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Justin Trudeau Needs to Read the Writing on the Wall

Published

6 months ago

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Justin Trudeau Needs to Read the Writing on the Wall
Justin Trudeau: File Image

In October of 2022, when I started working on my book about Justin Trudeau’s government, I told my interview subjects that I thought history would judge him favourably.

It seemed to me then that Mr. Trudeau had changed the country more than Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin or Stephen Harper, and that his record could be measured against Brian Mulroney’s. Justin’s father, Pierre – who gave the country the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – is more significant, but I thought history might put Justin ahead of other recent prime ministers.

Mr. Trudeau lifted many children out of poverty, legalized marijuana, reformed the Senate (sort of), steered the country through the pandemic and managed to save the North American free-trade agreement from Donald Trump. He made progress on Indigenous reconciliation, checked rising inequality and acted to bring down emissions with a carefully designed carbon tax, which he backed resolutely through tedious legal and political battles.

Of course, he also made many mistakes, burning political capital on nonsense. The first was his trip to the Aga Khan’s island, an ethical minefield he choppered into after rejecting the advice of senior staff. There was a disastrous trip to India, with too many costume changes, a guest appearance by a Khalistani terrorist and no subsequent increase in chickpea exports.

Trudeau looks worse

Worst was the SNC-Lavalin affair, in which his office put inappropriate pressure on the attorney-general at the time, Jody Wilson-Raybould, who did not want to give a get-out-of-jail-free card to a troubled company with deep connections to the people who run the country. It brought his government to the brink of collapse, but he got past it, and all his recent predecessors had presided over scandals that were at least as bad.

That was how I saw Mr. Trudeau when I started researching the book – generally successful, in spite of many mistakes. Eighteen months later, as the book is being published, Mr. Trudeau looks worse, and the trend line ought to give him pause.

His mishandling of relations with both China and India – and his mysterious reluctance to tackle foreign interference in Canadian politics – has shaken the confidence even of natural supporters. More dangerous to him, though, is his economic leadership, or lack thereof.

In 2015, Mr. Trudeau won by promising to act for “the middle class and those working hard to join it.” He eventually lost that focus, and he responded slowly to voters’ concerns about the cost of living, leaving a huge opening for Pierre Poilievre. He has failed to effectively defend the carbon tax, such that many Canadians are now convinced it is the cause of all their problems, although it is not.

And he failed to prevent a housing crisis. He dramatically increased immigration while there was not enough housing, which should have been obvious because of all the tent encampments. Mr. Trudeau has since responded, but only after Mr. Poilievre positioned himself as the champion of young people struggling to put roofs over their heads. Mr. Trudeau can’t win an election if he can’t convince those voters that he, not Mr. Poilievre, has their backs.

Trudeau’s brand is worn out

He personally saved the Liberal Party of Canada from ruin, so Liberals are not going to now defenestrate him, Liz Truss-style, but many of his supporters hope he will declare victory and hit the speaker circuit while there may still be time for a new leader to put the house in order.

In February, when I interviewed the Prime Minister, he convinced me that he is sincere in his desire to lead the party into the next election. “I just see it as such a fundamental choice in what kind of country we are, who we are as Canadians,” he told me. “That, for me, is what I got into politics for: to have big fights like this about who we are as a country and where we’re going.”

It may serve his purposes to stay, but not the party’s. The trajectory is very bad. His brand is worn out. He can’t connect. If he runs again, the campaign will inevitably be a referendum on him, which the Conservatives are confident they can win. If he leaves, it might turn into a referendum on Mr. Poilievre, the outcome of which is harder to predict.

A few months ago, a friend of Mr. Trudeau told me that there are four people who might be able to convince him to leave: his old friend and strategist Tom Pitfield, his chief of staff Katie Telford, and cabinet ministers Marc Miller and Dominic LeBlanc. A few weeks later, Globe columnist Lawrence Martin wrote that Mr. Leblanc – who used to babysit Mr. Trudeau when they were young – is talking about running for the job, which is the kind of thing that happens when the ship is taking on water.

Mr. Trudeau has a global brand and a record he can point to with pride, and he can look forward to returning to his lucrative career as a public speaker. That would be easier if he hangs up the gloves while he’s still undefeated.

By Stephen Maher

Stephen Maher is a political journalist and the author of several books, including The Prince: The Turbulent Reign of Justin Trudeau.

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Trudeau GST Tax Holiday to Cost Taxpayers $6.3 Billion

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3 days ago

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2024-11-22

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Trudeau. GST

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a two-month GST break on some purchases and a one-time $250 rebate for all Canadians earning less than $150,000. The proposed GST break would last from December 14 to February 15.

The Liberals said it would cover various things, including children’s clothing and shoes, toys, diapers, restaurant meals, and beer and wine. It also refers to real and artificial Christmas trees, snack foods and beverages, and video game systems.

The move will cost taxpayers almost $4.7 billion, and the GST exemption will cost an additional $1.6 billion, totaling $6.3 Billion.

The federal government is now running a significant deficit. This raises the question of who will have to foot the $6.3 billion bill for today’s one-time payments. The government will have to borrow the money, and future taxpayers must either repay it or service the additional debt perpetually.

Critics argue that the GST credit is a collection of terrible ideas that will do little to lift Canada out of the long-term economic rut in which our economy is stuck.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre responded Thursday to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pledge of a “GST Holiday” for Canadians, calling it a “tax trick.”

Poilievre stated that the temporary exemption from the Goods and Services Tax on various ordinary commodities “would not make up for the permanent quadrupling carbon tax on heat, housing, food, and fuel.”

Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet stated he is “against any idea of a prime minister who says, ‘I will give you money in order for you to consider voting for me.'”

According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, temporary sales tax holidays will only increase confusion and administrative burden for small business owners.

A temporary sales tax decrease would help boost demand in some industries, including restaurants, Canadians, and companies, which require sustainable tax relief during the slow post-holiday season.

The changes amid an inflation-driven affordability crisis have left many dissatisfied with the Trudeau government. A federal election is scheduled for before next October, although it might happen sooner if the minority government falls before then.

For months, the Conservatives have held a double-digit lead over the Liberals in public opinion polls, with Leader Pierre Poilievre promising to cut taxes and government spending to restore affordability.

High inflation has also pressured the Liberals to avoid proposing policies that would boost spending and raise fuel prices.

According to the Fraser Institute, The Trudeau government got one thing fundamentally right: Lowering the tax burden on Canadians has benefits. Unfortunately, the policy package it has proposed to deliver tax relief is completely wrong.

It lowers the incorrect taxes, moves taxes temporarily rather than lowering them, does little to improve economic incentives, and punishes future taxpayers. With the holiday season approaching, this attempt at a gift for Canadian taxpayers is the economic equivalent of a lump of coal in the stocking.

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Matt Gaetz Withdraws as Trump’s Pick for Attorney General

Published

3 days ago

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2024-11-21

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Matt Gaetz,attorney general, Trump
Matt Gaetz talks to reporters

Congressman Matt Gaetz has withdrawn as President-elect Donald Trump’s candidate for Attorney General, citing concerns about a federal sex trafficking probe that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed.

Gaetz resigned after failing to persuade the Senate to endorse his contentious candidacy. Shortly after Gaetz’s unexpected departure, the president-elect issued a statement applauding his former AG nominee’s choice to seek Senate confirmation.

“I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all the great things he will do!” the president-elect wrote on Truth Social.

Gaetz had earlier stated that he was retiring from his current seat in Congress and would not take the oath of office for the upcoming session, which begins in January. Now that he has withdrawn from consideration for AG, his future in Washington is uncertain.

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Eric Hovde Concedes The United States Senate Race To Tammy Baldwin.

Published

6 days ago

on

2024-11-18

By

Eric Hovde

(VOR News) – Eric Hovde, the Republican candidate for the United States Senate, has acknowledged that he was defeated by Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic candidate for the same seat on the ballot.

Baldwin acknowledged Hovde’s defeat and consented to it. Furthermore, he released a statement in which he contends that the election results are not only inaccurate, but also devoid of any factual foundation.

Eric Hovde experienced this two weeks after the election.

Baldwin emerged as the unofficial victor of the Senate campaign in Wisconsin, a race that was closely monitored by a significant number of individuals. Baldwin was awarded the title of victor on November 6th. Baldwin emerged victorious by a razor-thin margin.

According to the data provided by the Associated Press, Baldwin emerged victorious by a margin of 29,116 ballots, which is approximately equivalent to 0.9 percent of the total votes cast. Baldwin emerged victorious by a substantial margin, as indicated by the results.

Hovde issued his public apology subsequent to the conclusion of the canvassing of the results by the majority of county clerks throughout the state. This process will ultimately result in the results being recognized as official. Publication of Eric Hovde’s decision. Not only were the results announced at this time, but they were also proclaimed in an official capacity.

The exact phrase of the announcement, “Thank you for your support,” was included in a post by Eric Hovde on Monday and published on the social networking site X.

The public was notified of this announcement. The announcement was public on Monday. It has drawn a lot of attention. “It is time to begin moving on.”

In contrast, Eric Hovde’s film began with a somewhat less inclusive tone, which persisted throughout. He made this assumption without offering any evidence to back it up, and his claims that there were “many troubling issues” with absentee ballots tabulated late on election night were factually incorrect. His claims were not supported by empirical evidence.

His claims were unsupported by any proof. Not a single piece of evidence could possibly prove that his allegations were correct. He stated in the statement that “numerous supporters” had demanded that he challenge the election results. He acknowledged receiving the request.

Eric Hovde acknowledged receiving these demands.

In particular, Eric Hovde asserts, “However, a request for a recount would serve no purpose if it were not for a detailed review of all the ballots and their legitimacy, which will be difficult to obtain in the courts.”

Subsequently, you would recount the identical ballots, regardless of their authenticity. This is the reason, as elucidated in this article. This is the rationale for the current state of affairs.

Hovde and his campaign refrained from issuing any public statements subsequent to Baldwin’s disclosure that Eric Hovde had emerged victorious in the election, which transpired over a week after Baldwin’s initial announcement.

The previous week, he uploaded a video to social media platforms that expressed his “deeply concerned” sentiments regarding the election results in Milwaukee.

The election was conducted in Milwaukee. While the film was being screened, there was a discussion regarding the results of the election in Milwaukee. As the ballots were still being counted in the largest city in Wisconsin on the evening of the election, he expressed his “shock” at the sequence of events that had transpired.

Eric Hovde was emphasizing the occurrence of specific events.

In addition, he declared that ballots were still being tallied at the time of the election. Eric Hovde made this declaration during the voting period, while ballots were still being tabulated.

Baldwin’s team referenced her victory speech, which she delivered the week prior to the election, in response to a request for comment that was submitted on Monday.

In response to the campaign’s request, this action was implemented.

A representative of Baldwin’s team has verified that “Hovde has not called,” which is consistent with the information that was disclosed on Monday morning. The representative who provided these details has worked in a variety of capacities throughout their career.

SOURCE: WPR

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