The PM’s ambition was in the driver’s seat until sometime in the last few days, and that ambition came before everything — the good of the Liberal party and the good of Canada very much included.
I find this announcement of an intention to resign very curious and can’t recall anyone doing it before. Typically you announce a resignation and say your last day will be date X if it is not immediate. And in typical fashion, this decision, which was pretty obviously the only route about 24 hours after Freeland dropped her own resignation letter took 3 weeks (!!!) to come together - December 16 to January 6. What a symbol of the indolence and insolence of Justin Trudeau.
Well, Pierre Trudeau kind of did it in 1979: resigning while in opposition, then spontaneously reversing that decision when the Clark government fell. Maybe Justin Trudeau still thinks he can legitimately regain power. In the meantime, with the Governor General’s approval, he is free to rule Canada by decree.
Candidates for leadership of the Liberal Party will have to leave Cabinet during the race. It is not a formal requirement, but it is customary, and it is necessary for the leadership race to be fair.
So, during this leadership race, we won't have as Ministers: Anita Anand, Dominc Leblanc, Francois-Philippe Champagne, Melanie Joly and perhaps some others. Who will comprise the Cabinet, at a time when we need our best team to face the Trump Administration? The Liberal bench is very thin on talent, and I fear that this will further weaken it.
One other point: Why would the American negotiators take seriously anything said by Team Canada at this stage? A future government -- and that future is very near -- a new Team Canada will be in place, and they would just have to start all over again.
So the U.S. tariffs will stay in place until at least the end of May... For the first time in thirty years, I am really worried about Canada's future.
I think the leadership candidate hopefuls just got handed a big sack of dung by this timeline. I would think that smarter people would realize this and persuade the PM a to ask for a faster race and shorter proroguing as this lengthy a one adds more poison to the well.
Well, George, haven't we been told that all real decisions are made in the PMO anyway? That won't change during this "interregnum" [a ten dollar word for what we are going through now]. If you think "interregnum" is too fancy a word for the next few months, how about "vacay?"
In any event, don't worry, be happy: Katie is still there to hold the Face Painter's hand and between them they will tell us all sorts of (not) wonderful things and will (not) deliver any good or effective government. You know, just like the period since 2015. So, if you want to know "why" all you have to remember his famous statement at the swearing in of his first cabinet, "Because it's 2015." and you will know all that you can reasonably know about motivation, deep thought into decisions and all other important stuff. You know, stuff.
I feel I must remind you that those Tariffs, although threatened, are simply that today. Threats. There will be no Tariffs nor trade wars until Trump decides there will be.
I don’t think that the leadership list will be very long. The ability to raise the cash to play will be a factor and for what? If there is any whiff of a Coronation, the risk of piling up debt to get nowhere is a factor that can’t be ignored.
I cannot tell you how tough it is to be 68 years old, a 2nd generation Albertan, and to have lived through another Trudeau disaster.
Greatness is not within reach of a country with a political system allowing one province almost unbridled power nationally, and has a region east of that province that has accepted economic mediocrity for decades, and a populace who will willingly vote for any party promising to reduce the time required to "get our weeks".
It will not surprise me that a new leader and a few months will get us to a place where another marriage made in hell between Liberals and NDPers rules federally again.
Honestly, I am losing hope that I will ever be part of anything except dysfunction before I die. We haven't got the national fortitude to make the changes that so desperately need to be made. I don't think under our parliamentary system it's even possible. The job would take a decade, and voters don't have the guts for it.
It is discouraging. I'm not 68, but I do have enough mileage to remember Trudeau I and his devastating effect on Canada, and I share your despair that we've now let members of that family degrade our country for a second generation.
I sure hope you're incorrect about a resurgence of the NDP-Lib coalition - if that happens, this country is history.
Trudeau has been both politically privileged as a result of the circumstances of his birth, and also stupidly hated for the circumstances of his birth by the conservative movement. Trudeau is both Canada's most over-hyped *and* its most over-hated Prime Minister.
Tell me then, did when did you first despite the man? Was it in response to some actual specific policy announcement, or was it when you first learned his last name?
For me the two GIANT red flags were his declaration on Quebec radio that “the problem with Canada is that Albertans are in charge” and his excused admiration for China’s dictatorship.
The mania surrounding his ascension was a huge red flag, and moronic comments about China, budgets, post-nationalism, telling off Putin "directly to his face", women experiencing interactions differently, diversity is our strength.
I did not ask you *what* you hate about the man. I asked you *when* you first started hating the man. Was that when you first learned his last name, or not?
