Stayin’ alive

That was quite a spectacle this week when about 20 per cent of the 153-member Liberal caucus lunged at their leader and lost. Politically, Justin Trudeau, who is languishing in the national polls, had every reason to hang on. When a beleaguered Brian Mulroney stepped down in 1993, the resulting election was a debacle for his Progressive Conservative Party. Kim Campbell took over and managed to go from 154 seats to two seats in the next election.
There’s no reason to believe the Liberals would do any better in an election today. After all, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives are ahead in the polls by about twenty percentage points. With the NDP nowhere, and the Liberals likely to lose badly, the Conservatives could win a resounding majority with more than 200 seats.
Of course, another Prime Minister Trudeau resigned then returned to win re-election once before. That was in 1979-80 when Pierre left and then came back. Maybe Justin is looking to go one better and just stay in place.
But the scene of Justin, facing a revolt within his own party, then carrying on as prime minister brings a new level of folly to what needs to be a smooth running machine in Ottawa. And how silly is it for the government to pretend everything is normal by announcing permitted levels of immigration for the next three years just as if they expect to be in charge for that entire period?
As if there weren’t enough bodies bumping about at the top, there’s also Mark Carney, former governor of two different central banks, the recently appointed chair of an economic advisory task force for the Liberals and the author of a new book on his ideas for Canada’s future. Why isn’t Trudeau worried about him?
I believe the real reason Trudeau is hanging on as leader is because he has nowhere else to go except stay at home and take turns with his ex-wife minding the kids. After all, he hasn’t had too many job offers of late. And that’s despite all his international travel as he dreams of an appointment to a prime spot someplace like the United Nations, the Organization of American States or the World Trade Organization. Please, someone, take him off our hands. Otherwise, it’s too sad a sight to see.