Tag Archives: decision canada 2021

#CdnPoli | Why Did Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Call a Summer Election?

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The most frequently asked question over the course, and throughout the duration, of the summer election called by the Prime Minister: why did Justin Trudeau call a needless summer election — particularly when, on Election Day, the final electoral result was a continuing minority Liberal government?

Internal Liberal Party polling conducted last spring, and throughout the summer, registered Justin Trudeau and the Liberals with a 45% approval rating, with Trudeau one of the most well-liked and respected Canadian Prime Ministers since Confederation. In the summer, within the Prime Minister’s office, the pressure on Trudeau to call a snap election was immense.

Prior to the 2021 federal election, the Liberal Party held 154 seats in a Parliament of 338 members. Pragmatically, what that meant for the Liberals was that all of the Committees of the House had majority Opposition party participation, and more importantly, decision-making power that could be — and more often than not was — wielded by the Opposition as a cudgel to serve their own partisan interests: the Conservatives, NDP, Bloc Québécois, and Greens, those parties less interested in the welfare of the Canadian people than scoring points against the government.

As they did during the election, in a display of rank partisanship and future, hoped-for increased electoral success,  and possibly government, the elected members of Erin O’Toole’s Conservative Party and Jagmeet Singh’s NDP colluded to make the life of the government as miserable as possible, using the committees not simply to hold the government to account, but to do all in their power to create an impression that Justin Trudeau’s government was both ‘do nothing’, and corrupt.

Little wonder Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wanted to call a summer election.

Why did Justin Trudeau call a summer election, then? To recap …

  • Throughout the first 8 months of the year, the Liberals had been riding high in the polls, Canadians grateful for the quick action by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to secure the economy, through the introduction of CERB for Canadians who found themselves out of work due to the pandemic; the introduction of both a seniors grant for the poorest seniors, and an ongoing monthly supplement to the Canada Child Benefit to help families weather the storm of the pandemic; and the introduction of any number of business support programmes to keep the Canadian economy afloat. And, of course, securing the tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses that would keep Canadians safe, and help over time to bring COVID-19 to an end. Thus far, more than 60 million doses of the mRNA Pfizer, Moderna, and the AstraZenica and Janssen vaccines have been administered to Canadians 12+, with millions more doses to be made available for children aged 5 to 12 years;
  • Focus on the economy and the health of Canadians rather than continue to allow the Conservatives and the NDP to play the sort of unproductive partisan politics that not only made the life of the government more difficult, but in having to respond to the partisanship of the Tories and the NDP on the Committees of the House, inhibited the Liberals from governing as effectively as the government deemed necessary, and to serve the best interests of all Canadians. A majority government, had that been the result of the September 20th election, would have made the life of the government easier, while still allowing the Opposition to hold the government to account.

In respect of the Trudeau government not being able to secure a majority, make no mistake: Shachi Kurl cost the Liberals a majority government.

Going into the English Leaders’ debate, the Bloc Québécois had lost their footing, with all polls showing them unable to retain more than 10 seats in Parliament, for a loss of 22 seats. The support of Québeckers had moved virtually wholesale to hometown boy Justin Trudeau and his Liberal party — which looked to pick up most of the lost Bloc seats, propelling them to a majority government. Then Ms. Kurl asked a damnedly poorly phrased question concerning Québec Bill 21 — banning Québec citizens from wearing religious symbols, and mandating that one’s face be uncovered to give or receive specific public services — the contentious nature of her question propelling the Bloc into a stratospherically high 32-riding seat count, costing the Liberals their much sought after majority.

One final point: the opportunity to exercise our franchise, to go to the polls and cast our ballot in seclusion, to hold our government to account, is central to our nation’s democracy. No election held in Canada, or elsewhere, is ever unnecessary. The opportunity to go to vote in an election is both our democratic right, and at the core of our democracy. Following a 35-day election period, Canadians went to the polls, and collectively decided that a continuing minority government for the Liberals would be for all of us the best possible outcome, and voted accordingly.

Decision 2021 | Day 31 | A New Canada, or Back to an Era of Intolerance?

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St. John’s South—Mount Pearl Liberal MP,  Seamus O’Regan. A necessary listen, and must watch.

On March 9, 2020 the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced legislation that would impose a blanket ban on causing a child to undergo therapy aimed at altering their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill would also make it a criminal offence to cause an adult to undergo so-called conversion therapy against their will. It would not prevent a consenting adult from voluntarily undergoing the therapy.

