December 18, 2024 - 10:00am
More than any policy achievement, Justin Trudeau will likely be remembered more for his remarkable feat of clinging to power so tenaciously and for so long with only the flimsiest threads of political support
This week, the last threads finally snapped when longstanding ally Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, announced that she was quitting the cabinet. Freeland used the occasion of the Fall Economic Statement to instead deliver a stinging rebuke of her boss in a resignation letter that accused him of “costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford”. This was in reference to Trudeau’s plan to cancel sales taxes and hand out $250 cheques for Christmas, widely criticised as a crass vote-buying scheme that would sink the country’s finances and leave it more vulnerable to the effects of a looming tariff war with the US.
In any event, Freeland’s salvo managed to unmask yet more discontent from the Liberal caucus, as dozens more government MPs signalled their anger at the leadership. Unlike his response to the last attempt at a revolt in October, Trudeau appears to recognise that the pressure to step down is more severe than ever before. As if to underscore his unpopularity, the Liberals also lost a by-election in British Columbia on Monday.
The Prime Minister seemed to survive the Margaret Thatcher-like sudden death scenario many observers were predicting — with Freeland, of course, playing the role of Geoffrey Howe. Instead of resigning, Trudeau merely indicated that he understood his MPs’ concerns and would contemplate his future over the holidays. Since no other party was able to bring forth a no-confidence vote in the last day before the Christmas recess, he gets to stay on until parliament resumes on 27 January, after which he is almost certain to face his downfall.
Commentators took to social media and the editorial pages to express their disapproval at the thought of a tired government with no credibility staying on long enough to confront the existential economic threat of a second Trump administration, whose 25% tariff threat against Canada remains on the table. This also poses the larger question of who will fill the power vacuum once Trudeau is gone. While Freeland resigned from cabinet, she made clear that she is staying on as a Liberal MP and intends to contest her seat at the next election. Inevitably, this led to speculation that she has ambitions of succeeding Trudeau as party leader and potentially as prime minister, pre-emptively edging out fellow contender Mark Carney.
A Freeland-led government would probably mean a more confrontational approach to Donald Trump. In her letter, she urged the government to push back against his “America First economic nationalism”, possibly hewing closer to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum who has been less conciliatory than her Canadian counterpart. For his part, Trump has started to troll both Trudeau and Freeland, referring to the former as “Governor” and calling out the latter for “totally toxic” behaviour. He added: “She will not be missed!!!”
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SubscribePoilievre is not a populist – not even close. He’s a traditional conservative, which is a big improvement on the PC Party leader he replaced, Trudeau or Freeland..
I was about to post the ‘Poilievre is a populist?’ No he isn’t.
Populist is term used by writers to describe conservative politicians who are popular because people want to see their policies enacted.
Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada are not “right wing.” Apart from the odd gesture (“Axe the [carbon] tax” and “Defund the CBC”) there is little to choose between any of the three major parties in Canada. Firing thousands of the newly hired federal bureaucrats, in addition to the CBC minions, would be a start to improving the quality of life of “ordinary Canadians.”
100% correct. The PPC could be the medicine Canada needs, but Bernier needs to find a bright young star that appeals to the shifting youth vote, a Jordan Bardella if you will, and then shut his mouth and get the hell out of the way.
No honourable mention for Jagmeet Singh, the NDP leader that has sold us all up the river by simultaneously propping the Trudeau government up – keeping them in power while saying that this government must fall, all in an effort to stay employed and cross the time-based threshold for a cushy government pension? The Maserati-socialist may set an even lower moral standard than Trudeau himself, and that’s saying something.
Also, Pollievre is Liberal-lite posing as a Milei/Wilders/LaPen/Trump-like saviour. He’ll be a big improvement over Trudeau however lacks the spine to implement the changes that are truly needed. All bark, no bite.
Singh might be even more despicable than Trudeau – a truly feckless politician devoid of any values.
Dunno if I agree about Poilievre, K. He’s been Conservative leader for just two years now. He has his party firmly under control and is certainly effective in the job of opposition leader, which both demonstrate bite. He can also handle the media, which is no mean feat.
I don’t like how much he barks, and I can do without the alliteration and the repeated slogans. But I would call him effective in action so far. And I’d say that yeah, the man has a spine.
Immigration and assimilation are at the root of Canada’s issues and should by extension be the core of Poilievre’s mandate, however he eagerly panders to the various cultural/ethnic silos/diasporas that have taken foot here and he will be forced to govern under the weight of their various cultural/ethnic wants and needs. He is a mild salvation in this time of crisis, but at the end of the day he is simply changing lanes on the same freeway rather than getting us off this route altogether.
Trust me, he’ll get my vote this time as he is the only way out of the Liberal dumpster fire. But he isn’t the remedy we so desperately need.
Immigration and assimilation are going to be the biggest issues for all first-world countries for the nonce, yes. You’re right, K (oh, by the way, I can’t help asking: is your last name pronounced Psmith?) but Bernier, who would be the leader who would face that head-on, seems content to draw his salary and do nothing but watch hockey in his basement … In his own way B. is as pointless as Jagmeet Singh.
Agree on Bernier. If only PP would wade into the political waters that Bernier currently occupies…
My username is pronounced as it sounds – it is a shortened version of my relatively obscure and difficult to pronounce Dutch surname and was adopted as a nickname some years ago.
Ah, you’re of Dutch extraction. My compliments.
I agree, especially that the Maserati-socialist (love that) is pretty repugnant.
I actually got that wrong – he is referred to as the Maserati-Marxist by our future PM!
Freeland’s resignation was more about political positioning for her own leadership ambitions. (Surprise, surprise, she has a biography coming out today.)
For nine years she has been Trudeau’s bobble-head-in-chief and supported all of his deficit busting policies.
On Friday, over a zoom call, he told her he was replacing her as finance minister. On Monday morning she resigned claiming she was now a defender of the public purse and fiscal responsibility. Really?
No this was power politics, pure and simple. In one stroke she managed to accelerate Trudeau’s removal and created a poison pill environment for Mark Carney coming into Trudeau’s government. Why would Carney run into the burning building that Trudeau’s government has become?
Just a political power play rather than any principled stand.
The more things change….well, you know the rest.
You hit the nail on the head. The Liberal government has stopped governing while hanging off a cliff by a spineless and shameless Jagmeet Singh. No one bothered to address the Canadian public for two days as if we don’t exist! It’s simply mind-boggling how arrogant and ignorant the Liberal-NDP party has become!
Ever wonder how much of the billions and billions of cash USA has sent over to Ukraine has wound up in Freelands purse?
Trump appears to hold a grudge against anyone who slights him. He has publicly stated he dislikes Trudeau and Freeland. He has actually been trolling them daily on Truth Social. As recently as last week Trudeau was crapping on anyone who didn’t vote for Kamala Harris. He has spent the last 4 years calling the opposition MAGA style politicians. It is clearly better for Canada that they aren’t Canada’s leaders in the upcoming negotiations. However obviously both Trudeau and Freeland are putting their personal interests ahead of Canada’s – which is consistent with everything they’ve done to date.
And why would they slight him?
They have been trump baiting along with the democrats for 5 years.
Why would he have anything good to say about them?
Fidel was the same. He hung on to power for too long. Like father, like son.
One more useless personality political analysis. With the climate/ecological catastrophe looming ever closer, perhaps Unherd could choose articles that bolster cooperation rather than competition, as it is in the whole of our natural world. Let’s divest from private profit, eh?