Readout royale

Politico

13-06-2025

Presented by The Canadian Medical Association
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In today's edition:
→ How the most Canadian part of the U.S. is responding to Trump's trade war.
→ Just in time for the G7, BRIAN CLOW on the art of the 'readout.'
→ On the agenda in Kananaskis: wildfires.
FIRST IN CANADA PLAYBOOK
'IT COULD GET UGLY' — Few swaths of Trump Country are more at risk from the U.S. president's belligerent isolationism than Minnesota's Northwest Angle, a conservative community surrounded by Canada and water that's only part of the United States due to an 18th century surveying error.
POLITICO's CORBIN HIAR paid a visit to the 150-person U.S. exclave to find out how it's dealing with Trump's 51st-state musings and punishing tariffs, as border crossings get ever more hostile.
As Hiar reports for POLITICO Magazine, if the president further provokes his Canadian hosts at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, few places in the U.S. are more at risk from the potential diplomatic fallout than the inherently isolated Northwest Angle.
Trade war
READOUTS 101 — Prepare for an onslaught of high-stakes world leader bilats in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies — and the carefully crafted summaries that offer each side's take on the one-on-one conversations.
BRIAN CLOW, a former top Canada-U.S. adviser to then-Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU, considers them an art form. Go-to senior public servants pride themselves on their artistry, Clow said, as they send their drafts to political aides for review.
Most of the time, readouts — as they're known in the jargon — aren't labor intensive and don't draw much attention.
Some of the time, they require more TLC.
— The obvious exception: The Trump White House.
Clow said the Prime Minister's Office spent a lot of time in the drafting process.
'Sometimes we would wait to see exactly how the White House described a conversation before we would issue ours, just to ensure there was some alignment,' he said.
— The process: In Clow's time, most drafts emerged from the Privy Council Office's foreign and defense policy team. The PMO would either tinker or do a massive rewrite.
In the raucous early days of Trump 2.0, Clow sometimes held the pen himself.
On Feb. 3, when Trudeau used X to announce a mutual 30-day tariff pause, Clow and a small crew wrote the post 'very quickly' after the two leaders hung up — and then ran it by Trump comms director STEVEN CHEUNG.
'It's not the norm, but sometimes you do work with the other country, or at least check language with them if you're going to speak for them in your readout,' he said.
— Who's watching: Journalists mine readouts for details. Diplomats scan them for tone. Stakeholders pore over them for any mention, whether positive or negative.
Then there's the other country. 'You don't want to offend them. You don't want to cause some issue or cause them to disagree with your readout,' Clow said. 'But it's also an opportunity to emphasize certain messages to the other country.'
— Bland alert: Clow acknowledged the vagueness of many readouts, but stands by the opacity: 'There are times where it's just not in the national interest to put out in our own communication some of the things that are said, particularly from Donald Trump.'
Exhibit A: That time Trump brought up an obscure 1908 border treaty. 'We didn't want to amplify nonsensical, absurd threats from the U.S. president,' Clow said.
— Word to watch for: Constructive.
Every word is intentional. 'We would put that word in only if the call was constructive and the tone was positive,' Clow said. 'Often phone calls with Donald Trump were not constructive, and therefore we would not say that.'
— Speed dating, Kananaskis-style: A government official briefing Canadian reporters Thursday had high hopes for Carney's dance card.
'Scheduling will be challenging, but the intent will be for the prime minister to meet with as many of the leaders as possible, and we certainly hope all of them,' the official said.
Watch for potential readouts following bilats with Trump and the rest of the G7 leaders, Mexican President CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, South African President CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, Indian Prime Minister NARENDRA MODI, Ukrainian President and VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY — and U.K. Prime Minister KEIR STARMER, who's stopping in Ottawa ahead of the summit.
— In related reading: A Globe team examines the global challenges weighing on the G7 agenda. 'This year's summit will draw together leaders as a group. But the greatest priority for most of those leaders is one man alone.'
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THE ROOMS THAT MATTER
— At 2 p.m., Prime Minister MARK CARNEY will chair a meeting of the National Security Council in West Block.
— U.K. Prime Minister KEIR STARMER will meet the PM in Ottawa on Saturday, en route to their first G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis.
For your radar
FIRE WEATHER — Canada is battling one of the worst wildfire seasons in its history. More than 200 wildfires are currently burning, including in Alberta where world leaders will touch down on Sunday.
And while skies over Kananaskis are expected to be clear of smoke, the fires are on the G7's agenda.
— Taking the reins: Prime Minister MARK CARNEY will present G7 leaders with a 'Kananaskis Wildfire Charter' dealing with fire mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. All G7 partners, including the U.S., are expected to pledge their support.
