Advertisement 1

Ivison: 'We don’t have a functioning government' — and that’s Trudeau’s fault

John Ivison and his guests discuss Canada’s response to the upcoming inauguration of Donald Trump and the Liberal party’s desperate race to replace Justin Trudeau

Get the latest from John Ivison straight to your inbox

Article content

This week, John Ivison is joined by Eugene Lang and Ian Brodie to discuss Canada’s response to the upcoming inauguration of Donald Trump and the Liberal party’s desperate race to find a replacement for Justin Trudeau.

Article content
Article content

Ivison asked Brodie, politics professor at the University of Calgary and a former chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, if Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was justified in refusing to sign a communique from Canada’s premiers calling for a robust response to Trump’s promised tariffs because she claimed the federal government is threatening to cut off supply to the U.S. of Alberta’s oil and gas.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

Brodie said he thinks Ontario Premier Doug Ford did not do the country any favours when he said Canada would use Alberta’s energy exports as a tool to protect Ontario’s manufacturing base from the effects of a trade war.

“It was an ill-advised opening salvo of the Canadian response,” he said. “It’ll be a very tricky bit of national business for whoever’s in charge in Ottawa when these tariffs come into effect to come up with a package that keeps the country united and that spreads the pain of retaliation across the entire economy without singling out Alberta… It’s a powerful weapon, but using only that weapon and leaving all of our other industries aside in the trade war isn’t going to fly politically.”

Brodie said the picture is complicated by having a lame duck prime minister. “The problem here is not that Trudeau says or doesn’t say the right thing. It’s the idea that Trudeau is gone at the beginning of March. He has boxed himself into an extremely tight corner where nobody’s going to pay attention to anything he has to say on either side of the border. What makes anybody think that he would be able to lead us through the next six or seven weeks of a brutal trade war, that could lead to tens of thousands of job layoffs in Canada, when he’s not going to be around as of March 24th at the very, very latest?”

Article content
Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

He was critical of the state Trudeau has left the country in.

“The Liberal party’s inability to manage its own leadership succession at some point a year ago or six months ago, when everybody huffed and puffed and there were going to be all these secret ballots or behind closed door caucus meetings, has put the country in an extremely weak position at the point of maximum peril. And I don’t think it matters whether it’s Trudeau or Mark Carney or Chrystia Freeland or whoever ends up in charge of this mess in March. This isn’t going to be resolved until there’s an election and until the political situation in Canada has sorted itself out.”

The mess that we made of oil export pipelines to the Pacific coast and to the Atlantic coast was a colossal failure of national leadership

Lang, an assistant professor at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University and a former chief of staff to two Liberal defence ministers, said he doesn’t think the premiers are listening to Trudeau.

“I wonder whether his own cabinet is taking direction from him anymore. He’s kind of like Joe Biden on December 1st of last year. He’s really irrelevant now and needs to be out of the way. But unfortunately, then we don’t have any head of government and we need a government. What we have is disunity. That’s very clear. And he’s responsible for it to a very large degree.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

“Ottawa is a mess right now. We don’t have a functioning government in Ottawa. It’s not a functioning government in the normal sense, let alone in a situation when you have a crisis. The bureaucracy isn’t functioning normally. The cabinet isn’t functioning normally,” he said.

“You have ministers in the cabinet who now think they’re going to be in an election in a few weeks. I presume many of them are more worried about their ridings than they are their portfolios, for the first time in years. And you have a lame duck prime minister. It couldn’t be more chaotic. It couldn’t be a bigger mess that’s been created here. Unnecessarily so. And just I’ll say one final thing. Trump knows all this or his people know all this. So he doesn’t have to divide and conquer.

“He knows we’re divided, all he has to do is conquer. And that’s Canada’s fault. That’s Ottawa’s fault.”

Brodie said Canada is now paying the price for not proceeding with pipelines like Northern Gateway and Energy East.

“The kind of the decade that we’ve spent, pretending to ourselves that we’re going to phase this (oil and gas) industry out, that we can do something for climate change, that everybody else in the world is going to play their part under some Paris Accord or Glasgow Accord or whatever, which different Liberals were part and parcel of, is not going to happen. And therefore, the mess that we made of oil export pipelines to the Pacific coast and to the Atlantic coast was a colossal failure of national leadership,” he said. “Play back what the situation would look like right now if we had either the Gateway pipeline to northern British Columbia or the Energy East pipeline to New Brunswick, and we were able to shift all of the oil that we otherwise export at a discount to the United States to other players. That was damage that we did to ourselves. That was damage that the Liberal government did to ourselves and we’re now going to pay a price for it. The next government will have to reconsider all of those options because that industry is not going away. Those resources are just as valuable as they were 10 years ago. The only way to unlock that value is to make sure we have options other than export to the United States.”

Advertisement 5
Story continues below
Article content

Ivison asked if there is any prospect of a Mark Carney led Liberal party recovering sufficiently to hold Pierre Poilievre to a minority government, or whether the Liberal brand is too tarnished.

It'll be a very tricky bit of national business for whoever's in charge in Ottawa when these tariffs come into effect

Brodie said he does not think that there is enough time for a Liberal turnaround.

“I worked with Mark. He was a senior finance official when I was in Ottawa and then governor of the Bank of Canada. You know, (not the) profile of an outsider. He was very familiar with the inside of the cabinet room and the inside of the prime minister’s office. I suspect he spent more time in the prime minister’s office than Mr. Poilievre did in his brief time as a minister.

“I think the question is, is he the Rishi Sunak of Canadian politics? The kind of Oxbridge, well-bred, well-dressed, charming person who’s come in to try to rescue a government that is fundamentally unsalvageable. Rishi Sunak had a year or so in order to try and put it all together, after a period of leadership chaos in the British Tory party. Mr. Carney has five weeks after he wins this leadership race, if he calls an election right away to try to do the same thing.”

Advertisement 6
Story continues below
Article content

Lang said there is an obvious challenge with a three term governing party trying to convince the public that a vote for it is a vote for change.

“That’s never been done. And there’s a certain absurdity to the concept. But clearly that’s what he is going to try to do. He made that point on the Daily Show interview (with comedian Jon Stewart) to try to distance himself from the Trudeau government, while embracing the Liberal party brand.

“I watched the Daily Show interview and one thing about it really did impress me and that was his sense of humour. He demonstrated an unscripted, relatively effortless sense of humour. People may not think that’s important but I think it’s very important. We have lived in a humour-free zone in federal politics for years both in terms of the Conservatives and the Liberals. On the Liberal side, you tended to have this rather sanctimonious, moralizing tone coming out of the prime minister and all of the ministers taking themselves far too seriously for years. They never cracked a joke, rarely laughed and rarely smiled. On the other side of the House with the Conservatives, you have anger and vitriol coming out of Mr. Poilievre, never cracking a joke. There is no self-deprecation on either side. I’m not saying we’re looking for a stand-up comedian here, but a leader with gravitas who enters into this race and can strategically and sparingly deploy humour from time to time, it could have a really interesting effect.”

Recommended from Editorial
  1. Mark Carney speaks at the Sustainable Finance conference in Ottawa on Nov. 28, 2024.
    John Ivison: How Carney plans to win the Liberal leadership and hold Poilievre to a minority
  2. None
    John Ivison: Justin Trudeau left Canadians feeling like strangers in their own land

Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.

Article content
Get the latest from John Ivison straight to your inbox
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest from Shopping Essentials
  1. Advertisement 2
    Story continues below
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top