“Conversion therapy is premised on a lie, that being homosexual, lesbian, bisexual or trans is wrong and in need of fixing,” Justice Minister of Canada David Lametti told Members of Parliament moments after tabling the bill in the House of Commons.

“Not only is that false, it sends a demeaning and a degrading message that undermines the dignity of individuals and the LGBTQ2 community as a whole.”

Bill C-6 proposed five new Criminal Code offences.

In addition to the ban on conversion therapy for minors, the legislation sought to outlaw removing a minor from Canada for the purpose of obtaining conversion therapy abroad. Both those offences would be punishable by up to five years in prison, as would forcing an adult to undergo conversion therapy against their will.

The bill would make it an offence to profit from providing conversion therapy or to advertise such — both punishable by up to two years in prison.  The new offences would not apply to parents, friends, teachers, doctors, mental health professionals, school or pastoral counsellors and faith leaders who provide support to individuals questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity.

“There is a difference between asking someone who they are and telling someone that who they are is wrong and in need of fixing,” Justice Minister Lametti told members of the House of Commons, adding that those who engage in ‘open-ended’, supportive discussions with an individual exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity have nothing to fear.”

Conservative Party Members of Parliament Push Back on Bill C-6

In addition to Tamara Jansen, Fraser Valley MP’s Ed Fast and Brad Vis were among the 62 Conservative Party members who voted against Bill C-6, which outlaws the practice of conversion therapy. Vis told The Abbotsford News that he was not concerned about the optics of only Conservatives voting against the bill and that he believed in the party’s right to allow MPs to vote according to their own judgment.

“I have a responsibility to my constituents to make decisions and the Conservative Party was the only party that wasn’t whipped on the vote. I’m more so concerned that charter rights are protected.”

Peace River-Westlock MP Arnold Viersen also voted against the bill, as did fellow Conservative MPs: Prince George- Peace River- Northern Rockies MP Bob Zimmer; Manitoba MP Ted Falk; Albertan MPs Tom Kmiec, Damien Kurek, Jeremy Patzer, and David Yurdiga, Conservative MP for Fort McMurray-Cold Lake.

Two Richmond, British Columbia Conservative members of Parliament voted against the bill to restrict conversion therapy, MPs Alice Wong and Kenny Chiu.

Former Tory leader Andrew Scheer was not present for the vote, and neither was Grande Prairie-Mackenzie MP Chris Warkentin. Independent and former Conservative MP leadership hopeful Derek Sloan also voted to defeat Bill C-6.

On Twitter, Canadian singer songwriter k.d. Lang responded, “How terribly sad for them. Ignorance is not an easy thing to live with.”

The vote on the third reading of Bill C-6 in Parliament passed 263-63 in favour.

Meanwhile, social media giant TikTok announced in a statement following passage of the bill — despite the virulent, intolerant and often hateful commentary from a majority of Conservative Party MPs — that the service would be removing all content that harms the LGBTQ+ community, including conversion therapy videos.

Following passage of the bill banning conversion therapy in Canada, the bill languished in the Senate, where Conservative Party members of the chamber repeatedly threw roadblocks in the way of a timely passage of Bill C-6 —  in order that it might become law — instead,  Bill C-6 died on the Order paper, expunged from history. Erin O’Toole has said his government would not re-introduce Bill C-6, or move to outlaw conversion therapy in Canada, stating, “If the provinces or municipalities wish to introduce similar legislation to that which was passed in the spring, my government would not oppose such an initiative. As you know, I voted in favour of Bill C-6 — a majority of my Conservative caucus colleagues did not accept Bill C-6.”

Decision 2021 | Day 26 | Don’t Let Erin O’Toole Take Canada Backwards

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Tonight, at 6pm PDT, the leaders of the five major political parties in Canada will face off against one another in a raucous Leaders’ Debate — in what could turn out to be a pivotal event in the current federal election, and Canadian history.

Climate change, child care, affordability, Indigenous reconciliation, justice, health care, foreign policy,  and COVID recovery will all be featured on tonight’s agenda.

In one of the most volatile federal elections in Canada’s long history, over the past week the probable outcome of the election has begun to come into clearer focus.

Jagmeet Singh’s duplicitous “When we form government on September 20th” campaign strategy in the latter days of #Election44 has seen New Democrat support in a tailspin. Registering at 26% support of Canadians aged 25 and under — the demographic least likely to make it the polls to vote — with the support of Canadians 54+ at a new low of just 13%, progressives are now deserting the party.

