Ibbitson: Trudeau must know that it's time to go

Canada is not a "failed state," but the longer Justin Trudeau remains as leader of the Liberal party and the Prime Minister, the more like one it becomes, says John Ibbitson in his recent column in the Globe and Mail.

A failed state is one with no functioning, national government and by many accounts, Canada does meet that definition in some regards. Trudeau's failure to step down or aside following the resignation of Chrystia Freeland is prolonging a dysfunctional parliament, Ibbitson says in the video below, and the timing couldn't be worse.

There's no getting around the fact that sooner or later Canada will have a federal election and that Justin Trudeau and the Liberals are polling in the dumps. All the while, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump is planning his first actions after his inauguration in January — actions that, if applied as threatened, will negatively impact Canada.

It's the gorilla in the room, says Ibbitson, this decision of who will be best be able to work with Donald Trump.

But there are several steps in this entire process, he says. Canada does not have a means by which the Liberal caucus can oust Justin Trudeau as leader. Trudeau himself has to either step down, or has to be voted out in an election. Then there's the question of a leadership bid by Freeland, or Mark Carney, or Anita Anand or anyone else interested in leading the party most certainly to a defeat agains Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives some time between now and October.

If he had to bet a dollar, Ibbitson says, he'd bet that Trudeau does step down after the Christmas holidays and prorogues parliament while a leadership race is held, but if he had two bucks, he jokes, it wouldn't be worth the bet. Stay tuned.

#politics #Trudeau #cdnpoli
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[karinturkington]

Don't forget that Freeland rode Trudeau's horse for a decade. Her letter is too little too late.

[JoeBoyle]

The media has propped up Trudeau for 10 years.

[JohnMackay-knrl]

President Trump will prefer Prime Minister Poilievre because Mr Poilievre is not a woke liar and an international embarrassment

[KS-ltlr]

He’s lasted 9 years because the legacy media has protected him

[wanderingfido]

He's getting revenge for his late Papa's "long walk in the snow." A resignation, thusly, is not part of the plan.

[Yasmine-mmyc]

Homes cost a million and Canadians have to compete for wages against third worlders, but Canada is not a "failed state"

[oliveoil]

Freeland has been a disastrous Finance Minister!

[DarilHolmes]

Interesting conversation. Your points about US leaders not commenting on Canadian politics…guys..please tell me you just forgot about Obama’s public endorsement of JT during his tenure. To say they don’t intervene is to say there’s no such thing as election interference! lol. Only difference with Trump is that it will be louder & less Machiavellian than progressive politicians.

[traceyhunter]

Well Trudeau weighed in on US politics!! Tit for tat!!

[gc]

Freeland just about destroyed NAFTA 2. Americans told Freeland to accept their proposal or NAFTA dies.

[watching-the-watchers]

Canada's Border IS Broken and it is all because of Liberal Border and Immigration Policy. Alberta's Premier Danielle Smith is the only Premier doing something in advance.

[wm]

Your mistake is thinking that he cares.

[petermartin]

I don’t know if you can say he won’t, he hasn’t yet.

[frankbucholtz]

Thank you for a very interesting conversation. I’ve been struck by the fact that no media commentators thus far (at least that I am aware of) have attempted to compare what is going on now with the fall of the Diefenbaker government in 1963. I believe there are many parallels. Cabinet ministers resigned; there was a split over defence policy (similar to the border security issue today), and perhaps most importantly, the role played by U.S. President John Kennedy. He hated Diefenbaker and was backing Lester Pearson.

[davidnikoloff]

I don’t know any of my fellow US citizens who would want to add tens of millions of left wing Citizens from a failing nation.

[KandidKanuck]

Imo, if Trump stopped to think for a minute before he spoke, he would probably realize that he preferred having Trudeau as the leader in Canada because he is the weaker and less competent of the available options and more easily pushed around. Let's hope Trump doesn't stop to think 😂😂😂

[idahoman]

A. California is larger then canada in population & obviously larger economy so not quite sure the point about our northern progressive largely unarmed newly WEF populated neighbors & thinking somehow it would make up 5 states ? Ps make Alberta & Saskatchewan into one, annex it & the rest can stay progressive, over taxed to their hearts content ... oh but that section owes for NATO wink wink 😮😅

[johnalexander-ms]

Trump will not do the tariffs as it would hurt the US just as much