Bill Morneau to resign as finance minister, MP following breakdown in relations with Trudeau over COVID policy, WE scandal

[Army Guy]

Has the deck of cards begun to fall apart, Bill Morneau the latest casualty in the Trudeau cabinet. the Media is quoting Moreau has different views such as not driving up the deficit, and Justin is only worried about jacking it as high as he can get it....with Morneau gone watch spending increase radically. Welcome to WHO is next in the liberal party to be kicked off the island.....this week it's Morneau who failed to play the spending game....unless we are talking about vacations.....stay tuned to next week

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/bill-morneau-to-resign-as-finance-minister-mp-following-breakdown-in-relations-with-trudeau-over-covid-policy-we-scandal/ar-BB184vGC?ocid=msedgntp

[betsy]

He said he wants to be secretary-general of OECD, and Trudeau will support him.   Trade off?

 

 

[Argus]

I'm wondering how a degree in Russian history and literature qualifies you to be finance minister. Freeland has no previous financial experience.

On the CBC this morning it was suggested that appointing her shows Trudeau figures he doesn't really need a finance minister anyway. His staff will work with senior people at Finance while she is a mere figurehead. It was also suggested the leaks the PMO orchestrated over the past week was a lesson to other ministers that they should never disagree with Trudeau, even privately, even where they accede to his wishes without further complaint. Else every instance will be duly recorded and then used to justify firing you. Trudeau wants nothing but yes-men in his cabinet.

Or does anyone really imagine this was Morneau's idea?

Edited August 18, 2020 by Argus

[Moonbox]

This definitely worries me.  I think Freeland is a smart woman and could do a decent job as PM even, but I don't see how she's appropriate for the Finance Minister's position.   Trudeau seems to use her as his omni-tool.  He knows she's popular and puts her in visible places to put out his fires.  

Unfortunately, Trudeau seems to have a very poor grasp of economics (like his father) and from what I've read he and Morneau (someone who does know finance/economics) were really clashing on a number of plans moving forward.  With a historical deficit, Trudeau apparently was intent on going full-steam ahead on environmental spending whereas Morneau felt finances were in crisis and we weren't in a position to do much for the time being.   

I've never felt that Trudeau was particularly intelligent or that he has good judgment, but my hope was that he'd surround himself with smart people and listen to them.  Until now, that seems to have been the case, but as he continues to turf ministers and get caught in petty ethics scandals, it's getting harder and harder to trust him.  

[Moonlight Graham]

41 minutes ago, Argus said:

I'm wondering how a degree in Russian history and literature qualifies you to be finance minister. Freeland has no previous financial experience.

On the CBC this morning it was suggested that appointing her shows Trudeau figures he doesn't really need a finance minister anyway. His staff will work with senior people at Finance while she is a mere figurehead. It was also suggested the leaks the PMO orchestrated over the past week was a lesson to other ministers that they should never disagree with Trudeau, even privately, even where they accede to his wishes without further complaint. Else every instance will be duly recorded and then used to justify firing you. Trudeau wants nothing but yes-men in his cabinet.

Or does anyone really imagine this was Morneau's idea?

Exactly.  She's the good soldier.  No finance experience, so he can ram through whatever he wants.   Disagree with the guy & you're out & yes-men put in.  Morneau, JWR.

In the US, Congress controls spending, not the POTUS, and you can have the opposite party of the POTUS with control of the House and/or Senate.  In Canada, the PM is the leader of the legislature, is an MP and can vote, tells his party how to vote, sets Cabinet, selects Senators, selects the GG, and selects Supreme Court justices.

[Argus]

Gee, wouldn't this be a good time to prorogue parliament so he doesn't have to answer any questions about all this? Yes, apparently it's the perfect time to prorogue parliament. See ya! Sorry, no questions, no questions! Just take a few pictures of my sexy hair. You won't be seeing it for a while.

[Moonbox]

Yeah...so this is pretty despicable timing.  If there was ever a time for Jagmeet to stand up and grow a spine, it's now.  

Edited August 18, 2020 by Moonbox

[Argus]

3 minutes ago, Moonbox said:

Yeah...so this is pretty despicable timing.  If there was ever a time for Jagmeet to stand up and grow a spine, it's now.  

This also, of course, shuts down the ethics committee investigating him...

