‘Trudeau and the Liberals have shown their true colours’
Re: Justin Trudeau goes out blaming and betraying Canadians one more time — Tasha Kheiriddin; and Justin Trudeau resigns a failure — Jamie Sarkonak, both Jan. 6
Having dragged the country to its knees during nine years in power, Justin Trudeau finally resigns — kicking, screaming and blaming us for the mess he (and his caucus) have created. Then, in a massive betrayal of Canadians, he prorogues Parliament so that the Liberal party can elect a new leader, an effort that is nothing more than putting lipstick on a pig.
Trudeau — and the Liberal Party of Canada — have shown their true colours. It’s not Canada, or Canadians, they care about; it’s clinging to power any way they can. When we finally do get to go to the polls, we need to let them know we’ve seen them for the self-serving bunch they are by voting them out in every riding in the country — and keeping them out of power for a long, long time to come.
In the meantime, is there an influential Canadian willing and able to organize a nationwide day of protest to let the Liberals — and the Governor General, who has also betrayed us — know just how we feel?
Nancy McDonald, Stratford, Ont.
Justin Trudeau’s pseudo resignation reflects his sole principle: personal and party interests come before the country’s needs. Canada will be far better off without him.
Edward Sager, Cochrane, Alta.
Despite his pronouncements to the contrary, Justin Trudeau never cared about Canada and Canadians. How could one love a “post-nationalist” country with no core values that was guilty of “genocide,” and whose wealth of natural resources were contributing to the destruction of the planet?
Everything his government did was done to divide Canadians, erase and replace Canadian history and memories, and make Canadians dependent on government largesse so that Canadians would thankfully keep re-electing Liberals. He was all about retaining power like the Chinese Communists and Fidel Castro, whom he so greatly admired.
He has rightly earned the title of worst prime minister in Canadian history — or what is left of it.
Gordon S. Clarry, Etobicoke, Ont.
If you’ll permit a belated Christmas wish, it would be great if we could synch Justin Trudeau’s departure with the deletion from our political discourse of what must have been one of his favourite adjectives: “progressive.”
The numerous failures we’ve lived through during his time in office have set us back years, if not decades; hardly the stuff of “progress.” We always focus on the sacrifices of our military (particularly those of the World Wars) in November but I’m often drawn to their memory when I look at what a mess Trudeau and the Liberals have made of our country.
Choose your file — the economy and our fiscal mess, our status in the world, national unity, the state of free speech, the scourge of crime and a lack of accountability, destruction of our history, sovereignty of our borders, the poison that is identity politics, the failure to call out antisemitism because it comes at a political cost, etc, etc. Our brave fallen soldiers carved a path for us and we insult their memory with the ease with which the likes of Justin Trudeau toss aside true notions of progress.
Let’s hope our next generation of leaders isn’t so cavalier.
Jeffrey Barker, Mississauga, Ont.
Responding to Trump’s threats
Re: No ‘snowball’s chance in hell,’ Trudeau says, after Trump threatens ‘economic force’ to take Canada — Stewart Lewis, Jan. 7; and Trump Jr. to visit Greenland as president-elect muses about U.S. taking it — Will Weissert and Michelle L. Price, Jan. 6
Over Christmas we enjoyed watching the annual NBC presentation of the “Sound of Music.” The story is set in 1938 as the German Fuehrer is about to annex his neighbour, Austria. “Anschluss,” or union, with Austria had been considered in the past, but as Germany’s power and threatening rhetoric grew, Austrians, fearing a loss of economic viability, began to debate the possibility again. However, before Austrians were able to democratically decide if they wanted Anschluss, German troops walked across the border. Under German occupation, Austrians, who had been split on annexation, had to vote with Germans in their town squares. The decision on annexation suddenly became nearly unanimous and support was in excess of 99 per cent.
Canada is now facing economic threats and false propaganda from our neighbour to the south, as their soon-to-be leader talks of annexation. We have been delinquent maintaining border integrity and we have been delinquent in not maintaining our Armed Forces and military spending commitments. Now we are facing the music.
This delinquency is being used as a pretext to bully and threaten Canadian sovereignty. Some Canadians have bought into American claims of being the greatest nation in the world, and many Canadians enjoy spending winter in the southern states. But the majority of Canadians do not want to be residents of a 51st state.
This is a time for the major Canadian parties to all sing from the same song sheet. They have all denounced the current threats, but they need to be more than singing together. In a couple of weeks, America will have a new president. Canadians need their federal political parties to be working together on a unified strategy to confront this aggression, or I fear history may repeat itself.
Charles Stickel, Kingston, Ont.
Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada, the Panama Canal and the Danish territory of Greenland represent an existential risk to the West.
By threatening two NATO nations (Canada and Denmark), the U.S. seeks to effectively disembowel NATO. Yet NATO is the bedrock of European security. This leaves the U.S. and Europe diametrically opposed, with strategic concerns over autonomy, sovereignty and security.
All we need next is a combined U.K./France guarantee of Canadian sovereignty and we will be faced with two options: World War III with previously unexpected combatants, or some form of climb-down from the U.S.
There is another option. Trump threatens countries in spite of long-term alliances and treaties. But treaties do not stand alone: each requires approval from respective Parliaments and Congress, and each treaty requires laws to be enacted to implement the treaty terms.
Here is hoping that the U.S. Senate, theoretically in charge of American foreign policy, faces up to its responsibilities and ends this nonsense.
John Lloyd, Port Moody, B.C.
Perhaps Greenland would rather join Canada than be annexed by the U.S.? We should jump out in front and ask them.
