Bill Morneau is gone. What are we to make of it? Aaron Wherry writes that it's hard to work your way through the weeds:
Whenever something interesting happens around Parliament Hill, it is tempting to imagine that the participants are playing three-dimensional chess — maybe the purported differences over policy were just a cover story for the fact that it's really about WE; maybe this is all meant to distract from Trudeau's own problems — but that sometimes assumes a degree of cunning that is not otherwise in evidence.
There were several leaks leading up to Morneau's resignation:
First, "insiders" told the Globe and Mail that Morneau was on thin ice, in part because of "clashes" with the prime minister. Trudeau took the extraordinary step of expressing his full confidence in Morneau, but then, a few days later, Bloomberg published its own report of differences, including an anonymous claim that Morneau was too "orthodox" in his view of fiscal discipline. On Sunday, Reuters took a turn, with unnamed sources suggesting that Morneau was offside on the issue of a "green" recovery.
It is difficult to know exactly where these stories originated. It might be easy to imagine these whispers were part of an officially orchestrated campaign to push Morneau out, but it's not necessarily clear why the prime minister or his office would've needed or wanted to go to such lengths.
Those leaks are a problem. And Gerald Butts, Trudeau's former head at the PMO, reminded Liberals that they are dangerous:
"Liberals are more lethal to Liberals than are any competing partisans. Canadians have little patience for this stuff in the best of times, and these are not those," Gerald Butts, Trudeau's former advisor, tweeted on Monday, before it was clear that Morneau was heading for the exit. "Friendly advice to former colleagues: knock it off, unless you miss losing."
It was a messy exit in difficult times. And whoever takes Moreau's place -- short term or long term -- needs to remember that we will be living through difficult times for the foreseeable future.
Image: ici.radio-canada.ca
10 comments:
The Liberals do seem to be particularly adept at shooting themselves in the foot Owen, the only thing saving them at this point seems to be the lack of any viable opposition (not that I think the Conservatives are such at any time!) I do hope they get their act together for we need strong leadership now more then ever before.
It's never a great idea to change horses in mid-stream. It's worse when you're in the torrents of a flash flood.
Trudeau, we're told, wants to change course on the economy. Plan A must go. It's time for Plan B. I hope Mark Carney is writing the new playbook. Would Chrystia the ever-over-achiever welcome outside direction?
Changing course is an admission that you got it wrong on your first try. Hardly a confidence booster for the public or the markets. At this point I think we all should wish Mr. Trudeau, Ms. Freeland and Mr. Carney well.
Discord between Liberal prime ministers and their finance ministers is an old story, Rural. There were problems between Mike Pearson and Walter Gordon, between Pierre Trudeau and John Turner and between Jean Chretien and Paul Martin. These days, repeating that pattern can be dangerous.
My impression was that Morneau really was a by the book guy, Mound. These days, the book needs editing. Like you, I hope that Carney finds his way into that portfolio.
Child care, seniors care, guaranteed income and more could make Canada a better place. Hopefully Freeland will not oppose progreesive policies.
I forgot about students. They were knifed by the NDP and the Bloc and will not recover for a while.
I hope that's where we're headed, rumley. The times demand those policies. And time will tell if they materialize.
I agree, rumley. It's the students who will have to deal with the long term consequences of all this.
Well Owen, often too much perceived reliance is made of individuals who head ministerial positions. Although they may be the ultimate decision makers for their portfolios, they generally have competent underlings that guide them through the challenges. So removal of the guy/gal at the top may not change the trajectory.
I also think that Morneau's resignation, along with proroguing Parliament, may quell the WE fiasco. The WE conflict of interest could have been avoided if both Trudeau and Morneau had recused themselves. Morneau's refunding WE the day before he appeared before the committee certainly didn't make him look good, although Elizabeth May says he is so rich he wouldn't miss the $41,000. As we know Trudeau didn't look good either and maybe he wanted to protect his mother, a woman who has been entitled since her Sinclair days. RG
A little forethought would have gone a long way, RG. Unfortunately, as a species, it's not been our most distinguishing characteristic.
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