Great piece. The end of delegated conventions has fundamentally changed our political parties. In the era of delegated conventions, party members were somebodies in their local communities and had the potential to be mobilized. The current Liberal Party is Justin Trudeau’s party. Love, like, dislike or hate him, he is the most formidable retail politician Canadian politics has ever seen. In a very fundamental sense, he is the Liberal Party. Succeeding him will be no easy task. Carney may be right that politicians do not understand markets (the track record of business leaders is not great on markets either, but I digress), but does anyone understand the challenge of taking over a post Trudeau Liberal Party?
Between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Leave Trudeau in place too long and there won't be much of a party left to lead. It seems incredible that the ego of a single man will determine the fortunes of a major political party.
I don't believe OMOV is ready for prime time, because regular voters still don't tend to take part in leadership elections - you've still got to be some degree of "insider" to even know that there's such a thing as a political party you can just up and join. This is where I'd prefer a U.S.-style primary system where more people are encouraged to vote.
The PM was elected leader of the Liberals by 0.3% of Canadians. I don't love a system that takes the power out of the hands of a small cadre of privileged but extremely active and informed citizens (the Percy Downes) and, instead, puts it in the hands of a just-barely-bigger cadre of equally-privileged but less active and informed citizens (Percy Downe and a handful of people Percy Downe signed up). It's not my scene.
How about a third option? I don't think the Liberals can win the next election with Trudeau at the helm. It's looking like a majority government for the Conservatives.
So true about the end of meaningful party membership and leadership. Where are the poo-bahs of old? They often had a ton of political experience, understood the country well and knew how far policies could push citizens before they'd rebel. They offered a good counter-balance to any leader and his support group..
Excellent column, hilarious and insightful, reminds me why I became a fan in the first place. Your takedown of Mark Carney reminds me of the stuff you used to write about Paul Martin back when most Liberals thought *that* guy was good at stuff. Thanks for twenty years of entertainment, Paul.
So I'm not going to go looking for it now, because these are two of my very least favourite people to listen to, but I once saw a committee meeting a few years ago where Poilievre was questioning Carney. Poilievre's doing the one thing Poilievre does - we all know the Liberals are taking bribes from Martians, and I demand to know when the Martians landed! Date and time! Date and time! DATE AND TIME! - and, I mean, whatever you think of his shtick, he's extremely good at it. And Carney just can't get a word in. And on the occasions Poilievre lets him talk, he prefaces his responses with a lengthy, ponderous, "Duhhhhhhh....", reminiscent of a dumb-guy breakout character who's always getting up to shenanigans on a bad sitcom.
I understand there's a school of thought that says Poilievre's elbows-up populism could best be countered by a frosty patrician type who holds Poilievre and his type in contempt. (This strategy worked really, really well for my guys in 2011.) But, man, even if it weren't a bad strategy, Carney is the maximum amount not the guy to do it.
I will quibble with this statement. Their newfound realism on immigration is just a PR exercise. They’re still increasing their immigration targets to 500k per year and haven’t talked about putting a cap on non permanent residents. They are still on track to stuff this country with 1 million + people per year with no regards whether cities and provinces can properly absorb this population.
Businesses have zero incentive to improve working conditions, pay or invest in technologies to improve productivity if they know they have a bottomless supply of temporary foreign workers that can be exploited. Canada’s path to future prosperity isnt going to be achieved through importing TFW who serve as fast food workers or doordash delivery drivers.
Without folks coming to this country to fill those employment opportunities that appear to be beneath those among us who aspire to their dream job at the get go.
Just watch, those folks who don't look like you will own that business before you find that perfect job.
After four decades of being afraid of my own government, he pretty much gets lifetime support for legalization of cannabis. Even if I went all "what have you done for me lately" on that, he gets one more thumbs-up just for the pandemic response; I can see from the States how much worse it would have been if Conservatives were in power. Talking about a lot of lives, there; it deserves recognition.
I doubt this is a significant factor in his decision to stay on, but one thing to consider is that Trudeau will very likely be PM a year from tomorrow, when all hell could break loose south of the border. I am absolutely not a fan of Trudeau, but I’d rather have a Prime Minister with years of experience on the international stage than one with none at all if the next US Presidential election ends, as seems reasonably likely, in a nation-fracturing political crisis and potentially even civic violence. I trust that someone in the national security apparatus is already thinking about that, but I’d rather not have a rookie PM trying to execute whatever highly complicated playbook we end up with.
My sense is that the situation would be a wash. The incumbent Prime Minister has little respect internationally, and no substantive foreign policy to counter looming threats from many directions.
It is hard to imagine that a new Prime Minister, be they Liberal, Conservative or NDP, (don’t laugh, Mr. Singh has publicly stated that he wants to be Prime Minister) could have any less to offer than what we have today.
I know of two diplomats working in different embassies around the world and not in Europe. Both tell me that when they socialize in their host countries nothing bad is ever said about the PM and the immigration applications are over the top of what they can even begin to handle. When I check google there is not one non partisan review of Trudeau internationally. That's part of the political assassination the RW tries to get him with.
I am also doing business right now in a very red US state. Hard core republican place and when I ask about their thoughts on Canada I get positives and envy about our medicare system.
Sorry you got sucked into the big lie but we are all free to think whatever
Sigh….I read this sentiment quite a bit from supporters of this PM. If his credibility is taking a hit, it’s because of a well-framed hatchet job conceived by the Conservative Party. Yet, of this PMs battlescars—this carbon tax carve-out being the latest example—most of his wounds seem self-inflicted. If he & his team (looking at you Gudie) are going to throw fastballs over the middle of the plate, who in opposition wouldn’t swing for the fences with it, as Pierre has done? He (Justin) seems almost perplexed why TROC can’t get behind decisions that look to make so much sense from the perspective of his Ottawa perch. What the average Canadian understands (I think) that foreign diplomats or US statesmen probably do not, is that the priorities of a condo owner in downtown Toronto are quite different from the grain grower in Saskatchewan, to make a point. The PM’s policies, based on a centrist philosophy perhaps gleaned from his father, is hard to pull off in a country as vast as ours. This is something everyone caught in the Ottawa bubble forgets over time. If Pierre becomes PM, as most prognosticators are foreseeing, he will likely forget as well
so who the PM comes to bat and starts hitting grand slams against the Trump party of Canada, I hope you will be ok with that hitting streak.
when people finally come to their senses they will realize this was a real carbon levy saviour. fuel oil costs about 4 times what Natgas does since it needs all manual handling of the product. This is a great cost equalizer for ALL Canadians using fuel oil to heat their homes. Poilievre only has a hold on lies. the PM will bring truth along soon
I don’t seem to recall our current PM striking fear in the heart of Mr Trump the last time around, but I could be wrong. Also, you would be in the minority if you feel the carbon tax roll-out nation-wide has been following a well-thought out plan, with foreseeable courses of action to the inevitable pockets of resistance to it. And yet again, our PM seemed caught off guard by the visceral reaction to the program and falling poll numbers it resulted in, particularly in the Maritimes, his stronghold. As if asking people to pay more (again) was just going to be alright with them.
