 p.m. local time. Later in the afternoon, her focus will turn to grain.

— NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH is in Edmonton where he’ll meet Mayor AMARJEET SOHI. In the morning, Singh will be talking about dental care. Later in the day, he’ll speak with Indigenous groups about wildfire season before holding a town hall on health care.

— Bloc leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET continues his four-day tour of New Brunswick.

8:30 a.m. Statistics Canada releases the Consumer Price Index for July.

12 p.m. (11 a.m. ADT) Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT holds a media availability by phone from Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador. Guilbeault is in the northern part of the province to make an announcement related to Inuit-led conservation.

33.1 MILLION — That’s how many acres of Canada have burned during the 2023 wildfire season.

We reported the numbers to subscribers last week, but share them here for the record.

Staggering, by every measure. Here are the latest figures:

5,593: Number of fires.

3,002: Environment Canada air-quality alerts.

5,821: Active firefighting personnel (Canadian).

965: Active firefighting personnel from international forces; almost 5,000 from 12 countries have traveled to Canada to help this year.

167,589: Evacuees.

Wildfire activity has released more than 1 billion tonnes (or 1,000 megatonnes) of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, according to Natural Resources Canada analysis.

For context, Canada’s total emissions in 2020 is estimated at 672 megatonnes.

In related reading: 

The Globe’s Nancy Macdonald spoke with survivors of the fires in Maui. “It was like driving through a warzone,” British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Matthew Taylor said of attempts to escape the flames.

The Associated Press chronicles life-or-death choices.

The New York Times has the latest on the death toll, which continues to grow.

— DAVID THURTON of CBC News reports spoke with environmental watchdog JERRY DEMARCO who says Ottawa is using 'creative accounting' on its 2 billion tree pledge.

— Top of Politico this hour: "Trump, allies charged with racketeering scheme over bid to subvert election in Georgia."

— The Logic’s MARTIN PATRIQUIN writes: Montreal’s shiny new train is about to change the face of the city. And how about this line, which will stir FOMO in those of us living in and around Ottawa: “Though it has been open to the public for all of two weeks, it already has the makings of seamless, humdrum reality.”

— The Hill Times’ 2023 Politically Savvy Survey is here. Among this year's awards, the hardest-working MP: ELIZABETH MAY.

— The Citizen’s ANDREW DUFFY reports that more than 300 million litres of sewage water poured into Ottawa River during last week’s storm.

— CHRISTOPHER CHEUNG of The Tyee explains why Burnaby decided to develop its own housing.

— The Liberals aren’t just losing, GINNY ROTH writes at The Hub. “Only arrogance can explain why our country’s analysts refuse to entertain the notion that the Conservatives might just have a plan and that it might just be working.”

— A headline in The Wall Street Journal via PAUL VIEIRA: Canada tests the limits of its Liberal immigration strategy.

— Covid keeps evolving, but so does our immunity, LAUREN PELLEY of CBC News writes. “Are we now at a 'stalemate' with this virus?”

— From Canadaland: What’s-a Meta with Canadian news?

For POLITICO Pro subscribers, our latest policy newsletter: Pointing fingers about pointed fingers. 

In other news for POLITICO Pro subscribers:

— California's planning a renewable energy project at a scale never attempted before.

— New-age meat industry ramps up its lobbying ahead of farm bill.

— POLITICO Pro Analysis: The F-35 Engine War.

— Judge gives win to Montana youth in climate trial.

— Is the IRA transforming U.S. solar production? Experts disagree.

Birthdays: HBD to Senator MOHAMED-IQBAL RAVALIA. 

Also celebrating: Former deputy premier of Manitoba ROSANN WOWCHUK and former Conservative MP DAVID ANDERSON, LAURA D’ANGELO of Enterprise and journo MICHAEL WOOD.

Spotted: U.S. Ambassador DAVID COHEN with 100,000 kilometres of Canada under his belt … ADRIAN HAREWOOD, humbled and hobbled by a late-night, 100-meter dash … Former PM JEAN CHRÉTIEN in a Park Canada handout picture from a weekend event near Woody Point, N.L. celebrating the 50th anniversary of Gros Morne National Park. ... CHARLIE ANGUS, touring a Cobalt silver mine.

The new owner of a government surplus donair costume: PRIMETIME DONAIR, CP reports.

Former Conservative leader ANDREW SCHEER seemingly unaware of how The Canadian Press operates. Notes pundit DAVID MOSCROP: “Either he doesn’t know what a wire service is and he’s incompetent, or he does and he’s something worse.”

Senator SALMA ATAULLAHJAN, stirring the pot under the watch of GARNETT GENIUS.

Saskatoon PPC Association: Deregistered by Elections Canada … Two live tarantulas hidden inside children’s toys, discovered by the Canada Border Services Agency.

Movers and shakers: ABIGAIL JACKSON is joining the Institute for Research on Public Policy as a research associate.

How Big Things Get Done by BENT FLYVBJERG and DAN GARDNER is long listed for the FT Business Book of the Year.

Media mentions: SANDRINE VIEIRA of Le Devoir has arrived on Parliament Hill.

Monday’s answer: On Aug. 14, 2003, “…a series of faults caused by tree branches touching power lines in Ohio, were then complicated by human error, software issues, and equipment failure,” leading to the most widespread blackout in North American history.

Thanks to the many Playbook readers who sent in memories from those dark days.

Props to MARC LEBLANC, AMY BOUGHNER, BARRY MCLOUGHLIN, NATHANIEL GORDON, FERNANDO MELO, ANDREW SZENDE, ALEX BALLINGALL, JEFFREY VALOIS, WILL MARIANI, DENNIS KNOTT, JOSEPH CHAMOUN, CAMERON RYAN, BRIAN GILBERTSON, JOANNA PLATER, DAVE JONES, AMY CASTLE, ELIZABETH BURN, D.G. STRINGER.

ANDRÉ BRISEBOIS, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, SEAN MOORE, DOUG RICE, PATRICK DION, RODDY MCFALL, LESLIE SWARTMAN, ROSS LECLAIR, LAURA PAYTON, SCOTT YOUNG, JOHN DILLON, GORDON RANDALL, KRISTA OUTHWAITE, JOHN MERRIMAN, JENN KEAY, HELEN DARBY and JOHN ECKER. 

Have a stumper for Playbook’s trivia players? Shoot it our way.  

Today’s question: The Royal Canadian Mint recently issued a loonie featuring the Queen of the Hurricanes. Who was honored?

Answers to [email protected] .

Want to grab the attention of movers and shakers on Parliament Hill? Want your brand in front of a key audience of Ottawa influencers? Run a Playbook ad campaign. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: [email protected].

Playbook wouldn’t happen without: POLITICO Canada editor Sue Allan, Luiza Ch. Savage and David Cohen.

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