The author is a former conservative strategist. He was a political adviser in the Harper government as well as in the opposition.
In an interview at Policy options last May, Paul Tellier, former Clerk of the Privy Council under Brian Mulroney, denounced the centralization of powers in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). This criticism of the CPM (or PMO for Prime Minister’s Office in English) is not new. It has been formulated for all governments since Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
Mr. Tellier, however, believes that the situation would be worse under Justin Trudeau. One need only think of the pressures suffered by former Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould on the part of Gerald Butts, deposed adviser to the CPM, during the SNC-Lavalin affair.
The former clerk is right to say that a minister should not have to ask permission from unelected people before acting. But there are conditions to respect in order to avoid the intervention of the CPM. A minister must stick to his “sandbox” and temper his desire to speak out on all subjects. He must be a team player and avoid taking all the credit for successes. He must not seek media attention at all costs and under all circumstances.
There is also an unwritten rule that ministers must avoid using their ministry to serve (too openly) their desire to succeed the prime minister.
Recent examples curiously demonstrate a lack of coordination of the CPM. Thus, in the files of the war in Ukraine, energy, natural resources and the attraction of foreign investments, we have witnessed the race to who will be the first in front of the camera, even if it means pushing Justin Trudeau out of frame. Coincidence? Those jostling for the spotlight see themselves as potential successors to the Liberal leader…
Who is minister of what?
It is increasingly apparent that Chrystia Freeland would prefer her position in the Department of Global Affairs. His desire to focus primarily on the war in Ukraine is understandable, given his experience. It is also certainly more profitable than tackling inflation at home. But in doing so, M.me Freeland makes more use of the powers conferred on her by her title of Deputy Prime Minister than that of Minister of Finance.
It makes you wonder who, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, or Chrystia Freeland is responsible for diplomatic relations surrounding the war. The two have at least one interest in common: to shine at the expense of Justin Trudeau. Which is surprising, because Foreign Affairs is normally the preserve of the Prime Minister.
Visiting South Korea and Japan, Mélanie Joly praised liquefied natural gas (LNG). We understand that it is easier for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to talk about energy in Asia than to try to explain Canada’s absence from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad) or the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. the United States.
In Washington, Chrystia Freeland also spoke about energy, saying that Canada should accelerate energy and mining projects “which our allies need to heat their homes”. Far be it from me to contradict his remarks. Interestingly, however, they are contrary to what Justin Trudeau is saying to the country.
During the visit of the German Chancellor in August, Mr. Trudeau rather wanted to talk about green hydrogen, a project with a distant future. To a more pressing question about LNG and helping Europe this winter, Trudeau said the business plan was inconclusive.
The Liberals have often accused the Conservatives of having double talk, in Quebec and in the rest of Canada. Now it is the Liberals who are talking double talk when it comes to energy.
This was not lost on the Conservatives, who seized the opportunity in Parliament. Asked about the contradictions between Minister Freeland’s remarks and Justin Trudeau’s position, the Minister of Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, replied that he was always open to new projects. Easy to say when we made the approval process nearly impossible.
Who coordinates what?
François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Industry (and also pretender to succeed Mr. Trudeau) travels a lot, almost as much as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He must be nostalgic for the time when he held this position.
Minister Champagne wants to attract investment to Canada. It’s all to his credit. However, this responsibility normally falls to the Minister of International Trade. The reality is that the current incumbent of this position, Mary Ng, is erased. The proof, she was absent when Nokia announced an investment of 340 million in the country. It is not M. Champagne who will complain about it; it will make less people in the images of his future campaign videos.
Another looming coordination problem is that of critical minerals. Minister Champagne misses no opportunity to talk about it in the media. His phone keeps ringing about it, he’s been saying for more than a year. Who is responsible for critical minerals? The Minister of Natural Resources. Strange that it’s not the latter whose phone keeps ringing, because he’s certainly not busy promoting LNG.
To sum up: we have three ministers talking about energy and natural resources abroad, while the Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources do not want to talk about it. We have international partners who are wondering who the real Minister of Foreign Affairs is, a Minister of Finance who would rather not talk about finance, a Minister of International Trade who is not attracting investment, and a Minister of Industry who fills the void left by his colleagues and seeks the spotlight at all costs.
It is worth noting that Mr. Trudeau has confirmed that he will be a candidate in the next election. I’m not sure that all his ministers are behind him. Were it not for Mr. Tellier’s comments on the centralization of powers in the CPM, one could easily conclude that this government lacks coordination. Or that Prime Minister Trudeau is no longer in charge and that his PMO no longer has control over his ministers, who decide to ignore his directives.