A national $10-a-day child care programme; continuation of the Canada Child Benefit that has reduced poverty among Canadian children by 40%; gun laws that banned rapid fire assault weapons — like the Ruger Mini-14 (used at the École Polytechnique shooting and in possession of the Nova Scotia gunman last year); the Beretta CX4 Storm (used at Dawson College), the M14 (used in Moncton); and the VZ58 (used in the Québec mosque shooting) — and the banning of tanker traffic along British Columbia’s coast are simply of too great an importance to progressive voters to risk the election of an Erin O’Toole-led Conservative Party to Ottawa.

No progressive with a conscience wants to see an Erin O’Toole government elected to Ottawa. As many of VanRamblings’ tried-and-true NDP supporter friends have voiced to us, “I’ll be voting strategically — and if that means voting for the Liberal candidate in my riding, the candidate who has the best chance of defeating the Conservative candidate, there’s not a question in my mind as to who I’ll vote for.”

A question placed by Rebel Media to Justin Trudeau following the French debate.

Of course, outstanding New Democratic Party candidates like multi-term Vancouver-Kingsway MP, Don Davies; Jenny Kwan in Vancouver East; Laurel Collins in Victoria; Rachel Blaney in North Island-Powell River; Peter Julian in New Westminster and Charlie Angus in Timmins-James Bay; whose numbers should be added to by the election of Jim Hanson in Burnaby-North Seymour, Avi Lewis in West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, and Anjali Appadurai in Vancouver-Granville — and the “re-election” of Ruth Ellan Brosseau in Berthier—Maskinongé, among a host of other NDP candidates / MPs, are must votes.

Meanwhile, over in Erin O’Toole’s Conservative camp, after a textbook, policy-driven start to the Tory campaign, the multiple flip flops over the past week — on gun control, abortion, vaccine passports, health care funding, and deficit spending — has cost the party support among its base, as support for Maxime Bernier’s racist, anti-vaxxer, libertarian People’s Party of Canada has risen to 11% in Ontario, and 9% — and much better in some regions — across the rest of Canada.

“John Ibbitson is right,” complained former Stephen Harper campaign manager, Jenni Byrne, on the Curse of Politics podcast. “Erin O’Toole really is the most liberal leader the Conservative Party has ever had — and party members don’t like it, which is why you see members leaving the party to join Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party of Canada. Erin thinks there’s no conservative alternative to the party he leads — clearly he’s been proven wrong with the rise of the PPC.”

“And I think pollsters are radically under counting support for the PPC, particularly in the rural regions of Canada. Chances are, I believe, that PPC support is in the 15% range. In many ways, the current circumstance reminds me of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign — when pollsters utterly failed to capture the extent of the discontent  among the American electorate. People may have been reluctant to voice their support for Trump when they received a call from a polling firm — but come Election Day, Donald Trump was swept into office.”

One week ago, support for Erin O’Toole and the Conservative Party sat at a firm 37% — today, it’s at 32.9% and declining precipitously with each passing day.

Vancouver NDP MP Don Davies attended a Rally for Public Housing, adjacent to the site of the proposed Little Housing mixed housing development site that, in 2008, was slated to make 234 units of affordable social housing available to the community.

Support for Annamie Paul’s Green Party can barely be detected in the polls, while support for Yves-François Blanchet’s Bloc Québécois — following last week’s and last evening’s French debate — has all but obliterated Bloc support in the province, the party now sitting at single digit support, as voters desert the Bloc for Trudeau.

Ten days out from Election Day, with support for the Liberal Party waxing higher, the prospect now exists that Justin Trudeau will form the next government — albeit with a probable reduced minority, requiring the support and co-operation of Jagmeet Singh and the New Democratic Party of Canada in order to govern.

As to the future of the leaders of the five major political parties: Annamie Paul will be gone before the end of the year — to be replaced by Avi Lewis, or so the rumour goes, although — Jagmeet Singh will likely be shown the door in the next year, and Mr. Lewis could very well emerge as the next leader of the federal New Democrats.

Justin Trudeau will be gone sometime in 2023, if not sooner (if he loses this election, he’ll announce his resignation as Liberal Party leader late on Election night). Erin O’Toole’s days as Tory leader — even if he increases the Conservative Party seat count, but loses the election — will also be gone fairly soon, probably around the time Justin Trudeau leaves. Only Maxime Bernier will remain — to split the Conservative vote (yeah!) —  to cause great despair to all persons of conscience.