When? His handling of the SNC Lavalin affair is when I lost complete respect for him. But it was the in lead-up to the 2021 election when I really started to despise him. And it’s gone downhill from there.
That was when I lost hope, and IMHO, when his brand and credibility died. How Andrew Scheer found a way to lose that election is as mysterious as Tim Hudak's political suicide losing to Kathleen Wynne in Ontario. Competent leaders don't lose elections served to them on a silver platter.
SNC Lavalin does indeed stand out as one of the surprise moments of Trudeau's record. I don't think that Trudeau has lied often, but he did lie about the accuracy of the Globe and Mail story there.
Stefan, a question: You consider him to be "stupidly hated."
Do you refer to T1 or T2.
I live in Alberta and lived through the energy wars of the 1970s and the 1980s. People typically think of the National Energy Program and think that is what causes our animus; they don't consider the earlier 1970s attacks on not only energy but also on Alberta. Marc Lalonde, T1's finance minister and minister of other stuff "justified" those wars because Alberta was growing too rich and that wealth belonged in Central Canada. That is a fact; Lalonde was quoted in the press about that.
T2 was clearly influenced in his attitudes by T1 although T2 has none of the rigor or background of T1.
I mean the younger Justin Trudeau. Whether or not Conservatives are fair to the legacy of Pierre Trudeau, I am sure that almost no one hated PT before his entry into politics (and most of those few who did would now be dead or quietly retired). I know that those who hate PT are doing so on some policy basis, whatever the objective reality of those policies.
But since a good chunk of conservatives are upfront about having hated PT for decades then, it would be human nature for them to cast judgment upon PT's son the moment the latter showed any political aspirations. And then confirmation bias works its wonders in interpreting facts and events towards the "all Trudeaus are horrible" mindset, to the point where "Trudeau is destroying the country itself" can be so easily accepted by conservatives despite being an objective exaggeration of how consequential this PM has been.
(Not that I am personally immune from confirmation bias, mind you. But I suspect that because I have had mixed feelings towards Trudeau ever since he run for leadership, I have been less surprised by his successes than some anti-Trudeau folks were, while being less surprised by his occasional dishonesty than some of the true believers were.)
Sir, I did not hate T2 when I heard of him or saw him. I certainly sneered at his obvious unsuitability as a candidate for leader of this country when his previous employment record was either as a ski instructor or a substitute drama teacher. His obvious attributes were nice hair, shiny teeth, colorful socks and a surname. So, yes, I sneered at someone so unsuited. His subsequent record in which he attacked my province of Alberta simply showed that he learned at his father's knee and my sneering became hatred. But, well earned hatred.
Trudeau never had super credentials to be Liberal leader, but there tend to be neophyte candidates of equivalent political experience in every major party's leadership races. In the 2011 Liberal election wipeout he was 1 of only 2 candidates to increase their riding-level share of the Liberal vote. Like Harper he had been a one-term MP before becoming Leader, and he had more parliamentary experience than Mulroney or Ignatieff prior to seeking leadership.
There had been months of Liberals poaching and encouraging him to run before he announced his candidacy - I personally remember the early days when he initially said he was not interested in running. I don't know how you could have looked objectively at the circumstances and "sneered" at him personally, unless you were already paying him special attention because of the expectations created by his name (which returns to my point of him being both blessed and cursed by the surname).
I am a 72 year old Albertan. I strongly believe that the best path forward for Alberta is to work towards being a sovereign entity within Canada, the 51st state or go it alone.
I can't believe that Trudeau didn't apologize and promise to reimburse Albertans who lost everything in the 80's. (Sarcasm)
I have lived through the energy ways of both T1 and T2 and have seen the devastation that both brought to our province.
Truthfully, it would cause far less immediate dislocation to stay in Canada if a better arrangement can be struck but I am dubious about that. Accordingly, it seems to me that ultimately we will have to make such a change.
This last year has convinced me that not being part of Canada is the best solution. Every morning I read Blacklocks Reporter, and every morning there is at least 1 new story of my tax dollar being wasted by bureaucrats in a bizarre organization that have zero concept of Canada because they live in the Ottawa bubble.
Then I read a great story about Smith making deals with the US and choosing to work for Albertans. I don't believe that Ottawa will ever make a decision that will benefit Alberta.
A bit of a rant here, but we could do so much better without Ottawa taking our money.
To rewrite all the rubber stamping regulations alone will take years. More than 100,000 federal bureaucrats should be let go and entire departments shuttered.
