It’s not just a resignation. It’s revenge.
Posted at 11:10 a.m.
Chrystia Freeland could have announced her departure on Friday, or waited until the weekend. But she chose to drop the bomb at the worst time for Justin Trudeau: a few minutes before the start of the closed session for the government’s economic update.
All the media were preparing to study this mini-budget bearing his signature. She didn’t believe this document. She has just officially disavowed him. And at the same time it undermines the little economic credibility that Mr. Trudeau still had.
Don’t look for a precedent. Even in the stormiest times, Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin avoided torpedoing their budgets.
This shows the extent of the cold between Chrystia Freeland and her boss. She didn’t just feel disowned. She was humiliated.
Last summer, a first leak to the media targeted her. Mr. Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, judged that Mr.me Freeland was misselling his team’s budget measures.
Several analysts made this observation. Mme Freeland has a reputation for having a higher self-esteem than others – she responds to media questions by giving dictation and does not appear to take criticism seriously. The fact remains that such friendly fire was unusual. Was it just an unfortunate leak?
It was becoming more and more obvious that no.
In September, it was the second slap in the face. Mr. Trudeau appointed Mark Carney to head the special committee on economic growth. A way to highlight the man he dreamed of appointing as Minister of Finance.
Mme Freeland took it in silence.
At the end of November, desperately looking for a way to climb back into the polls, Mr. Trudeau unveiled two ultra-electoralist measures: a check for $250 for workers declaring a net income of $150,000 less, and a GST holiday for certain purchases from mid-December to mid-February.
Almost all economists have denounced this expense. Even the merchants are frustrated – they are forced to change their cash registers twice with little notice, a real headache.
Minister Freeland was also skeptical. For her, it was also personal. The deficit would be widened even further. However, she had promised to limit it to 40 billion. Even if we already anticipated that this target would be missed, there was no need to move further away from it.
Mme Freeland was initially loyal. She led the fight internally. And after her defeat, she stood behind her leader. She took part in the announcement, which looked like a pre-election infomercial, in a kitchen in Toronto.
Behind the scenes, however, the rumor was circulating: the minister was unhappy. Last week, the Globe and Mail reported it. The report had 10 anonymous sources. The testimonies varied – some spoke of a crisis, others downplayed the tensions.
It was then that the third and final salvo against M.me Freeland. Another article, based on anonymous sources, reported that Mr. Trudeau was actively working to recruit Mr. Carney to become his chief financier.
The conservative opposition smelled blood. The Prime Minister could have helped his minister. For example, by praising his qualities and reiterating his confidence in him. But in the House of Commons, he stuck to generalities about dental insurance and other projects he is proud to be happy with.
Mme Freeland was shaken. At a press conference on Thursday, she held back tears. Obviously, she was already anticipating the next act, the last. And she wanted to write this one.
In his resignation letter, Mr.me Freeland confirms imminent cabinet reshuffle. Mr. Trudeau informed her of this on Friday, she reveals. It is exceptionally cruel to announce a demotion to a minister, then force her to defend an unpopular measure in which she does not believe.
$250 check and GST holiday are ‘expensive political gimmicks,’ writes Mme Freeland. She said she made “strenuous efforts” to oppose it.
This is where we are. With a government on the verge of implosion because it is incapable of managing a file apparently as simple as sending money to citizens.
Donald Trump must note the whole thing with amusement. At the end of January, he will negotiate with a fragile government.
The Trudeau government was already at the end of its life. The countdown is now on. Everything indicates that his next budget will fall in the spring, at the latest. It remains to be seen who would file the document.
Mark Carney’s short-term intentions are opaque. It’s hard to understand what his point would be in jumping on a sinking ship. Wait for the shipwreck to allow him to build a ship to his liking and master the profession. Because let’s not forget: this former governor of the Bank of Canada has no partisan political experience.
Mr. Trudeau dreams of showing that his team can still attract talent. However, he has already proven it. The question is whether he is capable of listening to these people, and keeping them with him.
Like Mme Freeland, Bill Morneau also got tired of working for a boss who does not care about controlling spending and who puts Canada’s economic policy at the service of his electoral strategy. The man from Bay Street, however, had no ambition to become prime minister, and he remained relatively discreet after his departure. Mme Freeland has accumulated more frustrations. For Mr. Trudeau, it was therefore more dangerous. She just proved it.
We now have eight ministers who have left or announced their departure since the summer. Let’s see if other ministers will follow in the coming hours. If this is the case, Mr. Trudeau will lack the nails to cling to power.