Striking fear in Trump is what judges and the legal system are doing. The cdn govt came out of NAFTA 2 negotiations very well.
In terms of the carbon levies, a national program in a country as diverse as Canada is bound to find some anomalies. Fuel oil turns out to be one of them with its high cost delivery mechanisms and it's high pollution ratio over other fossil fuels. Was there also political motivation with that change. Of course there was but that doesn't change the logic of getting people off fuel oil. The cost savings are enormous which means it was low hanging fruit. Democracy wins when govts listen and act. Asking for the levy to be reduced for homes heated by gas makes no sense because these homeowners are rebated that levy and then some. That math wasn't working for fuel oil.
The politics surrounding this issue are purely political by premiers on the political right trying to damage the govts raison d'etre in terms of its major policy inisiatives.
Serious, experienced leaders don't wear Bollywood costumes to India. I would argue that his lack of judgment, shattered reputation and lack of respect more than offset whatever experience he may have gained. A new leader doesn't carry that heavy baggage and a fresh start for Canada on the world stage would be a welcome relief.
so you mean that forgiving Modi for ordering the killing of a Canadian on our soil would be handled better by a RW type like Modi. Or that they would better handle election interference by Russia they they paid for? I rest my case.
Defending the indefensible must be exhausting for you. Wearing a Liberal cheerleading costume every day does render your comments irrelevant. I could simply watch the CBC.
Even better! Please add VIA rail, supply management, protection of the telecom, air travel and media industries and most of the CRTC to the burn pile after the CBC kindling
Yes we must be prepared in the event the lefties lose control of themselves again and we get threatened with another invasion of pussy hat wearing gender confused mobs .
A good point often overlooked. And PP would have some fancy stepping to do (Taylor Swift, are you listening?) if his base gets a taste of U.S. Grade A red meat and starts pulling him farther in that direction than he’d otherwise want to go. But when has Trudeau been a strong, steady, influential figure on the world stage?
Substituting substance with noise seems to be his one thing. A handful of journalists have reported on their attempts to locate an agenda, a vision, a point to all of this - even just a glimpse of the person under the bile - but all have surrendered to the realisation that there isn't anything/anyone there.
We are left with the inevitable conclusion that it's all about money, power, "jobs for the boys", and the uncontrollable need to fill an infinitely deep, empty hole that in others is where love resides.
The final paragraphs of this well written article are telling.
The can do nothing wrong magic of Justin Trudeau is long gone. He has made a series of poor decisions that has rightly or wrongly affirmed his inability to adapt his government to the challenges facing us today.
Canadians need a government of fiscal discipline that encourages investment in projects all across Canada. There is lots of potential for a strong economy beyond Ontario and Quebec. If Trudeau is too blinkered by his political ambitions to see that, then the problem spills out farther than internal Liberal discontent.
Perhaps the only solution is for the big money donors to sit on the sidelines and give the fundraisers a message to take back to Ottawa.
The TransMountain and Trans Canada pipelines expansions/extensions, despite cost over runs do exemplify progress in getting Alberta’s products to tidewater..
Hard disagree. We can see from Harper's record of failure on Northern Gateway and Keystone XL that building pipelines has become much, much harder. I would describe TMX in particular as an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. In BC, there were three major obstacles: the increased risk of a tanker spill, climate change, and the delicate political situation with First Nations in BC. (Unlike the rest of Canada, the First Nations in BC never ceded their land by treaty, and the Supreme Court ruled back in the 1990s that Aboriginal title in BC continues to exist.)
Eden Robinson, writing in 2014 about Northern Gateway: "If Enbridge has poked the hornet's nest of aboriginal unrest, then the federal Conservatives, Stephen Harper's government, has spent the last few years whacking it like a pinata."
Trudeau didn't just approve TMX: after the Federal Court of Appeal nullified ("quashed") the approval, on the grounds of inadequate consultation with First Nations, he went back and redid the consultation. Second time around, it stood up in court, despite being appealed all the way up to the Supreme Court. (Kind of like the federal carbon tax - there was only a narrow, once-in-a-generation opportunity to make this happen while the Alberta NDP were in government, 2015-2019.) And after the BC NDP tried to block it (aren't they supposed to be the same unified party?), Trudeau brought down the biggest hammer available, by buying the pipeline outright.
I'm not so much in "disagreement", as baffled. The government doesn't build the damn things, they just issue permits. The permits were issued. But they went WAY WAY beyond that. The right thing to do, according to free market principles, was to let the TMX go broke, and never happen. Instead, they bailed out the pipeline company with 100%, not even a penny of haircut for their mistake. Now the government will drop $650/Canadian, $30B, on a pipeline so that more oil can be sold. Some "opposition"!
The narrative that the left is Bad for Business, and the right are Good, is so strong it can overcome not just the true story, but lived experience. I had to comment to the Herald the other day to explain that the 2015 Trudeau election did not empty out the oil office towers of Calgary via oilmen losing confidence they could invest. They emptied right after the price of oil was cut in half by bin Salman and Putin, 16 months earlier. The towers were half-emptied already on election day:
...and the weird thing there, is that this isn't distant history in space, or time: the sequence had happened, to the Calgarians I was instructing, just nine years ago. After Trudeau was elected, they remapped the time sequence in their minds to make the previous sixteen months All His Fault. The new story was being promulgated by Herald writer Chris Nelson.
It's not the condemnation of Trudeau I mind so much, it's that they're letting off bin Salman and Putin, two of the worst people in the world. They had thrown nearly 100,000 Albertans out of work before Trudeau took office.
What is sad here is a PM who is unable to understand that it is time to go. However he is not the only PM who has been in that position. Justin does sees himself as a Head of State not as Head of Government, the power of all PMs are too great and unchallenged. What we see now is a very unserious government and Parliament. The country needs a Canadian vision of the future with a clear agenda to favour all Canadians. We are not going to get it of course, no matter who assumes the office of PM in the next few years. Sad for our country which is clearly in decline.
