With the Trudeau government spending more time as the first item in Canadian news over the past few weeks, a number of Canadians are wondering just how capable Trudeau II is at running Canada. A look back in time gives us a sense of his intellectual capability as well as the personal belief that is driving his agenda.
Let's start by looking at Mr. Trudeau's own comments on the level of actual intellectual substance under his charismatic exterior during an April 2013 interview with Global News' Tom Clark on The West Block:
In case you missed it, here is the full quote:
“You know I’m not going to go around reciting Pi to the 19th decibel or you know wave my grades, or test scores to people. I’m going to simply do what it is that I have to do and what I have to do is be a good representative for my community and a good contributor to the party and mostly someone who is serving the country with everything that I have.”
Pi to the 19th decibel indeed. I guess he could be excused for confusing decibels for decimals even though decimals are something that we learn about in elementary school arithmetic.
Here are Mr. Trudeau's comments on Quebec's role in Canadian political leadership during a November 2010 interview with Patrick Legace on the Tele-Quebec program Les Francs-tireurs (The Straight Shooters):
After slagging Alberta's role in Confederation and being asked whether Canada is better served when there are more Quebeckers in Ottawa, here's the key quote from Mr. Trudeau:
"I'm a Liberal, so of course I think so, yes. Certainly when we look at the great prime ministers of the 20th century, those that really stood the test of time, they were MPs from Quebec. There was Trudeau, there was Mulroney, there was Chrétien, there was Paul Martin. We have a role. This country, Canada, it belongs to us."
Interestingly enough, in 2012, Gerald Butts who was, until recently, Trudeau's right hand, claimed that his best friend's answer was in relation to a question that he was asked about why Quebeckers are disengaging from federal politics and that it was important to put the quote into context. I'll leave that decision up to you.
It is so apparent that Mr. Trudeau who has spent his life cloistered among the Quebec literati has no concept of a greater Canada, despite his protestations that he is working for a stronger federation.
While Mr. Trudeau touts himself as a champion of First Nations' reconciliation, here's what he had to say at a March 27, 2019 $1500 a plate Liberal fundraiser to a protestor who was raising the issue of Grassy Narrows, a First Nation's community that has suffered from mercury poisoning for decades:
While he did apologize the next day, his off-the-cuff response still clearly exhibits his true character.
While Mr. Trudeau touts himself as a champion of First Nations' reconciliation, here's what he had to say at a March 27, 2019 $1500 a plate Liberal fundraiser to a protestor who was raising the issue of Grassy Narrows, a First Nation's community that has suffered from mercury poisoning for decades:
Tonight at a LPC fundraiser in Toronto, PMJT was interrupted by protesters from the Grassy Narrows First Nation. The PM’s response - “Thank you for being here. Thank you very much for your donation tonight, I really appreciate the donation to the Liberal Party of Canada” #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/kP0EqdRH8B— Mackenzie Gray (@Gray_Mackenzie) March 28, 2019
While he did apologize the next day, his off-the-cuff response still clearly exhibits his true character.
Enough said. Remember this in October 2019 when you go to pick up that stubby little pencil and mark your "X" on a ballot.
...and just in case you forgot this one from 201 with Canada's Environment Minister Catherine McKenna:
...and just in case you forgot this one from 201 with Canada's Environment Minister Catherine McKenna:
Oh, I will remember. I remember Steven Harper and his Cons. I remember that the Liberal Govt has done more in the last three or so years to reduce child poverty than Harper even thought about doing.
ReplyDeleteI remember that the Trudeau Govt relaxed the mad censorship regulations that under the Harper regime made it impossible for Canadian Govt scientists publish or even talk to a reporter about their research without 109 emails between members of the PMO.
I remember that the Liberal Govt legalized marijuana use rather than incarcerating teenagers for drug use.
I remember the Harper Govt presecuting Omar Khadr out of what appeared to be a mad level of bigotry and sheer malice.
I remember that the Trudeau Govt accepted Syrian refugees whereas the Cons reportedly were trying to figure out how to only accept "Christian" refugees.
