Re Housing Minister - I don't know much about Erskine-Smith except in passing, and that you Eastern Canada pundits love him. Ontario Liberal Party members, not so much. I saw his interview with David Cochrane, and it was obvious how upset he was - fixed smile, words tumbling over each other, "frustrated". Perhaps he should have exercised some judgement and kept himself to himself until he calmed down because he came across to me as the "all about me" guy. We don't need any "I alone can fix it" people. Having said that, Justin McIlroy has no time for Gregor Robinson, and Justin knows his Vancouver politics and politicians, so that does not bode well. I just hope Robinson settles into the job and fulfills his mandate.
Erskine-Smith was an early public supporter of Carney during the leadership race and held one of the first events for him in the GTA. He had planned to retire from politics. My guess is he agreed to run again because he guaranteed a win that would hold the seat for the Liberals. Ditto for Anand.
What we saw was Carney and Erskine-Smith running smack into the unbending realities of Canadian politics. Like 4 Ministers from Quebec because, as Hebert and Russo point out, that is where Carney is vulnerable and where he could lose everything in the next election.
Personally, I always thought a new politician needed to put in a term as an MP and maybe 2 years as a Parliamentary Secretary or on a Committee before they get considered for Cabinet. Erskine-Smith and Ehsassi had both done the hard slogging and earned their chance to provide leadership.
What is surprising is that Erskine-Smith shat his bed. He should know better so perhaps there is more to that story. Ehsassi kept his own counsel and will likely get another shot to join the leadership team.
Erskine-Smith announced he would not run again in December 2023. He changed that decision in December 2024, well before Carney became leader, arguing that his inclusion in the last Trudeau cabinet as Housing Minister obligated him to stand again.
I hate this idea that you can’t criticize your “side” because it might give conservatives ammunition. Criticizing politicians and parties you like ultimately serves to toughen them up imo and selects against politicians who can’t respond to criticism and can’t defend themselves against attacks. It makes “your” party tougher in the face of the opposition and better at delivering positive outcomes. I like the liberals and I like Mark Carney but I’m not going to shy away from saying when he pisses me off.
I’ve been thinking about this too in the context of the US democrats. For years they’ve been all “oh your attacks against Hillary Clinton/Joe Biden are just helping the Republicans”, “oh we can’t have a competitive primary” and so on. It’s resulted in the party being full of weaklings like Chuck Schumer who are utterly pathetic in dealing with Republicans and don’t have the courage to make bold decisions to give their constituents what they want. The liberals I think are a lot tougher than they are and I think it’s partially because they’re used to getting attacked from all sides. The conservatives are scary sure, but we can’t let that stop us from being critical of our own lest we end up with a party that’s too weak to stand up to the conservatives in the first place.
I thought Chantal Hebert and Rob Russo did a good job on yesterday's Good Talk podcast discussing why Carney was partially hamstrung in choosing his Cabinet and how he faced some of the hard lessons of Canadian politics.
You are absolutely right about the “showing your work”. For all the issues there are out there, budget, housing approach, etc., there are reasonable explanations. These explanations do not automatically arrive with Canadians. if you do not actively manage this process, the Conservatives will make sure that their version is consumed.
My suggestion would be to take 20 min on Friday and go on of the three political shows at the 5pm slot. Make it a routine and rotate through the shows. If PM is not available, send trusted replacement (LeBlanc, Champagne, Anand). The goal is to make the place to go for people to understand what the government is doing and why.
This will be even more important when the house is back in session. Absent another event by the PM, Question Period becomes the occasion for people to understand what the government is up to. I fully expect that the Conservatives will continue their destructive social media harvesting tactics in the House, better to create a reasonable and truly informative alternative.
Having a regular media spot for weekly updates is a good idea, keeping in mind that the 18-45 year olds get their news on social media and on-line streaming, where also, not coincidentally, the Conservatives and the alt-right media assaults with its propaganda. ❤️🇨🇦
Evan, are you sure a negative vote on Estimates, as opposed to on Budget, is a vote of non-confidence? As for the rest, well, as long as everyone is unhappy, call it a wash.
With Carney now comfortably settled in the PM a “chair a “father knows best” vibe has descended over the nation like a morning fog. So buckle up. No check that, no need to buckle up at all with Carney at the wheel. It’ll be a slow careful ride.
