Trudeau kicks off re-election, Butts runs on war with Trump

June 28, 2018 Brian Lilley Canadian Politics 6

Is there any doubt that the 2019 federal election campaign is on now?

After decrying Stephen Harper making the election call official in August of 2015, 79 days before the vote, Trudeau is not campaigning 481 days before the vote.

Trudeau made the trip to Mississauga on Wednesday to attend the nomination meeting of Liberal MP and cabinet minister Navdeep Bains. Bains was acclaimed and there was no reason for Trudeau to be there other than to have what amounted to a campaign kick-off.

Positive words, and then there is Butts.

And while Trudeau was speaking of the power of positive politics, his right hand man was attacking Conservatives on Twitter and making the coming campaign all about fighting Donald Trump. According to Butts, the Conservatives would simply give in to Trump.

Now how about that united front for Canada we keep being told everyone needs to get behind?

See, Gerry wants you to cheer him on even as he attacks you.

Liberals will campaign against Trump.

Make no mistake, the Liberals will use the trade war with Donald Trump as a campaign issue. Who needs to get an actual deal when you can just wrap yourself in the flag and fight Trump.

Along the way, anyone that doesn’t bow to Trudeau will be branded as a traitor and not defending Canada. Which is ridiculous.

The Conservatives have been part of the push to secure a new NAFTA, as have the NDP. MPs from all the parties have traveled to Washington to lobby lawmakers there to get behind a deal that is good for all.

Conservative MP Erin O’Toole told me last week that his party even offered to Team Trudeau to go on American TV to sell Canada’s message on tariffs. O’Toole said there were even specific offers to put up Conservative MPs on conservative outlets like Fox News to make Canada’s point.

The Liberals were not interested.

Harper to the rescue?

So when I see stories like this claiming that Stephen Harper is going to visit the White House and it blindsided Trudeau’s team, well I have trouble caring.

I don’t really know why Harper is going to the White House but I’m happy he is.

Trudeau, as I pointed out here, has been an abject failure at dealing with trade issues and I can only hope Harper is able to smooth things over.

Unlike Trudeau, Harper is able to look at things in a calm and pragmatic way. That might be what Canada needs right now.

Let Harper secure a deal and do the real work while Trudeau does what he does best, wows crowds with platitudes.

6 Comments

  1. So, Harper goes to Washington to smooth things over with Trump and then JT gets the credit for saving NAFTA?! Screw that! Trudeau-Butts-Freeland need to own their incompetence.

  2. Is there any doubt that the 2019 federal election campaign is on now?

    The feet dragging on stopping Chinese steel dumping, the grandstanding at the G7, fake phone conversation leaked to the press to support a fake narrative, diplomat of the year award for comparing Trump to Hitler, the endless demonizing of Trump by MSM.ca, the framing the trade war in terms on an existential war of good vs evil, the appeal to patriotism, etc. The tone and volume just doesn’t seem right for trade negotiations.

    If our central banker raises the interest rate, there will NOT be no election.

  3. I hope Harper tells the White House that Canada also helped out in the Korean and Afghanistan wars, not just the World Wars.

  4. I think Gerry Butts is more to blame for PMs screwups than PM himself. If taken literally I guess Margaret and arguably Pierre were to blame for the little potato. However, Butts is the senior advisor to Trudeau. People need to remember the laundry list of screwups that Butts helped create and there is still a year to go.

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