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There's a reason why Andrew Scheer's calls for the PM to resign met with eyerolls after Wilson-Raybould roasted the governing Liberals in a deposition at the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights that absolutely dwarfed that of Michael Cohen's down in the States.  That is because Scheer knows, just as well as Trudeau and everyone else, that the Liberals tilting the playing field in favour of shady Quebec firms is just another Wednesday in Canada.  So is treating First Nations with paternalism, massaging bought-and-paid for media outlets by "lining up all kinds of OpEds", and the PM descending from on high to tread lightly with this little annoyance and remind people that he's protecting jobs for the middle class at his own press conference.

Kady O'Malley says the takeaway from JWR's testimony is that the system works just fine.  And she is right.  Everyone or, as we'll soon see, almost everyone is playing their assigned part.  By next week we'll be smugly wagging our fingers at the United States again and babbling about being a "moral leader" while denouncing Scheer for sharing the stage with a Literal Racist at the United We Roll convoy and chastising Conservatives MP's and senators for inflammatory speech.

It is certainly true that Scheer's pageantry is risible, but it matters not in the long term.  What does matter is that, even if he would have done the exact same thing with regard to SNC-Lavalin, and would probably do so again were he PM, he and his party are for once above the fray.

And here is where things went off script, in one fatal instance.  The Tories are supposed to screw the pooch by having their hypocrisy/cluelessness revealed i.e., Rona Ambrose tweeting about the Aga Khan from the deck of a billionaire's yacht, or whatever the hell the CPC position on cannabis is supposed to be here.  Not this time.  This time, Trudeau can't even throw the whole mess on Trump, or "Conservative dark money" networks.  As we've seen with Gerry Butts resigning/pursing a new opportunity as the Liberal re-election boss, this is entirely a Liberal family matter.  They broke it, now they have to pay for it.  Except, as we've seen, they have no intention of paying for anything.

Since the Liberals cannot excuse their own blunders as part of their forever phoney war against the foes of liberalism, every mistake they make and they have been considerable in number and scope reveals how much of a farce their commitments to transparency, to feminism, and to "doing politics differently" were.  And if they cannot unite their forces against an enemy since they have met the enemy, and it is them then the enemy will unite against them.

Furthermore, since Trudeau's popularity rested on the voters giving him the benefit of the doubt, even though they kind of knew they shouldn't, it exposes how cynical the entire process of Trudeau's rise to power was.  Cynicism regarding Trudeau is not just the province of cranks like me anymore it has been legitimized by consensus-builders like Paul Wells.  And when cynicism is the order of the day, populism grows stronger.

The damage here is more than just Trudeau dropping in the polls, an advantage that can be regained as soon as Scheer shows himself again.  It is more than the implosion of Canada The Moral Leader, which everyone kind of doubted anyway.  No, this is clear and present evidence of the forces of liberalism giving birth to the thing they hate most.  They pride themselves on their ability to manage.  One problem: they cannot manage their way out of a paper bag.

And when it is clear that the people in charge have no idea what they're doing, that is when voters start rallying around the idea of Prime Minister Faith Goldy.  But that's OK.  Once she starts running the country, the liberals can continue to talk about "the rule of law" and how "this is not normal."

Photo Credit: CTV News

Written by Josh Lieblein

The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.


Editor's Note: The following op ed was in no way lined up for this publication by the Prime Minister's Office. 

In the wake of former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould's damning testimony before a Parliamentary committee investigating the SNC-Lavalin scandal, many political observers are suggesting this could be the end of the line for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Either he'll have to resign over this scandal or he'll get massacred in the next election.

Me, I don't really see it that way.

In fact, in my view, Trudeau still has one big advantage working in his favour: he's just too cute to fail.

What do I mean by that?

Well, Trudeau's undeniable cuteness his boyish good looks, his lively demeanour, his aura of fun, his penchant for jogging half-naked through the woods has made him an ideal politician to serve the needs of this country's ruling classes, sometimes called the "Laurentian elites."

Indeed, these elites, whose ranks include, high-ranking members of the media, the people who run our cultural industries and corporate CEOs (especially those based in Ontario and Quebec) couldn't ask for a better leader.

For one thing, since Trudeau himself springs from Canada's ruling classes, he shares their world view, i.e. he loves the same things the Laurentian elites love: arts groups, the CBC, anything to do with Quebec, and of course, wealthy corporate executives who donate to the Liberal Party.

And like the Laurentian elites, Trudeau has very little empathy or understanding for any part of the country that exists between Vancouver and Toronto.

But what makes Trudeau's rule so invaluable to the elites isn't just that he shares their Laurentian elitist perspective, it's that his inherent cuteness serves to distract Canadians from his pro-elitist agenda.

How can Canadians get all resentful about the government bailing out Bombardier, how can they get angry about paying a regressive carbon tax, how can they get upset about shutting down an oil pipeline to appease Quebec, when every time they look at the front page of their newspapers they see photos of a smiling Trudeau cuddling a couple of panda bears?

