LILLEY: Trudeau failing Canada on the national unity front

Article content

In eight years, Justin Trudeau has managed to destroy Canadian unity to the point where confederation is fraying on all sides.

Article content

While all prime ministers have issues with national unity, most try to heal the wounds, but Trudeau picks at them and makes things worse.

Article content

He’s in the middle of fighting several provinces in court, the separatist Parti Quebecois is leading in polls in Quebec and two provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, have passed laws to try and limit federal power grabs within their borders.

This should worry any prime minister, any political leader, party or movement, which is how Trudeau now sees the Liberal Party of Canada, as a movement. Instead, he seems to believe that everything is going great in Canada.

When the Liberals ran to replace the Conservatives in the 2015 election, they accused the Harper government of dictating to the provinces, of having an Ottawa knows best mentality. Their 2015 platform mentioned the provinces 35 times, mostly about working with the provinces on various programs.

Article content

Article content

On health, the Liberals promised to “provide the collaborative federal leadership that has been missing during the Harper decade.”

Of course, immediately after getting into office, they adopted the health funding policies of the Harper Conservatives and told the provinces to take it or leave it. So much for changing style, for collaboration and working together.

On one of Trudeau’s signature files, the environment, his policies have created incredible division with the provinces. His Impact Assessment Act, Bill C-69, was so controversial that every provincial government in the country, representing every political party, challenged the law in court resulting in the Supreme Court ruling it largely unconstitutional.

Article content

It’s normal for different levels of government to take each other to court, it’s how disputes are settled. It’s not normal for the federal government to face such united opposition.

Perhaps that is how Trudeau sees his role on the national unity front, getting everyone so angry with him that they unite to fight him.

Trudeau had united most premiers in asking him to do something about the cost of living, specifically, the impact his carbon tax was having on household budgets. His solution though has resulted in more fights between him and the provinces.

As he watched his support among voters in Atlantic Canada melt faster than the polar ice caps, Trudeau decided the answer was to pause the carbon tax on home heating oil. While billed as a national pause, in reality, home heating oil is most prominently used in Atlantic Canada, which means a large portion of one region is getting a tax break while the rest of the country is not.

This is why Saskatchewan has said they will refuse to follow a federal law come Jan. 1. Most natural gas in Saskatchewan is supplied by SaskEnergy, a provincial crown corporation, which will no longer charge the carbon tax starting in the new year.

“Starting January 1st, Saskatchewan families will no longer pay the carbon tax, or the GST on the carbon tax on natural gas and electrical heat, saving the average household about $400 a year,” Premier Scott Moe said Thursday.

Article content

While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he expects the federal law regarding the carbon tax to be respected in every region of the country, Moe said he doesn’t expect any consequences from the feds over his decision not to apply the law in Saskatchewan.

Earlier this year, Moe’s government passed the Saskatchewan First Act meant to protect the province’s rights and jurisdiction from federal overreach. Just months earlier, in December 2022, the Alberta Sovereignty Act was passed by Danielle Smith’s government with a similar intent.

A prime minister concerned about national unity might look at all of this and question whether their approach is helping or hurting on the unity front. Not Trudeau though.

Just like he plans to double down on his failed economic policies, he seem intent on doubling down on driving up support for separatist movements in Quebec and Western Canada while fighting with pretty much every premier at some point.

In 2024, Canadians can and should unite behind the idea that it’s time for Trudeau to go.

blilley@postmedia.com

Article content