Hints of the Conservative ‘hidden agenda’ folklore that has been used to scare progressive in every election for the past 25 years
In the normal course of events, the fall session of Parliament is welcomed by the government House leader, who gathers eager journalists to tell them about the shiny legislative objects the governing party is about to bestow on voters.
On Monday, Karina Gould continued that time-honoured tradition, but she didn’t refer to the prospect of any new bills and spent only a minute or so talking about the legislative leftovers from the last session.
The reason became clear when she quickly segued into a broadside aimed at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
In a revealing quote, she said that the government’s job, in her view at least, is “to make sure that we are holding him to account to make sure he faces the proper scrutiny.”
The Liberals, by this account, have subordinated the role of the executive branch to govern the country and introduce new laws, in favour of becoming the unofficial opposition to the Official Opposition.
Using John Diefenbaker’s definition of an opposition party’s role, they will now “arouse, educate and mould public opinion by voice and vote.”
There were hints of the Conservative “hidden agenda” folklore that has been used to scare progressive in every election for the past 25 years.
“The reason Pierre Poilievre doesn’t want (Canadians) to know his true agenda is that he knows they won’t like it when they find out,” Gould said, suggesting the Conservatives will raise the retirement age, cut pensions, remove access to dental care for seniors, scrap the school lunch program and get rid of $10-a-day daycare.
Poilievre hasn’t said he’ll do any of these things, limiting himself to his rote commitment to “axe the tax, fix the budget, build the houses and stop the crime.”
Short of a secret Canadian beaver-cull agenda, it is hard to see what the Conservative leader could be planning that would persuade voters that Trudeau remains a better option.
A shell-shocked industry minister, François-Philippe Champagne, was cornered by reporters on a way into a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning. “We need to be humble and redouble our efforts,” he said. “You’re going to redouble a losing effort?” asked the impudent man from the Toronto Star. “What’s the alternative?” answered the minister, in exasperation.
The alternative, it seems from Gould’s press conference, is to recognize you are 20 points behind in the polls, stop worrying about that messy governing business and instead focus on flaying your opponent.
The problem is that both the media and voters seem to have discounted the Liberal narrative, and the party doesn’t have enough money to outspend the Conservatives when it comes to paid media.
The Liberals are unlikely to get any benefit, far less credit.
Bay Street banks are projecting a further 200 basis points of interest rate cuts, which would bring rates to half the level they reached in summer 2023.
That probably won’t do Trudeau much good either.
Canadians have already bought into the idea, expressed in the House on Monday by Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri, that “taxes are up, costs are up, the economy is in the toilet.”
The key for any party is to convince voters they will become better off with it. The numbers are moving in the right direction for the Liberal government, but these things take time and the prime minister doesn’t have much of that precious commodity to turn around the perception that things are “in the toilet.”
It’s probably not a bad idea to get some practice being an opposition party, though at this rate, the post-election Liberal caucus is going to be so far towards the backbenches they will be in danger of falling off.
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