Canada loses a giant: Remembering Ed Broadbent

In today’s edition:

→ Colleagues and friends remember ED BROADBENT, who commanded respect across the political spectrum throughout his life

→ What you need to know about Taiwan’s elections this weekend.

→ Who won (and who lost) the week.

“He was a political sparkplug,” former Sen. Jim Munson says of Ed Broadbent. | Fred Chartrand, The Canadian Press

LIFE AND LEGACY — Respected. Humble. Decent. Common words friends and colleagues use to describe the late ED BROADBENT, who died at the age of 87.

— In memoriam: Follow this link to a growing Google doc where we’ve gathered more than 70 tributes so far to Broadbent, a politician and elder statesman best known as Ed.

— Larger than life: The human rights campaigner with the golden reputation from Oshawa was a massive figure in Canadian politics.

He founded a very influential think-tank of the left. He inspired generations to take up the fight for social justice. And from his stunning 15-vote win in 1968 to his rocketing to political stardom in the ‘80s and political comeback in the 2000s (accompanied by a famously cheesy rap video), he had a heck of a career.

— ‘Iconic for all the right reasons’: Former Ottawa city councilor CATHERINE MCKENNEY was a close friend and legislative assistant to Broadbent when he was MP for Ottawa-Centre from 2004 to 2006.

“I got hired to manage him, actually, and he’s not easy to manage as a person. He was a bit of a scamp, but it was a lot of fun,” McKenney told Playbook. “He was self-effacing. He enjoyed life. He loved life, loved people, and it came through.”

They describe him as a politician not driven by partisan politics in the way that many in the modern political class are — he wanted Canadians to be better off and its democratic institutions to be strong.

“He chose that over power, if you will, and, and I think that that’s lacking today.”

— Lost more than a leader: JENNIFER HOWARD, chief of staff to NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH, described Broadbent as a “tremendous friend to Jagmeet and helpful to him, especially in the early days of Jagmeet’s leadership.”

In 2019, Jagmeet’s first federal campaign, he and Ed did an event at Ottawa’s Lansdowne farmers market and Howard described it “like campaigning with a rockstar.”

“There were so many people that remembered him and came up to talk to him.”

She tells Playbook he was “unfailingly generous not just with his mind,” but with his “time and his attention and his compassion,” and when the party needed him, he came to “remind us of our jobs and our values, and that we had to not get distracted by the show of politics.”

“There isn’t anybody else like that in terms of an elder statesperson in the party who I think will be able to do that now.”

— Memories: NDP MP DANIEL BLAIKIE remembers giving a House of Commons speech on electoral reform not long after he was first elected, not the marquee event of the day, but Broadbent had followed it and reached out to him to tell him to keep up the good work.

“I was impressed at his humility and willingness to reach out and offer support and advice,” he tells Playbook — always available to leaders and caucus and remained “very, very present” for them. “Ed’s passing really isn’t just about his legacy as leader.”

He was known by MPs throughout the years to pop in for caucus meetings every now and then and to speak out on issues.

Former NDP MP PEGGY NASH, who has served on the Broadbent Institute board, remembers him coming to speak to a caucus meeting where he championed a book called “The Spirit Level,” and left her with the impression he “never stopped pushing to try to inspire people that we could do much better.”

— They don’t make ’em like that anymore: Former Sen. JIM MUNSON, who had covered Parliament Hill as a news reporter in the ’70s and ’80s, called him a “great debater” of his time.

“He was a political sparkplug. He brought energy and new ideas to the Hill. He was always good for a quote … with substance, and I think that’s what is lacking today,” he tells Playbook. “You always respected Ed Broadbent.”

— Related reading: JEFF GRAY gives Broadbent’s obit the feature treatment in The Globe and Mail – which includes an interview with him.“I had never prewritten an obit before. I saw no reason not to phone up the subject of one and interview them, other than the obvious awkwardness,” Gray tweeted. “He asked me what the story was, and I told him. Lengthy pause. Then, he gabbed for hours …”

— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is in Southwestern Ontario to tour an affordable housing development before making a housing announcement at 11:10 a.m. Later he meets with seniors at an affordable housing project for a seniors’ residence at 2:30 p.m.