I am beyond sick and tired of politicians and journalists saying Canada is in decline. That Canada is broken. If you don’t like our democracy, our free healthcare, our remarkable universities, our freedom to worship whatever religion we choose, our capacity to give refugees a safe home and our polite, non-ostentatious, peaceful society, to name a few positive things - *go elsewhere* It’s a big world. Try to find someplace better. Scratch head. Just maybe not Russia, Ukraine, Palestine or Israel.
I reject this idea that people in a democratic country shouldn’t complain about problems in said democratic country.
“ If you don’t like our democracy, our free healthcare, our remarkable universities, our freedom to worship whatever religion we choose, our capacity to give refugees a safe home and our polite, non-ostentatious, peaceful society, to name a few positive things - *go elsewhere*”.
I’d like to point some things within this statement.
1. Millions of canadians dont even have access to a family doctor so they don’t receive adequate healthcare.
2. Our “remarkable” universities that governments refuse to adequately fund so they rely on a bottomless supply of poor international student’s primarily from india. The same students are then ruthlessly exploited from businesses that want cheap labour. Governments at all levels have turned a blind eye.
3. Religions freedom is under attack in quebec due to bill 21, and the so called defender of minority rights (trudeau and singh) and the guy harping about his love of freedom (poillievre) are all silent on this.
4. There is a difference in how refugees are treated. Ukranian refugees are treated well but black, african refugees are being stuffed in homeless shelters that dont have the capacity to take them in.
1. all provincial responsibilities. The feds give enough money to the provinces who don't confront the medical associations to soften their admittance.
2. education is explicitly a provincial responsibility.
3. religious freedom is not under attack in Quebec. Religious dress codes are. There is a difference.
4. Ukranian refugees are bringing money with them for the most part. Others are not treated so well but that is simply a question of too many too soon.
my point is the feds are not responsible for three out of four of your complaints. You're using PP's lies and misinformation
I agree that the family physician shortage in Canada is bad. However, many Universities have opened satellite Faculties of Medicine to train more students and have increased student enrolment per class. There is certainly a push by physician professors to highlight the necessity of more students choosing a family medicine residency. However, physicians don’t graduate overnight, so it will take some years for the backlog to clear.
Most large universities have a cap on the number of foreign students allowed entry. It’s not as large as you think. How do you know those students are *ruthlessly* exploited? I taught ESL students at university. Most of them go home after graduation.
Yes, there are some attacks on religious freedom, certainly in Quebec. But, by and large, *most* Canadians can walk down the street to their church, synagogue or temple and worship without worrying they will be attacked along the way.
I can’t speak to how refugees are treated depending on their nationality.
It's tough, Teresa. I absolutely agree with you that things in Canada are better now, for more people, than they've ever been. But I also can't say that "everything feels broken" is an ineffective message---because most of us, on all sides of the political spectrum, feel more aggrieved now than ever before. I wish the PM could find some way to square this circle, but frankly, I think the general feelings of frustration out there are beyond any politician to solve.
What aggrieves you, George? What aggrieves average Canadians on all sides of the political spectrum? Cost of food, lack of affordable housing, general cost of living?Pocketbook stuff mostly. So, I guess things are better in the US, Europe, Australia? Don’t think so. It’s the SAME in every Western democracy. Canada is no different. We’ve endured a once in a lifetime global pandemic. It’s going to take a while to recover. There is NO magical politician who can wave a wand and make things better tomorrow.
Teresa, to be clear, we agree! The economic challenges that Canada faces are the same facing everyone; there's nothing the PM could be doing to fix them; and it's simply irresponsible of Pierre Poilievre, who thinks a small-town waitress might make about $60,000 a year and does not seem to know what the term "monetary policy" means, to pretend that he can just bluster into the PMO and that things will automatically be better because he looks so cute in his new sunglasses.
But I spent much of the late pandemic teetering on the edge of homelessness and death. Rent in my city is three and a half times what it was pre-pandemic. I live in the downtown core of a mid-sized city, two minutes from a homeless shelter---we've got hundreds of homeless people in town, many struggling with addiction and mental health challenges. I agree with you that, put in a reasonable context of the pandemic and how things are going in the rest of the world, things aren't that bad---but absolutely, things *feel* bad right now, to me and to a lot of people. If they don't feel bad to you, I don't know what to tell you. We are one hundred percent agreed that a., the bad feeling cannot be easily solved, and that b,. if it could, it wouldn't be by Poilievre's cheap sloganeering. But it's hard to say that things do not feel bad right now for many people.
I am sorry that your situation was so dire at times. I do understand the low depths of addiction, mental health challenges and homelessness. Years ago I ran a study on the link between addiction and homelessness in 2 men’s shelters, in the city I live in. It was bad then. It must be beyond awful now. I am lucky that my husband and I are retired, have our health and own our house. I appreciate that many, many people, live day-to-day in uncertainty of the next pay cheque, or increase in rent, or decline in health.
I think the genius of "everything feels broken" is that it encompasses both a right-wing dog whistle---there are some people to whom what feels "broken" is that Canadian society is 1% less racist than it used to be rather than 500% more---and also the "I just saw a homeless guy peeing on a dog" thing and also "I ordered a sandwich at Subway and it was $28 and then the huge corporation asked me for a tip" thing. Different things feel broken to different people, and that's why I think the slogan is resonating with so many people. I don't know what any PM could do to solve this---not just the issues, but the *feeling*.
We also disagree pretty staunchly about whether "finally get(ting) around to labeling" your opponent is good strategy. If your brother tells you he doesn't like a woman you've been on one date with, maybe you listen to him. If your brother tells you he doesn't like your wife of twenty years, maybe you stop talking to your brother. Letting your opponent completely set the terms and define himself, and then "finally" saying, "Oh, yeah, this guy who's made a good impression on you? He said something bad once!", simply does not work as a strategy. The first I ever heard of Stockwell Day was Warren Kinsella playing with Barney the dinosaur. The first a lot of Canadians have heard about Skippy Poilievre is an ad campaign where he seems like a reasonable, likable guy named "Pierre". Can we, once Canadians like him, run some ads that say he's a bad guy? Sure. Will it work? About as well as it would work to run some ads now saying Brian Mulroney's a bad guy in hopes that it would somehow change the result of the '84 campaign.
I think we're talking about two very different things here, my friend. At least I hope we are. I'm talking about the general mood in society that goes beyond politics - a "malaise", to borrow a word Jimmy Carter didn't actually say - not about horse-race voting intentions. Attack ads are not going to change the thing I'm talking about.
Right now, I can walk into any establishment in my city at any time with washrooms open to the public and find a homeless person passed out in the bathrooms. When I do that, I think, "Shit, that poor guy. These are tough times we're living in. I wish things were better." If you're saying that the Liberals are going to launch an attack ad so good that, when I walk into a bathroom and see a passed-out homeless person, my reaction will henceforth be, "Boy, things are great in Canada and that Pee-Pee sure is a jerk!"...well, that'd sure have to be a heck of an ad.