I should specify that I meant 4-6 months to correct that which enables the running of this unsatisfactory political system - the deeply flawed and twisted Constitution. Written by Laurentian UnElites for the permanent benefit of the Laurentian UnElites. The one we have now need to be replaced with one that reflects today's conditions, and is flexible enough for future.
As for the regulations, there are whole batches that should not be rewritten but dumped wholesale.
As soon as the speech started I looked at the Canada US exchange rate while listening. When he announced his resignation the Canadian dollar shot up 3/4 cent US. When he got to the prorogation part it lost 0.6 cents. So Canada grabbed the edge of the financial toilet bowl then fell right back in. May be coincidence but people are watching folks. And there’s a big orange haired hand on the flush lever…
Something to consider is how excited Tiff Macklem will be by the prospect of Mark Carney as PM. Macklem might do something to prop up the Liberals that costs the country dearly - rate cuts, buying government paper, or not raising to defend the currency when it's badly needed. If the speculators really come for the loonie, it could print in the 50s.
That’s my sense too Rick. Left to its own devices the 50s are quite plausible. Putting on my American hat I see letting the currency slide that much as equivalent to dumping which would be met by (even more?) tariff increases.
Maybe only the people old enough to remember his old man realized in 2015 how badly this was going to turn out. The media laid out the red carpet for him and he had a clear runway to fuck over parts of this country.
This should be a great day for Canadians, in particular western Canada, but it isn’t. He took over a country that was running along ok and left it in a complete mess. The asshole couldn’t even resign correctly.
The country was not "running along ok" at the end of Harper's tenure. Harper was systematically testing the authoritarian capture of parliamentary institutions with incessant Trojan Horse legislation, and Trudeau for all his many deep flaws slowed down that the authoritarian executive usurpation of the legislature.
Since you mention "his old man", are you one of the Conservatives who hated Justin Trudeau because of his last name before he ever announced any policies?
It is so sad. Justin has left the whole country in limbo. The Liberal party are all guilty as hell as well. A whole generation in the opposition benches is not long enough. Wow! I wish I could take a 3 plus month break and still get paid,with benefits. This regular folk voter is angry too. Call an election,instead he blamed everyone around him
Right. I am going to work 3 months straight just so I can take a week off for a family vacation this summer and pay the taxes on that holiday. I am a lucky one as I know many people that can't even do that. This whole situation is Fucking ridiculous.
Have always loved The Line and look forward to the next video but this piece is a game-changer. Matt and Jen, you NAILED IT! Thank you for putting to words what my visceral response to Emperor Trudeau’s resignation speech could not. Dammit, I’m still seething, the arrogant prick.
I object to the characterization of this Prime Minister as an "ambitious" one, even as one who failed on execution. He backtracked on one of the most significant and consequential pledges of his 2015 campaign platform (electoral reform), and literally cited his own refusal to advocate for his own preferred electoral system (the ranked ballot) as a basis not to bother trying to change much of anything at all. This is the behaviour of a man who couldn't be bothered to care to even *try* to make a legacy impact where there was one of the most obvious opportunities to do so. He's much more like Harper in pushing incrementalism than like his own more ambitious father.
Trudeau did not cling to power so needlessly out of "ambition". I think he lost his marriage as a result of his political career and felt desperate for a greater return on sunk costs, even though he had no idea what he wanted to do with the rest of his time in power.
This whole election reform thing puzzles me. People have been complaining about this for years. I am wondering if those people are going to support the CPC with hopes that they will bring reform to the electoral system. In my view, it is not an electoral issue but an issue of the structure of Parliament. The whole structure of our Westminsterian Parliamentary representation will need to be reformed. Seats will be lost, Ridings may dissolve, and people think their vote for a party that gets 1% of the nation al vote will make their voices heard.
The pressing question in this for me, is what happens if the government falls prior to, or in the supply vote that will need to happen after prorogation ends, but before March 28? I'm envisioning a maximum-chaos scenario where the newly selected Liberal leader (or still Trudeau at that point, who knows!) bluff the NDP into supporting them through the throne speech and supply vote with the threat of a US-style shutdown for the duration of an election, only to prorogue again and drag this to the fall.
I'd like to know more about this. I thought I heard the possibility of delaying the election until 2026 discussed on CTV this morning by one of the panels. I could easily be wrong.
The reason for that is that the so-called fixed election date is based merely on the law passed by Stephen Harper.
Our actual constitution only requires an election every five years which is September 2026. At that point, regardless of what any Prime Minister does, the governor general dissolves parliament and calls an election.
