By New York Post (Opinion) | Created at 2025-01-11 16:34:45 | Updated at 2025-01-11 19:47:22
3 hours ago
On Monday, Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, trotted out to resign — sort of. Knowing that his party could not survive a non-confidence vote, he announced his intentions to step down. But only after March 24, by which time a new party leader will be chosen.
This is probably the worst of all possible arrangements for Canadians and our allies. By shutting down parliament, Trudeau and his party escaped a non-confidence vote which likely would have led to the dissolution of government and an immediate election — forcing him to face off with Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.
Now, he’s simply delayed any confidence vote or election, hoping to give the next Liberal leader time to gain popularity.
It is unlikely they will win Canadian confidence. The Liberals have been in power for nine years. Their popularity recently polled at a dismal 16% and they were recently projected to win as few as six (out of 338) seats in the next federal election. Brutal.
Like Biden, Trudeau is a lame duck prime minister. That’s dangerous for Canada and our allies.
Parliament has been shut down. There are no daily legislative debates known as Question Period. No motions are being put forward. No laws are being passed.
No elected members of parliament can raise concerns about Canada’s vulnerability in light of recent attempted ISIS-inspired terror, which should be at the forefront of Canadian politician’s minds after last week’s attack in New Orleans.
In Canada’s case, father-and-son duo Ahmed and Mostafa Eldidi plotted to terrorize Toronto. The father successfully immigrated from Egypt to Canada years after starring as a beheader in an ISIS video, provoking serious questions about our immigration system for Canadians’ safety, but also our responsibility to improve it to protect our US neighbors. Clearly, it’s no time to pause the government.
With parliament shut down, there’s no transparency in terms of how Trudeau’s cabinet ministers will deal with soon-to-be inaugurated Donald Trump’s 25% tariff, which he’s threatened to enact on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20 (let alone his plan to potentially merge Canada with the US).
With Trudeau’s cabinet ministers now operating in the shadows, there is scant oversight or accountability over the potential tariff, Canada’s most important economic issue right now. Even Canadian journalists — now far less likely to agree with each other since Trump’s first election — jointly believe shutting down the government is incredibly irresponsible.
Canada is, essentially, without a captain or crew during what might be its most turbulent times since Confederation back in 1867.
The government shut-down meant no pesky questions could be asked in parliament of the Liberal Party’s leadership nomination criteria, which even some Liberal MPs worried waa ripe for foreign interference — criteria the Liberal Party FIRST said on Monday it didn’t intend to change.
Anyone 14 years of age or older could become a member AND vote for the next leader, without being a citizen or permanent resident.
This means international students and anyone else in Canada temporarily could become a member of one of our two major political parties and vote for its leader. On Thursday, Liberals changed these rules after Canadians tested the integrity of their nomination system by flooding it with registrations of their pets.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, who led a 2023 inquiry into the integrity of Canada’s 2019 and 2021 elections, has referred to these nomination contests as the “gateway” to foreign interference.
She should know: Hogue led the Foreign Interference Commission which investigated how China, Russia, and others meddled in previous elections.
During Hogue’s investigation, secret documents were withheld from her and others were heavily redacted. In addition, top staff in the prime minister’s office have claimed ignorance of suspicious foreign activity, including China collecting information on Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family, potentially to intimidate, along with the bussing of international students with falsified documents who were coerced into voting for then-Liberal candidate Han Dong in 2019.
Two years before he assumed the role of prime minister, Trudeau was recorded at a fundraiser, saying he admired China’s basic dictatorship, which rightfully angered many members of the Asian population, who called him “foolish.”
His foolishness is undeniable and has repercussions.
Every day Trudeau remains in office Canada becomes weaker in terms of reputation, economics, and security. And now, fears of foreign interference loom large again. Canada needs an election now.
Terry Newman is a Senior Editor and Columnist at National Post. You can follow her on X at TLNewmanMTL.