I feel fine and dandy about where we are at as a country. I think the masses of aggrieved you reference are largely the outcome of successful propaganda campaigns. As they might encourage you to do in Letterkenny: you need to sort yourselves out.
Yeah, I maybe shouldn't have used the word "aggrieved", as it calls to mind for some of us people who are mad about pride flags or not being allowed to spread the plague or whatever. I've got no time for them. But there are lots of people out there struggling with actual problems - housing, health care, etc. (The latter's on my mind because I developed a concerning medical symptom half an hour ago and really should see a doctor---except, whoops, I don't have one!)
If Justin says, "I feel fine and dandy about where we are at as a country," and Poilievre says, "I understand your problems and I know how to fix them", a lot of people are going to like the latter message more than the former message right now. I'm describing a political problem, not an objective reality.
- our free healthcare that allows anyone to wait twenty months for an initial consultation about surgery to be followed by being on a waiting list of indeterminate length for that surgery?
- the ability to pay magnitudes of what residents of QB pay if an anglo from outside QB wants to go to a QB university?
- the freedom for a Jew to (not) feel safe in Canada?
- the capacity for a refugee to Canada to get a job in their chosen profession when they have to deal with provincial professional association rules?
- the ability of almost ANY individual to be able to buy a home?
Hell, why on earth would I believe that Canada is not broken?
So, you are "beyond sick and tired" etc.; well, I am just a "normal, regular" individual who was born in this country over seventy years ago and I really, really do believe that this country is broken. My opinion comes not from "politicians and journalists" but from my own eyes and my own life experiences.
I am sorry to hear that Ken. I am just a few years younger than you and I would feel inexorably sad that in my twilight years, my country had failed me. Good thing I don’t feel that way. Maybe it’s an optimistic personality. Cup half full kind of feeling.
I’m not Jewish, but I do have many Jewish colleagues and friends. My adult kids have been to synagogue more times than I have for Jewish events, with their Jewish friends. I can reliably say that not one of these people wishes to leave Canada for Israel. Many, in fact, decry Israel’s leadership now.
A qualified general practitioner from the UK is being deported (as we speak) because he "failed" an English test set by the Immigration board of Canada. He and his family are happily settled in Sidney BC and he has a 1000 happy patients. His costly appeal was rejected because he didn't take the correct version of the English test.
Geesh, we tell the Germans there is no business case for their legitimate requests and we tell qualified medical practitioners to go back to the UK. When is voting day? I can't wait.
Trudeau will hang on until the next election - probably 2 years from now. Just enough time for Liberals to *finally* mount large numbers of attack ads against a mendacious, inept, clownish, low-information opposition leader, who, if elected will set Canada back a generation. A buffoon who will make a fool of Canada on the world stage. Trump-lite. And we all know how that presidency worked out for Americans.
So you're basically attacking the intelligence of all the Canadians who are telling pollsters they're voting Conservative. And insinuating that the Liberals problems are all for want of sufficient attack ads because people are too dumb to see what Liberals see. Pierre Poilievre thanks you for your service.
Ah, so now I understand why it is that you said above that Canada is not broken: you are a partisan against everything Poilievre. It is useful to be able to understand your bias when reading your other comments. Thank you for clarifying.
Interesting that in the age of social media everyone seems to think every election is the most important ever, and that every leader from left to right is an extremist.
I would argue that good and bad things just keep going on and little really changes. Hence, the failure of the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP at the federal and provincial levels to deal with the issue of housing. In my opinion the BC NDP government of John Horgan was really just Liberals 3.0 (after Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark). The Stephen Harper government did not end abortion rights or bring prayer back to schools. All five parties in the House of Commons applauded a Nazi..lol
Most likely we will continue to see incumbent governments, regardless of party, get kicked out (like New Zealand) because of economic issues and voter apathy towards the governing party. Looks very likely we will see the Conservatives lose in the UK, and we might see the Liberals lose here in 2025.
While I often disagree with you I wholeheartedly think that you are one of those journalists whose opinions and perspectives that I truly value and respect. Your wonderful sense of humour is a most appreciated bonus!!
Agreed! I think there's far less style in political journalism than ever before - we're moving as a society into a "clapter" model where most of us (and I include myself in this) often just want to read our own opinions reflected back to us. Paul's one of the few working journalists I can name for whom *how* they write is more of a draw than *what* they write. I've read each of his books several times, because they're just entertaining and enjoyable writing.
I’ll be sure to check out his books! I always enjoy watching him on P&P on Friday evenings and often find myself laughing out loud. He gets that twinkle in his eye and I just know that he’s going to say something profound, clever and with a twist of funny!!
A spark survey i heard about on Mansbridge said 19% of Canadians hate the PM. Another 36% said they are just tired of him. So, in my view when PP gets caught up in his own BS and disinformation I don't think the PM will look tired to voters. Two years is a very long time in politics
And posts like this are the reason I read and subscribe to Paul Wells.
Great piece. The end of delegated conventions has fundamentally changed our political parties. In the era of delegated conventions, party members were somebodies in their local communities and had the potential to be mobilized. The current Liberal Party is Justin Trudeau’s party. Love, like, dislike or hate him, he is the most formidable retail politician Canadian politics has ever seen. In a very fundamental sense, he is the Liberal Party. Succeeding him will be no easy task. Carney may be right that politicians do not understand markets (the track record of business leaders is not great on markets either, but I digress), but does anyone understand the challenge of taking over a post Trudeau Liberal Party?
Between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Leave Trudeau in place too long and there won't be much of a party left to lead. It seems incredible that the ego of a single man will determine the fortunes of a major political party.
In my opinion the Libs have a front bench that will keep the party very strong for several years.
Seriously????!!!
Who ?
Was just about to ask.
Great comment about what the end of delegated political conventions has changed. Trudeau is the party.
I don't believe OMOV is ready for prime time, because regular voters still don't tend to take part in leadership elections - you've still got to be some degree of "insider" to even know that there's such a thing as a political party you can just up and join. This is where I'd prefer a U.S.-style primary system where more people are encouraged to vote.
The PM was elected leader of the Liberals by 0.3% of Canadians. I don't love a system that takes the power out of the hands of a small cadre of privileged but extremely active and informed citizens (the Percy Downes) and, instead, puts it in the hands of a just-barely-bigger cadre of equally-privileged but less active and informed citizens (Percy Downe and a handful of people Percy Downe signed up). It's not my scene.
