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Thanks for reading Ottawa Playbook. Let’s get into it.

In today’s edition:

→ Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU is still at work on “Canada is back.”

→ STEVEN GUILBEAULT gets personal as the carbon tax “drama” PIERRE POILIEVRE has promised to ramp up, edges closer to another potential carve out.

→ Finally, almost a complete set of mandate letters.

WEST SIDE STORIES — Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU arrives in San Francisco today to rub shoulders and exude some Big Pacific Country energy with leaders.

Trudeau will kick off his three days in the Golden State with a meeting with Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM. The two leaders are scheduled to talk clean tech before the prime minister is shimmied away to host a roundtable this afternoon for Canadian “innovators.” His day ends at a dinner hosted by Salesforce CEO MARC BENIOFF.

World leaders are in California for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, lately known as the President JOE BIDEN and Chinese President XI JINPING Summit.

— High stakes: The Biden administration is seeking calm with China. Three senior administration officials told POLITICO the White House wants to work things out with Beijing so it can focus its energy on Israel and Ukraine.

— Obvious next question: Will Trudeau and Xi have a bilat? Senior Canadian government officials wouldn’t say during a briefing on the prime minister’s APEC itinerary.

— Potential turning point: Former Liberal prime minister JEAN CHRÉTIEN raised eyebrows earlier this month when the Chinese government issued a readout of his surprise meeting in Beijing with Xi’s deputy, Chinese Vice President HAN ZHENG.

Playbook asked the Senior Canadian Government Officials to confirm if Trudeau and Chrétien have spoken since that meeting. It seemed relevant to know how thoroughly the prime minister has done his APEC homework.

“Not to my knowledge,” said one official on the condition of anonymity to speak freely-ish. The official said they don’t keep tabs on everyone the prime minister talks to.

“Officials and elected officials are free to pursue their own approaches.”

— Tick tock: It’s been more than eight years since a newly elected Trudeau first sold “Canada is back” as a snappy motto to inspire the country’s return to the world stage as a joiner, mover and shaker.

— Foreign policy as domestic policy: When Trudeau was first elected, he gave an interview to The New York Times Magazine in which he declared Canada the world’s “first postnational state.”

He claimed at the time that Canada does not have a core identity and “no mainstream.”

“There are shared values — openness, respect, compassion, willingness to work hard, to be there for each other, to search for equality and justice.”

Fast forward to present day in which the Israel-Hamas war has lit a powder keg within his own Liberal caucus and across Canada. The crisis forced politicians to become experts in diaspora politics real quick in order to contain a wave of rising antisemitism and Islamophobia across the country.

— Canada and the world: After a battery announcement in British Columbia on Tuesday, Trudeau fielded question after question about foreign affairs.

He was asked if the government’s pro-Israel stance — specifically if Canada’s recent vote at the United Nations against condemning Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory and the Golan — could cause Canada to lose credibility with “the Global South.”

The prime minister didn’t answer. “We will continue to stand unequivocally as we always have against illegal settlements,” he said. “They don’t contribute to the two-state solution. They’re actually impediments to it.”

— He’s a talker: Trudeau asked Israel’s government to “exercise maximum restraint” to minimize civilian deaths. When asked why Canada isn’t calling for a cease-fire — as some MPs are urging him to do — Trudeau offered a soliloquy-length response that clocked in 4 minutes and 46 seconds.

“I think we can all agree we want to see an end to the violence in the Middle East,” the prime minister said. “I celebrate the freedom of expression that we continue to have as Canadians to speak up and express our concerns, our fears, our desire to see a solution.”

— Today’s talker: Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU didn’t like Trudeau’s comments. Bibi hit back directly at Trudeau on X, defending Israel’s military blitz in Gaza.

“It is Hamas not Israel that should be held accountable for committing a double war crime - targeting civilians while hiding behind civilians,” Netanyahu said.

— ‘Post-national’ government policies: Pro-Palestinian rallies have been organized across the country, including several on Parliament Hill. Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY’s department says its employees haven’t been officially told to not join.

“Global Affairs Canada did not provide directives on the participation in rallies related to the current conflict in Israel-Gaza,” spokesperson JEAN-PIERRE GODBOUT confirmed in an email.

— Summit season: Diaspora politics has chewed up the energy of the prime minister’s office since Parliament returned in September, forcing the government to confront a policy blindspot in foreign affairs.

— Seats at other tables: After Trudeau wraps at APEC on Friday, he’ll head back to Ottawa before heading east next week for the Canada-EU leaders’ summit.

EYES EMOJI — Environment Minister STEVEN GUILBEAULT says he’s chatted with “half a dozen, give or take” senators in the past two weeks in an effort to stop Bill C-234.

If passed, the bill would exempt the carbon tax from natural gas and propane used on farms for heating barns and drying grain. Another carve-out, which the prime minister and Guilbeault have sworn will not happen.

