François-Philippe Champagne says he often drops a real-world reminder into discussions he’s having with colleagues on the big decisions that loom before Mark Carney’s government these days.
asserted
that → say → government
“I say: ‘I’m not sure my mother would understand what you just said,’ ” the finance minister explains.
asserted
minister → say → what
“I use that at cabinet.
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I → use → cabinet
I’ve used that at caucus …
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I → use → caucus
It’s becoming like a symbol because it’s grounding.”
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it → become → symbol
It is also a relief to hear that the mom test is occasionally inserted into a government that has become fixated on investment, big projects and courting business.
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that → hear → business
Champagne, who heads the department at the centre of those efforts, is making the case that this financial policy is also social policy.
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policy → head → case
Over a 90-minute, exclusive sit-down with me — time carved out of the pre-budget flurry — Champagne talked a lot about the human side of what the Carney government has been trying to tackle as it adjusts its sights on being more friendly to business and investment.
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it → carve → business
We’re sitting at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, across the road from his office, its panoramic windows looking out on some of the capital’s rich heritage buildings and the Rideau Canal.
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windows → sit → buildings
The venue was a deliberate choice, to underline what Champagne has already flagged as a theme in the coming budget of Canadian heritage and identity.
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Champagne → underline → heritage
“I think that we’re kind of rediscovering who we are as Canadians,” Champagne says.
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Champagne → think → Canadians
“I’m only 56, but I’ve never seen a level of patriotism as you see now.”
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you → ’m → patriotism
The Star’s Althia Raj breaks down aspects of Bill C-39, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Building
He has packed a lot into those 56 years.
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He → break → years
Champagne grew up in Quebec, dividing his time between his father in Shawinigan and his mother in Quebec City after his parents divorced.
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parents → grow → City
He got a law degree at the Université de Montréal and a master’s law degree in U.S. law from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
asserted
He → get → Cleveland
He then went on to pursue a career as a corporate lawyer, businessman, and trade specialist in positions that landed him in cities across Europe for 20 years.
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that → go → years
He’s been a cabinet minister since 2017 but he only landed at finance after Carney came to power.
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Carney → land → power
Champagne and Carney crossed paths many times in the halls of international high finance in their prepolitical lives, but when I ask if they are friends, he hedges: “It’s better if you ask him,” he says.
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he → cross → him
“I would say we have a very close relationship, but I also have to respect he’s the Prime Minister of Canada.”
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he → say → Canada
They talk at least every other day and Champagne makes clear that you don’t go into those conversations underprepared.
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go → talk → conversations
Carney brings a “sophistication in decision-making that I’ve rarely seen in my career, and I’ve served in some of the largest corporations in the world,” he says.
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he → bring → world
“For one hour of meeting with the prime minister, it requires at least three hours of preparation.”
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it → require → preparation
Finance ministers, more so than most, have to master the art of saying “no.”
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ministers → have → art
I ask Champagne whether he ever finds himself having to say “no” to Carney.
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himself → ask → Carney
“We discuss things,” he says.
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he → discuss → things
“I would say we often come to the same conclusions, but then it’s shades of grey.”
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it → say → grey
I take that to mean Carney always wins.
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Carney → take → ?
Champagne talks about the “prerogative of the prime minister,” adding however that they are “aligned.”
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they → talk → minister
“I would not have wanted to serve as finance minister under any other prime minister,” he declares.
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he → want → minister
Champagne holds the same riding that Jean Chrétien held during his long time in Parliament and regards him as a mentor and friend.
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Chrétien → hold → mentor
He regrets that his current job doesn’t allow him to chat with the former PM more often.
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him → regret → PM
In many ways, Champagne does channel the happy-warrior, cheerful hard-worker persona that was Chrétien’s trademark.
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that → channel → persona
His favourite phrase in the Commons fray is that he has “good news” for his opposition critics, going on to rattle off whatever favourable stats he has at hand to demonstrate Canada’s strong economic position.
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he → have → position
When I asked around whether he’s always this upbeat, the answer was yes, and when I asked him how that held up when having to say “no” to fellow ministers, Champagne said: “I take hundreds of decisions.
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I → ask → decisions
You can say ‘no’ with a smile.”
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You → say → smile
At this point, a photo is pulled out, showing Champagne standing beside a tower of binders, roughly two metres tall.
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Champagne → pull → binders
These are “decision notes,” and according to his aide, every page contains a funding request.
uncertain
page → accord → request
“So the binder decisions are taller than me,” Champagne says, laughing.
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Champagne → say → me
That’s a lot of “no,” one presumes, and also a lot of smiling to do.
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one → ’ → smiling
By now, most of the cabinet members of Justin Trudeau’s old government have become pretty adept about dancing around how Carney’s government has walked back some of their policies.
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government → become → policies
…and 46 more, not listed.
The Aporia