I’ve never heard anyone say one way or another if the Governor General, in the absence of a a non confidence vote, has the authority to dissolve parliament unless “advised” to by the prime minister.
Singh will continue to support them on confidence votes , I would bank on that . He won’t want to give up the last few months of access to power that he has left
Trudeau - so much self-regard, so little self-awareness.
I've been so frustrated all morning at my social feeds (particularly X) commenting on Trudeau's resignation - and me screaming at my screen that he DID NOT RESIGN!
Thanks for underlining that reality!
I appreciate the gloves off approach in this Emergency Dispatch - he richly deserves your scorn.
I must conceded that Trudeau did score a measure of revenge during his speech - he deftly knifed back at Freeland's leadership ambitions with his sad-faced lament about her not accepting his generous 'offer' - I'm sure the video editors of her LPC leadership rivals are already busy cutting that clip out for future use - if her leadership team has not already broke out the Lamentation Gin for sad day drinking purposes. How exactly does Freeland distance herself from Trudeau when he muses publicly during his 'resignation' speech about how she was right by his side for nearly 10 years supporting him on everything?
Looking forward to the live event tonight! Hopefully a Jen AND a Matt rant tonight!
Matt - are you off egg-nog and back on beer? Will we see Jen and her wine reunited?
Agree. This is indeed a disasterous day for Canada. What puzzles me is no one is asking the Governor General why a prorogation was accepted. If I understand correctly, Governors General have the ability to refuse the PM's requests. It has been done before on one occasion.
As you point out the reason parliament was "frozen" was because the government would not produce unredacted information on the "green slush fund" Really bad news for our country
I’m no expert, but I think the reason the governor general prorogue parliament is because the Governor General MUST follow the advice of the prime minister unless there’s a compelling an obvious reason to refuse.
And the NDP was on record that they would not vote non confidence until late February at the earliest and weren’t even committing to a specific date that they would.
In that sense… as dumb as it sounds…. as of today Justin Trudeau “has the confidence of the house” because Mr. Singh won’t vote no confidence and has said so.
The king would have done exactly the same thing because that is the job.
The reason we have a Governor General is to separate the head of state from the head of government. Having them both in the same person is generally not great because representing your nation becomes inherently political. A non-political figure as the figurehead of your nation lets you remove politics to an extent. Having the King show up at a children's hospital (or a veteran's hospital or a homeless shelter) can be a moving national thing. Having the Prime Minister do the same thing is inescapably political.
It's best when you have a head of state who is good at that job. We've not done well as of late in that regard, but having a series of bad or not very good Governors General is a reason to pick better, not to ditch the office.
My own view? Picking journalists is a TERRIBLE idea, scarcely better than picking former politicians.
The GG position is very luxurious. Lots of spending , fine hotels , receptions and parties galore , lovely house , invites to all sorts of luxury with international affairs , etc this position rarely has to make an important decision. … so it’s always unlikely they will go against the PM who Appointed them to this luxury world tour .
Every single word of this….🔥
So, in keeping with the general theme, this was just an announcement of a future resignation. Staying with the announcements to the end.
Let's hope they can deliver on this one, at least.
I find this announcement of an intention to resign very curious and can’t recall anyone doing it before. Typically you announce a resignation and say your last day will be date X if it is not immediate. And in typical fashion, this decision, which was pretty obviously the only route about 24 hours after Freeland dropped her own resignation letter took 3 weeks (!!!) to come together - December 16 to January 6. What a symbol of the indolence and insolence of Justin Trudeau.
Well, Pierre Trudeau kind of did it in 1979: resigning while in opposition, then spontaneously reversing that decision when the Clark government fell. Maybe Justin Trudeau still thinks he can legitimately regain power. In the meantime, with the Governor General’s approval, he is free to rule Canada by decree.
💀💀💀
Candidates for leadership of the Liberal Party will have to leave Cabinet during the race. It is not a formal requirement, but it is customary, and it is necessary for the leadership race to be fair.
So, during this leadership race, we won't have as Ministers: Anita Anand, Dominc Leblanc, Francois-Philippe Champagne, Melanie Joly and perhaps some others. Who will comprise the Cabinet, at a time when we need our best team to face the Trump Administration? The Liberal bench is very thin on talent, and I fear that this will further weaken it.
One other point: Why would the American negotiators take seriously anything said by Team Canada at this stage? A future government -- and that future is very near -- a new Team Canada will be in place, and they would just have to start all over again.