— A touch personal: “If PIERRE POILIEVRE had any sense of moral decency,” Guilbeault told reporters Tuesday in response to a question from MIA RABSON of The Canadian Press, “he would admit that we’ve already excluded 97 percent of fuels used on farms.”

— Context check: Gasoline and diesel account for roughly 97 percent of on-farm emissions, which is the figure Guilbeault references. The bill’s scope applies to the remaining 3 percent of emissions linked mainly to natural gas and propane used for on-farm heating and grain drying.

The Conservative private member’s bill will be up for more debate at third reading and an eventual vote when senators return next week.

— Carbon tax image rehab prep: Guilbeault was tight-lipped about what the Liberals will do if the bill passes given their position on carve-outs.

There are only a “handful” of Liberal senators because any appointed since 2015 are independents, Guilbeault said. “The only person who tells senators what to do, and how to vote, is Pierre Poilievre. We don’t do that … We’ll see what the Senate decides.”

— More fine print: When the bill was debated in the Senate last week, Progressive Senate Group Sen. PIERRE DALPHOND asked what the legislation actually does to help boost competitiveness for Canada’s agriculture sector.

He referenced a committee witness who flagged that the proposed carve-out to the bill won’t apply to at least 60 percent of Ontario grain growers.

“Why? Because they use third-party warehouses and dryers,” he told senators last week. “So 60 percent or even 65 percent of grain producers in Ontario will not benefit.”

Conservative Sen. DAVID WELLS suggested the bill “will give the opportunity for that grain drying to be done on-site and, therefore, benefit from Bill C-234.”

MANDATE LETTERS — There are two new ones in the Liberal government’s Cabinet file. It only took 107 days from the shuffle for them to drop.

The new marching orders were published Friday by the Prime Minister’s Office for Citizens’ Services Minister TERRY BEECH and Sport and Physical Activity Minister CARLA QUALTROUGH.

— ISO: We are still in search of Small Business Minister RECHIE VALDEZ’s mandate letter.

— First impressions: They are notably short — a nod to the limited pre-election timeframe under which the government is operating.

— First read: Beech’s success will depend on a good working relationship with ANITA ANAND. His mandate letter formally assigns him to work closely with the Treasury Board president to coordinate a smooth rollout of government services.

It invoked “lessons learned from summer 2022” — translation: that political nightmare of passport backlogs — to underline that it’s now up to him to identify future service challenges and get to work on mitigation plans.

— Time is of the essence: Identifying “high-impact service improvements in the short-term,” such as the dental care program, was another priority Trudeau tasked to Beech.

— Grasping at paper straws: Trudeau asked Qualtrough to work with the sports sector to help “reduce its environmental footprint as well as better involve our athletes in the conversation on the fight against climate change.”

There was no mention of launching a national safe sport inquiry — a recommendation endorsed by a parliamentary committee and Liberal MP and former sport minister KIRSTY DUNCAN — into athlete maltreatment in Canada.

— Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU will be in San Francisco for the APEC Summit. Foreign Affairs Minister MÉLANIE JOLY and International Trade Minister MARY NG are also in attendance.

— Deputy Prime Minister CHRYSTIA FREELAND is in Mascouche, Quebec, to visit a solar energy company. Her stop includes a 12 p.m. media availability.

— Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister GARY ANANDASANGAREE is in Port Renfrew, British Columbia, to make an “important announcement” with Pacheedaht First Nation Elected Chief Councillor JEFF JONES.

9 a.m. Bloc Québécois Leader YVES-FRANÇOIS BLANCHET will deliver opening remarks at the party’s symposium on fisheries in New Richmond, Quebec.

10:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. MT) Innovation Minister FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE is in Edmonton for a fireside chat with Electric Mobility Canada President and CEO DANIEL BRETON. The lobbying registry notes EMC did not get government funding in the past fiscal year.

12:15 p.m. NDP Leader JAGMEET SINGH will hold a media availability at the foot of Withrow Park in Toronto to talk about the cost of rent.

1 p.m. Sen. BRIAN FRANCIS, chair of the Senate Indigenous peoples committee, will release a new report on young leaders at Indspire’s national gathering for Indigenous education in Montreal.

5:30 p.m. Conservative Leader PIERRE POILIEVRE holds a fundraiser at a private residence in Kingsville, Ontario.

5:30 p.m. Treasury Board President ANITA ANAND headlines a fundraiser at the OMNI King Edward Hotel in Toronto.

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS — Documents tabled in the House last week reveal inconsistent staffing review policies across the federal government with some departments failing to conduct any for years — or ever.

A 134-page package was returned in response to an order paper question from NDP MP GORD JOHNS, who wanted to know how many job vacancies exist in federal departments and agencies — and what their future staffing needs will be.