Edited August 18, 2020 by Argus

[betsy]

17 minutes ago, Moonbox said:

Yeah...so this is pretty despicable timing.  If there was ever a time for Jagmeet to stand up and grow a spine, it's now.  

Yeah.....why is Jagmeet hardly heard on the WE scandal?  And now, this prorogue of Parliament - he might be silent again.  Must be doing some backroom dealing with Trudeau.

Edited August 18, 2020 by betsy

[mowich]

1 hour ago, Argus said:

I'm wondering how a degree in Russian history and literature qualifies you to be finance minister. Freeland has no previous financial experience.

On the CBC this morning it was suggested that appointing her shows Trudeau figures he doesn't really need a finance minister anyway. His staff will work with senior people at Finance while she is a mere figurehead. It was also suggested the leaks the PMO orchestrated over the past week was a lesson to other ministers that they should never disagree with Trudeau, even privately, even where they accede to his wishes without further complaint. Else every instance will be duly recorded and then used to justify firing you. Trudeau wants nothing but yes-men in his cabinet.

Or does anyone really imagine this was Morneau's idea?

Could be it was Billy's idea, Argus.  He very well could have foreseen the financial disaster facing our country should the ethically challenged PM continue his unfettered spending sprees and figured that bowing out now was not only a good idea but a great one. 

As for Freeland's new portfolio, it is interesting to note that now simply having written a few articles on finance for news publications is more than enough to qualify one for the role of Canada's Finance Minister./s

[mowich]

1 hour ago, Moonbox said:

This definitely worries me.  I think Freeland is a smart woman and could do a decent job as PM even, but I don't see how she's appropriate for the Finance Minister's position.   Trudeau seems to use her as his omni-tool.  He knows she's popular and puts her in visible places to put out his fires.  

Unfortunately, Trudeau seems to have a very poor grasp of economics (like his father) and from what I've read he and Morneau (someone who does know finance/economics) were really clashing on a number of plans moving forward.  With a historical deficit, Trudeau apparently was intent on going full-steam ahead on environmental spending whereas Morneau felt finances were in crisis and we weren't in a position to do much for the time being.   

I've never felt that Trudeau was particularly intelligent or that he has good judgment, but my hope was that he'd surround himself with smart people and listen to them.  Until now, that seems to have been the case, but as he continues to turf ministers and get caught in petty ethics scandals, it's getting harder and harder to trust him.  

It's getting harder to trust him?  I stopped trusting him the day he first got elected knowing that a fired drama teacher cum ski board instructor was hardly the proper or competent resume' for leader of our country and so far I've been proven absolutely right.

[dialamah]

20 minutes ago, mowich said:

It's getting harder to trust him?  I stopped trusting him the day he first got elected knowing that a fired drama teacher cum ski board instructor was hardly the proper or competent resume' for leader of our country and so far I've been proven absolutely right.

Its not that I'm any more impressed with Trudeau than you are, but he was more than a Drama teacher and I can find no evidence of him ever being fired from any teaching job. 

If you need to use falsehoods to discredit him,  perhaps you haven't looked very hard at his record, as that in itself should be enough.  Spreading misinformation is not really helpful to our political process or to having an informed vote.

 

[Shady]

Remember when proroguing parliament was bad and a really big deal?  Trudeau hypocrites are the worst.  Btw, Bubber, keep avoiding the Trudeau corruption threads! 

[Argus]

40 minutes ago, mowich said:

As for Freeland's new portfolio, it is interesting to note that now simply having written a few articles on finance for news publications is more than enough to qualify one for the role of Canada's Finance Minister./s

Only if you have a vagina.

[Moonlight Graham]

6 hours ago, betsy said:

He said he wants to be secretary-general of OECD, and Trudeau will support him.   Trade off?

Why would Canada or any country want him running the OECD?  He obviously has financial serious issues breaching ethics and conflict of interest and he's not that great of a finance minister.  I hope he loses.  He can't run 1 countries finances but he wants to help manage the OECD??

[Queenmandy85]

3 hours ago, mowich said:

It's getting harder to trust him?  I stopped trusting him the day he first got elected knowing that a fired drama teacher cum ski board instructor was hardly the proper or competent resume' for leader of our country and so far I've been proven absolutely right.

But a failed philosophy major drop-out can be Premier of Alberta. 

 

5 hours ago, Moonbox said:

I think Freeland is a smart woman and could do a decent job as PM even

It is interesting that you inserted the qualifier "woman." 