Re Housing Minister - I don't know much about Erskine-Smith except in passing, and that you Eastern Canada pundits love him. Ontario Liberal Party members, not so much. I saw his interview with David Cochrane, and it was obvious how upset he was - fixed smile, words tumbling over each other, "frustrated". Perhaps he should have exercised some judgement and kept himself to himself until he calmed down because he came across to me as the "all about me" guy. We don't need any "I alone can fix it" people. Having said that, Justin McIlroy has no time for Gregor Robinson, and Justin knows his Vancouver politics and politicians, so that does not bode well. I just hope Robinson settles into the job and fulfills his mandate.
Erskine-Smith was an early public supporter of Carney during the leadership race and held one of the first events for him in the GTA. He had planned to retire from politics. My guess is he agreed to run again because he guaranteed a win that would hold the seat for the Liberals. Ditto for Anand.
What we saw was Carney and Erskine-Smith running smack into the unbending realities of Canadian politics. Like 4 Ministers from Quebec because, as Hebert and Russo point out, that is where Carney is vulnerable and where he could lose everything in the next election.
Personally, I always thought a new politician needed to put in a term as an MP and maybe 2 years as a Parliamentary Secretary or on a Committee before they get considered for Cabinet. Erskine-Smith and Ehsassi had both done the hard slogging and earned their chance to provide leadership.
What is surprising is that Erskine-Smith shat his bed. He should know better so perhaps there is more to that story. Ehsassi kept his own counsel and will likely get another shot to join the leadership team.
Erskine-Smith announced he would not run again in December 2023. He changed that decision in December 2024, well before Carney became leader, arguing that his inclusion in the last Trudeau cabinet as Housing Minister obligated him to stand again.
I hate this idea that you can’t criticize your “side” because it might give conservatives ammunition. Criticizing politicians and parties you like ultimately serves to toughen them up imo and selects against politicians who can’t respond to criticism and can’t defend themselves against attacks. It makes “your” party tougher in the face of the opposition and better at delivering positive outcomes. I like the liberals and I like Mark Carney but I’m not going to shy away from saying when he pisses me off.
I’ve been thinking about this too in the context of the US democrats. For years they’ve been all “oh your attacks against Hillary Clinton/Joe Biden are just helping the Republicans”, “oh we can’t have a competitive primary” and so on. It’s resulted in the party being full of weaklings like Chuck Schumer who are utterly pathetic in dealing with Republicans and don’t have the courage to make bold decisions to give their constituents what they want. The liberals I think are a lot tougher than they are and I think it’s partially because they’re used to getting attacked from all sides. The conservatives are scary sure, but we can’t let that stop us from being critical of our own lest we end up with a party that’s too weak to stand up to the conservatives in the first place.
I thought Chantal Hebert and Rob Russo did a good job on yesterday's Good Talk podcast discussing why Carney was partially hamstrung in choosing his Cabinet and how he faced some of the hard lessons of Canadian politics.
You are absolutely right about the “showing your work”. For all the issues there are out there, budget, housing approach, etc., there are reasonable explanations. These explanations do not automatically arrive with Canadians. if you do not actively manage this process, the Conservatives will make sure that their version is consumed.
My suggestion would be to take 20 min on Friday and go on of the three political shows at the 5pm slot. Make it a routine and rotate through the shows. If PM is not available, send trusted replacement (LeBlanc, Champagne, Anand). The goal is to make the place to go for people to understand what the government is doing and why.
This will be even more important when the house is back in session. Absent another event by the PM, Question Period becomes the occasion for people to understand what the government is up to. I fully expect that the Conservatives will continue their destructive social media harvesting tactics in the House, better to create a reasonable and truly informative alternative.
Having a regular media spot for weekly updates is a good idea, keeping in mind that the 18-45 year olds get their news on social media and on-line streaming, where also, not coincidentally, the Conservatives and the alt-right media assaults with its propaganda. ❤️🇨🇦
So the political shows need to post widely and often on social media to make sure the young'uns tune in.
I have no problem criticizing government.
I do have a problem with criticizing a government that hasn’t even begun yet.
May 26th.
From then on I'll pay extremely close attention.
Until then?
Waste of time.
Evan, are you sure a negative vote on Estimates, as opposed to on Budget, is a vote of non-confidence? As for the rest, well, as long as everyone is unhappy, call it a wash.
With Carney now comfortably settled in the PM a “chair a “father knows best” vibe has descended over the nation like a morning fog. So buckle up. No check that, no need to buckle up at all with Carney at the wheel. It’ll be a slow careful ride.