Trudeau is the party--what a depressing thought. But I don't doubt you're right.
I'll take him any day over the con guy.
How about a third option? I don't think the Liberals can win the next election with Trudeau at the helm. It's looking like a majority government for the Conservatives.
There is no election for 2 years.
I know, but I don't see people getting less tired of Trudeau as time passes.
Give it time. The libs are just starting to rev their engines
So true about the end of meaningful party membership and leadership. Where are the poo-bahs of old? They often had a ton of political experience, understood the country well and knew how far policies could push citizens before they'd rebel. They offered a good counter-balance to any leader and his support group..
Excellent column, hilarious and insightful, reminds me why I became a fan in the first place. Your takedown of Mark Carney reminds me of the stuff you used to write about Paul Martin back when most Liberals thought *that* guy was good at stuff. Thanks for twenty years of entertainment, Paul.
So I'm not going to go looking for it now, because these are two of my very least favourite people to listen to, but I once saw a committee meeting a few years ago where Poilievre was questioning Carney. Poilievre's doing the one thing Poilievre does - we all know the Liberals are taking bribes from Martians, and I demand to know when the Martians landed! Date and time! Date and time! DATE AND TIME! - and, I mean, whatever you think of his shtick, he's extremely good at it. And Carney just can't get a word in. And on the occasions Poilievre lets him talk, he prefaces his responses with a lengthy, ponderous, "Duhhhhhhh....", reminiscent of a dumb-guy breakout character who's always getting up to shenanigans on a bad sitcom.
I understand there's a school of thought that says Poilievre's elbows-up populism could best be countered by a frosty patrician type who holds Poilievre and his type in contempt. (This strategy worked really, really well for my guys in 2011.) But, man, even if it weren't a bad strategy, Carney is the maximum amount not the guy to do it.
“or a turn toward greater realism on immigration”
I will quibble with this statement. Their newfound realism on immigration is just a PR exercise. They’re still increasing their immigration targets to 500k per year and haven’t talked about putting a cap on non permanent residents. They are still on track to stuff this country with 1 million + people per year with no regards whether cities and provinces can properly absorb this population.
Every local business I deal with has TFW's and can't survive w/o them as they cannot find local workers. So I beg to differ about immigration quotas.
Businesses have zero incentive to improve working conditions, pay or invest in technologies to improve productivity if they know they have a bottomless supply of temporary foreign workers that can be exploited. Canada’s path to future prosperity isnt going to be achieved through importing TFW who serve as fast food workers or doordash delivery drivers.
I agree with Terry.
Without folks coming to this country to fill those employment opportunities that appear to be beneath those among us who aspire to their dream job at the get go.
Just watch, those folks who don't look like you will own that business before you find that perfect job.
Up the pay and see what happens.
After four decades of being afraid of my own government, he pretty much gets lifetime support for legalization of cannabis. Even if I went all "what have you done for me lately" on that, he gets one more thumbs-up just for the pandemic response; I can see from the States how much worse it would have been if Conservatives were in power. Talking about a lot of lives, there; it deserves recognition.
I doubt this is a significant factor in his decision to stay on, but one thing to consider is that Trudeau will very likely be PM a year from tomorrow, when all hell could break loose south of the border. I am absolutely not a fan of Trudeau, but I’d rather have a Prime Minister with years of experience on the international stage than one with none at all if the next US Presidential election ends, as seems reasonably likely, in a nation-fracturing political crisis and potentially even civic violence. I trust that someone in the national security apparatus is already thinking about that, but I’d rather not have a rookie PM trying to execute whatever highly complicated playbook we end up with.
My sense is that the situation would be a wash. The incumbent Prime Minister has little respect internationally, and no substantive foreign policy to counter looming threats from many directions.
It is hard to imagine that a new Prime Minister, be they Liberal, Conservative or NDP, (don’t laugh, Mr. Singh has publicly stated that he wants to be Prime Minister) could have any less to offer than what we have today.
I know of two diplomats working in different embassies around the world and not in Europe. Both tell me that when they socialize in their host countries nothing bad is ever said about the PM and the immigration applications are over the top of what they can even begin to handle. When I check google there is not one non partisan review of Trudeau internationally. That's part of the political assassination the RW tries to get him with.
I am also doing business right now in a very red US state. Hard core republican place and when I ask about their thoughts on Canada I get positives and envy about our medicare system.
Sorry you got sucked into the big lie but we are all free to think whatever
Sigh….I read this sentiment quite a bit from supporters of this PM. If his credibility is taking a hit, it’s because of a well-framed hatchet job conceived by the Conservative Party. Yet, of this PMs battlescars—this carbon tax carve-out being the latest example—most of his wounds seem self-inflicted. If he & his team (looking at you Gudie) are going to throw fastballs over the middle of the plate, who in opposition wouldn’t swing for the fences with it, as Pierre has done? He (Justin) seems almost perplexed why TROC can’t get behind decisions that look to make so much sense from the perspective of his Ottawa perch. What the average Canadian understands (I think) that foreign diplomats or US statesmen probably do not, is that the priorities of a condo owner in downtown Toronto are quite different from the grain grower in Saskatchewan, to make a point. The PM’s policies, based on a centrist philosophy perhaps gleaned from his father, is hard to pull off in a country as vast as ours. This is something everyone caught in the Ottawa bubble forgets over time. If Pierre becomes PM, as most prognosticators are foreseeing, he will likely forget as well
so who the PM comes to bat and starts hitting grand slams against the Trump party of Canada, I hope you will be ok with that hitting streak.
when people finally come to their senses they will realize this was a real carbon levy saviour. fuel oil costs about 4 times what Natgas does since it needs all manual handling of the product. This is a great cost equalizer for ALL Canadians using fuel oil to heat their homes. Poilievre only has a hold on lies. the PM will bring truth along soon
I don’t seem to recall our current PM striking fear in the heart of Mr Trump the last time around, but I could be wrong. Also, you would be in the minority if you feel the carbon tax roll-out nation-wide has been following a well-thought out plan, with foreseeable courses of action to the inevitable pockets of resistance to it. And yet again, our PM seemed caught off guard by the visceral reaction to the program and falling poll numbers it resulted in, particularly in the Maritimes, his stronghold. As if asking people to pay more (again) was just going to be alright with them.
Striking fear in Trump is what judges and the legal system are doing. The cdn govt came out of NAFTA 2 negotiations very well.
In terms of the carbon levies, a national program in a country as diverse as Canada is bound to find some anomalies. Fuel oil turns out to be one of them with its high cost delivery mechanisms and it's high pollution ratio over other fossil fuels. Was there also political motivation with that change. Of course there was but that doesn't change the logic of getting people off fuel oil. The cost savings are enormous which means it was low hanging fruit. Democracy wins when govts listen and act. Asking for the levy to be reduced for homes heated by gas makes no sense because these homeowners are rebated that levy and then some. That math wasn't working for fuel oil.