— Deputy PM CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in Toronto for private meetings.

— Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE holds a media conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba at 10 a.m.

Supporters attend a Kuomintang (KMT) campaign rally ahead of Taiwan’s presidential election. | I-Hwa Cheng/AFP via Getty Images

ELECTION WATCH — Taiwan heads to the polls Saturday and the last stretch of the island’s election has been nothing but tumultuous.

POLITICO’s STUART LAU reports from Taipei where Taiwan’s new Anti-Infiltration Act is being put to the test to fight Chinese election meddling.

— Did somebody say foreign interference: China has blitzed Taiwan with fake news, notably in the form of sham polls looking to sway voters by suggesting Beijing-friendly candidate HOU YU-IH is leading the race. Beijing doesn’t want presidential contender and frontrunner LAI CHING-TE to win, which would give a third term for the Democratic Progressive Party.

— Ottawa watchers: Liberal MP JUDY SGRO, chair of Parliament’s Canada-Taiwan Friendship Group, spelled out the election’s bigger global stakes for Ottawa Playbook.

“If anything happened to Taiwan, we’d have very serious problems trying to keep our technology moving forward,” she said.

— Trade snapshot: The value of Taiwanese imports into Canada is nearly four times the value of Canadian exports to the island nation. Electronics top the list of Taiwanese imports into Canada, whereas bituminous coal is Canada’s biggest export to Taiwan.

Sgro named North America’s EVs push as an all-in manufacturing gambit that relies heavily on the flow of electronic chips from Taiwan. “We get a huge amount of our parts from them.”

— Reading list: POLITICO’s PIETER HAECK and STUART LAU report on the global microchip supply chain being on the ballot in Taiwan.

And PHELIM KINE’s China Watcher newsletter offers a one-stop preview of the election.

— Democracies under duress: Sgro, who last visited Taiwan in 2022, spoke admiringly about what an island economy of 23 million people can achieve with “China breathing down its neck constantly.”

She compared Taiwan’s situation to America’s own election plight if DONALD TRUMP wins in November.

“It’s funny, you look at the U.S. being a leader in democracy for such a long period of time and their democracy is being seriously threatened,” said the veteran Liberal, drawing a comparison to Taiwan where officials are “determined to make sure that everything goes forward in an honest and safe way.”

UP: PIERRE POILIEVRE, whose schedule included friendly fundraisers, really didn’t have to do much of anything to win a series of favorable stories this week, including new polling and several on the PM’s luxe vacation.

DOWN: JUSTIN TRUDEAU, who is still struggling to straddle policy on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

— Top of POLITICO this hour via LARA SELIGMAN and LAUREN EGAN: Inside Biden’s decision to strike the Houthis.

— ELIZABETH THOMPSON of CBC News reports this morning: Canadian customs officers could soon be based in the U.S. for the first time.

— GEOFFREY YORK joined Decibel host MENAKA RAMAN-WILMS for a briefing on South Africa’s application to the International Court of Justice and what it means for the war in Gaza. National Post features an op-ed from Conservatives MELISSA LANTSMAN and MICHAEL CHONG on “Trudeau’s silence.”

— The Star’s JOY SPEARCHIEF-MORRIS reports that a warmer than normal winter is a concern to First Nations communities in northern Ontario that rely on winter roads made of ice and snow.

— Former Conservative Cabmin LISA RAITT joined PETER MANSBRIDGE on The Bridge for some frank talk on the state of things.

— Conservative MP MICHELLE REMPEL GARNER paid tribute to the life and legacy of YVONNE HAZELDENE, “a quiet political giant.”

— TVO’s STEVE PAIKIN has this piece remembering the late JOHN GODFREY.