Ken McIntosh, Vancouver
Reverse the Governor-General’s prorogation of Parliament
Re: Governor General betrays Constitution by letting Liberals escape Parliament — Christopher Dummitt, Jan. 6; and Two men file unprecedented legal challenge against Trudeau’s request for prorogation — Christopher Nardi, Jan. 7
In light of an indirect threat of annexation from the incoming American president, the Federal Court must overturn Justin Trudeau’s self-serving prorogation of Parliament — for the purpose of somehow saving his incompetent party after having had 10 years to mismanage and dismantle Canada, and economically bring us to our knees — as time is indeed of the essence.
This is no time to be giving our “resigned” leader time to try to save a political party in whom the House and polls are expressing non-confidence. Also, one cannot make comparisons to Stephen Harper’s 2008 prorogation of Parliament because our country was not then in an existential crisis as we are now.
Canada needs an immediate election to put in office a government that we can at least hope will get more respect from the incoming Trump administration.
Will Wiebe, Steinbach, Man.
Proroguing Parliament for the simple purpose of allowing time for the Liberal party to regroup and select a new leader was a disgrace to the office of the Governor General. Mary Simon effectively went pro-rogue in support of the prime minister.
John P.A. Budreski, Whistler
If we ever needed another example of why the office of the Governor General should be abolished, we now have it. There is no need for this person to be in place at all. Why do we need a King’s representative in Canada? Her decision to prorogue Parliament at the request of the prime minister was a serious dereliction of her duties on behalf of Canada and all Canadians.
Bill Stemp, Calgary
As an admirer of Prof. Christopher Dummitt’s work, I must respectfully disagree with his assessment of the Governor General’s recent decision to grant Justin Trudeau’s request for a prorogation of Parliament.
Far from “betray(ing) Canada,” the Governor General was perfectly correct in accepting the prime minister’s advice. It can be difficult to separate what political outcome we wish to see from what is constitutionally correct, but for a governor general to refuse the advice of a prime minister who has not yet lost a vote of confidence would be a very serious step, something reserved for rare circumstances.
As Dummitt recognizes, the Crown’s reserve powers to refuse ministerial advice are still operative; in British Columbia in 2017, the lieutenant governor refused the premier’s advice to dissolve the legislature weeks after an election. Dummitt is also correct in recognizing that the Liberal party’s need to select a new leader is irrelevant to the situation. The salient point is that the Liberal government had not yet lost a confidence vote.
Dummitt recognizes the parallel in Stephen Harper’s 2008 request for prorogation to stave off an adverse vote. In that instance, too, opposition members pledged their intention to topple his ministry, but the governor general accepted Harper’s advice, since the Conservative government had not yet suffered defeat. In the event, the planned NDP-Liberal coalition that sought to govern with Bloc Québécois support did not come to fruition.
The Governor General has no power to purify politics and prevent prime ministers from using every procedural advantage. Such tactics arguably carry a political cost. Nor does she consult opinion polls. She must allow the government of the day to do what is constitutionally permitted. Parliament’s verdict has been delayed, but not prevented. The Governor General is not expected to be more prescient than anyone else about what the future holds. The Governor General has remained politically neutral and has acted correctly.
Barbara J. Messamore, University of the Fraser Valley
Going, going, gone?
Re: Trudeau stepping down, leaving uncertainty about race to replace him — Catherine Lévesque and Stephanie Taylor, Jan. 6
Pierre Trudeau became our 15th prime minister in 1968 amid the ebullience of Trudeaumania. “Go-Go Trudeau” was a mantra of the time.
Son Justin became our 23rd prime minister in 2015. “Go go Trudeau” now has a very different meaning. Such delicious irony!
Wayne Joseph Kelly, Courtenay, B.C.
On Nov. 21, 1979, Pierre Trudeau announced he was stepping down as Liberal leader after losing an election to the Conservatives’ Joe Clark. But in less than a year, he and the Liberals were back in power. It was during this latter Trudeau term that the Constitution Act was passed and our democracy was turned over to the rule of un-elected judges.
Now the son, Justin Trudeau, says he will resign after the Liberal party elects a new leader. We know that the Liberal party allows just about anyone to vote and who knows who they may elect (or re-elect). Possibly Justin Trudeau?
Don’t pop the champagne corks yet. Keep your eye on Justin Trudeau and first make sure he stays gone.
William Bentley, Scarborough, Ont.
Chrystia Freeland’s fiscal fumbles
Re: The 5 worst new Canadian tax policies of 2024 and a wish for 2025 — Kim Moody, Dec. 31
In an excellent column in Financial Post, Kim Moody shared his picks for the worst tax initiatives in 2024 and noted how difficult the choice was due to the many contenders. Though he didn’t comment, the choice for best initiatives would undoubtedly be more difficult due to the lack of contenders in that category.
Moody’s list was both impressive and depressing. Yet rather than being held accountable for such an abysmal fiscal record, the minister responsible, Chrystia Freeland, is now being touted as a leading candidate to guide the Liberal party and, at least temporarily, the government. How out of touch can people be?
Charles Black, Mississauga, Ont.
Riding into the sunset?
Re: Trudeau hands over a disgruntled country — Kelly McParland, Jan. 7 online; Jan. 9 in print
I had a great guffaw at the photograph of Justin Trudeau riding a horse, taken from the back, that accompanied Kelly McParland’s Jan. 9 “Great escape” column in print about the prime minister’s resignation. Seriously, I couldn’t tell which figure was the biggest horse’s behind.
David Marshall, Ottawa
National Post and Financial Post welcome letters to the editor (200 words or fewer). Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. Email [email protected]. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.