The politics surrounding this issue are purely political by premiers on the political right trying to damage the govts raison d'etre in terms of its major policy inisiatives.
https://twitter.com/gmacofglebe/status/1721519545439985903?t=xGyUIZEdfui74Nzg2k4Uyg&s=19
Serious, experienced leaders don't wear Bollywood costumes to India. I would argue that his lack of judgment, shattered reputation and lack of respect more than offset whatever experience he may have gained. A new leader doesn't carry that heavy baggage and a fresh start for Canada on the world stage would be a welcome relief.
so you mean that forgiving Modi for ordering the killing of a Canadian on our soil would be handled better by a RW type like Modi. Or that they would better handle election interference by Russia they they paid for? I rest my case.
Defending the indefensible must be exhausting for you. Wearing a Liberal cheerleading costume every day does render your comments irrelevant. I could simply watch the CBC.
If you get your wish even the CBC won't be around.
Even better! Please add VIA rail, supply management, protection of the telecom, air travel and media industries and most of the CRTC to the burn pile after the CBC kindling
No answer?
Years of experience are not worth much if you’re not very bright and few on the world stage respect you (or even listen to you).
" few on the world stage respect you (or even listen to you)."
Prove it.
Yes we must be prepared in the event the lefties lose control of themselves again and we get threatened with another invasion of pussy hat wearing gender confused mobs .
Of what?
A good point often overlooked. And PP would have some fancy stepping to do (Taylor Swift, are you listening?) if his base gets a taste of U.S. Grade A red meat and starts pulling him farther in that direction than he’d otherwise want to go. But when has Trudeau been a strong, steady, influential figure on the world stage?
Ever since he got elected. His principles drive RW dictators crazy as they should. Canada is a beacon of democracy
Paul, you'd make a great backup dancer for Taylor Swift. You've got the moves.
If he'd said "lyricist", none of us would have thought he was joking.
Well, it was a very good column.
A serious treatise on the failings of Justin Trudeau..
For balanced reporting..
What are the specific strengths of Pierre Poilievre that make him a better choice?
I have not seen any pollster or journalist quantify his advantages.
I was going to take a detour into that territory here, but I'll save it up for a separate piece, which will resemble a few that I've already written.
I would enjoy links to what you have already written..Thankyou in advance!
That should be a short piece.
Have you managed to pin PP down for an interview? Or does he do that any more?
Apparently, Pierre knows what a woman is.
The Petersen version I think is what you mean
He has a wifey. She refers to herself that way.
Substituting substance with noise seems to be his one thing. A handful of journalists have reported on their attempts to locate an agenda, a vision, a point to all of this - even just a glimpse of the person under the bile - but all have surrendered to the realisation that there isn't anything/anyone there.
We are left with the inevitable conclusion that it's all about money, power, "jobs for the boys", and the uncontrollable need to fill an infinitely deep, empty hole that in others is where love resides.
The final paragraphs of this well written article are telling.
The can do nothing wrong magic of Justin Trudeau is long gone. He has made a series of poor decisions that has rightly or wrongly affirmed his inability to adapt his government to the challenges facing us today.
Canadians need a government of fiscal discipline that encourages investment in projects all across Canada. There is lots of potential for a strong economy beyond Ontario and Quebec. If Trudeau is too blinkered by his political ambitions to see that, then the problem spills out farther than internal Liberal discontent.
Perhaps the only solution is for the big money donors to sit on the sidelines and give the fundraisers a message to take back to Ottawa.
The TransMountain and Trans Canada pipelines expansions/extensions, despite cost over runs do exemplify progress in getting Alberta’s products to tidewater..
Jim, those pipes are being built DESPITE not because of our fearless/feckless leader.
Hard disagree. We can see from Harper's record of failure on Northern Gateway and Keystone XL that building pipelines has become much, much harder. I would describe TMX in particular as an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. In BC, there were three major obstacles: the increased risk of a tanker spill, climate change, and the delicate political situation with First Nations in BC. (Unlike the rest of Canada, the First Nations in BC never ceded their land by treaty, and the Supreme Court ruled back in the 1990s that Aboriginal title in BC continues to exist.)
Eden Robinson, writing in 2014 about Northern Gateway: "If Enbridge has poked the hornet's nest of aboriginal unrest, then the federal Conservatives, Stephen Harper's government, has spent the last few years whacking it like a pinata."
Trudeau didn't just approve TMX: after the Federal Court of Appeal nullified ("quashed") the approval, on the grounds of inadequate consultation with First Nations, he went back and redid the consultation. Second time around, it stood up in court, despite being appealed all the way up to the Supreme Court. (Kind of like the federal carbon tax - there was only a narrow, once-in-a-generation opportunity to make this happen while the Alberta NDP were in government, 2015-2019.) And after the BC NDP tried to block it (aren't they supposed to be the same unified party?), Trudeau brought down the biggest hammer available, by buying the pipeline outright.
https://russilwvong.com/blog/tmx-obstacles
Russ, I usually find a great deal about which to agree with your commentary.
In this one, however, I will quote you, "Hard disagree."
As civilized folk you and I can agree in a civilized manner to agree to disagree.
Cheers.
I'm not so much in "disagreement", as baffled. The government doesn't build the damn things, they just issue permits. The permits were issued. But they went WAY WAY beyond that. The right thing to do, according to free market principles, was to let the TMX go broke, and never happen. Instead, they bailed out the pipeline company with 100%, not even a penny of haircut for their mistake. Now the government will drop $650/Canadian, $30B, on a pipeline so that more oil can be sold. Some "opposition"!
The narrative that the left is Bad for Business, and the right are Good, is so strong it can overcome not just the true story, but lived experience. I had to comment to the Herald the other day to explain that the 2015 Trudeau election did not empty out the oil office towers of Calgary via oilmen losing confidence they could invest. They emptied right after the price of oil was cut in half by bin Salman and Putin, 16 months earlier. The towers were half-emptied already on election day:
http://brander.ca/stackback#yycrecession
...and the weird thing there, is that this isn't distant history in space, or time: the sequence had happened, to the Calgarians I was instructing, just nine years ago. After Trudeau was elected, they remapped the time sequence in their minds to make the previous sixteen months All His Fault. The new story was being promulgated by Herald writer Chris Nelson.
It's not the condemnation of Trudeau I mind so much, it's that they're letting off bin Salman and Putin, two of the worst people in the world. They had thrown nearly 100,000 Albertans out of work before Trudeau took office.
