Last week was not a good one for Justin Trudeau. Serious signs of discontent in his leadership bubbled to the surface from within the Liberal federal caucus. At least two dozen members of his own team are telling him out loud it is time to leave. Others are showing signs of feeling the same way but are less willing to place their necks in the noose.
This is somewhat unusual. Traditionally, it has been Conservatives who have pilloried their leaders in public when they think it is time for them to go. Liberals have been more subtle, dealing with leaders who are past their best before date in the back rooms, behind closed doors.
But not this time. Liberal members of parliament are out for themselves, fearing they could lose their seat in the next federal election and for some, also the lucrative pension that goes with it. Some of them have given him a deadline of Monday to tell them whether he will go or whether he will stay. Others have leaked the possibility of leaving the Liberal caucus and sitting as independents if Trudeau decides to stay.
Former NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair said in a recent interview, “With Trudeau as Prime Minister, the Conservative Party of Canada will win an unparalleled majority government. Liberal backbenchers know this.”
The Prime Minister told his caucus that he had heard their concerns and would “reflect” on them over the weekend. Many of those present were, therefore, stunned and upset when, within minutes of leaving the meeting, he announced he had no intention of stepping down and looked forward to leading the Liberal Party into the next election.
In my view, he said exactly the right thing, and no one should be surprised.
No political leader is going to speculate publicly about leaving their post until they actually do so, no matter what their private intentions may be. The moment they do, they become little more than caretakers.
Every political leader wants to go out on a high and not appear to be pushed out. Justin Trudeau is no exception. As one strong Trudeau supporter said to me recently, Justin Trudeau is trapped between leaving now and appearing to be forced out by his own people or almost certainly losing the next election.
But I continue to believe that Justin Trudeau will announce his intention to leave as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada sooner rather than later. He just has to find a way to do so that will allow him to retreat with his head held high. There is no way that the Prime Minister or the movers and shakers in the Liberal Party will blindly walk into a sure defeat at the polls.
If Justin Trudeau does indicate his intention to step down in the next month or so, it will be good for the Liberal Party. Leadership races at the federal level capture Canadians’ attention, ensure extensive media coverage and make it difficult for other political parties to get their message out.
Whether it is an election campaign or a leadership race, I believe there is an immediate need for a real forum for public debate on some of the key issues facing Canada. Our country is changing at a rapid pace, and we cannot wait for almost a year to address that.
For one thing, there is a level of hate in Canada that we have not seen before, and that cannot be good for a country.
Since the war in the Middle East, antisemitism has more than doubled in Canada. Actual antisemitic attacks are up 400 per cent. Two-thirds of hate crimes committed in Canada are against Jewish people. Who is going to stop this, and why has it not been done already?
And then there are people who want to change Canada or drag it down. I was particularly concerned about a young woman and activist living in Canada who said to a reporter. “Canada is a white supremacist colonial racist project, as is Israel. So, I don’t even consider myself to be Canadian because this is Indigenous land and the land is occupied.” Is this really who we are?
Also, immigration is an issue that needs to be addressed in the near term. It is not something we like to talk about, and certainly illegal immigration is not nearly the problem here as it is in the United States. But there are two immigration factors that do affect Canada. The first is our ability to support new immigration growth and the second is the degree to which Canadians want to respect diversity as it affects their way of life in Canada.
Most Canadians are proud of our diversity. At the same time, I believe that most Canadians value many of our long-held traditions. For example, it is disturbing to me to the core that the Canadian Human Rights Commission would suggest it is no longer appropriate to recognize the Christmas season as a national event. To me, whether or not one is a Christian, that is a part of our Canadian fabric.
Both major political parties in Canada have lately begun to address the issue of immigration. Pierre Poilievre has said that he would link immigration rates to housing, healthcare and employment opportunities. Justin Trudeau would simply reduce immigration to Canada by 20 percent. Which strategy is the right one here, and do we need to go further?
Sometimes, when I get to this point in writing an article, I find myself asking, so…..what is your point?