Minister Freeland is our generation's equivalent to C. D. Howe, MacKenzie King's "Minister of Everything."  My only reservation about this is Finance is a bad platform for the leap to the PM.'s job. My fantasy campaign would be between Ambrose and Freeland.

Argus wrote: "Only if you have a vagina." Argus, you should know that what a woman lacks in wedding tackle, she makes up for in brains. Women are smarter than men. 

[Argus]

8 minutes ago, Queenmandy85 said:

Minister Freeland is our generation's equivalent to C. D. Howe, MacKenzie King's "Minister of Everything."  

Except with none of his accomplishments outside of government. There was a reason he was recruited as a Liberal MP, and a reason he was put into cabinet, and "because it's 2015" was not it.

Quote

Argus wrote: "Only if you have a vagina." Argus, you should know that what a woman lacks in wedding tackle, she makes up for in brains. Women are smarter than men. 

Not so I've noticed. They tend to be more emotional and more neurotic, though. What I do notice, at times, is women being promoted above their level simply for being women. And that has been made manifest by this prime style-over-substance minister.

That's not a shot at women, btw. Try to find a psychologist who'll disagree.

Edited August 18, 2020 by Argus

[Moonlight Graham]

4 hours ago, dialamah said:

Its not that I'm any more impressed with Trudeau than you are, but he was more than a Drama teacher and I can find no evidence of him ever being fired from any teaching job.

What else is on his work resume besides teacher?  He acted in a mini-series for CBC in 2007.  He attended engineering school for a couple of years but dropped out, and has an undergrad degree in literature.  He has no qualifications to be an MP, cabinet minister, or PM besides his last name.

Pierre was a lawyer, Mulroney was a lawyer, Chretien was a lawyer, Paul Martin was a lawyer.  These things come in handy when you're proposing, drafting, interpreting, and implementing laws.  Harper had a masters in economics.  Pearson had a masters in history from Oxford University and taught it in university, had a career in the public service & as a diplomat, and had a hand in founding the UN and NATO and almost became the 1st Secretary General of the UN before being PM.  Justin's dad is Pierre.

[Moonbox]

1 hour ago, Queenmandy85 said:

It is interesting that you inserted the qualifier "woman." 

I think you're grasping at straws here.  I don't really think "woman" is much of a qualifier.  

1 hour ago, Queenmandy85 said:

Minister Freeland is our generation's equivalent to C. D. Howe, MacKenzie King's "Minister of Everything."  My only reservation about this is Finance is a bad platform for the leap to the PM.'s job. My fantasy campaign would be between Ambrose and Freeland.

My reservation lies in her background.  You usually want your finance ministers to have backgrounds in finance/business/economics, just like you want your justice ministers to have backgrounds in law (whether practicing or theoretical).  I've reservations with Freeland in this position for the same reason I have reservations towards Ontario's education minister.  

 

[scribblet]

5 hours ago, dialamah said:

Its not that I'm any more impressed with Trudeau than you are, but he was more than a Drama teacher and I can find no evidence of him ever being fired from any teaching job. 

If you need to use falsehoods to discredit him,  perhaps you haven't looked very hard at his record, as that in itself should be enough.  Spreading misinformation is not really helpful to our political process or to having an informed vote.

He left his teaching position mid term but no one knows why,  lots of speculation and salacious articles from the Buffalo Chronicle which alleges it was due to messing with a student.  There's nothing to back it up but that's why we are seeing instances of "pedo" graffiti. 

[dialamah]

46 minutes ago, Moonlight Graham said:

What else is on his work resume besides teacher? 

He taught other subjects in addition to drama, as teachers do. 

The way people speak scornfully of Trudeau's previous career makes me wonder - are teachers automatically disqualifed from political office?  Are there other professions that automatically disqualify  people from having a political career, including being Prime Minister?  Because if so, we should be getting the word out, instead of pretending that political office in Canada is open to all citizens  if they wish.

18 minutes ago, scribblet said:

He left his teaching position mid term but no one knows why, 

Some people do.  Publically, he left to pursue other opportunities.  But Snopes seems to have done some resesrch and came to the conclusion that there was a disagreement regarding a student newspaper that precipitated Trudeau's departure.