I remember how Trudeau talking lucidly and extemporaneously about quantum mechanics when he was at the Institute for Quantum Mechanics at the University of Waterloo.
There are any number of things that I think the Liberal Govt could do better and I flatly disagree with some of the Govt's policies and deeds but if you think any reasonably sensible Canadian voter is likely to be influenced by cherry-picked, out-of-context, comments by Trudeau....
As the tee-shirt said, "Nous nous souviendons".
I was no fan of Harper. I do agree with all of your points.
DeleteThat said, what I have seen is a Trudeau government that backed out of its promise to adopt a new electoral model, tried to tax private corporations that have been used for two generations to equalize the playing field between employees that had/have DB pension plans and those that are self-employed and has a proven track record of following America's foreign policy lead on China, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia only to find out that there are a long series of unintended consequences of such actions among others including his inability to balance the federal budget, an issue that will add to the fiscal pain that will be felt by upcoming generations. I am concerned that Mr. Trudeau has appointed Chrystia Freeland, a proud and self-declared acolyte of George Soros, as point person for his foreign policies. I am also disappointed that he has done absolutely nothing to assist the tens of thousands of Albertans who have no hope of working in the oil industry yet, he has great concern for the few thousand people who are working in his home province.
I disagree that the comment about his beliefs about Quebec being cherry-picked because it is increasingly becoming apparent that he favours the Quebecois over most other Canadians, no matter what he may say in public. His off-the-cuff comments in 2010 betray his true sense of Canada.
I guess that I had hopes for a better Ottawa under the T2 government, however, other than a regular stream of "talk", I've seen little concrete action that would encourage me to vote for Mr. Trudeau in 2019.
That said, what I have seen is a Trudeau government that backed out of its promise to adopt a new electoral model, tried to tax private corporations that have been used for two generations to equalize the playing field between employees that had/have DB pension plans and those that are self-employed
DeletePoint one, I could not agree more. It was a real betrayal. I did not vote Liberal but I still feel betrayed.
Point Two, that was the result but I think it started out as a way to plug tax dodges among the 1% and was a run-away screw-up. Remember, few politicians can count to 10 even with their shoes off.
has a proven track record of following America's foreign policy lead on China, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia
Generally agree and I am absolutely horrified by Canada's stand on Venezuela. What the devil were Trudeau and the Cabinet thinking?
Still, given Harper never met a US-sponsored war he did not like (remember Iraq) Trudeau is perhaps the lesser of the two evils. Plus he has a totally insane and blindingly incompetent US Admin to deal with. I believe we are still a National Security Threat.
Still, international affairs is not where the Liberal Govt shines.
I had a hope for a better Ottawa too. We got it, just nowhere as good as I would have liked. On the other hand, at least for the Cons, I see Andrew Scheer and the Cons seemingly spending their time attacking Trudeau on trivial issues --a helicopter ride?--when he should be talking policy. I see the Leader of the Opposition (the aforementioned Andrew Scheer for non-Canadian readers) with former Rebel Media director, Hamish Marshall, as 2019 campaign chair.
I still hold that the clips were cherry-picked. He may favour Québec over other parts of the country though I do not see it. It is probably a worry with any PM and their home province. Harper would never have favoured Alberta, eh?
I did not vote for the Liberal candidate in 2015 and likely will not in 2019 but what I do see so far is more than enough to discourage me from voting for the Cons and Mr. Scheer.
Politics is show business for ugly people, and so, of course he's gonna win. An energetic leader can motivate the nation, where a 'Low Energy" personality may not. Les Pur Laine are like any wealthy in that they need people for ideas, having only worry about their shiny dirt and transparent pet rock collection, and History. If anybody believes the Pmo is in charge, I'll sell my pipeline shares to you. Peak-Versaille, post-Byzantine politics can be solved, sez Bill Binney, by picking reps from the voters lists like jury duty. There, fixated it. 55 % of ice-backs sitting in a room could be so much more sensible than tribalism schism's greasy little hands going for levers of power with a lame pepshee challenge.
ReplyDeleteBest set of comments I've seen here in a long time.
ReplyDelete