Freeland’s ascent looks a lot like a Trudeau exit plan
With everyone focused on Andrew Scheer’s clown car exit from party leadership, I fear we’re not spending enough time wondering if Justin Trudeau is also planning his next act.
In case you missed it, Trudeau this week released his new government’s mandate letters and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has been given a to-do list that is, to quote the political philosopher Malcolm Tucker, longer than a Leonard Cohen song. In addition to chairing and vice-chairing two big-ticket cabinet committees, the former foreign minister is now also the “implementer-in-chief ” and lead minister across a whole host of government files.
Some of it makes sense. With NAFTA close to completion, it’s no surprise Freeland is keeping her hands on that wheel. And as intergovernmental affairs minister, Freeland should lead on anything province-related. But why should Freeland lead on action on climate change?
Why will she be leading on Indigenous people? Or that national universal pharmacare program we keep hearing about?
Set aside where Freeland’s new responsibilities leave the trade, environment, Indigenous and northern affairs, Indigenous services, or health ministers. What do Freeland’s new files leave for the prime minister to do? If the Liberal platform has already set the direction of travel, and Freeland is responsible for delivering the big-ticket items, has Trudeau busted himself — wittingly or unwittingly — down to the rank of maitre d’? “Welcome to our government, friends, now let me turn you over to the people who actually do stuff.”
Trudeau has now chucked over to Freeland every file his government will ultimately be judged on. For a man who’s staked his claim on climate change and healing the Indigenous relationship, he seems mighty blasé about securing the result. And while I suppose you could spin Freeland’s new role as his staunch feminism in action, you could more easily spin it as prime ministerial inaction.
Trudeau’s political talents certainly suit a more presidential role. He’s the charismatic brand, the image, the progressive North Star, not the astute manager of caucus or the crafty deviser of legislation. That’s the boring stuff. Give Trudeau the summits, the foreign trips and the big-ticket emoting.
Watching Trudeau tick his way through his end-of-year interviews, you don’t get the impression of a man who is enjoying the less glamorous parts of the job (i.e., the actual work). Trudeau has never been a compelling interview, wedded as he is to tight scripts, but his focus-grouped word soup seems less persuasive than ever.
His heart just doesn’t seem in it. Then again, Canadians didn’t exactly give Trudeau a ringing endorsement at the last political beauty pageant.
Nor is the road ahead bump-free. Minority government is tough sledding, as evidenced by the fact the opposition have already scored a win by creating a special parliamentary committee to study the Trudeau’s government’s sickeningly sweet approach to China. And with Snc-lavalin now having (at long last and great political cost) secured a deal to sidestep the worst of their bribery trial, you can be sure a parliamentary committee will soon be crawling up the arse of that deal to see if it passes the smell test.
When asked about the removal of the greatest and most ruinous thorn in his side and whether his government had been duped by SNC’S claims of job losses, Trudeau replied, “I think those are reflections that people will have to have and engage with the director of public prosecutions.” And I’m supposed to believe this man is still trying?
Trudeau has lost his majority. He’s lost Gerry Butts, his best friend and chief policy brain.
And this week he also lost Kate Purchase, his communications chief and one of the originals in his entourage. His three children are now 12, 10 and five. Might he be wondering what comes next?
Cast in Trudeau’s newly disinterested light, Freeland’s elevation begins to look more like an exit plan.
With brand Trudeau now tainted by the Aga Khan and Snc-lavalin, and literally tainted by blackface, Team Liberal might already be looking for the future.
Andrew Macdougall is a London-based communications consultant and ex-director of communications to former prime minister Stephen Harper.