So the U.S. tariffs will stay in place until at least the end of May... For the first time in thirty years, I am really worried about Canada's future.
It is like any of the Liberal ministers care about Canada. The GG showed us how much she cared. She could have stopped this.
I think the leadership candidate hopefuls just got handed a big sack of dung by this timeline. I would think that smarter people would realize this and persuade the PM a to ask for a faster race and shorter proroguing as this lengthy a one adds more poison to the well.
Could she really? We will never know if he asked to prorogue longer and she said "no".
Well, George, haven't we been told that all real decisions are made in the PMO anyway? That won't change during this "interregnum" [a ten dollar word for what we are going through now]. If you think "interregnum" is too fancy a word for the next few months, how about "vacay?"
In any event, don't worry, be happy: Katie is still there to hold the Face Painter's hand and between them they will tell us all sorts of (not) wonderful things and will (not) deliver any good or effective government. You know, just like the period since 2015. So, if you want to know "why" all you have to remember his famous statement at the swearing in of his first cabinet, "Because it's 2015." and you will know all that you can reasonably know about motivation, deep thought into decisions and all other important stuff. You know, stuff.
I feel I must remind you that those Tariffs, although threatened, are simply that today. Threats. There will be no Tariffs nor trade wars until Trump decides there will be.
I don’t think that the leadership list will be very long. The ability to raise the cash to play will be a factor and for what? If there is any whiff of a Coronation, the risk of piling up debt to get nowhere is a factor that can’t be ignored.
Parlement is prorogued until March 24 anyway.
Don't hold back, you two - tell us how you REALLY feel.
Phil, they are simply too modest to share their opinions so we have to guess at what they think!
I cannot tell you how tough it is to be 68 years old, a 2nd generation Albertan, and to have lived through another Trudeau disaster.
Greatness is not within reach of a country with a political system allowing one province almost unbridled power nationally, and has a region east of that province that has accepted economic mediocrity for decades, and a populace who will willingly vote for any party promising to reduce the time required to "get our weeks".
It will not surprise me that a new leader and a few months will get us to a place where another marriage made in hell between Liberals and NDPers rules federally again.
Honestly, I am losing hope that I will ever be part of anything except dysfunction before I die. We haven't got the national fortitude to make the changes that so desperately need to be made. I don't think under our parliamentary system it's even possible. The job would take a decade, and voters don't have the guts for it.
It is discouraging. I'm not 68, but I do have enough mileage to remember Trudeau I and his devastating effect on Canada, and I share your despair that we've now let members of that family degrade our country for a second generation.
I sure hope you're incorrect about a resurgence of the NDP-Lib coalition - if that happens, this country is history.
Trudeau has been both politically privileged as a result of the circumstances of his birth, and also stupidly hated for the circumstances of his birth by the conservative movement. Trudeau is both Canada's most over-hyped *and* its most over-hated Prime Minister.
Get serious. The man deserves scorn like no other PM ever has. He has been terrible and leaves the country in shambles.
Tell me then, did when did you first despite the man? Was it in response to some actual specific policy announcement, or was it when you first learned his last name?
Over-hyped and over-hated.
For me the two GIANT red flags were his declaration on Quebec radio that “the problem with Canada is that Albertans are in charge” and his excused admiration for China’s dictatorship.
The mania surrounding his ascension was a huge red flag, and moronic comments about China, budgets, post-nationalism, telling off Putin "directly to his face", women experiencing interactions differently, diversity is our strength.
Want me to go on?
I did not ask you *what* you hate about the man. I asked you *when* you first started hating the man. Was that when you first learned his last name, or not?
When? His handling of the SNC Lavalin affair is when I lost complete respect for him. But it was the in lead-up to the 2021 election when I really started to despise him. And it’s gone downhill from there.
That was when I lost hope, and IMHO, when his brand and credibility died. How Andrew Scheer found a way to lose that election is as mysterious as Tim Hudak's political suicide losing to Kathleen Wynne in Ontario. Competent leaders don't lose elections served to them on a silver platter.
SNC Lavalin does indeed stand out as one of the surprise moments of Trudeau's record. I don't think that Trudeau has lied often, but he did lie about the accuracy of the Globe and Mail story there.
under-hated
Stefan, a question: You consider him to be "stupidly hated."
Do you refer to T1 or T2.
I live in Alberta and lived through the energy wars of the 1970s and the 1980s. People typically think of the National Energy Program and think that is what causes our animus; they don't consider the earlier 1970s attacks on not only energy but also on Alberta. Marc Lalonde, T1's finance minister and minister of other stuff "justified" those wars because Alberta was growing too rich and that wealth belonged in Central Canada. That is a fact; Lalonde was quoted in the press about that.
