LEDREW: Tyranny over, Liberals once again free to disagree with prime minister

Article content

Debate and differences of opinion are permitted once again in the Liberal Party – the children are no longer in charge.

Canada is no longer run by a cockwomble.

What a difference a mature prime minister makes!

A prime minister who does not pick the weakest for cabinet so that his PMO will be totally in charge.

A prime minister who can obviously change his mind, all the way from “net-zero” to thinking of utilizing resources.

A prime minister who will not impoverish Canadians and embarrass Canada by telling other heads of state that there is “no business case” for exporting LNG to needy nations with lots of cash to pay us.

Refreshingly, we now have a natural resources minister – Tim Hodgson – who has travelled to the once-separating Alberta to support new oil and gas infrastructure to trade in overseas markets and supply energy to Eastern Canada!

How novel – jobs and riches for Canadians.

Under the regime of the last ten years, ideas that may be contrary to the dogma of the PMO could not even be broached.

The late Bill Graham, an experienced and tested and worldly intellect, and former Liberal leader, was once told in no uncertain terms by some kid in the PMO that his advice on a complex issue was not necessary because “we have this, thank you very much.”

This closure of the mind was aided and abetted by appointees in the PMO who did not have the wherewithal to think through even the simplest situations.

Remember the SNC-Lavalin scandal?

I seriously doubt that any lawyers in the new PMO will be contacting prosecutors in any Crown office in Canada in an attempt to change a decision on criminal charges.

Senior and thoughtful Liberal senators were removed from the Liberal caucus – their views not needed.

Only members of parliament were allowed in caucus – people who either had their positions because of the PM or wanted a promotion that only the PM could offer, gutless supplicants who would never offer up an opinion differing from the official PMO stand.

The Liberal Party itself was reduced to an insignificant triviality, its supporters cowed into silence, because if you dared offer a differing viewpoint then you were considered disloyal, and banished – or at least branded as no longer a Liberal.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

I had turned down government appointments, and was not seeking invitations to state dinners in Ottawa, so over the last decade I could be critical of many Trudeau positions that now, after he has been dumped, many others suddenly seem to understand were idiotic.

And for that difference of opinion with the Trudeau government, lifelong friends, many of whom had partaken of my hospitality over the years, who had enjoyed the perks of power from being in favour in Ottawa (gotta love those government jets), would actually turn their heads at the sight of me – or not invite me to events that I had helped create decades ago.

Several dowagers of the party tried to rip strips off me.

Friends tell me that the big shots of Ottawa and Montreal hate me with a passion for daring to challenge the Trudeau government.

I was “no longer a Liberal.”

The truth is that I am a Liberal – I believe in well-managed government, fiscally prudent, socially progressive, encouraging of debate, with an eye on providing the freedom and impetus to build a better Canada.

I believe in the rule of law – not the fiat of unnamed, well-paid, political helpers.

Much to the detriment of my finances, I have volunteered tens and tens of thousands of hours of tough slugging in the service of the Liberal Party.

Now that things are returning to some degree of normalcy, I would gladly do so again, and encourage others to do so – politics is a noble calling.

Canada, and the debate, needs you.

– Stephen LeDrew is host of The Three-Minute Interview and The LeDrew Show on The News Forum and he was previously president of the Liberal Party of Canada