Trudeau’s Cabinet Shuffle
By Damien Kurek
MP Battle River-Crowfoot
On July 26th, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made significant changes to his cabinet. They were so drastic, only a handful of portfolios remained unchanged and several prominent Liberals found themselves without a position and others relatively unknown were brought in. This shocked observers, the Official Opposition, and even many Liberals alike. It appears to be an attempt to reorient after so many policy, ethical, and government failures, which coincides with revelations that this Government has spent more than triple polling Canadians’ feelings on issues than it did three years ago. This reeks of political desperation from a Prime Minister and Government that have lost their way.
Noteworthy were seven senior Liberals that were fired from cabinet altogether. Some of these departures were Marco Mendicino (the former Minister of Public Safety), David Lametti (the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General), and Omar Alghabra (the former Minister of Transport). These three were particularly troublesome as the files they led saw scandals, corruption, policy incompetence, and administrative disasters. While observers were quick to point out this was an attempt to “change the channel” after eight years, it’s interesting that criticism is coming from unexpected sources. Increasingly, there seems to be discontent within the Liberal Party itself as several high-profile leaks share a growing frustration that Prime Minister Trudeau and his inner circle are out of touch not only with Canadians, but also those within his own party.
In the time since the shuffle, there has been a seemingly endless stream of bozo eruptions. A couple of examples include new Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Arif Virani, stating “I think that empirically it’s unlikely’ Canada is becoming less safe.” This is despite the fact that under the Liberals’ watch, violent crime is up 39% and murders are up 43%. Gang-related homicides are up 108% and violent gun crime is up 101%. Another is former Ag Minister and new Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau stating in French that she calls the CRA “the ministry of wealth redistribution.” A shocking Freudian slip from a Minister that demonstrated for 4 years a level of incompetence in the agriculture ministry that it almost defies the imagination.
There have been others, but most notably, two profiles that didn’t change; the first was of the Prime Minister himself who, after spending much of the last number of years, and boasting often about the nearly one-hundred billion dollars he spent on the subject, that housing policy isn’t his responsibility. This was a couple of days after the Prime Minister suggested the division we are seeing in Canada is not his fault. The second was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland who recently mused about how Canadians should be making different choices to alleviate the impact of the carbon tax. She shared this at press conference on Prince Edward Island, which doesn’t have a subway, that she doesn’t own a car and simply rides her bike and takes the subway. The tragedy is she failed to mention that, as a Minister, she is provided with a car and driver, and has billed taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars to be chauffeured around Toronto, not to mention elsewhere she travels around the world. It is these sorts of out of touch outbursts that show the disconnect that exists between the Liberals and regular Canadians.
Many of the faces have changed, but the problems remain. It’s time for better, and Conservatives are ready to demonstrate Canada can work for Canadians. Until the next election, Canada’s Conservatives and I will continue to work to ensure Canadians’ voices are heard and good governance is brought to Canada. In the coming weeks, Conservatives will be calling for committees to return to work to demand action and answers from new Ministers. Then, when Parliament returns, we will be tireless in our work, and each and every day until the next election, and that we work to bring common sense back to Canada.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this column, you are encouraged to write Damien at 4945-50th Street, Camrose, Alberta, T4V 1P9, call 780-608-4600, text 403-575-5625, or e-mail damien.kurek@parl.gc.ca. You can also stay up to date with Damien by following him on social media @dckurek. If you need of assistance regarding a Federal Government program, or need assistance and don’t know where to turn, feel free to reach out to MP Kurek’s office.