T2 was clearly influenced in his attitudes by T1 although T2 has none of the rigor or background of T1.
So, again, do you refer to T1 or T2? Or both?
I mean the younger Justin Trudeau. Whether or not Conservatives are fair to the legacy of Pierre Trudeau, I am sure that almost no one hated PT before his entry into politics (and most of those few who did would now be dead or quietly retired). I know that those who hate PT are doing so on some policy basis, whatever the objective reality of those policies.
But since a good chunk of conservatives are upfront about having hated PT for decades then, it would be human nature for them to cast judgment upon PT's son the moment the latter showed any political aspirations. And then confirmation bias works its wonders in interpreting facts and events towards the "all Trudeaus are horrible" mindset, to the point where "Trudeau is destroying the country itself" can be so easily accepted by conservatives despite being an objective exaggeration of how consequential this PM has been.
(Not that I am personally immune from confirmation bias, mind you. But I suspect that because I have had mixed feelings towards Trudeau ever since he run for leadership, I have been less surprised by his successes than some anti-Trudeau folks were, while being less surprised by his occasional dishonesty than some of the true believers were.)
Sir, I did not hate T2 when I heard of him or saw him. I certainly sneered at his obvious unsuitability as a candidate for leader of this country when his previous employment record was either as a ski instructor or a substitute drama teacher. His obvious attributes were nice hair, shiny teeth, colorful socks and a surname. So, yes, I sneered at someone so unsuited. His subsequent record in which he attacked my province of Alberta simply showed that he learned at his father's knee and my sneering became hatred. But, well earned hatred.
Trudeau never had super credentials to be Liberal leader, but there tend to be neophyte candidates of equivalent political experience in every major party's leadership races. In the 2011 Liberal election wipeout he was 1 of only 2 candidates to increase their riding-level share of the Liberal vote. Like Harper he had been a one-term MP before becoming Leader, and he had more parliamentary experience than Mulroney or Ignatieff prior to seeking leadership.
There had been months of Liberals poaching and encouraging him to run before he announced his candidacy - I personally remember the early days when he initially said he was not interested in running. I don't know how you could have looked objectively at the circumstances and "sneered" at him personally, unless you were already paying him special attention because of the expectations created by his name (which returns to my point of him being both blessed and cursed by the surname).
I am a 72 year old Albertan. I strongly believe that the best path forward for Alberta is to work towards being a sovereign entity within Canada, the 51st state or go it alone.
I can't believe that Trudeau didn't apologize and promise to reimburse Albertans who lost everything in the 80's. (Sarcasm)
At 74 I have come to the same conclusion.
I have lived through the energy ways of both T1 and T2 and have seen the devastation that both brought to our province.
Truthfully, it would cause far less immediate dislocation to stay in Canada if a better arrangement can be struck but I am dubious about that. Accordingly, it seems to me that ultimately we will have to make such a change.
This last year has convinced me that not being part of Canada is the best solution. Every morning I read Blacklocks Reporter, and every morning there is at least 1 new story of my tax dollar being wasted by bureaucrats in a bizarre organization that have zero concept of Canada because they live in the Ottawa bubble.
Then I read a great story about Smith making deals with the US and choosing to work for Albertans. I don't believe that Ottawa will ever make a decision that will benefit Alberta.
A bit of a rant here, but we could do so much better without Ottawa taking our money.
Carole, it's not a rant when it's the truth.
The job would take no longer than 4-6 months, maybe less in determined hands, if the voters had the guts for it. But I agree with you.
To rewrite all the rubber stamping regulations alone will take years. More than 100,000 federal bureaucrats should be let go and entire departments shuttered.
Just that is a massive task.
I should specify that I meant 4-6 months to correct that which enables the running of this unsatisfactory political system - the deeply flawed and twisted Constitution. Written by Laurentian UnElites for the permanent benefit of the Laurentian UnElites. The one we have now need to be replaced with one that reflects today's conditions, and is flexible enough for future.
As for the regulations, there are whole batches that should not be rewritten but dumped wholesale.
Got it.
I fear the Senate might become quite activist. It's certainly stacked with independents. :>)
Argentina.
Yeah, but Quebec ...
Ignoring Quebec is long overdue.
Nasty swipe at the Maritimes, seems many of them work in Alberta.
I worked with many Maritimers who came to Alberta to find a better life, and I admire them for it.
