Why the new U.S. administration won't have much time for us
Rudy Husny is a former political advisor and strategist for the Conservatives in Ottawa. Former director for the Minister of International Trade in the Harper government from 2011 to 2015, he was also an advisor to the Leader of the Opposition. He is now a consultant, speaker and political analyst for Noovo and CTV News.
A few days before the 2019 federal election, I received calls from the embassies of G20 countries. I was a senior adviser to Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer at the time. Their request was simple: if the Conservatives won, how could we arrange congratulatory calls from their leaders to Scheer in the hours following the election results?
They wanted to ensure they were at the top of the call list. We set up a protocol between myself and my chief of staff at the time, Marc-André Leclerc, who was in Regina for election night, while I was at the Conservative Party’s HQ in Ottawa.
It wasn’t the likely outcome but countries were ready for any scenario and reached out directly to us, though political channels, not Global Affairs Canada.
Last week, we learned in an interview on Radio-Canada’s Tout le monde en parle with retired career diplomat Louise Blais, that when Donald Trump won his first U.S. presidential election in 2016, the Prime Minister's Office struggled to find a phone number to contact him.
File photo of Louise Blais, senior special advisor of U.S. and international affairs at the Business Council of Canada, speaking at the Canadian Club in Ottawa on Nov. 9, 2023. (Kamara Morozuk / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In the end, Blais, who was Consul General of Canada in Atlanta at the time, used her contacts to obtain a phone number for Trump’s penthouse in New York. Blais said she wrote the number on a napkin and provided it to Justin Trudeau’s office, so he could call the winner.
This illustrates the level of preparedness—or lack thereof—of the Trudeau government, which failed to establish prior relations with the new president-elect.
Fast forward to today. Yes, Prime Minister Trudeau did have a call with President (re-elect) Trump. He wasn’t the first to do so, as was the case with President-elect Joe Biden in 2020. He wasn’t the last, either. I guess he learned from the struggles of 2016 and their mistakes. Actually, no—they made new ones.
For the past year and since Pierre Poilievre was elected leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, the Trudeau government has used repeatedly the name of Trump and his MAGA movement in various not-so-veiled ways to portray Poilievre as the "Donald Trump of the North."
Yes, Trudeau did call Trump after the assassination attempt, which was a good deed. But how many times has Trudeau and his team used Trump’s name to attack Poilievre in the House of Commons during Question Period, in parliamentary committees, and during press conferences? Frankly, I don’t know—I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is greeted by U.S. President Donald Trump as he arrives at the White House in Washington, D.C. on October 11, 2017 (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Sean Kilpatrick)
In 1969, Pierre Elliott Trudeau stated that, after the unity of the country, the priority of a Canadian prime minister is to maintain a strong relationship with the United States. It was the same for Prime Ministers Brian Mulroney, Jean Chrétien, and Stephen Harper.
Even Justin Trudeau has said: “Canada’s relationship with the United States is one of our most important and enduring partnerships.”
So my question is: why would a prime minister of Canada gamble with the country’s most important and enduring partnership for cheap political points? Yes, Justin Trudeau is desperate. But at the end of the day, he is the prime minister, and he should rise above this and conduct himself as a statesman. But, no. He made the same mistake as in 2016—he thought the Democrats would win.
We don’t vote in the U.S. The standard line is that we’ll work with the government that the Americans choose. It was a colossal diplomatic mistake made by Trudeau not to follow that route. Not the only mistake, unfortunately.
Case in point: It was just announced that Rep. Elise Stefanik might be appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Rep. Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor. In 2022, Stefanik co-signed a letter criticizing Canada for approving the sale of a Canadian company involved in critical minerals without proper national security screening. Another strike against Trudeau.
So, let me sum this up: Trudeau tried to make a free trade agreement with China and got rebuffed. He was late to ban Huawei. He delayed the purchase of the F-35 fighter planes. He doesn’t spend two per cent of GDP on defence spending. We are not part of AUKUS or QUAD. We are in turmoil with India. President Trump didn’t like him during his first presidency, and it is not going to improve after Trudeau's many statements against him.
Even his newly-appointed U.S. ambassador to the UN holds a grudge over Trudeau’s policies on national security screenings for critical minerals.
