By Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Zi-Ann Lum and Kyle Duggan

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Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook.

In today's edition:

→ Long days and short walks on Parliament Hill.

→ Straight talk from Bombardier on federal procurement.

→ The winners of last night's Playbook trivia night.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly arrives for a Cabinet meeting Oct. 3, 2023. | Justin Tang, The Canadian Press

WALK AND TALK — Ask anyone who staffs a minister about “The Walk,” and they'll know exactly what you're talking about. They'll spill every lesson they've learned — in five-minute intervals — walking astride a Cabmin.

— The Walk (n.): The stroll between a minister's office and a meeting on the Hill, typically comprising a minister and a staffer who scores the assignment. Some offices have a rotation.

— Can’t quite picture it? Think about those iconic scenes on “The West Wing” that unfolded up and down the halls of the White House: Josh explaining the Mexican debt crisis to Donna. Josh and Sam blindly following each other with no destination. It's all they did.

Parliament Hill is sorta like that, just more earnest.

— Keep an eye out: You can’t miss the couplets ambling between ministers' digs in outlying areas of the parliamentary precinct and wherever they're scrambling to arrive on time.

The short walk between Confederation Building, land of many MiNOs, and West Block, a Venus flytrap of executive and legislative work, is an easy place to catch the daily duos.

— Beat the clock: The Walk is typically a five-minute opportunity for an appointed staffer to run through an informal agenda — sometimes at the discretion of the aide, other times with input from the office. If they're meeting the boss at the West Block entrance and guiding them to Cabinet or the House, they’ll only get a 90-second sprint.

Press secretaries use the time to coach talking points for the scrum or the next interview on the calendar. Parliamentary affairs aides offer last-minute tips on question period — a twist or a turn in an issue the minister will have to defend in the House in a matter of minutes. Whatever is urgent is on the to-do list.

— Sometimes: The Walk is actually a Drive for ministers in Gatineau offices.

— Sharpen those instincts: The time is not just for briefings. It also involves keeping an eye out for MPs and stakeholders who might benefit from an informal chat.

"You have to have that awareness to spot those little opportunities," says a veteran of the daily strolls.

A shoulder tap and redirect can produce a useful 10-minute conversation.

The Walk can also offer new staff a crash course in political intuition. "You have to make decisions in the moment as to whether something is of value to tell the minister. Or stop a conversation if it needs to be stopped,” the Hill veteran says. “You have your hands on the reins."

— X-factor: Ministers who forget to eat lunch or gulp down a glass of water before their next thing. Crankiness is unproductive.

— Brace for impact: One staffer who's been on the Hill for five years says short walks and long hours produce solid bonds. "These people are all human beings. So having that [staff] around that they can lean on for work and non-work-related matters is extremely valuable."

Translation: Sometimes the boss just needs to blow off steam.

Want to talk the Walk? We're all ears.

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WHILE YOU WERE EATING — The Atlantic Loop is dead. Long live the “modified Atlantic Loop.” Ottawa has pledged C$20.5 million in new money to help get two provinces off coal.

“We're not starting from ground zero,” Energy and Natural Resources Minister JONATHAN WILKINSON said during a dinnertime announcement Monday, noting Nova Scotia’s “significant” progress in developing renewables. Ottawa has also made “very significant investments,” he added.

New Brunswick Premier BLAINE HIGGS and Nova Scotia Premier TIM HOUSTON joined Wilkinson for the announcement in Ottawa which cemented funding for a “phase one” of an Atlantic Loop: an inter-provincial line between Onslow, N.S., and Salisbury, N.B. — as well as project money for small modular reactor pre-development and a biomass feasibility study.

The meeting, months in the making, comes a week after Nova Scotia scratched the Atlantic Loop out of its plans to decarbonize the province’s grid by 2030.

— More funds to come: Wilkinson called the funding a starting point and teased that the inter-provincial line will qualify for “significant contribution” from the investment tax credits that have yet to be finalized by finance.

— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will chair the Cabinet meeting at 9:30 a.m. and attend question period in the afternoon.

— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND will attend Cabinet.

9 a.m. The parliamentary budget officer will release two new legislative costing notes, one titled, “Digital Services Tax” and the other, “Extension of repayment deadline and interest-free period for CEBA loans.”

10:30 a.m. Green MP MIKE MORRICE hosts a press conference on his private members motion that would "immediately extend the Canada Recovery Dividend to include the excess profits of fossil fuel companies operating in Canada." Morrice will be joined by author JOHN VAILLANT and NDP MP CHARLIE ANGUS.

1 p.m. Freeland will make an announcement and hold a media availability. She will be joined by Innovation Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE and Treasury Board President ANITA ANAND.

2:15 p.m. Freeland will meet with representatives from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

7:15 p.m. Trudeau will deliver remarks at the Antisemitism: Face it, Fight it Conference.

SEOUL SOURCE — Military procurement is on the docket this afternoon at the House government operations committee. Four senior bureaucrats will take questions on the government's potential acquisition of a fleet of P-8 Poseidon aircraft that would replace the CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft that have flown since the oldest millennials were toddlers.

Ottawa claims the P-8, which is a converted 737-800, isn't a done deal. The official line remains that the government is considering its options. But in June, the U.S. Congress received notice of the potential sale of 16 P-8s at an estimated cost of $5.9 billion.

— Hold on a sec: Bombardier wants the feds to pump the brakes.

The company's defense arm hopes to pitch Ottawa on a modified Global 6500 aircraft, a business plane converted for surveillance and reconnaissance. For now, the ask is simple: Don't sole-source the P-8. Run an open competition.

DOUG FORD and FRANÇOIS LEGAULT are calling for one, too.

Seoul ADEX 2023, a massive aerospace trade show in Korea. | AP

In advance of the government ops Committee meeting, Playbook spoke to STEVE PATRICK, the vice president of Bombardier Defense. He talked to us from Seoul ADEX 2023 in Korea.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity

What are you hearing in Seoul?

Historically, surveillance reconnaissance intelligence-gathering platforms have been derivatives of commercial airliners — large platforms like the 707 or 737. There's been a growing realization in the U.S. and internationally that you don't need such a large platform.

You don't need an aircraft with a crew of 15 or 20 people onboard. You can perform the same mission as effectively, if not more so, with a smaller group, and a lower cost, and better performance parameters than a conventional airliner.

What are your biggest concerns as a parliamentary committee takes up this issue?

The first concern we have is even just the title of the meeting. It's the "replacement of the CP-140 by the Boeing P-8 Poseidon." That implies a foregone conclusion.

Why would you not be interested in an analysis of alternatives, understanding what is available in the markets — not just today, but also in the coming years — to make sure that what you're acquiring is the best possible solution? The best way for Canada to get what it needs for the future is to run a fair and open competition, and assess all the available products to meet the requirements that Canada has.

Bombardier responded to a federal "request for information" on the potential procurement in 2022. What was the government's response to your submission?

Frankly, we didn't get much at all. In fact, we got almost nothing. It took Bombardier to reach out to the government to request status updates and follow-up meetings. We did that as a result of indications that the P-8 was becoming a favored aircraft. We found it quite disturbing in the initial phases that we were not being asked to contribute more comprehensively than just providing that initial RFI [request for information] response.

It's fair to say that when we made our initial outreach that we did get some meetings with department officials and with ministers.

How would you describe the government's response during those meetings, including post-Cabinet shuffle conversations with new ministers?

There's been an opinion, or a belief, that the P-8 is the only solution. And that may have already been communicated to new ministers. Some of what we're doing is trying to dispel that myth, and to also just share the fact that there is truly another option.

Bombardier insists its proposal would create more Canadian jobs than the P-8. How much are you hoping for jobs to shift the government's thinking?

Without having a competition that has all of those aspects lined up against each other — the capability, the price, the availability, the economic impacts, the long-term benefits for the Canadian economy — you're only really looking at a part of the answer.