But the Liberals swept Atlantic Canada in 2015. Gee, I wonder why.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal-elections/trudeau-unveils-liberal-plan-to-reverse-harper-s-ei-changes/article_9da771bc-9d86-5a5e-9914-f0eec8d8315e.html
As soon as the speech started I looked at the Canada US exchange rate while listening. When he announced his resignation the Canadian dollar shot up 3/4 cent US. When he got to the prorogation part it lost 0.6 cents. So Canada grabbed the edge of the financial toilet bowl then fell right back in. May be coincidence but people are watching folks. And there’s a big orange haired hand on the flush lever…
Something to consider is how excited Tiff Macklem will be by the prospect of Mark Carney as PM. Macklem might do something to prop up the Liberals that costs the country dearly - rate cuts, buying government paper, or not raising to defend the currency when it's badly needed. If the speculators really come for the loonie, it could print in the 50s.
That’s my sense too Rick. Left to its own devices the 50s are quite plausible. Putting on my American hat I see letting the currency slide that much as equivalent to dumping which would be met by (even more?) tariff increases.
Hasn't Macklem been propping up the Liberals all along?
At least Carney hasn't committed to firing Macklem.
Maybe only the people old enough to remember his old man realized in 2015 how badly this was going to turn out. The media laid out the red carpet for him and he had a clear runway to fuck over parts of this country.
This should be a great day for Canadians, in particular western Canada, but it isn’t. He took over a country that was running along ok and left it in a complete mess. The asshole couldn’t even resign correctly.
The asshole had no intention to resign correctly. The asshole had and has intentions to continue damaging the country until the last second.
The country was not "running along ok" at the end of Harper's tenure. Harper was systematically testing the authoritarian capture of parliamentary institutions with incessant Trojan Horse legislation, and Trudeau for all his many deep flaws slowed down that the authoritarian executive usurpation of the legislature.
Since you mention "his old man", are you one of the Conservatives who hated Justin Trudeau because of his last name before he ever announced any policies?
I was waiting all afternoon for the first reaction from the Line, and it did not disappoint!
It is so sad. Justin has left the whole country in limbo. The Liberal party are all guilty as hell as well. A whole generation in the opposition benches is not long enough. Wow! I wish I could take a 3 plus month break and still get paid,with benefits. This regular folk voter is angry too. Call an election,instead he blamed everyone around him
Right. I am going to work 3 months straight just so I can take a week off for a family vacation this summer and pay the taxes on that holiday. I am a lucky one as I know many people that can't even do that. This whole situation is Fucking ridiculous.
Have always loved The Line and look forward to the next video but this piece is a game-changer. Matt and Jen, you NAILED IT! Thank you for putting to words what my visceral response to Emperor Trudeau’s resignation speech could not. Dammit, I’m still seething, the arrogant prick.
That was one of the most cathartic reads I’ve ever had. To second what fellow poster Brian said. Pure fire.
I object to the characterization of this Prime Minister as an "ambitious" one, even as one who failed on execution. He backtracked on one of the most significant and consequential pledges of his 2015 campaign platform (electoral reform), and literally cited his own refusal to advocate for his own preferred electoral system (the ranked ballot) as a basis not to bother trying to change much of anything at all. This is the behaviour of a man who couldn't be bothered to care to even *try* to make a legacy impact where there was one of the most obvious opportunities to do so. He's much more like Harper in pushing incrementalism than like his own more ambitious father.
Trudeau did not cling to power so needlessly out of "ambition". I think he lost his marriage as a result of his political career and felt desperate for a greater return on sunk costs, even though he had no idea what he wanted to do with the rest of his time in power.
If you replace ambition with EGO it makes it all ring true
This whole election reform thing puzzles me. People have been complaining about this for years. I am wondering if those people are going to support the CPC with hopes that they will bring reform to the electoral system. In my view, it is not an electoral issue but an issue of the structure of Parliament. The whole structure of our Westminsterian Parliamentary representation will need to be reformed. Seats will be lost, Ridings may dissolve, and people think their vote for a party that gets 1% of the nation al vote will make their voices heard.
I think that almost no one is under any illusion that the Poilievre Conservatives will have any interest in replacing the first-past-the-post system.
Our democracy has both electoral and legislative flaws, both of which need to be fixed or improved in the long term.
Thank you! What great review of Trudeau’s resignation speech albeit only a partial walk in the snow.
Watching CBC coverage just made me cringe, you two have helped me regain my political sanity and sensibility!
