Saturday, June 30, 2018

If Only He Had Kept His Word


It seems the Trudeau Liberals are in for a bumpy ride to the polls in next year's general elections.

When Trudeau marked his first Canada Day as prime minister, he was still enjoying his post-election honeymoon. The Liberals held a 16-point lead over the Conservatives and Trudeau's approval rating was 31 points higher than his disapproval score. 
The honeymoon was over by the time his second Canada Day rolled around in 2017, but the Liberals were still in a strong position — ahead of the Conservatives by five points and with Trudeau's net approval rating at +11. 
The Liberals held good leads in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada — the same kind of numbers that gave them a majority in 2015. 
That's no longer the case. 
The CBC Poll Tracker puts the Liberals at just under 35 per cent support, with the Conservatives at just over 34 per cent. The New Democrats, at 19 per cent, are up four to five points over where they stood on Canada Days past. 
We shouldn't have to be anxious about Scheer edging out Trudeau in 2019 but here we are. The next election was Trudeau's to lose and he screwed it up - royally.

Trudeau's retreat on electoral reform was unforgivable. His explanation unconvincing. On that alone, Trudeau deserves to get his ass handed to him.

Then there was all the talk - no, promises - about First Nations consultations, social licence, scrapping the rigged pipeline approvals issued by the egregiously "captured" National Energy Board. Lies, lies and lies. He's been lying about that damned pipeline virtually since the day he was sworn into office.

Trudeau argues "compromise" in pitting bitumen against the environment and rapidly worsening climate change. There's a compromise all right. He's chosen to compromise his promises on the environment to clear the way for a megapipeline to "tidewater." And, when that project foundered, there were Trudeau and Morneau writing a cheque to a sketchy Texas outfit to buy that pipeline. Every Canadian should be disgusted by that.

And so, if Trudeau loses his majority in 2019 or Scheer ekes out a minority, all the blame - every scrap of it - goes to Justin Trudeau. 

15 comments:

Toby said...

Can't argue with that.

Anonymous said...

All Trudeau has really done is apologize for other people's wrong doings.

So the best we can expect from him and his "caucus" is a future apology for his inability to deliver on any of their promises.

No action on clean water for all Canadians.

No action on electoral reform.

Legalizing pot by propping up the existing "investment" establishment to rake in the profits, while increasing the limitations on people's ability to grow their own. (There's a reason it's called "weed" - it grows anywhere - we don't need Toronto-Stock-Exchange-bank-rolled grow ops)

Then there's the KowTow to the tar-rock gangs - aka dumping the environment that we all live and breath in for a few more bucks from his big-tar-lobbyist buddies.

And the on-going KowTow to the Trump Hegemony.

Talked a semi-good talk, takes a good selfie, can't deliver much of anything.

The Mound of Sound said...


It's not like he's done nothing. He's done nothing on the really important stuff. In 2015 he tried to be the shiny penny and it worked but not for very long.

Liberals and a good many other voters imagined they were getting someone of the stature of his legendary father. Perhaps not at first but he would quickly grow into that great name. Only that didn't happen. Justin turned out to be all Margaret and no Pierre, the weakest of Pierre's three sons.

Lorne said...

From this story: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/06/29/feds-still-mulling-over-making-a-healthy-environment-a-right-in-canada.html

"Environment Minister Catherine McKenna is responding Friday to 87 recommendations made by the House of Commons environment committee a year ago on how to overhaul the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, which governs the protection of human and environmental health through things such as chemical management and air pollution strategies.

In a letter to the committee, McKenna says the government agrees with the intent of most of the recommendations, but that the legislative agenda just can’t accommodate another new bill right now.

She says the government is “committed to introducing a bill to reform (the act) as soon as possible in a future parliament” and will in the meantime consult widely on exactly how to update the legislation.

A future parliament likely means there won’t be any changes to how Canada manages toxic chemicals and air pollution until after the next election, which is scheduled for October 2019."

Kinda says it all, eh Mound?

Trailblazer said...

Blogger The Mound of Sound said...

It's not like he's done nothing.

He's done the important stuff such as having special places to wee wee for those of no fixed sexual preference..

Other than that I have a suspicion he bailed out Canada's banks.

TB

Bob Broughton said...

The result of the Ontario election, where Ford became Premier with 40% of the vote, should be a wakeup call not only for Trudeau, but anyone else calling the shots for the Federal Liberals.

Anonymous said...

Bob, I don't see much connection between Ford winning in ON and Trudeau's prospects next year. After 15 years, the OLP was as stale as an old hockey bag. The election was Ford's to lose.

I don't see the same dynamic on the federal scene. The Trudeau government is still relatively fresh and despite its flaws people are going to rally behind it in a trade war with the US.

Cap

Karl Kolchak said...

Jeez--this is like a replay of Obama's presidency: go back on every promise you make to your progressive base and then sit around scratching your head when you're replaced with a right wing reactionary.

Anonymous said...

If Stephen Harper goes to America and brings back Trump's position against free-trade globalization (getting in early on what's coming in any case,) Scheer would win as big as Mulroney did back in 1984.

Wouldn't it be hilarious if, after Trudeau frenetically expanded on the Harper free-trade-with-everyone era (not something he ran on,) Harper ended up turning the tables leaving Trudeau holding the bag?