Essentially, Trudeau makes elitism fun!

And this brings us back to the prime minister's current scandal problem.

Do you think the Laurentian elites, who exercise a lot of power and influence in this country, will want to see their guy fall by the wayside, simply because he's accused of subverting the cause of justice to help rich corporate executives?

I think not.  If anything, that makes them like Trudeau even more!

Besides, the elites are afraid of what might come after Trudeau.

In other words, they don't want him to fail, since it might lead to (horror of horrors) a populist style government taking charge in Ottawa.

This is something they desperately want to avoid.

And by the way, when I say "populist-style government," I don't mean just a Trumpian, right-wing brand of populism, but also left-wing populism.

Keep in mind, that while populists of the left and right certainly have their differences, one thing they in each have common is strong desire to stick it to the rich and powerful.

So in a way, the Canadian establishment elites see Trudeau the same way he sees SNC- Lavalin.

Just as Trudeau believes SNC-Lavalin, despite its ethical problems, is too big to fail, likewise the Laurentian elites believe Trudeau, despite his possible ethical problems, is too usefully cute to fail.

Hence, Trudeau's upper class defenders, and those they hire, will do everything they can in the months ahead to try and extricate their guy from the mess he's gotten himself into.

Mind you, that won't be easy.

In the minds of many Canadians, Wilson-Raybould, thanks mainly to her remarkable testimony, is a heroic martyr, an embattled woman who has the courage to "speak truth to power."

That's a strong brand, that's a powerful emotional narrative.

Indeed, this is probably the first time in Trudeau's life that he has ever been cast as a villain.

So how will the elites deal with this situation?

Well, as I see it, they have four options.

Option 1: They attack Wilson-Raybould in the hopes of degrading her integrity and character.

Option 2: They degrade Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer, saying, something like, "Yes Trudeau might be a crook, but Scheer is a FASCIST!!!

Option 3: They go all out elitist and bluntly address the nation thusly: "Hey stupid Canadians.  Don't you get it!?  What's good for corrupt, greedy corporations is also good for Canada."

Option 4: If all those options fail, the elites still have one last ploy: dump Trudeau and replace him with someone even cuter!

In fact, I'm expecting them to call me any day now.

Photo Credit: CBC News

The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.


For a while, I was thinking that I was the naive one, the one who should have known better.  The one who should have figured out politics is a dirty business, a game played not for the public, but for the interests of a powerful few.

But now I'm starting to wonder if that isn't the case.  Maybe Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the naive one.

You see, Trudeau made a big show of talking about values and all this, making it — or at least talking about it as — the centre of what his government was about.  And it wasn't just the voting public buying into this fresher idea of government.  With the exit of Jane Philpott from cabinet Monday, it's becoming clear people Trudeau chose to be a part of his government bought it too.

Ministers like Philpott saw what the Liberal party and its leader had promised and decided to live by that idea.  To work and serve something higher and more noble than crass political calculations.

Maybe it's the prime minister that was naive to think he could say one thing, and do another without much consequence.  Maybe he really has changed politics.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer called once again on Monday for Trudeau's resignation.  That's probably still premature.  But Scheer also called for the prime minister to be honest with Canadians, and to bring back Parliament to face the opposition.

Most cuttingly, Scheer said this: "It's time for every Liberal cabinet minister to ask themselves the same question Jane Philpott did: Is this what you got into politics for, to prop up a prime minister who will subvert the law to win elections and benefit his friends?  If not, it's time for them to stand up and be heard like Jane Philpott did today."

It's a brutal question, that seems rather trenchant.  Is this what these people got into politics for?

But anyway, this part of his requests aren't unreasonable, particularly the part about having a frank conversation with the country.  Whether this scandal calls for his resignation, I'm not sure of yet.  There are still many unknowns, and a number of people have still to testify.  Gerald Butts, his now-former principal secretary will make an appearance before the justice committee Wednesday morning, and Michael Wernick will make a second appearance that afternoon.

Anyhow, what we know now is not by any stretch good, but we don't know everything.  We will know more soon, and it is reasonable to wait and see whether a resignation is necessary, or whether others should be sacked first.

Trudeau should recall Parliament to answer questions, rather than waiting for its scheduled return on March 18.  And the prime minister should be honest with the country about what his intentions were and to give a full accounting of what he and his office did, and why.

This has been the case from the start.

Philpott's resignation letter makes a stunning rebuke of the way the government has handled the SNC-Lavalin mess from the very start.  Not just as a communications strategy, but as an ethical one.  I'll quote here at some length:

"Unfortunately, the evidence of efforts by politicians and/or officials to pressure the former Attorney General to intervene in the criminal case involving SNC-Lavalin, and the evidence as to the content of those efforts have raised serious concerns for me.  Those concerns have been augmented by the views expressed by my constituents and other Canadians.  The solemn principles at stake are the independence and integrity of our justice system.  It is a fundamental doctrine of the rule of law that our Attorney General should not be subjected to political pressure or interference regarding the exercise of her prosecutorial discretion in criminal cases.  Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised."

