FELDSTED: Members of the public feel they have been given 50 random pieces from a 500-piece jig saw puzzle, and are trying to fit the pieces together to connect the bits that form the whole picture

Trudeau’s damage-control plan is aimed at Liberal MPs

Susan Delacourt ~~ National Columnist / Toronto Star ~~ March 18, 2019

Conservatives and New Democrats were less than impressed when Justin Trudeau rolled out three big steps on Monday to address the damage of the SNC-Lavalin affair ... but the opposition wasn’t the intended target of the measures ... disaffected Liberals — and former minister Jody Wilson-Raybould in particular — are clearly the top-of-mind concern for the prime minister in this new repair effort he’s launched.

So the test of Trudeau’s fix-it measures isn’t whether they placate the critics, but whether they help bring Liberals back to the fold in the days ahead. That in fact may be a theme of the week — or even this entire election year. Take Monday’s damage-control measures one at a time.

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Disappointing, but expected. This government will not tolerate criticism or admit that it may not always be acting in the best interests of all Canadians.

Elitism and cronyism, spiced liberally with tyranny, have disaffected some liberal stalwarts and supporters who, realize there are practical limits to how far a Prime Minister can govern by decree.

Members of the public feel they have been given 50 random pieces from a 500-piece jig saw puzzle, and are trying to fit the pieces together to connect the bits that form the whole picture.

Misdirection and secrecy have added to the intrigue.

Little by little details are emerging of shadowy people who are interconnected by marriage, business interests and governance. What is most hurtful in all of this is that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and his inner circle, are oblivious to the need to appeal to electors and the public. Apparently, we don’t count ... only fixing the liberal machine is important.

Andrew Scheer and the Conservative Party are climbing in the polls, not because they are offering to fix obvious flaws in our system of governance, but because the government is caught in a scandal and flailing about aimlessly. That is disheartening.

No one will admit that the Privy Council has to be removed from the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) and restored to reporting to the Governor General. Privy Council history dates back to 1540, and has always reported to and supported the Queen or her surrogate which is the Governor General in Canada.

The Privy Council is politically neutral, and its documents and meetings are completely confidential. For that reason, it is also a neutral meeting ground for the government and opposition in times of emergency. The government can brief opposition leaders without the fear of a leak of information.

Cabinet discussions and meetings have a lower level of confidentiality in most jurisdictions. Using the Normand case, the defense could request a judicial review of documents the government does not want to reveal, and a judge would decide which documents should be revealed in the public interest. Our governments do not allow for judicial review of documents they consider confidential.

 

Prime Minister Mackenzie King took over the Privy Council and made the Clerk of the Privy Council also the Secretary to the Cabinet in March 1940 while Canada was at war. He was partly motivated by the King-Byng affair (1926), where the Governor General at the time refused King’s request to dissolve parliament and call an election. His aim was to reduce the powers of the Governor General.

More on this later.

The shift of the Privy Council to the PMO gives the Prime Minister executive powers he or she should not have under our constitution.

That has to be rectified to ensure stable governance, and a limit to the power of a PMO, particularly under a majority government. A majority of seats in the commons does not entitle the Prime Minister to rule rather than represent.  

John Feldsted

Political Consultant & Strategist

Winnipeg, Manitoba