Some takeaways:

→ 6,279: The number of vacant positions at the federal fisheries and oceans department. This figure represents 29.2 percent of the department.

Fisheries and oceans said it defines a “vacant” position as one that doesn’t have a temporary or permanent incumbent.

“These vacancies include positions which are obsolete or not funded, and do not necessarily represent staffing or service gaps,” the department’s response read.

→ 1,159: The number of vacancies flagged by Library and Archives Canada during a 2021 staffing review.

→ 2,300: Number of additional full-time equivalent employees that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada thinks it needs between April 2023 and March 31, 2026 to deliver on its mandate.

→ 9 percent: The jump in the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada’s use of non-advertised appointments to fill positions between 2017 and 2020. The board is currently funded for 166 governor-in-council appointments, according to government data.

→ C$539,087.31: The total value of contracts paid by National Defense to four companies (Gartner, Lynda Naveda Inc., Mobile Resources Group and Fast Track Staffing) for staffing advice from four third-party management companies since March 2022.

→ Missing staffing reviews: Finance, environment and Global Affairs Canada reported completing their staffing reviews in June. Indigenous Services Canada admitted it hasn’t completed one since its creation in December 2017.

— CBC News reports: Of the 19 ridings in the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly, 12 will have new MLAs after Tuesday’s elections.

— CP has details this morning on a Leger poll that reflects widespread dissatisfaction with Trudeau government.

— Russia is buying made-in-Canada explosive detonators through Kyrgyzstan, according to research by an activist group co-founded by chess grandmaster GARRY KASPAROV, STEVEN CHASE reports in the pages of the Globe.

— PIERRE POILIEVRE is calling for swift response from the government after Global News reporters NEGAR MOJTAHEDI and BRENNAN LEFFLER revealed hundreds of regime insiders are living in Canada.

— Calgary-based Toronto Star columnist GILLIAN STEWARD writes of Alberta Premier DANIELLE SMITH’s health care plan: “It could be dubbed the revenge of the anti-vaxxers. Or the triumph of COVID-19 conspiracy kooks.”

— From StrategyCorp VP ANDREW STEELE in the Globe: The Liberal Party cannot return to its era of infighting.

— The Canadian Press has pictures of KING CHARLES’ face on Canadian coins.

Our latest policy newsletter for Pro subscribers via KYLE DUGGAN, SUE ALLAN and ZI-ANN LUM: Freeland’s housing project: ‘Supply, supply, supply!’

In other news for Pro readers:

— How Big Tech could challenge the EU’s digital antitrust rules.

— Sweeping U.S. government report warns of ‘daunting’ climate fight.

— Global climate disclosure race fixates on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

— IPEF trade talks kicked to 2024, Australian minister confirms.

— US-EU unity ruptures over climate damage payments.

Birthdays: HBD today to JOHN (J.D.) ROBERTS; J. GREG PETERS, 17th Usher of the Black Rod; TRAVIS TOEWS, former finance minister of Alberta. Former MPs FRANK BAYLIS and JONATHAN TREMBLAY also celebrate today.

Birthdays, gatherings, social notices for this community: Send them our way.

Spotted: EDITH DUMONT, officially Ontario’s 30th lieutenant-governor and the first francophone to hold the office … Newfoundland & Labrador also has a new lieutenant-governor: JOAN MARIE AYLWARD was sworn in Tuesday.

— Sign of the times: The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy and the Canadian Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals put out a joint release Tuesday warning Canadians about falling victim to debt-relief scams with a “5 signs” tip sheet.

Movers and shakers: STÉPHANIE PAQUETTE, appointed by Heritage Minister PASCALE ST-ONGE as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s Quebec regional commissioner.

Media mentions: The Globe and Mail has umbrellas (h/t staff photog FRED LUM, no relation).

Send Playbookers tips to [email protected] .

ATTENTION WASHINGTON — Calling all Canada-U.S. geeks in D.C.!

Join us for Playbook Trivia on Monday, Dec. 4 at Astro Beer Hall, a space race-themed venue a couple of blocks from the White House. Doors open at 7 p.m. First question at 7:30.

We’ll have a special guest and returning quizmaster: Ambassador KIRSTEN HILLMAN.

Registration is open. Space is limited. RSVP via this Google Form.

Tuesday’s answer: The circumference of a Canadian 50-cent coin is 85.23 mm. (This question required trivia players to do a little math.)

Props to CHIARA MORIN, BOB GORDON and ROBERT MCDOUGALL.

Today’s question: Name the author and recipient of the following missive:

“I wish to extend the congratulations of the American people on your manifold achievements in office and particularly on your unrivaled contributions to the cementing of the firm friendship of our two countries which is without parallel in these times of stress. I feel certain that even though you no longer hold the reins of government, the wisdom of your long experience will always be available to the people of Canada and of the world.”

For bonus marks: How is it connected to this date in history?

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 Emma Anderson.