If you’re a subscriber, don’t miss our latest policy newsletter from ZI-ANN LUM: Where’s MÉLANIE JOLY?

In other news for Pro subscribers:

— USTR chief of staff to exit this month.

— The FDA approved Florida’s drug import plan. Colorado wants to be next.

— Taiwan bombarded with cyberattacks ahead of election.

— Congress approves resolution against Biden EV charger plans.

— Report says Russia finds way around sanctions on battlefield tech.

— U.S. Senate Banking leaders step up pressure on House to pass fentanyl bill.

Birthdays: HBD to Tory MP KERRY-LYNNE FINDLAY, former caucus colleague COSTAS MENEGAKIS, former B.C. premier GORDON CAMPBELL, former Ontario lieutenant governor HILARY WESTON, and former Alberta NDP leader RAJ PANNU (90!).

Celebrating Saturday: MP JACQUES GOURDE (60!), former MP and consul general MARY CLANCY and Hill+Knowlton Strategies account director ERIC DILLANE. Former senator and journo LINDA FRUM.

Celebrating Sunday: PMO newbie JASON EASTON, Tory MP SCOTT AITCHISON, former senator WILFRED MOORE, former MNA FRANÇOISE DAVID.

Send birthdays to [email protected] .

Spotted: At The Métropolitain, a few hours before JEAN CHRÉTIEN‘s 90th birthday bash at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building: DON BOUDRIA, WAYNE EASTER and JANE STEWART, alongside a bevy of era-appropriate lunch rezos … Dozens of former Cabmins, friends and associates, packing the room at SJAM … And Chrétien himself, sauntering into and holding court in Zoe’s at the Château Laurier (timestamp: 10:43 p.m.) — followed shortly thereafter, as Playbook jumped into a cab, by RICK MERCER.

Chrétien, getting the Poli LEGO birthday treatment.

Treasury Board President ANITA ANAND sitting down with Microsoft Canada President CHRIS BARRY to talk about AI and “cutting red tape.”

Conservative JAMIL JIVANIcelebrating five years in remission from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Alberta Premier DANIELLE SMITH‘s most recent video broadside aimed at Ottawa. In it, Smith complains almost exclusively about Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT‘s climate policy. (Also in the video: a celebratory fed-prov announcement featuring Industry Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE, and another where Smith embraces Employment Minister RANDY BOISSONNAULT. So Alberta does have friends on the Hill.)

An updated list of ministers to act for the PM “in the event of his being unable to perform the functions of his office” removing CAROLYN BENNETT’s name and adding STEVEN MACKINNON’s to the bottom.

Movers and shakers: KATHERINE FEENAN is now vice president, communications and public affairs at Hill & Knowlton.

Canal watch: ARTHUR WHITE-CRUMMEY of CBC News reports this morning: Snow storms complicate hopes for Rideau Canal skating season.

→ Find House committees here.

→ Keep track of Senate committees here.

The House of Commons is back Jan. 29; the Senate returns Feb. 6.

We’re tracking every major political event of 2024 on a mega-calendar. Send us events and download the calendar yourself for Google and other clients.

Thursday’s answer: It was JOHN ALEXANDER MACDONALD who said, “I say that there is a deliberate conspiracy, by force, by fraud, or by both, to force Canada into the American Union.” As for the timing of our question, Sir John A. Macdonald Day is held every year on Jan. 11.

Props to TRISTAN DENNISTON, SHAUGHN MCARTHUR, LAURA RINALDI, KARINA SUBOTA, NICK CHAN, JIM CAMPBELL, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, KEVIN BOSCH, GEORGE SCHOENHOFER, MARCEL MARCOTTE, BOB GORDON and BOB ERNEST.

Today’s question: What social studies teacher turned MP once said this: “My family roots are Liberal. As a teenager I fell in love with (former Prime Minister) PIERRE TRUDEAU but in my heart of hearts, I have always been a small ‘c’ conservative.”

Want to grab the attention of movers and shakers on Parliament Hill? Advertise in our newsletter. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: [email protected]

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