“Politics is, frankly, nothing like business,” Morneau said Wednesday, according to the prepared text of his remarks (all quotes are taken from the prepared text). “I have much more scar tissue from five or six years in politics than I do from 25 years in business.”
Morneau cited the sources of those scars: partisan rivals, second-guessing by colleagues and staff in other offices, criticism from the press gallery and the divisiveness of social media.
Morneau’s speech strongly suggests he and his former boss no longer see eye-to-eye. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)
He also worried more generally about the way politics is sometimes practised and warned about the need to call out politicians who play “fast and loose with our institutions” — apparently a reference to Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre, with whom Morneau frequently tangled.
But his most interesting comments were about what he said was happening around him during his time as finance minister.
Morneau wrestles with governing and politics
According to Morneau, a lack of “sustained collaboration with provinces, territories and municipalities” has hampered investments in infrastructure. With his first budget in 2016, Morneau announced the government’s intention to create the Canada Infrastructure Bank. He said “a lack of commitment to the idea and politicians’ worst instincts means that it’s fallen short of the hoped-for impact.”
“On pharmacare, when I suggested that we find a way to work within the current system and focus on filling in the gaps in coverage and care, I was drowned out by the impractical voices of advocates who wanted to see wholesale change,” he said. “And look where we are now. No progress.”
It wasn’t all bad, of course. Morneau also listed his proudest accomplishments, from a national price on carbon to reform of the Canada Pension Plan.
These are fascinating comments to hear or read from a former finance minister about a government that is still in office — even if it would be fair to ask whether Morneau himself, as finance minister, could have done more to address these issues.
But there were also flashes of naiveté in his remarks.
“It’s baffling to me that the government moved forward with new commitments on dental care while the pharmacare challenge remains unresolved,” Morneau said.
Moving forward with dental care was the price of making a confidence-and-supply agreement with the NDP that’s expected to keep the Trudeau government in office until June 2025. It’s the sort of compromise that comes naturally with governing.
Dental care was the price of getting Jagmeet Singh’s NDP to join to a confidence-and-supply agreement. (Patrick Doyle/Reuters)
Morneau said he “wasn’t able” to get the federal government to work more collaboratively with provincial governments. Some of those provincial governments might simply have been uninterested in collaboration.
Morneau praised the advisory council on growth — a panel of non-partisan experts that he created — but said he regrets that its recommendations “became politicized.” That, of course, is something that tends to happen in politics.
There’s something to be said for the permanent “growth commission” that Morneau proposes, but he pushed his desire for apolitical reasonableness a step too far when he said that “it’s imperative that we depoliticize important public policy decisions” and “we need to look for other opportunities to decouple policy from politics.”
Technocracy might have its merits but democracy is probably still the better option. And that means politics.
The rise and fall of a star candidate
There’s always value in questioning whether things need to be the way they are. And Morneau is on much firmer ground when he laments the unnecessary divisiveness that plagues public life. Or when he says simply that politics “doesn’t have to be stupid.”
There are significant differences but the rise and fall of Bill Morneau now bears a certain resemblance to the examples of Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott — individuals who built public reputations outside of partisan politics, got elected and were immediately elevated to cabinet, but who parted with the government on bad terms and came away with rather negative things to say about the whole experience.
Jody Wilson-Raybould’s experience in politics has a lot in common with that of other star candidates like Bill Morneau. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press)
Maybe that says something about the political system, or this government.
Then again, Jean-Yves Duclos — a well-regarded economist who immediately became a minister in 2015 — is still sitting around the cabinet table. Anita Anand — a law professor who advanced directly to cabinet after being elected in 2019 — seems to be doing okay for herself.
Perhaps future Liberal prime ministers should simply remember that it’s the star candidates who aren’t lifelong partisans who tend to air their complaints if things don’t work out (which is either a reason to avoid star candidates or a reason to make sure it works out).
The former finance minister’s big worry
But beyond the spilled tea, Morneau used his speech to make a fundamental argument about the government he departed in 2020 — that it isn’t focused enough on creating and promoting economic growth.
“So much time and energy was spent on finding ways to redistribute Canada’s wealth that there was little attention given to the importance of increasing our collective prosperity — let alone developing a disciplined way of thinking and acting on the problem,” he said.
“I struggled to get our government to focus on the need for sustained economic growth, because it was constantly crowded out by other things that seemed more politically urgent, even if they weren’t truly as important.”
Without knowing what “other things” Morneau had in mind, it’s hard to judge that statement. In worrying about things like competitiveness, productivity and business investment, Morneau joins a chorus of credentialed observers who believe Justin Trudeau’s government is paying too little attention to core economic issues and is failing to create the conditions for robust long-term growth.
The word “growth” was hardly absent from the budgets and economic updates Morneau tabled as finance minister. Then and now, Liberals would say that their treatment of issues like inequality and climate change is intended to have the side effect of promoting sustainable growth.
Morneau’s successor, Chrystia Freeland, also tabled a budget less than two months ago that included a Canada Growth Fund and the promise of a Canadian Innovation and Investment Agency.
Grow the economy or else?
But the plans in that budget still need to be carried to fruition — something Morneau’s testimony suggests is not always guaranteed. And Morneau has put his finger on what might be the foremost issue the Liberals need to confront over the next three years.
Whatever else happens between now and 2025, the biggest threat to the government’s progressive agenda might be the idea that it doesn’t have a grip on the economy. With inflation persisting and the transition to a clean economy beckoning, these are particularly challenging economic times.
Morneau is aware also of forces that might be massing beyond the halls of power. Near the end of his remarks he spoke of voters who are “feeling left out and disengaged” and said leaders need to “redouble their efforts to heal divisions, bring people together, restore faith in our institutions and rebuild public trust.”
Those are not bad ideas. But if voters are feeling left out and populists are playing fast and loose, progressives have even more reasons to make sure they’re building an economy that’s both inclusive and growing.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.
Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.
A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”
Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.
“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.
In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”
“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”
Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.
Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.
Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.
“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.
“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.
“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.
“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”
“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.
Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.
She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.
Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.
Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.
The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.
Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.
“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.
“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”
The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.
In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.
“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”
In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.
“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”
Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.
Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.
“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”
In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.
In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.
“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”
Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.
“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”
The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.
“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.
“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
