Don Martin: At 24 post-election days and counting, the federal government is still in limbo
At 24 post-election days and counting, the federal government is still in limbo.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s can’t-delay campaign for historic change has produced a sloth-speed government with a cabinet yet to be named, an idled bureaucracy waiting for orders and no date for Parliament’s return in sight.
And so political animals are left to speculate on which lucky Liberal MPs will receive Challenger-jet booking rights, a chauffeur-driven car, double-sized paycheques and the fawning staff which are bestowed upon all ministers, even those operating on a mini-ministry level.
This has been a longer-than-usual wait for the lucky lottery winners.
The gap between the election and the cabinet naming in 2015, when Trudeau inherited a caucus of largely untested talent in the aftermath of a shocker majority win, was 17 days.
True, it took Trudeau a month to move the boxes for the 2019 lineup, but this year will be the longest yet.
With Gov. Gen. Mary Simon ordered by Trudeau to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany next week – to which I can only say ‘HUH’?? – Her Excellency is not expected to perform her constitutional duty of swearing in the next executive council until October 25th.
At this point, it ought to be my journalistic duty to condemn this excessive delay because, after all, the cabinet will drive the urgent policy revolution Trudeau used to justify his $600-million election call.
But that would be wrong.
The truth behind the increasing concentration of prime ministerial power is that the federal cabinet is merely a conduit for Trudeau’s PMO plans and not a catalyst or incubator for original thought.
Picking the best people for the job of running the government is just a quaint cabinetmaking notion because merit has so little to do with the selection process.
Gender, geography, ethnic background, loyalty to the party and friendship with the leader are the main ingredients in constructing this political mosh pit.
And when the lineup is set, just so there’s no misunderstanding of the power structure in place, new ministers are given detailed mandate letters spelling out the do’s and don’ts in their portfolio for the term ahead.
Failure to toe the line or dare to challenge the Prime Minister’s whims, even the ones that are unethical, and you risk becoming the next Jody Wilson-Raybould.
Which brings us to what should happen when Trudeau eventually settles on a shiny new inner circle – and hopefully ditches the duds.
The most urgent demotion is the ouster of Harjit Sajjan as Minister of National Defence, a portfolio he seemed suited to hold as a decorated military reservist but a quickly morphed into a complete disaster in lurching the military from one demoralizing crisis to the next.
His botched watch was filled with sexual misconduct allegations raging in senior ranks, including a new probe of allegations raised against the incoming head of the Canadian Army just this week, the wrongful firing of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, a failure to upgrade military equipment and our embarrassing AWOL on the world peacekeeping stage. Rolled together, you have undeniable proof that a bad minister can inflict severe damage when left without adult supervision.
Others should be shuffled off to the backbench after drifting beyond their best-before date. Carolyn Bennett of Crown-Indigenous Relations is getting stale, Patty Hajdu failed to rise to the pandemic challenge in Health and David Lametti is consistently unimpressive as Justice Minister.
Of course there are a few ministers who seem capable of influence, if not independence.
Besides Trudeau’s obvious heir apparent in Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, approving nods should go to vaccine procurement minister Anita Anand in Public Works, empathetic Indigenous Services Marc Miller, the impressive Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough and Innovation’s energetic François-Philippe Champagne.
But nothing will get dramatically better quickly, even if there’s a new blood infusion of surprisingly strong talent.
For all the change Canadians will notice once the Trudeau cabinet is finally sworn in, the Governor General could spend another month overseas instead of rushing back to shuffle the cheerleader seating in Justin Trudeau’s echo chamber.
That’s the bottom line.
IN DEPTH
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Local Spotlight
Marmot in the city: New resident of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale a 'rock star rodent'
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
Relocated seal returns to Greater Victoria after 'astonishing' 204-kilometre trek
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Ottawa barber shop steps away from Parliament Hill marks 100 years in business
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
'It was a special game': Edmonton pinball player celebrates high score and shout out from game designer
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
'Why not do it together?': Lifelong friends take part in 'brosectomy' in Vancouver
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
Grain-gobbling bears spark 'no stopping' zone in Banff National Park
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
Deer family appears to accept B.C. man as one of their own
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
Doorbell video shows family of black bears scared off by dog in Sudbury, Ont.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.