Don't worry. They talked about other countries' problems. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered weekday mornings. Welcome to a sneak peek of the Maclean’s Politics Insider newsletter. Sign up to get it delivered straight to your inbox. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continued his daily exercise in emergency relief gap-filling with a $470-million infusion for Canadian fisheries. The Fish Harvester Benefit and Fish Harvester Grant—neither of which, it's worth pointing out, is a pronounceable acronym—will cover those in the industry that don't qualify for the wage subsidy or emergency loans. (Read the PM's full remarks.) Trudeau yesterday called Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund. A "readout" of the call said the pair spoke about "specific issues facing the Caribbean and small island states" as the COVID-19 pandemic hits the global economy. (The PM has, just this week, spoken to Saint Lucian PM Allen Chastanet and Fijian PM Frank Bainimarama.) As Canada's deficits—and debt—pile up amid a cavalcade of emergency spending, the image of a Canadian PM talking to the IMF evokes bad memories of the mid-90s. That's when Canada's fiscal situation was so bleak that, in 1995, the Wall Street Journal dubbed Canada "an honorary member of the Third World." A Maclean's editorial at the time presciently warned of lean years ahead. Is Justin Trudeau finally showing some backbone on China? Canada's ambassador in Beijing, Dominic Barton, has a long history of doing business in China—and not speaking ill of the regime. Of late, Barton is in the headlines for, well, speaking ill of the regime at a Canadian International Council event. Did his remarks signal a change in Canada's position? Andrew MacDougall, writing in Maclean's, attempts a reading of the tea leaves. The CIC event was held under “Chatham House” rules—i.e. what happens at Chatham House stays at Chatham House—but three (three!) separate sources got into the ears of reporters at the Globe and Mail to brief the story that eventually splashed across the paper’s front page. Who were these rogues? Tories? Loyal Liberals, disgusted at Barton’s comments? Dissident Liberals, unhappy with their government’s toadying? One leak could be anybody, three sounds like a plan. Anyway, as I was saying, Kremlinology is hard work. Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz, in his last press conference before he steps down from his gig next month, released a report on the impact of COVID-19 that warned of rising business insolvency and vulnerable households that will fall behind on loan payments. It's not spring in Ottawa without some behind-closed-doors internecine warfare. An apparent rift has emerged in the Tory ranks, reports the Hill Times, with Ontario MPs pushing for the de-caucusing of leadership candidate Derek Sloan just as their rural and western counterparts defend his honour. Surely more anonymous sources will clear this up. Small Biz Minister Mary Ng promoted a relatively straight-forward joint statement, signed by dozens of World Trade Organization members, on the importance of helping small- and medium-sized businesses all over the globe. Not among the signatories? The United States, which professes to have lost faith in the WTO and its rules-based trading system. Progressive progress: Sen. Peter Harder, once the government's point-man in the Red Chamber and a member of the Independent Senators Group that was born early in the Trudeau era, eventually stepped down from his liaison role and sat as an unaffiliated member. Now, CBC News reports, Harder is jumping over to the Progressive Senators Group—a fledgling rump of former Senate Liberals who currently don't have the numbers to merit officially recognized status. Harder says he's concerned that "majoritarianism" in the chamber, where only the Conservatives gather as a traditional party caucus and the ISG holds the majority of seats, is the new partisanship. For its part, the PSG recently nabbed Sen. Patricia Bovey from the ISG. Those scrappy appointees of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin sure aren't going quietly into retirement. Cruise control: We've been following the story of Rick Pauzé, the Canadian trombonist stuck on the Sea Princess cruise ship anchored off Manila. Pauzé was set to fly home this week, returning to Canada tonight. Mother nature had other plans: Typhoon Ambo is set to lash the Philippines with hurricane-force winds, forcing Pauzé's ship to ride out the storm at sea. Global Affairs Canada told Maclean's that as of May 13, officials were aware of 23 Canadian crew on seven cruise ships clustered near Manila. They represent just a fraction of the crew stranded at sea worldwide. Is Ottawa recession-proof? Every time Canada's economic fortunes take a turn for the worse, the question of relative immunity to a downturn is raised in a National Capital Region buoyed by a vast public sector and steady high-tech industry. Even Redditors debate the merits. In March, the Ottawa Citizen revisited the city's resistance to bad times. Now, a new Conference Board of Canada report predicts Ottawa will whether the COVID-19 storm better than any other city in Canada. —Nick Taylor-Vaisey | 