— Non-essential staff at Canada’s Tel Aviv embassy were told to leave Israel amid growing security concerns, DAVID BAXTER and MERCEDES STEPHENSON report for Global News.

— POLITICO reports: U.S. President JOE BIDEN will travel to Israel on Wednesday.

— National Post’s CATHERINE LÉVÉSQUE reports: In a rare moment of unanimity, Conservative leader PIERRE POILIEVRE added his voice to the prime minister’s in calling for safe zones for Gaza's civilians.

— The Star’s STEPHANIE LEVITZ scooped details on newly released documents that shed light on why the RCMP didn’t pursue a criminal probe of Justin Trudeau in the SNC-Lavalin affair.

— Reuters reports on the interception of a Canadian military plane by Chinese fighter jets over international waters on Monday.

— PHIL GURSKI writes in the Ottawa Citizen of Canada’s intelligence leaks: “My own sources say our allies are asking tough questions about Canada and its membership in intelligence-sharing circles.”

— PAUL WELLS muses about the pull of the private sector for Cabinet ministers who want a change in pace. (Wells references nobody in particular, but we doubt this is a post conceived in thin air.)

— The Hill Times reports that former senior ministerial staffer LESLIE CHURCH, Toronto city councilor JOSH MATLOW, former city councilor JOSH COLLE and former Ontario health minister ERIC HOSKINS are eyeing the Liberal nomination in the safe Liberal riding of Toronto-St. Paul’s.

— AFP’s UZAIR RIZVI reports social media users are sharing a video that falsely claims Canada has banned a far-right Hindu group.

In our latest policy newsletter for POLITICO Pro subscribers, NICK TAYLOR-VAISEY, SUE ALLAN and ZI-ANN LUM reported:

→ U.S. Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN says the U.S. will not be ready this year to sign a treaty that would pave the way for a global levy on the world’s 100 richest companies.

→ Suncor Energy CEO RICH KRUGER told a House committee that oil and gas could have a “long life” ahead in Canada if continued use of fossil fuels were to become “more socially acceptable.”

→ POLITICO’s PAUL DEMKO reported on a snapshot from Statistics Canada that shows a spike in marijuana consumption since 2018 when Canada became the first country in the world to legalize cannabis sales and possession for adults.

In other news for POLITICO Pro subscribers:

— What to know about U.S. Department of Energy hydrogen hubs.

— UK publishes AI Safety Summit agenda.

— How America's new, quieter Joint Chiefs chair will tackle crises in Israel and Ukraine.

Birthdays: HBD to Sen. DAVID ADAMS RICHARDS and former MP ÉLAINE MICHAUD. Comedian and satirist RICK MERCER and CFRA host KRISTY CAMERON also celebrate today.

Send us birthdays: [email protected]

Spotted: Liberal MP KIRSTY DUNCAN “back on the walker.”

Former premier JASON KENNEY, at the Chateau Laurier … Sen. PAULA SIMONS, dining al fresco.

Movers and shakers: Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT has announced four new members of the net-zero advisory body: LOUISE COMEAU, ANNE DE BORTOLI, ROBERT HORNUNG and SHIANNE MCKAY.

DEBORAH LYONS will take over from IRWIN COTLER as Canada's special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism.

Crestview's MIRA AHMAD, a recent runner-up for Liberal Party president, is registered in the lobbyist registry for the No Options, No Choice Coalition. The group is worried about the impact of medical assistance in dying on vulnerable people.

"When they are at their most vulnerable, people may choose MAiD if they don't have suitable options," the coalition warns online. "We have a social responsibility to help people live their lives on their own terms. When Canadians are at their most vulnerable, they should be provided with meaningful options to live before they are provided with options to die."

ALEX COHEN moves on from the public safety minister’s office and is now communications director to Tourism Minister SORAYA MARTINEZ FERRADA.

