Michael Higgins: With a friend like Trudeau, you don't need an enemy (2023)

content of the article

Bill Morneau was once the high-flying Treasury Secretary, the man touted by Liberals as the economic savior, and more than that, he was, Justin Trudeau said, a close friend.

It looks like that friendship ended for good on Wednesday, when the Prime Minister sacked Morneau as an "accidental" Liberal.

Morneau was in good company—or bad company, from Trudeau's point of view—because the prime minister also threw former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney under the same bus, the one with a "random liberal" on top.

Carney, once considered a possible contender to replace Trudeau as leader, appeared at a 2021 Liberal convention attended by the prime ministerdescribed himas one of the "best and brightest from around the world".

If Carney's bright political light hasn't died, it's definitely dimmed in Trudeau's eyes.

Such a dismissal by the prime minister could lead to accusations that Trudeau is fickle with his affections, although in Morneau's case he may have reason for his moodiness.

In hiscurrent book,Where To From Here: A Path to Canadian Prosperity, Morneau accused the Trudeau Liberals of abandoning sound economic recommendations "to win a popularity contest".

"Political rationales have been cast aside in favor of political points," he wrote.

In the book, Morneau praised Trudeau as a shrewd politician, but then condemned him for his managerial and interpersonal communication skills, which were "sorely lacking."

It's enough for the Prime Minister to want to eat his words, especially those when Morneauresignedin 2020 and Trudeau said, "I have counted on his guidance, advice and close friendship over the years and I look forward to continuing to do so in the future."

The future ended this week when Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in the House of Commons cited Morneau and Carney as people accusing the Liberals of contributing to the current inflationary crisis.

"It's not me saying this PM has overspent, it's Bill Morneau ... he's the one who said this PM has overspent, and future Liberal leader Mark Carney who, along with the current governor of the bank of Canada says this overspending is contributing to inflation.”

In response, Trudeau said, "You know the Conservative leader trips over himself when he quotes random liberals."

Turbulent behavior in the queue, loud cheers, laughter in the house and announcer Anthony Rota shouting "Order, Order" but with a grin on his face.

Morneau's sacking may be a happy revenge from the prime minister, but what Carney did to get treated so easily by Trudeau isn't so obvious. It may be that he was just the victim of the prime minister's friendly fire rhetoric.

Being viewed favorably by Trudeau has never been a guarantee of his support.

Perhaps the best known was theQuarrel with another "star"im Kabinett Jody Wilson-Raybould.

"Please know that you can count on me to support you every day in your role as Secretary," he wrote to Wilson-Raybould on her appointment as Attorney General and Attorney General. But that was before she stood her ground and refused to cave in to the prime minister over the SNC-Lavalin affair.

She later wrote in her book Indian in the Cabinet that during a meetingtoldTrudeau: "I wish I had never met you."

Obviously, the love between Trudeau and Wilson-Raybould isn't lost, but that's not a bad thing, as it seems the only thing worse than being the Prime Minister's enemy is being his friend.

Being Trudeau's boyfriend was an issue raised on Wednesday when Dominic Barton, a former top executive at international consulting firm McKinsey, appeared before a parliamentary committee.

The ex-ambassador to China was asked if his relationship with Trudeau had any bearing on McKinsey winning $101.4 million in consulting contracts with federal departments since the Liberals took power in 2015.

content of the article

No influence at all, said Barton, who when asked if he was a friend of the Prime Minister replied: "No, I'm not a friend, we have a professional relationship. I respect him, I think he respects me. I don't have his personal phone number and I've never been alone in a room with him."

Lest there be any doubt about the relationship, Liberal MP Anthony Housefade hammered it home and asked Barton if he exchanged birthday cards with the Prime Minister. "No," was the reply. Did the families socialize? "NO." Did you train together? "NO."

Even Liberals seem to realize that not being the Prime Minister's friend is a safer option these days. Also, not being a friend means you're unlikely to be the subject of a "random" attack by the PM in the House of Representatives.

Nationale Post