Our GG should take a nice walk as well for allowing this new chaos to happen.
Cant wait to hear your POV later this evening.
The pressing question in this for me, is what happens if the government falls prior to, or in the supply vote that will need to happen after prorogation ends, but before March 28? I'm envisioning a maximum-chaos scenario where the newly selected Liberal leader (or still Trudeau at that point, who knows!) bluff the NDP into supporting them through the throne speech and supply vote with the threat of a US-style shutdown for the duration of an election, only to prorogue again and drag this to the fall.
Your scenario is my bet. Singh will mumble about giving the new leader time. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't even have an election in 2025.
Barring some sort of catastrophe or coup, we will have one by October 20, 2025. Legally fixed election date. That’s still a long way away, though.
Of course, that is assuming that everyone involved respects and upholds the Constitution, the rule of law, etc.
...which the Liberals have notably been playing fast and loose with for the past couple of years.
Open question: does that fixed election date still mean anything if the government decides that we are in an existential crisis.....?
I'd like to know more about this. I thought I heard the possibility of delaying the election until 2026 discussed on CTV this morning by one of the panels. I could easily be wrong.
The reason for that is that the so-called fixed election date is based merely on the law passed by Stephen Harper.
Our actual constitution only requires an election every five years which is September 2026. At that point, regardless of what any Prime Minister does, the governor general dissolves parliament and calls an election.
I’ve never heard anyone say one way or another if the Governor General, in the absence of a a non confidence vote, has the authority to dissolve parliament unless “advised” to by the prime minister.
Thanks Andrew.
Singh will continue to support them on confidence votes , I would bank on that . He won’t want to give up the last few months of access to power that he has left
Trudeau - so much self-regard, so little self-awareness.
I've been so frustrated all morning at my social feeds (particularly X) commenting on Trudeau's resignation - and me screaming at my screen that he DID NOT RESIGN!
Thanks for underlining that reality!
I appreciate the gloves off approach in this Emergency Dispatch - he richly deserves your scorn.
I must conceded that Trudeau did score a measure of revenge during his speech - he deftly knifed back at Freeland's leadership ambitions with his sad-faced lament about her not accepting his generous 'offer' - I'm sure the video editors of her LPC leadership rivals are already busy cutting that clip out for future use - if her leadership team has not already broke out the Lamentation Gin for sad day drinking purposes. How exactly does Freeland distance herself from Trudeau when he muses publicly during his 'resignation' speech about how she was right by his side for nearly 10 years supporting him on everything?
Looking forward to the live event tonight! Hopefully a Jen AND a Matt rant tonight!
Matt - are you off egg-nog and back on beer? Will we see Jen and her wine reunited?
Agree. This is indeed a disasterous day for Canada. What puzzles me is no one is asking the Governor General why a prorogation was accepted. If I understand correctly, Governors General have the ability to refuse the PM's requests. It has been done before on one occasion.
As you point out the reason parliament was "frozen" was because the government would not produce unredacted information on the "green slush fund" Really bad news for our country
Marguerite Paulsen
I’m no expert, but I think the reason the governor general prorogue parliament is because the Governor General MUST follow the advice of the prime minister unless there’s a compelling an obvious reason to refuse.
And the NDP was on record that they would not vote non confidence until late February at the earliest and weren’t even committing to a specific date that they would.
In that sense… as dumb as it sounds…. as of today Justin Trudeau “has the confidence of the house” because Mr. Singh won’t vote no confidence and has said so.
As the editors said… muppets.
I asked this before but if the GG must follow the PM, why have a GG? Do you think the Queen (or the King) would have granted proroguement?
The king would have done exactly the same thing because that is the job.
The reason we have a Governor General is to separate the head of state from the head of government. Having them both in the same person is generally not great because representing your nation becomes inherently political. A non-political figure as the figurehead of your nation lets you remove politics to an extent. Having the King show up at a children's hospital (or a veteran's hospital or a homeless shelter) can be a moving national thing. Having the Prime Minister do the same thing is inescapably political.
It's best when you have a head of state who is good at that job. We've not done well as of late in that regard, but having a series of bad or not very good Governors General is a reason to pick better, not to ditch the office.
My own view? Picking journalists is a TERRIBLE idea, scarcely better than picking former politicians.
The GG position is very luxurious. Lots of spending , fine hotels , receptions and parties galore , lovely house , invites to all sorts of luxury with international affairs , etc this position rarely has to make an important decision. … so it’s always unlikely they will go against the PM who Appointed them to this luxury world tour .