Cocktail circuit: Space Canada hosts a reception at the Macdonald Building at 5 p.m. The organizers promise an "impressive guest speaker" … The Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a "national partnership of Canadian churches and church-based agencies working to end global hunger," holds a 5 p.m. reception in Room 228 of the Valour Building. Liberal MP SHAUN CHEN, Conservative MP MIKE LAKE and NDP MP HEATHER MCPHERSON are co-hosts … Indspire is hosting a 5:30 p.m. showcase of its support for Indigenous students. Liberal MP JENICA ATWIN co-hosts the event in Room 8-53 at 131 Queen St.

At 6:30 p.m., the Tourism Industry Association of Canada is in the Chateau Laurier's Quebec Suite (one floor up from the lobby) … The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, JFC-UIA and Canada's Jewish Federations host a 6 p.m. reception at the Shaw Centre as part of the "Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It" conference.

Media mentions: Applications are open for the 2024 R. James Travers Foreign Corresponding Fellowship. Past winners include KATIE DEROSA, MIKE BLANCHFIELD, MARCO OVED, LAURA PAYTON, MICHEL HUNEAULT, SARAH R. CHAMPAGNE, STEPHANIE DUBOIS, JESSE WINTER, ANDREA WOO and SADIYA ANSARI.

In memoriam: MP MARCUS POWLOWSKI used his time in the House on Monday to acknowledge the passing of STAN DROMISKY. “One night, during an evening vote, he came in full Santa regalia in order to vote on behalf of the people of Thunder Bay-Atikokan. That was the quintessential Stan, a guy who always had glitter in his eye, a sense of duty for his country and always put others before himself.” Read Dromisky’s obituary. 

Green Party Leader ELIZABETH MAY spoke Monday about the life and legacy of PAT CARNEY, “a trailblazer for women's rights and as a dear friend.” The House was not sitting when Carney died in July.

— The Cabinet meets in Ottawa.

9 a.m. Guaranteed livable basic income is up for discussion at the Senate national finance committee with some high-profile witnesses including former Ontario premier KATHLEEN WYNNE and Parliamentary Budget Officer YVES GIROUX.

9 a.m. The Senate Indigenous peoples committee meets to take Bill C-29 through clause-by-clause consideration.

9:30 a.m. The Senate rules committee meets to discuss “future business.”

11 a.m. Environment and Sustainable Development Commissioner JERRY DEMARCO will be at the House environment committee to brief MPs. STEPHANE TARDIF from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions also joins the committee briefing.

11 a.m. The House foreign affairs committee’s subcommittee on international human rights meets to pick up on their study of the situation facing the Hazaras in Afghanistan.

11 a.m. The House committee on procedure will hear from TARA DENHAM of the Department of Foreign Affairs and from MIKE MACDONALD of the Treasury Board Secretariat.

3:30 p.m. The House Indigenous and northern affairs committee meets to continue its study on restitution of land to First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities.

3:30 p.m. Four industry department officials will be at the House industry committee’s meeting studying Bill C-27.

3:30 p.m. The House government operations committee launches its study on the replacement of the CP-140 Aurora by the Boeing P-8 Poseidon.

3:30 p.m. BENJAMIN ROEBUCK, the federal ombudsperson for victims of crime, will be a witness in the second half of the House justice committee’s meeting studying Bill S-12.

6:30 p.m. The Senate agriculture and forestry committee meets to take Bill C-234 through clause-by-clause consideration.

6:30 p.m. The Senate fisheries and oceans committee meets to continue its study on Canada’s seal populations and how they impact the country’s fisheries.

Behind closed doors: The House fisheries committee considers its study on foreign ownership and corporate concentration of fishing licenses; the joint declaration committee on the declaration of emergency will discuss an access to information request; the House international trade committee and its subcommittee on agenda and procedure meets; MPs’ study on safe sport in Canada is up for discussion at the House heritage committee; the House national defense committee and its subcommittee on agenda and procedure have meetings planned; the House veterans affairs committee meets to review a draft report.

Speaker of the House Greg Fergus hosted a round of questions at POLITICO's trivia night at The Met. | POLITICO Canada

TRIVIA NIGHT — Playbook's specia