In this instance, I think Canada and the world around us are changing perhaps more quickly than at any other time in our lives. Meanwhile, our parliament is dysfunctional, stuck in a prolonged filibuster with neither side prepared to move. There are issues, far more than the few I have mentioned here, that need to be addressed in the near term, but the current political ability to address them is non-existent.
So, let’s get on with the federal Liberal leadership race or a national election. Let’s determine now who can best address the serious challenges facing Canadians and bring about the changes that they want now.
Why do we have to mess around for yet another year?
Hugh Mackenzie.
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler.
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Good article Hugh.
The Federal Liberal party is in crisis, eating itself up, and headed for a thrashing. Trudeau’s claim that they are “strong and united” was not a surprise. If he really believes he can win, he’s in denial.
A recent Abacus poll has the Liberals down by 22 points to the Conservatives. If Trudeau stays on, they will likely be wiped out, across the country. If he goes soon, a quick leadership race may inject some needed energy and hope back into the party. However, if they don’t make major shifts in priorities and policy, a new leader, regardless of who it is, won’t be enough to save them.
Canadians want meaningful change, focused on their top concerns, which the Trudeau government has failed to do. A focus on trying to scare Canadians into seeing a future Poilievre led government as hard right/extremist won’t work, as most Canadians won’t buy it.
A conservative majority government is looking increasingly likely.
As Mr Mackenzie says “the current political ability to address [the issues] is non-existent.” There continues to be a lot of unhealthy, unproductive noise that does not help citizens. If Justin Trudeau resigns and stops being a target for Pierre Poilievre and other hate-filled followers, maybe it will not be too late to get an election on issues and policy. Pierre Poilievre will need to speak about substantial thoughtful policy about tax structure, the justice system, affordable housing incentives, food insecurity, health care and commitment to truth and reconciliation with indigenous partners in this place we have so proudly called Canada. And maybe even answer what are the Conservative’s adaptive and mitigating strategies to meet the climate change challenge.
Thanks Hugh Holland.
Perhaps my memory is cloudy – but I recall some disturbing times for the Harper conservative government, with MPs leaving the “trained seal” circus, due to a leader earning the arguably accurate title as leader to “the party of one”.
To me, it is a very bad “look” at the very least, that PP has not agreed to a personal, national security clearance check to view the foreign interference report, listing current and former members of Parliament who may have willfully or unwittingly been influenced by foreign states/actors. So, meanwhile, we have to put up with PP’s opposition calling for names to be produced, for brownie points. (? if the MP is under an incomplete investigation, what happens if that is shared openly; isn’t timing important?)
There is much bluster from the Bloc Quebecois, but only the Conservatives would pull the plug on Trudeau because no other party wants to work with Poilievre. The Conservatives don’t have the numbers to win a majority, and a conservative minority would be as short-lived as Kim Cambell. The Liberals just won in New Brunswick and the NDP is leading in BC. The mood is changing. People are waking up to a sobering reality. Saskatchewan votes today. I suspect Trudeau is holding on until the right time to pass the torch to Mark Carney who recently declared his availability.
But right now, the US election is stealing all the headlines and rightly so with so much at stake in the world. The last thing we need is a new inexperienced group of extreme right ministers in a minority government in Canada until the US election is settled. The US will not be settled until the end of January or beyond. Stay tuned.
The worst kept secret in Ottawa right now is that Trudeau will run from his own MPs and Canadians by proroging parliament. When this happens, are we going to see the same protests from the same people that protested when Stephen Harper prorogued in 2010? Lol, of course we won’t. Prorogation is only bad when Conservatives do it!
Whether or not the Dauphin Trudeau prorogues, it is my fervent hope that he remain Prime Minister and Liberal leader, as long as possible. For this first time since he became PM he is now finally of some use. His narcissism and arrogance will help ensure not only that his party is wiped off the map in 2025, but will also allow Doug Ford the opportunity to secure another strong majority. As the old saying goes “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”, and today there is no greater enemy to federal or provincial Liberals than that fool who puts the “nepo” in “nepo baby”… Justin Trudeau
PS Oh boy, I simply cannot wait to see who the Federal Liberals parachute into this riding. Have they tried searching in Borneo yet to find someone?