What's hiding in the latest document dump? Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered weekday mornings. Document dump: Last Friday, Speaker Anthony Rota received a letter from Philippe Dufresne, the House of Commons law clerk and parliamentary counsel. Dufresne was sending over 2,150 documents in accordance with a health committee motion from last October that's probing the federal pandemic response. The long list of files couldn't be less user-friendly. They're split up be department, but the filenames—e.g. HESA_HC-SC_0003680_E —say nothing about the contents. Here at Maclean's, we're sorting through this reservoir of records. But if you find something worth reporting, send us an email. We're always keen to pursue reader ideas. "Just Erin": The Conservative Party posted a new ad that introduced Erin O'Toole to his country. The opening lines set a low bar: "Do you know who this is? Probably not." He's not a celebrity, says the voiceover, just a regular guy who served in the military and has a wife and kids. The party's last ad plugged his name into a search engine. But he has to define himself. If he doesn't do it, the Liberals will. They jumped on an old clip of O'Toole literally s--tposting Justin Trudeau. NDP MP Peter Julian's pharmacare bill went down to defeat. New Democrats failed to win votes from Liberals, Tories or the Bloc Québécois. Jagmeet Singh shamed the party in power for promising pharmacare for 24 years with nothing to show for it. The dominance of Doug Ford's PC Party: When Philippe J. Fournier dug into recent Ontario polling, he found an irrefutable trend. Ford's party would romp to a massive majority if an election were held today thanks to a divided opposition and, despite a lack of critical acclaim, the premier's sustained personal popularity. The scheduled 2022 Ontario election is 16 months away. While this can be a very long time in politics—especially in a period with so much uncertainty—Ford's current lead appears to be rock-solid with an important faction of Ontario voters. Only a major (and historic) reversal of fortunes could turn the tide, even if anti-Ford voters decide to unite under a single banner (which is highly unlikely). With both the Liberals and NDP enjoying roughly similar levels of support, the PCs could cruise to a second majority in next year's election. Ford's point man on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, retired general Rick Hiller, announced the province's ramp-up strategy. Hillier said a booking system will be up and running by March 15—weeks after similar platforms launch in other provinces. He added that by Canada Day, 60-year-old Ontarians will be eligible to receive their shots. Hillier took heat for the plan's pace, but he insisted the stalled launch wouldn't have made a difference because, until now, vaccine doses were in short supply. The dark side of quarantine: Yesterday, La Presse reported the story of a woman who had returned to Montreal from San Diego. Airport officials rejected her negative COVID-19 test results and immediately shuttled her to a nearby hotel, where the security lock had been removed from her door. Eventually, she encountered a man in the hallway who propositioned her, followed her to her room and started to touch her. He faces multiple charged, including sexual assault. Meanwhile, police laid charges against a security guard in Oakville, Ont., who allegedly ordered an individual in quarantine to pay a cash fine—and sexually assaulted them when they refused. The security company had been "hired and trained" by the Public Health Agency of Canada to conduct spot checks of returning travellers. When Stephen Harper's government unveiled plans to replace Canada's fleet of frigates, the price tag was $26.2 billion. That was 2008. By 2017, the parliamentary budget officer pegged the cost at almost $62 billion. In 2019, a revised estimate hit $69.8 billion. Now, a new PBO report adds another 11 per cent for a total of $77.3 billion. (A mixed fleet with three of the planned warships and nine cheaper options comes in at $37.5 billion.) The Department of National Defence remains "confident" that project costs will top out at $60 billion—before taxes. Today, auditor general Karen Hogan will drop another guaranteed headache in the form of an audit of Ottawa's broader shipbuilding strategy. Hogan's office will also publish probes into access to safe drinking water for First Nations, the Canada Child Benefit, rail safety and information technology procurement. The PBO also combed through the supplementary spending estimates. One trend worth watching: The PBO projects the public service will increase to 382,000 employees by 2024, a workforce that will swallow up $53.7 billion in expenditures. Mayday: FlightHub will eventually pony up $5.8 million as part of a settlement with the Competition Bureau after the federal agency concluded the online travel agency charged hidden fees, concocted positive reviews and made false claims about prices. FlightHub was granted creditor protection last May, so the feds will now get in line. Mask up: Elections Canada is on the hunt for 240,000 transparent masks as part of a "new operational plan to deliver an election in the context of a pandemic." The procurement notice will be online for only a week. Just in case a spring election is still in the offing. —Nick Taylor-Vaisey | 
