Things are unfolding at a rapid rate, so I shall just post a few excerpts from Stephen Maher's piece published in The Star just a few minutes ago.
In a speech to a feminist political charity in Ottawa Tuesday night, Justin Trudeau lamented the election of Donald Trump as a setback for women’s progress.
“I want you to know that I am, and always will be, a proud feminist,” he said. “You will always have an ally in me and in my government.”
On Friday, the proud feminist had a meeting with Canada’s first female finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, and told her that he intended to replace her, presumably with Mark Carney, on Tuesday.
First, though, Trudeau wanted Freeland to present the government’s fall economic statement, featuring a gimmicky $2.7 billion holiday tax break the PMO had persuaded her to include. She would have to humiliate herself on her last day on the job by announcing a measure she opposed, missing the deficit target she had set herself in May. Trudeau had thus created a situation where it was easier for Freeland, his single closest and most important cabinet ally, to denounce him and quit, rather than do as he asked.
The departure of the long-suffering Freeland, the consummate team player, reminded me of the departure in 2019 of former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, who quit hours after the prime minister told reporters “her presence in cabinet should actually speak for itself.”
In both cases, the proud feminist put women who had shattered glass ceilings in a position where they were better off resigning rather than let Trudeau continue to humiliate them.
Taken together, the two incidents make Trudeau look like a narcissistic gaslighter, a fake feminist who thought he could subordinate talented women to his will based on his own excessive self-confidence.
With her departure, the whole operation now seems like a farcical mess.
On Monday, Trudeau huddled with his remaining cabinet. No minister who left the meeting would say out loud whether they still have confidence in him as prime minister. Five or six more ministers were rumoured to be ready to follow Freeland out the door.
The proud feminist now looks like a one-trick pony, a narcissist whose leadership was only effective while his charisma was working. Now that his charm has worn off, he is left with nothing, performing progressivism as if a breathless world was still waiting for his latest charming quip while everyone just wants him to go.
As they say, there is much more to come, so I'm sure we'll all stayed tuned with the aphoristic "bated breath".
There was a bit of a problem with Jody Wilson-Raybould from the point of view of Trudeau and the rest of us in Canada.
ReplyDeleteShe was one of the two ministers who let him be ambushed by the arrest of Meng Wanzhou. I cannot remember if she was Justice or Foreign Affairs at the time but the ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs, apparently, told the PM that some woman from China was going to be picked up on a US request and forgot to mention that this would be a bit like arresting a combination of Princess Anne & Taylor Swift. Well, I exaggerate slightly but it was really bad.
At best, this failure to properly brief the PM was gross dereliction her of duty to Canada as a minister of the Crown.
Canada, one way or another, has been paying for that fiasco ever since. Ask the two Michaels.
Good point, Anon, although I most remember her in relation to Trudeau trying to strong arm her over SNC Lavalin. While I may be simplifying things here, as I have said many times, Mr. Trudeau has never met a corporate entity he doesn't adore. Even in the latest fiscal report, apparently $17 billion of the $61.9 deficit has to do with accelerated capital depreciation, something the corporate world loves. Surely in these straitened times, Justin could have held his infatuation with that world in check.
DeleteI'm of two minds about the SNC Lavalin fiasco. It's my understanding that all the actual perpetrators had already escaped scot-free so so hitting SNC Lavalin with the charges might have been a good warning to other corporations but did not have a huge effect oherwise but did mess up a lot of Canadian contracts.
DeleteWe should have nailed the criminals properly the first place.
Mr. Trudeau has never met a corporate entity he doesn't adore.
There must be one somewhere. Myanmar, maybe? This budget suggests a continuation of the love affair.
Indeed it does, Anon. And I agree that corporate crime should be prosecuted vigourously. However, it always seems that the only punishment for malfeasance at that level is a fine. Almost never are the top honchos responsible for the crimes ever criminally prosecuted. This is also true in the U.S., unless one is a lone wolf like Bernie Madoff or Bankman-Fried.
DeleteGenerally speaking. especially in the USA, the criminal business elite only go to jail if their victims are other elites.
DeleteI think it's a mixture of class solidarity and an understanding that if one goes down they could be next.
Jr's status as a feminist may be arguable ... on the other hand, why style policy disagreements and cabinet changes as gender issues?
ReplyDeletePolitics has always been a 'rough and tumble'.
NPoV
"Politics has always been a 'rough and tumble'."
DeleteThat has never become more apparent than in today's developments, NPov.
I would suggest that most women in Canada would not regard C16 as any sort of "feminist" bill. JT has never backed had the interests of women in Canada and in fact has been more than willing to throw them under any nearby bus.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I think most would agree on is Trudeau's capacity for "performative" politics, Anon. It is the act, not the substance, that he hopes most will notice.
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