By Pepper Parr
December 22nd , 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
It started with a Zoom call between the Prime Minister and his Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland during which the Prime Minister is reported to have told the Minister of Finance that he wanted her to table the Fall Economic Statement (FES) document, speak to it and then that would be the end of her job as Minister of Finance.
Mark Carney, former Governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England was the choice to serve as the Minister of Finance – was never on stage.
Mark Carney was to take over the job once the FES was tabled.
It was a brazen move on the part of the Prime Minister – it just didn’t go down all that well with Freeland.
She took the weekend to think about it and early Monday morning released a statement saying she was resigning. Freeland was less than polite.
The House of Commons was to meet in the afternoon to hear what the FES was all about – hard to do when there was no longer a Minister of Finance in place to do the job.
Karina Gould, Burlington MP and Government House Leader
House Leader Karina Gould tables the FES document and then literally fled the House of Commons with all the other Liberal members, to attend a Liberal Caucus meeting.
While the Prime Minister was meeting with his caucus he was also scurrying around to get the Governor General to be ready to swear in a new Minister of Finance – this time it was going to be Dominic LeBlanc – no not Mark Carney – he hadn’t been seen or heard from. LeBlanc was now 1) Minister of Finance, 2)Minister of Public Safety and 3) Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs; that is a full plate.
With a new Finance Minister in place Prime Minister had to make some Cabinet changes and try to right the ship of state which was listing badly.
Demands that he resign were coming from the Opposition as well as members of the Liberal Party.
And this was just Monday.
Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland sent the Prime Minister a resignation letter that could well be the document that ends his career – and he didn’t see it coming.
On Tuesday there was a fund raising event for the Laurier Institute at which the Prime Minister explained that at Christmas time when families meet and they talk politics there are differences that get resolved.
Wednesday the Liberals held their annual Christmas party.
When Chrystia Freeland entered the room she got an ovation from most of the people at the event. She had the grace to approach the Prime Minister and give him a hug
The Wednesday was also the last day of the House of Commons session – they were off until January 27th.
Thursday there is word that the Prime Minister is going to shuffle his Cabinet – which he does – adding Nathan Erskine-Smith to the Housing portfolio.
Anita Anand remains minister of transport, but adds the internal trade portfolio.
Gary Anandasangaree remains minister of Crown-Indigenous relations and northern affairs, and becomes minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.
Steven MacKinnon becomes minister of employment, workforce development and labour.
Ginette Petitpas Taylor becomes president of the Treasury Board.
On Friday the Governor General swears in the new Cabinet members.
Justin Trudeau: Taking the next six weeks to reflect on just what his options are.
During the five days the Prime Minister doesn’t say a word publicly.
All kinds of background meetings.
The Prime Minister is said to be taking the six weeks to reflect on what he has heard from his caucus.
The list of Members of the House of Commons inches up from about a dozen on Monday to as many as 45 of them have now signed a letter privately urging Trudeau to resign — the embattled Liberal leader is now fighting an increasingly lonely battle for his political future.
No word on the Hon. Karina Gould?. Will she reman as Leader of the Government in the House and regurgitator of, “We have important work to do on behalf of Canadians” and my favourite “and that is exactly what the government is focussed on doing” except they have not been doing that, instead focussing on staying in power.
Trudeau has no path forward. His documented 9 year track record of lies, corruption, and incompetence is one that he can not run away from–he is finished. And he has dragged the former Liberal Party down with him.
Time to go. Once you’ve lost the Globe and Mail, you are toast. And meanwhile, as the country faces critical dangers, the ship sails on with no one at the helm.