Diane Francis: Justin Trudeau is letting down Canadians

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In February 1984, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau took a stroll within the snow and had an epiphany that led to his resignation. Maybe historical past will repeat as his son, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, strolls by the summer season months shirking his duties, botching international coverage, neglecting Canada’s Armed Forces, refusing to reply media questions and cancelling occasions which will entice protesters.

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Justin Trudeau appears wholly bored with working the nation and, in consequence, latest polls recommend that almost 60 per cent of Canadians disapprove of his efficiency.

Not like his father, who had a majority of seats in Parliament when he left, the present prime minister gained solely 32.6 per cent of the favored vote within the final election and clings to energy by advantage of an settlement with NDP Chief Jagmeet Singh, who gained solely 17.8 per cent.

Their deal ensures Trudeau’s tenure till June 2025, however is an association that neither Liberal nor NDP voters have been requested to approve. The result’s a clumsy authorities cobbled collectively by two profession politicians who’ve by no means met a authorities program they didn’t like.

In Justin Trudeau’s Canada, politics outweigh insurance policies. As an example, Trudeau has ratcheted immigration targets as much as 400,000 a yr, however hasn’t made a dent when it comes to overcoming the present labour scarcity.

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Almost 37 per cent of all companies say they’re dealing with a talented labour scarcity. Clearly, our immigration system, which has been skewed towards household reunification and different politically motivated targets, just isn’t serving to this nation meet its financial targets.

Trudeau’s authorities can not even construct a working app to gather info on incoming travellers, or preserve correctly functioning airports. ArriveCAN is a catastrophe that’s stranded travellers, and the nation’s busiest airport, Toronto’s Pearson Worldwide, was named because the worst airport on the earth because of the excessive variety of delays.

In response to the Wall Road Journal, “Over 53 per cent of flights departing Toronto Pearson between June 1 and July 18 arrived late at their locations, in line with flight-data specialist FlightAware. That was the very best price among the many world’s high 100 airports by variety of flights.”

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In the meantime, Trudeau’s environmental zealotry has stranded Canada’s useful resource endowment and is about to afflict its agricultural sector, too. Ottawa torpedoed makes an attempt to change into a world chief in liquefied pure fuel (LNG) exports, which might have been a boon for the economic system, whereas lowering world greenhouse-gas emissions.

Through the years, 18 LNG export services have been proposed in Canada, in line with Pure Assets Canada, however just one is now beneath development in British Columbia (although a pair proposed terminals on the East Coast might now find yourself being constructed, after years of delays). The remainder have given up. If even half these terminals had been constructed, theoretically, Europe would have been dramatically much less dependent upon Russian fuel than it’s now, and Canada may have taken its place alongside the USA as one in all the world’s greatest LNG exporters.

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Regardless of this dreadful vitality observe document, Trudeau by no means misses a chance to move up a prestigious photograph op and is planning to satisfy subsequent month with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has expressed an curiosity in Canada at some point supplying Europe’s vitality wants.

However to ensure that that to occur, we would want not solely to construct LNG export services, but additionally pipelines to attach the natural-gas producing area of western Canada to the East Coast. But the Trudeau Liberals have persistently stood in the way in which of LNG terminals and pipelines reminiscent of Power East.

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Power East was a mission that ought to have been constructed, regardless of provincial objections, as a result of it was within the nationwide curiosity and assured our vitality safety. The consequence has been that Quebec’s refusal to permit pipelines to cross its territory has made it and Atlantic Canada depending on Saudi and American oil and pure fuel.

Canada deserves an engaged and educated chief who places the nation first. Justin Trudeau must get himself a brand new job, as a result of he doesn’t appear within the one he has.

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Learn and join Diane Francis’ e-newsletter at dianefrancis.substack.com.