Photo of Trudeau checking his chair and comment made me laugh. Keep up the great writing and photos!
What is sad here is a PM who is unable to understand that it is time to go. However he is not the only PM who has been in that position. Justin does sees himself as a Head of State not as Head of Government, the power of all PMs are too great and unchallenged. What we see now is a very unserious government and Parliament. The country needs a Canadian vision of the future with a clear agenda to favour all Canadians. We are not going to get it of course, no matter who assumes the office of PM in the next few years. Sad for our country which is clearly in decline.
I am beyond sick and tired of politicians and journalists saying Canada is in decline. That Canada is broken. If you don’t like our democracy, our free healthcare, our remarkable universities, our freedom to worship whatever religion we choose, our capacity to give refugees a safe home and our polite, non-ostentatious, peaceful society, to name a few positive things - *go elsewhere* It’s a big world. Try to find someplace better. Scratch head. Just maybe not Russia, Ukraine, Palestine or Israel.
I reject this idea that people in a democratic country shouldn’t complain about problems in said democratic country.
“ If you don’t like our democracy, our free healthcare, our remarkable universities, our freedom to worship whatever religion we choose, our capacity to give refugees a safe home and our polite, non-ostentatious, peaceful society, to name a few positive things - *go elsewhere*”.
I’d like to point some things within this statement.
1. Millions of canadians dont even have access to a family doctor so they don’t receive adequate healthcare.
2. Our “remarkable” universities that governments refuse to adequately fund so they rely on a bottomless supply of poor international student’s primarily from india. The same students are then ruthlessly exploited from businesses that want cheap labour. Governments at all levels have turned a blind eye.
3. Religions freedom is under attack in quebec due to bill 21, and the so called defender of minority rights (trudeau and singh) and the guy harping about his love of freedom (poillievre) are all silent on this.
4. There is a difference in how refugees are treated. Ukranian refugees are treated well but black, african refugees are being stuffed in homeless shelters that dont have the capacity to take them in.
1. all provincial responsibilities. The feds give enough money to the provinces who don't confront the medical associations to soften their admittance.
2. education is explicitly a provincial responsibility.
3. religious freedom is not under attack in Quebec. Religious dress codes are. There is a difference.
4. Ukranian refugees are bringing money with them for the most part. Others are not treated so well but that is simply a question of too many too soon.
my point is the feds are not responsible for three out of four of your complaints. You're using PP's lies and misinformation
I agree that the family physician shortage in Canada is bad. However, many Universities have opened satellite Faculties of Medicine to train more students and have increased student enrolment per class. There is certainly a push by physician professors to highlight the necessity of more students choosing a family medicine residency. However, physicians don’t graduate overnight, so it will take some years for the backlog to clear.
Most large universities have a cap on the number of foreign students allowed entry. It’s not as large as you think. How do you know those students are *ruthlessly* exploited? I taught ESL students at university. Most of them go home after graduation.
Yes, there are some attacks on religious freedom, certainly in Quebec. But, by and large, *most* Canadians can walk down the street to their church, synagogue or temple and worship without worrying they will be attacked along the way.
I can’t speak to how refugees are treated depending on their nationality.
It's tough, Teresa. I absolutely agree with you that things in Canada are better now, for more people, than they've ever been. But I also can't say that "everything feels broken" is an ineffective message---because most of us, on all sides of the political spectrum, feel more aggrieved now than ever before. I wish the PM could find some way to square this circle, but frankly, I think the general feelings of frustration out there are beyond any politician to solve.
What aggrieves you, George? What aggrieves average Canadians on all sides of the political spectrum? Cost of food, lack of affordable housing, general cost of living?Pocketbook stuff mostly. So, I guess things are better in the US, Europe, Australia? Don’t think so. It’s the SAME in every Western democracy. Canada is no different. We’ve endured a once in a lifetime global pandemic. It’s going to take a while to recover. There is NO magical politician who can wave a wand and make things better tomorrow.
Teresa, to be clear, we agree! The economic challenges that Canada faces are the same facing everyone; there's nothing the PM could be doing to fix them; and it's simply irresponsible of Pierre Poilievre, who thinks a small-town waitress might make about $60,000 a year and does not seem to know what the term "monetary policy" means, to pretend that he can just bluster into the PMO and that things will automatically be better because he looks so cute in his new sunglasses.
But I spent much of the late pandemic teetering on the edge of homelessness and death. Rent in my city is three and a half times what it was pre-pandemic. I live in the downtown core of a mid-sized city, two minutes from a homeless shelter---we've got hundreds of homeless people in town, many struggling with addiction and mental health challenges. I agree with you that, put in a reasonable context of the pandemic and how things are going in the rest of the world, things aren't that bad---but absolutely, things *feel* bad right now, to me and to a lot of people. If they don't feel bad to you, I don't know what to tell you. We are one hundred percent agreed that a., the bad feeling cannot be easily solved, and that b,. if it could, it wouldn't be by Poilievre's cheap sloganeering. But it's hard to say that things do not feel bad right now for many people.
I am sorry that your situation was so dire at times. I do understand the low depths of addiction, mental health challenges and homelessness. Years ago I ran a study on the link between addiction and homelessness in 2 men’s shelters, in the city I live in. It was bad then. It must be beyond awful now. I am lucky that my husband and I are retired, have our health and own our house. I appreciate that many, many people, live day-to-day in uncertainty of the next pay cheque, or increase in rent, or decline in health.
I think the genius of "everything feels broken" is that it encompasses both a right-wing dog whistle---there are some people to whom what feels "broken" is that Canadian society is 1% less racist than it used to be rather than 500% more---and also the "I just saw a homeless guy peeing on a dog" thing and also "I ordered a sandwich at Subway and it was $28 and then the huge corporation asked me for a tip" thing. Different things feel broken to different people, and that's why I think the slogan is resonating with so many people. I don't know what any PM could do to solve this---not just the issues, but the *feeling*.
when the libs finally get around to labeling PP, the mood will change
We also disagree pretty staunchly about whether "finally get(ting) around to labeling" your opponent is good strategy. If your brother tells you he doesn't like a woman you've been on one date with, maybe you listen to him. If your brother tells you he doesn't like your wife of twenty years, maybe you stop talking to your brother. Letting your opponent completely set the terms and define himself, and then "finally" saying, "Oh, yeah, this guy who's made a good impression on you? He said something bad once!", simply does not work as a strategy. The first I ever heard of Stockwell Day was Warren Kinsella playing with Barney the dinosaur. The first a lot of Canadians have heard about Skippy Poilievre is an ad campaign where he seems like a reasonable, likable guy named "Pierre". Can we, once Canadians like him, run some ads that say he's a bad guy? Sure. Will it work? About as well as it would work to run some ads now saying Brian Mulroney's a bad guy in hopes that it would somehow change the result of the '84 campaign.