21 minutes ago, scribblet said:

lots of speculation and salacious article

Yes, gossip.  But hey, if you have nothing real - gossip will do right?

I voted for Trudeau the first time, and would not do so again because of his well-documented performance in his current job.  I don't need gossip or even to scorn his teaching career to form my opinion of him. 

And I intend on looking at the Conservative leader in the same way, when he/she is elected, to see if I'll vote Conservative or continue my NDP protest vote.  That means rumors, innuendo, gossip and petty criticisms (hair, socks, blah blah) are unacceptable   If its not documented in a credible way, it means nothing.

And yes, the above is an indictment of anyone whose partisanship allows them to accept BS against the other guy or for their preferred guy.

[SpankyMcFarland]

9 hours ago, Argus said:

I'm wondering how a degree in Russian history and literature qualifies you to be finance minister. Freeland has no previous financial experience.

She’s hardly the first minister of finance we’ve had without a degree in economics or business. Many of them have been lawyers. Ministers often have no prior expertise in their portfolios. What she has shown is an ability to work hard and learn quickly. It’s not ideal but I suspect she can make it work, and she’ll be more attuned to the political side of her job than Morneau was. 

Edited August 18, 2020 by SpankyMcFarland

[Army Guy]

1 hour ago, dialamah said:

He taught other subjects in addition to drama, as teachers do. 

The way people speak scornfully of Trudeau's previous career makes me wonder - are teachers automatically disqualifed from political office?  Are there other professions that automatically disqualify  people from having a political career, including being Prime Minister?  Because if so, we should be getting the word out, instead of pretending that political office in Canada is open to all citizens  if they wish.

Some people do.  Publically, he left to pursue other opportunities.  But Snopes seems to have done some resesrch and came to the conclusion that there was a disagreement regarding a student newspaper that precipitated Trudeau's departure.

Yes, gossip.  But hey, if you have nothing real - gossip will do right?

I voted for Trudeau the first time, and would not do so again because of his well-documented performance in his current job.  I don't need gossip or even to scorn his teaching career to form my opinion of him. 

And I intend on looking at the Conservative leader in the same way, when he/she is elected, to see if I'll vote Conservative or continue my NDP protest vote.  That means rumors, innuendo, gossip and petty criticisms (hair, socks, blah blah) are unacceptable   If its not documented in a credible way, it means nothing.

And yes, the above is an indictment of anyone whose partisanship allows them to accept BS against the other guy or for their preferred guy.

Yes it is open to all Canadians, but access to large sums of money and the ability to raise large sums of money, is what weeds out most Canadians, .... thats the major qualifier being a wealthy Canadian with lots of rich friends... 

Come on the sock thing is real and is documented in all forms of the media, in fact even by other leaders across the globe...you can't take away the sock thing...leave us something... 

[dialamah]

4 minutes ago, Army Guy said:

Yes it is open to all Canadians, but access to large sums of money and the ability to raise large sums of money, is what weeds out most Canadians, .... thats the major qualifier being a wealthy Canadian with lots of rich friends... 

Yes, this is true, sadly.

5 minutes ago, Army Guy said:

Come on the sock thing is real and is documented in all forms of the media, in fact even by other leaders across the globe...you can't take away the sock thing...leave us something... 

This made me laugh, thanks. 

[Moonlight Graham]

1 hour ago, dialamah said:

He taught other subjects in addition to drama, as teachers do. 

The way people speak scornfully of Trudeau's previous career makes me wonder - are teachers automatically disqualifed from political office?  Are there other professions that automatically disqualify  people from having a political career, including being Prime Minister?  Because if so, we should be getting the word out, instead of pretending that political office in Canada is open to all citizens  if they wish.

Being legally able to apply for a job and being qualified for a job are different things.  I could apply for a job as CEO of Walmart, that doesn't mean I have any experience in retail or running a massive business with millions of employees and people to manage.  Everything in his life has been handed to him on a silver platter.  He comes from a famous wealthy family, he's never had to worry about getting a job or paying a bill.  He's learned everything on the job.  He has no idea how the vast majority of Canadians live, he's always had to work less hard for everything.  He doesn't think twice going to Aga Khan's private island, that's just another weekend getaway with a "family friend".

You elect an inexperienced unqualified spoiled entitled vain attention-seeker as PM and that's the kind of leader you get.  For some reason people thought Pierre's brain was going to reincarnate inside his brain??