By Ray Rivers
September 17th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Mr. Trudeau’s detractors have pointed to US president Biden as a model of what one should do when the sun has set on your future as leader. Justin may be some thirty years younger than Biden but he has been prime minister for almost ten years now – more than twice as long as the US leader. And apparently a decade can be a lifetime in this job.
Justin Trudeau: No word yet on what he will do after the loss in Montreal. Don’t count him out.
Mr. Trudeau is only a couple years younger than former PM Brian Mulroney was when he read the tea leaves and decided to fold up his tent. He waited too long however, and ended up driving his political party into the toilet. Despite a fresh face replacement, parachuted in at the last moment, the Progressive Conservative Party was decimated forever in the subsequent election. Yet, while folks almost hated Mr Mulroney at the time, there was little but praise for Mulroney’s achievements after he’d passed.
That is pretty much the situation before Mr. Trudeau today. His government has transformed our society in so many ways that have benefited Canadians, even before that alliance of convenience with the socialists. Yet between the vitriol coming his way and the polls, it is pretty clear that enough of the electorate want to change the channel.
Perhaps Canadians don’t care about those progressive policies, many of which Mr. Poilievre has threatened to cancel should he become the next PM? But is that really the case? Or is it just that Mr. Trudeau is the problem? Are we offended and/or bored by his speaking style; his privileged upbringing; his unabashed feminism; his perceived elitism; his passion for climate change solutions and justice for the indigenous and the downtrodden?
One would have expected Trudeau, with his impressive political legacy, to have seen this situation coming, seen the light and moved on with the Mulroney experience in mind. Trailing almost 20 points consistently behind the Tories in national polls, most Canadians, seem ready to vote anything but Liberal in the next federal election. But he’s not a quitter, at least not yet.
Justin Trudeau
The by-election loss in Liberal stronghold St. Pauls was arguably a clear harbinger of what is lying in store for his party so long as Mr. Trudeau remains its leader. Then, the miserable showing in the Manitoba by-election, confirms just how hopeless it is for the PM to make any progress in the west. And yesterday’s loss of the eternally Liberal Montreal riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun was just another testament to that reality.
Perhaps Trudeau has a secret plan to endear Canadians, bring them back to the fold. But as it stands now the federal Liberals may be headed for a miserable third or even fourth place finish come the 2025 election, barring a miracle. But miracles don’t always happen no matter how much you hope. And miracles are not any more likely if one just waits for them.
Ray Rivers, a Gazette Contributing Editor, writes regularly applying his more than 25 years as a federal bureaucrat to his thinking. Rivers was once a candidate for provincial office in Burlington. He was the founder of the Burlington citizen committee on sustainability at a time when climate warming was a hotly debated subject. Ray has a post graduate degree in economics that he earned at the University of Ottawa. Tweet @rayzrivers
The Liberal loss in Emard-LaSalle-Verdun was the first ever by-election loss ever to the Bloc Quebecois. The Liberal vote in Elmwood-Transcona was less than 5%. The Liberals were nearly eclipsed by the NDP in the ELV race. Trudeau’s hand-picked candidate in ELV lost badly despite supposedly impeccable credentials within the community.
I’m not sure whether Trudeau is guilty of hubris, or a perennial optimist, or just plain utterly stupid. Whatever the reason it is time that the Liberal backbenchers, the power brokers on Bay Street, and all the corporate bagmen in the Party rose up and told the PM it is time to go. However, that would require political will and the ability to put the country’s needs above those of the leader, and those are two qualities no one will ever ascribe to this PM or his government.
Well stated Stephen. Trudeau will likely sink the Liberal Party to third party status if he stays. Not much of a legacy.
I think your last sentence well describes the situation here and if I changed it at the end to “and those are two qualities no one will ever ascribe to Mr. Trump or his party” we might apply it to America too, even sooner. And to a party of a completely different stripe. Strange times we live in, eh?
Can’t believe that some people believe that Trudeau did anything good for Canadians and the rest of the world.
On climate control there has been a lot of talk and little action. The latest is that Chinese electric cars would be heavily taxed. Yes, it will perhaps help save the Canadian automakers but the less expensive Chinese electric cars would mean that more Canadians would be able to afford them. So much for his climate related policies.
As far as Indigenous reconciliation – What has he done except saying he is sorry.
There are still indigenous people having to boil their water because they don’t have clean, safe water. Promises made but never followed through.
Trudeau needs to go and even if he does it may be too late for the Liberals to win the next election ( thankfully).
Well-said (I mean, written), Ray. Although I admire Trudeau and recognize the good things he has done for Canadians and the world community (especially on climate-related issues and Indigenous reconciliation), it really looks like he cannot win the next election. So, regretfully, I concur that he should step down. Who has the ability and other tools to replace him, I don’t know. But who gave a second thought to Kamala Harris before it became clear that Biden had to go. There is always someone who will rise to assume the role, if not for the upcoming election, then the next. They just need to know that the job is open.
High time the party of continuous learning, learned a lesson about what taxpayers want, and it’s, less, not more, of Justin Trudeau and his minions.
Trudeau’s “impressive political legacy” this must be sarcasm.