The author is a former conservative strategist. He was a political adviser in the Harper government as well as in the opposition.
In December 2017, Chantal Hébert wrote in a column at Toronto Star that the Conservatives’ repeated attacks in the House of Commons on Finance Minister Bill Morneau amounted to “political assassination”.
At the time, the Conservatives justified this method by their desire to identify the ethical problems of the Trudeau government, which they also considered elitist. Mme Hébert then argued that the Conservatives should have a long-term plan, because, until then, nothing would lead us to believe that this strategy was going to hit the mark.
It is true that the Conservatives did not have much to eat in 2017. Prime Minister Trudeau was only on his first investigation (of three) by the Conflict of Interest Commissioner and ethics. It was then for a holiday on the Aga Khan’s private island. For his part, Bill Morneau was on his first offense, for having failed to declare his villa in Provence for two years. It was long before the two men became repeat offenders in this area. Since then, others have joined the group of members of the Trudeau government who have received an ethics reprimand.
With hindsight, we see that M.me Hebert was right. This was indeed a long-term strategy, and I would add, a long-term one, on the part of the Conservatives to crystallize this perception also in the minds of the electorate.
On ethics
Years later, we can say that this strategy is, yes, beginning to bear fruit. As stated by Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion, who left office on February 21, the public must believe that ethics are taken seriously. He has had no reason to believe it since 2018. Over time, ethical violations have indeed accumulated for the Trudeau government. And we are not even talking about new rules to be observed, but rules in force for 17 years, Commissioner Dion was annoyed.
In politics, we often have a short memory. In 2018, Dominic LeBlanc, then Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, was blamed for awarding a lucrative multi-million dollar fishing quota to his wife’s cousin.
In 2019, Jody Wilson-Raybould resigned after revealing that she was under inappropriate, constant and sustained pressure, as well as undue political interference, in her duties as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Canada, to consider a stayed prosecution agreement for SNC-Lavalin.
In 2020, Bill Morneau resigned in the wake of the scandal of the UNIS affair, an organization which would have been entrusted with the administration of 900 million dollars in loans and bursaries and would have cost 43.5 million to taxpayers in management fees .
In December 2022, it was the turn of the Minister of Commerce, Mary Ng, to be pinned for having awarded two contracts of more than $ 22,000 for media training to the company of a friend, which Mr. Dion called it “inexcusable.”
Global disclosed last January that Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen allegedly awarded $93,050 contracts from his constituency office budget to a company with family ties to his office’s political adviser. of minister. The same goes for Marci Ien, who, before becoming a minister, would have given $10,000 to the same firm, which specializes in promoting the restaurant sector. All the light has not yet been shed on this story, but this firm has no experience in political communication, which is more than curious.
On elitism
The fact that Justin Trudeau was born when his father was himself in power is symbolic. He personifies the Laurentian elite, a term mostly used in English to define the political class that rules Canada, and which originated along the St. Lawrence River. I confess that I still do not understand the deep political motivations of Justin Trudeau. I know he cares about the environment and reconciliation with aboriginal peoples. But when he decides to take a vacation, he does it on the day of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, and by jet crossing the country to soak up the nature of British Columbia.
That Prime Minister Trudeau travels to London for the ceremonies surrounding the death of Queen Elizabeth II is completely legitimate and desirable. That he stays in a hotel at a cost of $6,000 to $7,000 a night is symptomatic of his government’s lack of rigor, and confirms this impression of elitism that sticks to his skin.
But the prize goes to Bill Morneau’s successor, Minister Chrystia Freeland, with her advice for dealing with inflation and rising prices. We learned, with some shock, that Mr.me Freeland has canceled its $16 per month Disney+ subscription. With her annual salary of $275,000, she put forward a solution close to the people, thus demonstrating that she understood the seriousness of the situation, and that she even walked the talk in her personal finances.
Fortunately, M.me Freeland or other members of the Trudeau government did not come up with the ultimate solution to combat high gas prices. I am not talking about lowering gas taxes, but about encouraging Canadians to check their tire pressure regularly to reduce their gas consumption. This would have created an image in the population, in the same way as we now imagine Quebec minister Pierre Fitzgibbon waking up at night to turn on his dishwasher in order to reduce his electricity bill. Imagine Mme Freeland, who doesn’t own a car, checks the tire pressure of his departmental limo to set an example.
In his defence, it must be said that Mr.me Freeland comes from a humble background. But you just have to listen to it for a few minutes to see that it has moved away from its roots. We couldn’t help but smile when, during the revelations about the fees of more than 100 million dollars paid by the Trudeau government to the consulting firm McKinsey, Chrystia Freeland spoke about her friend Dominic Barton, the former president of the firm in question. In response to a question about her connection to Mr Barton, she candidly mentioned that both were “Rhodes Scholars”, having studied at Oxford. Of course, it creates bonds, she wanted to say. Elitist, shall we say?
The Liberals’ lack of ethics and elitism are making their way to voters. But what must be remembered above all is their growing perception of the disconnection and wear and tear of this old government, which reinforces their desire for change, even the desire to see it fall.