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POLITICS BRIEFING

By Robert Fife (@RobertFife), Ottawa bureau chief, with the Prime Minister in Davos, Switzerland.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hosting a luncheon today in Davos, Switzerland, for global movers and shakers titled "A New Chapter for Canada."

‎However, the much publicized event that includes five Canadian ministers, such as Finance Minister Bill Morneau and International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, is closed off to Canadian reporters.

This is expected to be a much anticipated moment for worldwide corporate executives to question Mr. Trudeau and his ministers about the Liberal government's plans for the Canadian economy.

The World Economic Forum described the event this way: "What are the global, regional and industry agendas of Canada's new government? Meet Canada's Prime‎ Minister and cabinet for an in-depth discussion of the country's future and its role in the world."

No reason has been given for the top secrecy other than it is a "private event" and "access is limited."

Another event titled "A New Beginning for Canada" is also closed to the media.

Mr. ‎Trudeau is participating in a public event with Melinda Gates and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg that will focus on progress toward gender parity.

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He has bilateral one-on-ones with Chinese billionaire Jack Ma of Alibaba, Carlos Ghosn, chairman of Renault-Nissan Alliance and Lakshmi Mittal, the CEO of Accellor Mittal, an Indian steel giant.

Mr. Trudeau wraps up his visit to Davos with a news conference with Canadian media later in the day. He flies home Saturday.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS MORNING

By Chris Hannay (@channay)

> The federal government is looking into speeding up employment insurance reforms as a potential form of stimulus, a request being made of them by the Alberta government as residents of that province face mounting EI claims.

> Finance Minister Bill Morneau says his counterparts in other countries are open to deficit-financed spending right now. "We have an opportunity now. Interest rates are at historic lows. We can make significant investments, because we have that, plus an opportunity with our low amount of debt, especially in comparisons with other countries," he said.

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> A group of Quebec mayors, who have no power to block the Energy East pipeline, say they are nevertheless opposed to the projects passing through their backyards.

> The producers of the largest medical marijuana operation in Canada are urging the federal government to have a controlled regime in place when pot is legalized, and that securely distributing the product through the mail is the only way to go. Advocates for dispensaries, on the other hand, say storefront sales are just fine.

> Postmedia executives could face a grilling by a House committee after mergers and job cuts this week, the NDP says.

> The husband of one of the victims of the Burkina Faso terrorist attack said he grew frustrated with Mr. Trudeau's platitudes in a phone call and hung up on him, after the Prime Minister had called to express his condolences.

> And a drawing of the Canadian Human Rights Museum by a certain artist named Justin Trudeau is being auctioned off for charity.

SECUREDROP

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WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT

"The only people who can truly make [a merger of the Wildrose and Alberta PCs] occur are those in positions of power in both of the parties, and there is a lot of bad blood between the two groups that can't easily be washed away. The anger that exists in some camps is deep-seated; merger talk is seen as the ultimate act of betrayal. ... I can tell you that one group that is profoundly unhappy with the current state of affairs is the Calgary business community, the suits in the oil and gas towers. There is lots of threatening chatter about leaving town, moving headquarters, if the province's two conservative parties can't get their act together and merge for the sake of the common good."

– Gary Mason on Alberta's two conservative parties.

Bruce Anderson (Globe and Mail): "Conservatives today will want an honest conversation with each other."

Matti Siemiatycki (Globe and Mail): "As project spending ramps up, Ottawa and its provincial and municipal partners in these efforts must take measures to avoid a chronic problem that plagues infrastructure projects the world over: cost overruns."

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Don Martin (CTV): "So far, Justin Trudeau's fledgling government has avoided either extreme. And if whispers from reliable sources are correct, they're poised to roll out an economic reaction which stops short of overreacting."

Evan Solomon (Maclean's): "O'Leary is a classic disrupter as well, honing his skills in the high-tech business–in 1999 he sold his educational software business for more than $3-billion–and now he's bringing it to politics. The old political rules do not apply."

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