I think we're talking about two very different things here, my friend. At least I hope we are. I'm talking about the general mood in society that goes beyond politics - a "malaise", to borrow a word Jimmy Carter didn't actually say - not about horse-race voting intentions. Attack ads are not going to change the thing I'm talking about.
Right now, I can walk into any establishment in my city at any time with washrooms open to the public and find a homeless person passed out in the bathrooms. When I do that, I think, "Shit, that poor guy. These are tough times we're living in. I wish things were better." If you're saying that the Liberals are going to launch an attack ad so good that, when I walk into a bathroom and see a passed-out homeless person, my reaction will henceforth be, "Boy, things are great in Canada and that Pee-Pee sure is a jerk!"...well, that'd sure have to be a heck of an ad.
I feel fine and dandy about where we are at as a country. I think the masses of aggrieved you reference are largely the outcome of successful propaganda campaigns. As they might encourage you to do in Letterkenny: you need to sort yourselves out.
Yeah, I maybe shouldn't have used the word "aggrieved", as it calls to mind for some of us people who are mad about pride flags or not being allowed to spread the plague or whatever. I've got no time for them. But there are lots of people out there struggling with actual problems - housing, health care, etc. (The latter's on my mind because I developed a concerning medical symptom half an hour ago and really should see a doctor---except, whoops, I don't have one!)
If Justin says, "I feel fine and dandy about where we are at as a country," and Poilievre says, "I understand your problems and I know how to fix them", a lot of people are going to like the latter message more than the former message right now. I'm describing a political problem, not an objective reality.
Hmmmm.... Teresa, do you mean:
- our free healthcare that allows anyone to wait twenty months for an initial consultation about surgery to be followed by being on a waiting list of indeterminate length for that surgery?
- the ability to pay magnitudes of what residents of QB pay if an anglo from outside QB wants to go to a QB university?
- the freedom for a Jew to (not) feel safe in Canada?
- the capacity for a refugee to Canada to get a job in their chosen profession when they have to deal with provincial professional association rules?
- the ability of almost ANY individual to be able to buy a home?
Oh, yes, check out https://nationalpost.com/opinion/why-it-feels-safer-to-move-my-family-to-israel-than-stay-in-canada for the commentary by a Jewish Canadian who thinks that his family is safer in Israel than Canada right now.
Hell, why on earth would I believe that Canada is not broken?
So, you are "beyond sick and tired" etc.; well, I am just a "normal, regular" individual who was born in this country over seventy years ago and I really, really do believe that this country is broken. My opinion comes not from "politicians and journalists" but from my own eyes and my own life experiences.
I am sorry to hear that Ken. I am just a few years younger than you and I would feel inexorably sad that in my twilight years, my country had failed me. Good thing I don’t feel that way. Maybe it’s an optimistic personality. Cup half full kind of feeling.
I’m not Jewish, but I do have many Jewish colleagues and friends. My adult kids have been to synagogue more times than I have for Jewish events, with their Jewish friends. I can reliably say that not one of these people wishes to leave Canada for Israel. Many, in fact, decry Israel’s leadership now.
thanks for my daily humorous post
"I haven’t ruled out becoming a backup dancer for Taylor Swift"
Never give up on your dreams, Paul.
A qualified general practitioner from the UK is being deported (as we speak) because he "failed" an English test set by the Immigration board of Canada. He and his family are happily settled in Sidney BC and he has a 1000 happy patients. His costly appeal was rejected because he didn't take the correct version of the English test.
Geesh, we tell the Germans there is no business case for their legitimate requests and we tell qualified medical practitioners to go back to the UK. When is voting day? I can't wait.
Trudeau will hang on until the next election - probably 2 years from now. Just enough time for Liberals to *finally* mount large numbers of attack ads against a mendacious, inept, clownish, low-information opposition leader, who, if elected will set Canada back a generation. A buffoon who will make a fool of Canada on the world stage. Trump-lite. And we all know how that presidency worked out for Americans.
So you're basically attacking the intelligence of all the Canadians who are telling pollsters they're voting Conservative. And insinuating that the Liberals problems are all for want of sufficient attack ads because people are too dumb to see what Liberals see. Pierre Poilievre thanks you for your service.
Pretty much.
Check and see how accurate the pollsters were after Tuesday's US elections. they were all out to lunch
Ah, so now I understand why it is that you said above that Canada is not broken: you are a partisan against everything Poilievre. It is useful to be able to understand your bias when reading your other comments. Thank you for clarifying.
And perhaps you are partisan FOR everything Poiliviere?
Binary thinking is the bane of whatever democracy we still have left.
Interesting that in the age of social media everyone seems to think every election is the most important ever, and that every leader from left to right is an extremist.
I would argue that good and bad things just keep going on and little really changes. Hence, the failure of the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP at the federal and provincial levels to deal with the issue of housing. In my opinion the BC NDP government of John Horgan was really just Liberals 3.0 (after Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark). The Stephen Harper government did not end abortion rights or bring prayer back to schools. All five parties in the House of Commons applauded a Nazi..lol
Most likely we will continue to see incumbent governments, regardless of party, get kicked out (like New Zealand) because of economic issues and voter apathy towards the governing party. Looks very likely we will see the Conservatives lose in the UK, and we might see the Liberals lose here in 2025.
Kick the bums out..ha..ha
While I often disagree with you I wholeheartedly think that you are one of those journalists whose opinions and perspectives that I truly value and respect. Your wonderful sense of humour is a most appreciated bonus!!
Agreed! I think there's far less style in political journalism than ever before - we're moving as a society into a "clapter" model where most of us (and I include myself in this) often just want to read our own opinions reflected back to us. Paul's one of the few working journalists I can name for whom *how* they write is more of a draw than *what* they write. I've read each of his books several times, because they're just entertaining and enjoyable writing.
Makes me sad we lost Jim Travers who also had a fantastic style of writing. I feel like PW carries the torch for him.
I’ll be sure to check out his books! I always enjoy watching him on P&P on Friday evenings and often find myself laughing out loud. He gets that twinkle in his eye and I just know that he’s going to say something profound, clever and with a twist of funny!!
A spark survey i heard about on Mansbridge said 19% of Canadians hate the PM. Another 36% said they are just tired of him. So, in my view when PP gets caught up in his own BS and disinformation I don't think the PM will look tired to voters. Two years is a very long time in politics