And the Trudeau government just announced a cap on oil and gas emissions -- which is essentially a cap on production -- targeted at Alberta. That’s shooting ourselves in the foot—like we needed that. Even former Liberal finance minister Bill Morneau stated that the timing of this announcement doesn’t make any sense. We export energy to the U.S.! The Canada-U.S. energy file is one that we can talk about with the new Trump administration.
From my experience, the new U.S. administration won’t have much time for us. They read the polls. Why would a new administration, focused on their first 100 days, spend time and energy with the Trudeau government until an election is called in Canada?
By the way, Trudeau is going to a G-20 summit next week. I guess G-20 heads of government won’t fight for a bilateral meeting. Our diplomat will, but he is damaged goods—well past his expiration date. It’ll look more like Trudeau’s farewell goodbye tour, same as President Joe Biden.
It’s time for a change. And to reset Canada-U.S. relations.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'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.
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
Canadian woman stranded in Syria as civil war escalates
It is the first time control of the city has shifted since 2016, when government forces, backed by Russia and Iran, defeated the rebels who controlled Aleppo's eastern districts.
Should Canada be America's 51st state? Trump was 'teasing us,' says minister
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with all opposition leaders today before question period to brief them about his meeting with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.
Canada Post strike: Kids no longer need to mail their letters to Santa by the end of the week
Canada Post says it has removed the deadline for its Santa Claus letter program amid an ongoing national workers' strike that has halted mail delivery leading up to the holiday season.
Man severely injured saving his wife from a polar bear attack in the Far North
A man was severely injured Tuesday morning when he leaped onto a polar bear to protect his wife from being mauled in the Far North community of Fort Severn.
Video shows 'completely unprovoked' stranger attack in Vancouver, police say
Police in Vancouver are searching for witnesses after a seemingly random and unprovoked assault was captured on video in the city's downtown core.
Young Manitoba woman dies after medical emergency during dental appointment
The Manitoba Dental Association (MDA) said it is investigating a critical incident where a young woman from the Morden-Winkler area died following a dental appointment.
South Korean parliament votes to defy president by lifting his declaration of martial law
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday, vowing to eliminate 'anti-state' forces as he struggles against an opposition that controls the country's parliament and that he accuses of sympathizing with communist North Korea.
Jewish pro-Palestinian protesters occupy Ottawa parliament building
A group of Jewish-Canadian activists protesting Israel's ongoing armed offensive in Gaza have occupied a parliamentary building in Ottawa on Tuesday morning.
Toronto library apologizes after staff at east-end branch refuse to help lost girl
The Toronto Public Library is apologizing after staff at a branch in the city’s east end refused to provide a lost child with access to a telephone.
Local Spotlight
Winnipeg city councillor a seven-time provincial arm wrestling champ
A Winnipeg city councillor doesn’t just have a strong grip on municipal politics.
Watch: Noisy throng of sea lions frolic near Jericho Beach
A large swarm of California sea lions have converged in the waters near Vancouver’s Jericho and Locarno beaches.
Auburn Bay residents brave the cold to hold Parade of Lights
It was pretty cold Saturday night, but the hearts of those in a southeast Calgary neighbourhood warmed right up during a big annual celebration.
Three million grams of cereal collected to feed students in annual Cereal Box Challenge
The food collected will help support 33 breakfast and snack programs in the Greater Essex County District School Board.
Regina's LED volume wall leaving Sask. months after opening
Less than a year after an LED volume wall was introduced to the film world in Saskatchewan, the equipment is making its exit from the province.
Temperature records broken, tied following latest snowfall in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan received yet more snow as winter continues to ramp up on the prairies. With the increased precipitation, communities have recorded dipping temperatures – with a handful breaking or tying longstanding records.
'My dear Carmel': Lost letters returned to 103-year-old Guelph, Ont. woman
A young history buff was able to reunite a Guelph, Ont. woman with letters written by her husband almost 80 years ago.
'We have to do something': Homeless advocates in Moncton reaching out for help over holidays
Twice a week, Joanne and Jeff Jonah fill up their vehicle full of snacks and sandwiches and deliver them to the homeless in downtown Moncton, N.B.
100-year-old Winnipeg man walks blocks to see his wife
It's considered lucky to live to be 100, but often when you hit that milestone, you're faced with significant mobility issues. Not Winnipeg's Jack Mudry. The centenarian regularly walks five blocks to get where he wants to go, the care home where his wife Stella lives.