The government of radical leftist Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is allegedly planning a “pandemic-style” bailout program to protect industries in the event that President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on the country in February, the Globe and Mail reported on Tuesday.
The Canadian newspaper, citing anonymous sources, claimed that Trudeau’s government, expected to end this year as an election looms and Trudeau announced his exit from politics, is planning for massive expenses and suspending some policies to expedite money to affected industries. Any sort of “bailout” would require the Canadian Parliament’s approval, however, and Trudeau paralyzed the Parliament through at least March 24, making such moves impossible by the February 1 tariff deadline that Trump announced this month.
Trudeau himself, who announced plans to resign from his decade at the helm of the Canadian government in January, is concluding a visit to Poland and has not played a prominent role in his government’s response to the tariff threat since his resignation announcement.
President Trump triggered a political crisis in Canada by announcing in a social media post in November, shortly after his election to a second term in office, that he would consider signing an executive order on his first day in office imposing a 25-percent tariff on goods entering the United States from Canada and Mexico.
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“This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” he promised, adding, “Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem.”
Trudeau flew to Florida to meet with Trump shortly thereafter, appearing friendly and warm towards the president. His response to the threat prompted longtime ally and then-deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland to resign, condemning Trudeau’s weak stance on the issue. Freeland is now campaigning to replace him as the leader of the Liberal Party.
Trump ultimately did not impose tariffs on Inauguration Day, but suggested he would do so on February 1.
“We are thinking in terms of 25% on Mexico and Canada, because they are allowing vast numbers of people — Canada is a very bad abuser also – vast numbers of people to come in and fentanyl to come in,” Trump told reporters on January 20. “I think we’ll do it February 1.”
The Canadian response to the threat has been disorganized in the face of Trudeau announcing an end to his term as prime minister. Freeland’s departure expedited Trudeau’s own resignation announcement in anticipation of the Canadian general elections, expected in October. To allow the Liberal Party time to run a race to replace him, Trudeau moved to “prorogue” the Canadian Parliament until March 24. Prorogation essentially paralyzes the Parliament, not allowing it to sit or conduct any legislative business, but all members of Parliament retain their seats when the prorogation period ends.
The Globe and Mail reported that the Liberal government is nonetheless planning massive spending to keep Canadian businesses afloat in the face of tariffs.
“The federal government is planning a multibillion-dollar, pandemic-style bailout for workers and businesses,” the newspaper said, citing two anonymous sources who reportedly noted that the lack of a functional Parliament may present some challenges.
“The sources said some of the measures, such as waiving the one-week waiting period for employment insurance benefits, do not require parliamentary approval,” the newspaper shared. “But the bulk of potential spending on new programs to help laid-off workers and businesses affected by tariffs will require legislative approval, which could not take place until Parliament resumes sitting on March 24.”
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The sources indicated that the Liberal leaders did not see it as urgent for the money to be available by February 1, but that it would help to have pre-written plans for the Parliament to work on in late March. The report did not suggest that the Trudeau government was open to bringing Parliament back for emergency sessions to address the tariffs.
The opposition Conservative Party has repeatedly condemned the Liberals for prorogating Parliament and preventing a snap election to replace Trudeau as prime minister, accusing the Liberals of trying to move past their poor polling as a result of housing, healthcare, and immigration crises ongoing under Trudeau.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has repeatedly called for an election as soon as possible and, more recently, for Parliament to return to session to protect Canadians from the proposed Trump tariffs.
“Our American counterparts say they want to stop the illegal flow of drugs and other criminal activity at our border,” Poilievre asserted shortly after Trump’s inauguration. “The Liberal government admits their weak border is a problem.”
“That is why they announced a multibillion-dollar border plan – a plan they cannot fund because they shut down Parliament, preventing MPs and Senators from authorizing the funds,” he noted, lamenting, “Canada has never been so weak and things have never been so out of control.”
A poll published this week by the Angus Reid Institute found upwards of 40-percent support for Conservatives in the prime minister race regardless of whether Freeland or the other top candidate to lead the Liberals, former Bank of Canada head Mark Carney, win the party race. Carney fares slightly better than Freeland, earning 29 percent of the public support compared to 24 percent for Liberals under Freeland, leaving 43 percent for the Conservatives under Carney and 44 percent for them under Freeland.
While these poll results are somewhat improved for Liberals compared to prior polls, it appears the main leftist party in Canada is pulling support from its top leftist rival, the New Democratic Party (NDP), and not from the Conservatives.
The CBC News average of polls taken between January 13 and January 20 found Conservatives floating around nearly 45 percent support – the same as the Angus Reid poll – but Liberals only averaging 21.9 percent.
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