Trudeau refuses to listen to Canadians clamouring for him to leave

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Chrystia Freeland gave a press conference Tuesday. The finance minister was looking pretty rocky. She had the appearance of someone who’d convinced herself she had a happy, idyllic marriage, only to bump into her husband at the grocery store, shopping with his other family.

Earlier in the day she’d learned the bad news. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s happy marriage with appreciative Canadians was over. They’d cheated on him.

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As local residents went to the polls in the usually safe Liberal riding of Toronto-St. Paul’s on the day before, Freeland had warned them they faced a stark choice “between two visions of Canada, two sets of values.”

“I really want to encourage people to vote for our outstanding Liberal candidate, Leslie Church. What she stands for is the values we are talking about here today,” she said on Monday.

Values like investing in Canada. Working as a team. “Where we all work together to defend and support the national interest.”

The alternative, she warned, was “really cold and cruel and small. The alternative is cuts and austerity, not believing in ourselves as a country, not believing in our community and our neighbours.”

Toronto—St. Paul’s, it seems, went for cold and cruel. Just before dawn, when the final numbers were tallied, Conservative candidate Don Stewart was declared the winner by 590 votes, not a great margin but a momentous result in political terms given Liberals had racked up easy wins in every election for 30 years.

Freeland’s official reason for appearing at a news conference on Tuesday was to announce yet another Liberal spending plan. Last year’s deficit alone came to $50 billion thanks to the proliferation of spending plans. This time the Canada Infrastructure Bank would be “investing” more than $2 billion in internet providers. “This investment is supporting high-speed internet projects, connecting 430,000 more rural and remote Canadians households,” she announced.

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None of the journalists on hand cared about the Internet bit. They wanted to know if Justin Trudeau would resign.

Freeland obviously knew what was coming and was doing her best to brace for it.

“Everyone we’re hearing from behind the scenes believes that the result last night means catastrophic losses across the country,” the Globe and Mail told her right off the bat. “If you cannot win in Toronto under Justin Trudeau, why should anyone believe you can win anywhere else under him?”

Freeland took a breath. As is usual with Trudeau team members, the deputy prime minister ignored the question and delivered a pre-prepared talking point.

“Our government is focused on working hard for Canada and Canadians, and on delivering results for Canada and Canadians,” she said. “That is what the prime minister is focused on, that is what we are all focused on. The prime minister is committed on leading us into the next election, and he has our support.”

Next question. iPolitics wanted to know if, given the beating they’d taken, “a new leader in the party might be a necessary change.”

“I just answered that question,” Freeland replied, going on to cite a number of Liberal initiatives and the need to keep up the hard work for the good of Canadians.

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So how, iPolitics wondered, had they blown a riding they’d managed to hold easily for three decades?

“I think I already answered that question,” Freeland repeated, again, adding, “This is a disappointing result. We take it seriously. We know that things are hard for people in Canada and we know we have to work even harder delivering for Canadians to win back the trust of Canadians.”

She got the same question in French and gave the same answer before trying to wrap it up, only to have the usually reliable Toronto Star intrude.

“Yesterday before the byelection you said the Conservative choice was cruel and small,” the reporter reminded her. “Then Canadians in a riding that’s been dominated by your party for years disagreed with you and made that choice. If you don’t have your finger on the pulse with voters in Toronto-St. Paul’s, which voters do you have an understanding of?”

Et tu, Star?

Liberals clearly thought they were going to win in St. Paul’s. In the days before the vote, Conservatives claimed they thought so too, while arguing a close loss would still be a victory given the history. It wasn’t until just before dawn the final tally gave the win to Stewart and the Liberal world turned upside down.

Given anything short of Trudeau storming out of Rideau cottage and zooming off in his vintage Mercedes, Freeland had to put on the brave face. Would she have scheduled yet another funding handout for the day after the vote if she’d believed they were about to be crushed? Seems unlikely. Which adds to the sense that the people at the very top of this government — Trudeau, Freeland and their sheltered coterie of close advisors — are as badly disconnected from the realities of the electoral mood as pollsters, analysts, editorialists and worried caucus members have been professing for months.

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Freeland’s weary responses reflected a politician who’d just been shocked by the glaringly obvious. Yes the results were “disappointing,” not what they’d hoped for, but why weren’t people paying attention to all the great things they were doing? Daycare. The dental plan. The housing strategy. Growing the economy. For five whole months inflation has been “within the Bank of Canada’s target range,” which is why it’s so important to keep supporting the Bank, an interesting comment given Freeland works for a prime minister who famously said he doesn’t waste much time worrying about monetary policy.

“We know we have to work hard to win back their trust,” Freeland repeated in conclusion. But what does that mean to a government that insists it’s already doing everything it can, everything possible, to make life better for Canadians?

There was no sign Freeland has any idea. Nor was there any hint from Trudeau, who issued a release containing the same canned lines she’d offered.

“We will never stop working and fighting to make sure you have what you need to get through these difficult times. My focus is on your success and that’s where it’s going to stay.”

What the voters of St. Paul’s made clear was that the need they feel was for a different government led by a different leader. Perhaps Freeland’s glum performance was a sign she, at least, has come to recognize that fact.

National Post

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