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Pablo Rodriguez

Wednesday September 11, 2024

September 11, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

Mark Carney’s appointment to lead the Liberal task force offers hope for revitalizing the party, but it will likely require a leadership change to prevent a total collapse under Justin Trudeau’s tenure.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday September 11, 2024

Mark Carney’s Arrival Could Be the Lifeline the Liberals Desperately Need

June 6, 2024

The federal Liberal Party is in crisis. Polls have been trending downward for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who, after nearly a decade in office, appears to be losing his grip on both the party and the public. Many believe Trudeau’s time is up, with growing calls for him to step aside before the next election. As the Liberals face what looks like an inevitable reckoning, Mark Carney’s arrival as chair of an economic growth task force offers a glimmer of hope. But can Carney, with his global financial pedigree, save the party from its current slump?

Opinion: Being tired of Justin Trudeau is not a good reason to vote him out

Public fatigue with Trudeau has set in (and like it or not as in the case of the author in the article linked above), with many Canadians increasingly disillusioned by his handling of economic issues, particularly the growing national debt and housing affordability. Longtime Liberal supporters are expressing their frustration, feeling disconnected from the party’s direction under Trudeau’s leadership. As one disenchanted voter remarked, “Resign immediately, you are finished. I was a lifelong Liberal until his government,” capturing a sentiment shared by many who believe Trudeau’s policies have alienated the party’s base.

December 30, 2021

This dissatisfaction makes the upcoming byelection in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, a Liberal stronghold in Montreal, a critical moment. Should the Liberals lose this seat, it would serve as a definitive sign that the Trudeau era is on the brink of collapse. In this context, Carney’s entry as a key figure in shaping the party’s economic vision may be the last viable strategy to stop the bleeding. He is untainted by the political baggage of the Trudeau administration, which offers a fresh face and a potentially invigorating presence in a party that desperately needs new energy.

Mark Carney’s credentials are impressive. His tenure as governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England during the 2008 financial crisis earned him global respect. Carney’s ability to stabilize markets and navigate complex economic challenges positions him as an asset in a time when economic anxiety dominates public discourse. But Carney’s entry into politics raises a deeper question: can a technocrat with a distinguished international résumé translate that success into electoral appeal?

Carney’s role in chairing the economic task force will involve consulting with business, labor, and Indigenous leaders to craft a platform focused on middle-class growth. His perspective, free from the entrenched political patterns of recent years, could indeed offer an opportunity to shift the narrative. In fact, his global experience and pragmatic approach might serve as the perfect antidote to the populist appeal of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, whose “everything’s broken” rhetoric has gained traction among voters frustrated with the status quo.

News: Mark Carney joins Liberals’ economic growth task force

The popularity surges of leaders like Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre highlight the perilous tendency of voters to invest unrealistic faith in political figures, underscoring the importance of maintaining critical analysis and skepticism in democratic engagement.

April 13, 2024

Pierre Poilievre’s rise within the Conservative Party has been marked by his dark, cynical depiction of Canada’s present state. His appeal is built on a promise to “fix” a broken country, a message that resonates with many who feel left behind. But Carney’s economic expertise and forward-looking approach offer a positive alternative. Unlike Poilievre’s gloomy pessimism, Carney represents the possibility of steering Canada toward a more hopeful, globally integrated future. His emphasis on economic growth, job creation, and pragmatic policies could counter the growing appeal of Poilievre’s populist surge.

In contrast to the Conservatives’ focus on austerity and deep spending cuts, Carney brings a vision of balanced growth and sustainable investment, aiming to restore fiscal health without exacerbating inequality. This approach may prove more appealing to moderate voters, who are wary of the rightward shift in the Conservative Party under Poilievre’s leadership.

April 6, 2021

For this to work, however, Trudeau must recognize the writing on the wall. The reality is that, despite Carney’s credentials, the Liberals will not regain their footing without a decisive change at the top. As one commenter astutely pointed out, “Carney should stand aside and let the party fail if Trudeau refuses to step aside. Nothing Carney can do will resurrect the Liberals’ election chances without a leadership change”.

This sentiment reflects the growing consensus that Trudeau’s leadership is becoming a liability rather than an asset. Should Trudeau stubbornly cling to power, Carney’s efforts may be in vain, as he risks being associated with the same failed policies and political missteps.

Opinion: Justin Trudeau draws in Mark Carney as Liberal MPs gather to consider the coming election

May 2, 2009

It is possible that Trudeau’s appointment of Carney to this prominent role is a calculated step toward a leadership transition. The speculation surrounding Carney as a potential successor has been persistent for years. If Trudeau’s government were to falter in the upcoming byelection or suffer further political setbacks, a leadership race could be triggered sooner than expected. In such a scenario, Carney’s entrance would not be as an economic adviser, but as the face of a revitalized Liberal Party.