Monday night at a rally, Trudeau thanked Philpott for her service and good works.  He mentioned he was watching the justice committee and its important work.  He never really addressed her criticisms directly, saying only he'd known about them for some time, he understood them, and he was disappointed.

Then he got down to what was important.  He talked about the bigger picture, about what was really important.  About building the movement (which is to say the party), how there were bigger issues that needed tackling.  Essentially, while he was sorry to see Philpott go, this was just a bump in the road.  Nothing to be learned here, folks.

This all comes just as the Liberals are out making the case they should have been doing in the first place, if they had any notion of being honest with us about what has happened with SNC-Lavalin.

Parliamentary secretary for Shared Services Canada Steven MacKinnon hit up the evening TV circuit to tell CBC's Power and Politics flat out that SNC-Lavalin were "entitled" to receive a deferred prosecution agreement.  And if they'd made that argument from the start, if they'd come out in the open and just said what they wanted all along, we would not be here.

The prime minister himself wasn't exactly beating back the idea SNC-Lavalin deserved special treatment, despite the decision of the prosecutor.  "We are always going to stand up for good jobs, create good jobs and defend Canadians' interests," Trudeau said, according to a Chronicle Herald report.  "This matter is to be determined by the attorney general.  That is what I said to the former attorney general, and that's something the current attorney general knows full well."

It seems insane to have to keep repeating this, to keep coming back to the same thought.  But all of this could have been avoided with a bit of honesty.  When the government decided this was a priority, it slipped in the change to the criminal code in the budget.  Or even when things started to go south, when The Globe and Mail first reported Wilson-Raybould had faced internal pressure to override the prosecutor and make a DPA happen for SNC-Lavalin, there could have been an honest conversation about what was up.  Instead, Trudeau made sure to keep up the cloak and dagger stuff.

Instead of saying from that point, when it was clear the jig was very soon to be up, what the reasoning for his office's actions was, Trudeau gave us a careful bit of legalese about not "directing" then-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to overrule the public prosecutor.

From there the die was cast.  This would not be a case of being ethical, or truthful.  It would be about hiding from the facts.  And now, despite the evidence in front of him that this sort of politics doesn't work, that it actively chases away good and decent members of his government, Trudeau continues down the same old path.

Change may really have come to Canadian politics, but it seems to have left its agent behind.

Photo Credit: Toronto Star

The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.


They keep saying it is a nothing burger.

Nothing to see here, folks.  In fact, they were saying as much as late at this morning.

But then, Jane Philpott resigned.

Philpott had been a quiet star of the Trudeau government.  She served as Minister of Health.  She was then moved to Minister of Indigenous Services, as Carolyn Bennett seemed unable to handle the whole file on her own.  When Scott Brison resigned, she was tapped as President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government.

She has worked quietly but efficiently on big files over the years.  She was involved when Syrian refugees arrived in Canada.  She legislated Medical Assistance in Dying.  She made progress on improving water infrastructure for First Nations.  Among many achievements.

When Jane Philpott was shuffled to Treasury Board, she certainly did not realize what the political fallout would be.  It has been said that Scott Brison was leaving, partly because the PMO didn't relish the thought of having a senior minister on the stand, testifying in the trial of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman.

That departure triggered a political crisis which is shaking the Trudeau government to its core, damaging the Trudeau brand like no trip to India or vacation on the Aga Khan's private island was able to.

In her resignation letter, Jane Philpott rightly points out that "the constitutional convention of Cabinet solidarity means, among other things, that ministers are expected to defend all Cabinet decisions."

"A minister must always be prepared to defend other ministers publicly, and must speak in support of the government and its policies," she added.

Jane Philpott was no longer prepared to defend all Cabinet decisions.  One, in particular, comes to mind.  She was no longer prepared to defend other ministers publicly.  And the one needing defending right now is the Prime Minister.

Jane Philpott resigned because of everything she has seen and heard over the past three weeks leads her to believe her government is in the wrong.  In her judgement, the independence and integrity of our justice system has been compromised by the multiple pressures put on the Attorney General to intervene in a criminal case, namely the SNC-Lavalin affair.

"The evidence of efforts by politicians and/or officials to pressure the former Attorney General to intervene in the criminal case involving SNC-Lavalin, and the evidence as to the content of those efforts have raised serious concerns for me.  Those concerns have been augmented by the views expressed by my constituents and other Canadians."

To abide by her core values, her ethical responsibilities and constitutional obligations, she felt she had no other choice.  "There can be a cost to acting on one's principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them."

Jane Philpott has lost confidence in the government.  Because of how the government handled the SNC-Lavalin affair.  Because of how they dealt with Jody Wilson-Raybould ever since the story emerged.

Two Ministers have resigned.  The most senior political advisor to the Prime Minister has resigned.  Like Philpott, Canadians are losing confidence in the government.  The Liberals' polling numbers are trending downward.

But yeah, it is a nothing burger.

Photo Credit: CBC News

The views, opinions and positions expressed by columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of our publication.