Like I mean, I can't recall Harper having done ANYTHING of worth while he was in power. (I'm a liberal-minded person who tries to give credit where credit is due.)

I noticed all the destruction Harper brought and how Trudeau just cemented almost all of it in place. (Trudeau brought better tax credits, but nothing one could consider economically progressive.)

But if Harper were to bring something this good, then that would be a lot of credit where credit is due. (If cons kill free-trade now, True Progressives will have the wealth to bring public-benefit development later.)

Northern PoV said...

The good stuff list is very short. Better Judicial & Senate appointments.

The bad list is long:
* His Infrastructure promise was simply disguised privatisation and at the moment, going nowhere (wasn't the deficit supposed to build stuff like subways?)

* His climate policy is actually worse than Harpers if he succeeds in getting TransMountain built.

* Wash/Colorado went by 'treat pot like booze' when legalizing. Trudeau's version is 'treat pot like root canal surgery'

* His foreign policy changes are mostly virtue signalling and his out-of-control for. minister is a war monger worse the Harper.

Finally the betrayal on Electoral Reform will doom him to footnote status "son of a great PM, elected to same office once"

The NDP is polling ahead of its hapless leader. Let's hope for a Canadian Jacinda Arcana figure to take over before the election.



Anonymous said...

Trudeau didn't betray voters on electoral reform. The NDP did.

First, Junior ran on some kind of half-way electoral-reform compromise like his senate reform. Middle-of-the-road kind of stuff.

Dipper SJW fanatics demanded Proportional-Representation-or-nothing and trashed the ER committee he put together based on the PR model they demanded. (Same nonsense you see in the US over EVERYTHING.)

Junior was going to legislate ranked ballots in any case. When the NDP got wind of this Cullen said this would be the equivalent of waging "political nuclear warfare."

Trudeau had been twisting his own arm the entire time against fierce opposition from ALL opposition parties, the Liberal establishment, the Fake News media, etc. No one in the country gave a crap or rose to his defense.

Cullen's remark was the final straw.
Dippers ran with Fair Vote rhetoric that ranked ballots would be WORSE than FPTP. How is ensuring MPs get elected with a majority of the vote WORSE than FPTP landslide majorities on 40% of the vote??

The Fake News Media ran with this talking point right from the start. That ranked ballots were "DOA" because they would put the Liberals in power for all eternity. (Like, you know, France and Australia...)

Trudeau offered Singh the opportunity to undo the NDP foolishness of the past. Clean slate. But no.

Under ranked ballots Layton would've become the first NDP PM. Andrea Horwath would've become the premier of Ontario instead of Rob Ford's brother. Singh would've had a fighting chance.

Now they got nothing. Same as before: the Liberals "eat their lunch" whether for real or on some pretense.

Anonymous said...

That sounds about right, Anon 10:49. The third party in the House with no senators is clearly to blame for the Liberal MAJORITY government's failure on electoral reform./s

Over the years, the Libs have benefited from FPTP more than any other party. Their strategists are masters at gaming the system. In 2015, they got a clear governing majority despite winning less than 40% of the popular vote! Why would they replace a system that works for them with one more likely to lead to minority governments? This was never a serious promise, it was meant to peel off
enough marginal NDP voters to give the Libs a majority.

Pro tip: you get more oxygen to the brain if you pull your head out of your rectum.

Cap

Anonymous said...

A small correction: "Trudeau's retreat on electoral reform is and will be unforgivable."

Anonymous said...

The NDP took the absurd position of 'my way or the highway' on less than 20% of the vote. Trudeau was fending off their attacks the entire time.

Instead of proving PR was a good system of government – as was supposed to be showcased in the ER committee they demanded and got from Trudeau – they wasted everyone's time grandstanding.

If anything, they demonstrated PR is a terrible idea because flaky radicals like them would protest the entire time forever tying the hands of government.

THEY VOTED WITH THE CONSERVATIVES FOR A REFERENDUM AFTER CLAIMING THEY WERE DEAD-SET AGAINST A REFERENDUM!

So it was really all political theater of the absurd. A real clown show.

Some kind of self-immolation scorched-Earth gambit. (Real Grandmaster political chess!)

They pour gasoline all over themselves and Trudeau's ER compromise. Hold a lit match over their heads. Then drop the line, Take that!

Up they go in a roar of flames just to spit hatred and spite at Justin Trudeau. – Somehow thinking they will burn him up in the process. Just like "elbow gate": all stupid, self-destructive, Animal-House antics.

Take that!

Take our votes! Take our seats! Take the governments we would've otherwise formed in a fair fight!

Campaign from the left and govern from the right!

Continue to expand on Friedmanian looternomics ravaging the economy and the environment!

Take that! Take that! Take that!

These brainless hippy dips – who bring shame upon the sensible and serious NDP forged by Tommy Douglas and Jack Layton – defiantly (??) welcomed the boot of FPTP back upon their throats when they could've gotten out from under.

Take that!

(I gotta say, I don't think I ever seen anything like it in 4 decades of watching politics. An even bigger boner than Joe Clark fumbling his own coalition 9 months in, back in 79. – On less of the vote than Trudeau Sr., no less! I was just a little bastard back then: grade 8 or something: horned-rimmed glasses: Ugh! What an asshole!)

Anonymous said...

Yup! It is time he got on his horse. Anyong