For now, Carney’s task is monumental. He must navigate the current crisis while laying the groundwork for a more prosperous future. Whether this is part of a larger plan to position him as Trudeau’s heir or simply a last-ditch effort to salvage the Liberal brand, one thing is clear: the stakes could not be higher. Canada’s political landscape is shifting, and the outcome of these developments will define the country’s direction for years to come. (AI)

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2024-16, Canada, caucus, Chrystia Freeland, Harjit Sajjan, Hedy Fry, Justin Trudeau, leadership, Liberal, Marc Miller, Mark Carney, Pablo Rodriguez, party, retreat, Steven Guilbeault, Valerie Bradford

Friday May 7, 2021

May 14, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday May 7, 2021

The Political Blame Game

February 6, 2021

For months now, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has blamed everyone for Canada’s trickle of COVID-19 vaccines but himself.

Trudeau and his ministers have gone so far as to blame former Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney — who was prime minister from 1984 to 1993 — for the privatization, or “the selling off“, of Connaught Laboratories. What he fails to mention is that Connaught Labs didn’t go anywhere. It’s now part of Sanofi Pasteur, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines. The Connaught Campus in Toronto accounts for one-fifth of the company’s global vaccine sales.

Experts in Canada’s innovative pharmaceutical industry — as opposed to the generic pharmaceutical industry — say Trudeau’s attempt to pin the blame on Mulroney or a more recent Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, is ironic, because were it not for Mulroney, the innovative industry likely wouldn’t exist here at all.

March 9, 2016

Paul Lucas, who was president and CEO of GlaxoSmithKline Canada from 1994 to 2012, started speaking out and wrote an opinion piece in the Financial Post after he heard federal Liberal Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc being interviewed on CTV’s Power Play with Evan Solomon, saying that GlaxoSmithKline had closed its manufacturing facility for vaccines during Harper’s Conservative government, which is false.

“This facility didn’t close, it’s still producing most of the flu vaccine for Canada on an annual basis,” Lucas said during a recent telephone interview.

“I’ve been very concerned and frankly upset about the lies that are coming from the federal government about this whole (COVID vaccine) file,” says Lucas, who was integral to the production and distribution of the Canadian vaccine for the H1N1 pandemic in 2009. All of the vaccine for that outbreak was produced in the GSK factory in Quebec City.

“Trudeau has badly botched Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine procurement,” states Lucas.

“First, he blamed Harper for his own failings. Then he blamed Mulroney and then he blamed the provinces. Then he actually turned on his own vaccine task force. He blamed them for about a day or two. Then he blamed the companies — Pfizer for delaying the delivery of its vaccines in January,” explains Lucas. (Calgary Herald) 

November 19, 2020

Meanwhile, Ontario Minister of Long-term Care Merrilee Fullerton faced a call from the Opposition to resign her cabinet post on Tuesday, in the wake of two reports that reviewed her ministry’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In recent days, Fullerton has been pressed to explicitly acknowledge whether she feels she shares any responsibility for the more than 3,700 deaths of long-term care residents with COVID-19 in Ontario.

During question period Tuesday, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath asked when Fullerton was made aware that some residents had died of dehydration or basic neglect, which led a tense exchange between the two.

“The premise of your question is bordering on obscene,” Fullerton said. “And the reason why is because all of the ministry, public health, medical officers of health, thousands of people have been working to shore up these homes and they were no match for COVID-19.”

Fullerton said that some long-term care homes became “warzones” within days of the first confirmed cases among residents and staff. 

“What we were doing 24 hours a day was trying to get support to those homes, with an unknown virus that wasn’t fully understood and a shortage of supplies globally,” she added.

May 4, 2021

Fullerton then said the NDP had failed to pressure the previous Liberal government into fixing Ontario’s beleaguered long-term care sector.

“Look at your failure. I was left to pick up the pieces from a devastating 15 years of neglect,” she said. “I will not be spoken to that way by the leader of the opposition that neglected this sector.” 

Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk and the Ontario Long-term Care COVID-19 Commission both released their respective reports last week. While the probes examined different aspects of COVID-19’s impact on the long-term care sector, they reached similar conclusions: the ministry was not prepared for a pandemic, in part due to years of inaction to prevent a crisis. (CBC) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2021-16, blame, Canada, Christine Elliott, Chrystia Freeland, covid-19, Doug Ford, Family Feud, game show, Harjit Sajjan, Justin Trudeau, LTC, Merrilee Fullerton, Monte McNaughton, Pablo Rodriguez, pandemic, Patty Hajdu, procurement, Stephen Lecce, Vaccine

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