'Given that wildfires are a global responsibility, given that they affect the other G7 nations equally, it's sensible for us to work with them and in coordination with them to develop an international agreement with respect to how wildfires are dealt with,' Emergency Management Minister ELEANOR OLSZEWSKI told reporters Thursday.
— You've got a friend: The G7 nations already share firefighting equipment and other resources. In January, firefighters from Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec helped as wildfires tore through the Los Angeles area.
— How bad can it be?: Approximately 8.65 million acres has burned this year. Canada is on track for its second-worst wildfire season on record, just behind 2023.
Firefighters and equipment in every jurisdiction in Canada is currently being used, a Public Safety official said during a briefing with reporters on Thursday. Canada has enlisted the help of some 500 firefighters from Australia, the U.S. and requested another 100 from Costa Rica.
— Evacuation plan: There are no fires near the summit venue, but CP reports that RCMP have a plan in case Mother Nature crashes their party.
WHO'S UP, WHO'S DOWN
Up: Invites to Alberta. Leaders from Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine are heading to the G7 as guests.
DYLAN ROBERTSON of The Canadian Press took a closer look at the invite list.
Down: The U.S. in a new global popularity survey that includes a 22 percentage-point slide in Canada from last year, according to the Pew Research Center.
MORNING MUST-CLICKS
— Top of POLITICO: Israel launches strike against Iran. And from POLITICO's ELENA GIORDANO: World leaders urge restraint.
— Defense Minister DAVID MCGUINTY is on the latest 'It's Political' pod with ALTHIA RAJ.
— ERICA IFILL writes in The Guardian on Bill C-2: 'a MAGA-inspired border bill.'
— The Globe editorial board slapped an advisory on Bill C-4: 'The government tried to pull a fast one by sticking a set of bespoke privacy protection rules for federal parties at the bottom of a bill dealing with the cost of living.'
— The Narwhal's CARL MEYER notes that Bill C-5 and other laws to fast-track development risk eroding trust of First Nations.
— Liberal MP JUDY SGRO spoke with the Globe's MARIE WOOLF after her drive to gain jailed Hong Kong publisher JIMMY LAI honorary Canadian citizenship 'went off the rails.'
— JIM BRONSKILL of The Canadian Press landed an interview with Canada's fentanyl czar, KEVIN BROSSEAU.
— Over on Maclean's, KENT FELLOWS of the University of Calgary suggests 'modernizing ports, fixing key choke points and planning future corridors with intent' are achievable goals for the short term on the way to fixing Canada's transportation infrastructure.
PLAYBOOKERS
Birthdays: HBD to JEAN-YVES DUCLOS (60!); Investigative Journalism Foundation CEO ZANE SCHWARTZ; TONY BURMAN, former head of Al Jazeera English and CBC News; as well as former Bloc Québécois MP JEAN-YVES LAFOREST and former Alberta MLA ROB ANDERSON.
Celebrating Saturday: Podcaster and strategist DAVID HERLE; Montreal Mayor VALÉRIE PLANTE; former Ontario MPP JOHN YAKABUSKI; New Brunswick MLA FRANCINE LANDRY; former MPs HOANG MAI, DOUG ROWLAND (85!) and MARK ASSAD (85!).
On Sunday: Liberal MP NATE ERSKINE-SMITH.
Spotted: KING CHARLES III, approving a new Great Seal of Canada.
Noted: Jobs Minister PATTY HAJDU has approved Canada Post's request that its final offer on a new collective agreement go to a vote of union members. The company applauded the move.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers very much did not: 'We will not stand by as the Government and Canada Post work together to try to undermine our hard-fought rights, gut our collective agreements and re-write them on their own terms. Postal workers know how to fight back. We've done it before, and we're ready to do it again.
Movers and shakers: Sen. LARRY SMITH joins the Senate Conservative caucus.
Lobby watch: Energy Connections Canada, an association of pipeline companies, logged a May 5 meeting with Prime Minister MARK CARNEY.
— The Canadian Steel Producers Association posted June meetings with Cabmins FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE, DOMINIC LEBLANC, MÉLANIE JOLY, ANITA ANAND, Ambo KIRSTEN HILLMAN, Chief Trade Negotiator AARON FOWLER and Conservative MPs SHELBY KRAMP-NEUMAN and RAQUEL DANCHO.
— The Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium posted May 21 meetings with Cabmins Champagne, Joly, Anand, LeBlanc, MANINDER SIDHU, CHRYSTIA FREELAND, JULIE DABRUSIN, SEAN FRASER, GREGOR ROBERTSON and TIM HODGSON.
— J.D. Irving logged recent meetings with Hillman, Fowler, Secretary of State for Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions WAYNE LONG and TIM KRUPA from the Prime Minister's Office.
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PROZONE
Headlines for our Pro subscribers:
— GM slow-rolls its all-EV aspirations.
— World Bank moves to invest in nuclear again.
— Pentagon to review US role in AUKUS submarine pact.
— Democratic strategist to become Coinbase's newest adviser.
— US to skip Bonn climate talks as world charts path to COP30.
TRIVIA
Thursday's answer: On June 12, 1991, BORIS YELTSIN was elected as the first president of the Russian Federation.
Props to AMY CASTLE, JEFFREY VALOIS, KEVIN BOSCH, RAY DEL BIANCO, NATHAN RUTHERFORD, ROBERT MCDOUGALL, MALCOLM MCKAY, MARCEL MARCOTTE and STEPHEN HAAS.
Friday's question: What do LARRY BAGNELL, AUDREY MCLAUGHLIN, ERIK NIELSEN, MARTHA LOUISE BLACK and PAT DUNCAN have in common? For bonus marks, connect your answer to this date in history.
Answer to [e-mail]
Writing Monday's Playbook from the G7 in Alberta: NICK TAYLOR-VAISEY