Michel Maisonneuve: Only an election can save Canada from the old, tired Liberals

With apologies to my friends in polling, I do not like polls. I am a bit surprised that, according to recent polls, the federal Conservative lead over the Liberals is shrinking, though I believe that a 27-point lead was never sustainable. What I don’t understand is what some Canadians do not get: it does not matter who becomes the new Liberal leader. They still will be Liberals with the same extremist progressive ideology, the same mismanagement of Canada’s resources and the same prioritization of the wrong things.

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So, whether it is Mark Carney or Chrystia Freeland makes no difference.

With Carney, you might get a more grown-up prime minister than our current drama teacher. But an outsider? He’s been aligned with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s policies for years. He just finished serving as a paid adviser to the government. He is a climate-change crisis enthusiast who was filling a paid gig with the United Nations. Sadly for him, the Net-Zero Banking Alliance he founded is losing members. And yet, 20 per cent of Canadians polled by Leger, and 40 per cent polled by Nanos, think he will be the country’s best negotiator against President Donald Trump. In what world?

With Freeland, you’ll get the smarmy schoolteacher who has a need to explain to Canadians why you should trust in what she says … just because she said it. She was Trudeau’s alter ego for all the years he was in power, standing behind him and nodding vigorously every time he made a speech, reminiscent of a bobblehead dog in the back window of a car. Suddenly, she no longer believes in his policies. And she, by her own account, was the tough negotiator against Trump during his first term.

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Consider the upcoming election. Why do we need a change in government? Personally, I want a government that will put Canada first, redress the country’s finances and live within its means. I want a government that will unify our country, promote patriotism and protect Canadians. I want a government that will fix our Canadian Armed Forces (CAF); if we have a CAF that can defend us, then we will have certainly met and exceeded NATO’s required defence spending benchmark of two per cent. I want a government that will truly believe in our natural resources and in helping other countries get greener while making Canadians richer.

I also want a government that won’t wait for U.S. pressure to protect the border, break down interprovincial trade barriers and make Canada energy-independent. It took Trump’s second term to make the Liberal government flip-flop in all these areas, but make no mistake about it, once the crisis is over, they will go back to their extreme progressive polices and woke regulations.

Trump at least stirred up some patriotism among Canadians. But under a different government, Canadians would not have needed him to realize the potential of our country in the first place.

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I must hand it to Trudeau and his unwavering narcissism; he managed to once again choose himself and his party over the good of the country. He flew to Europe to an AI summit days before Trump placed a 25 per cent tariff on our steel and aluminum. But I guess this should not surprise us, since he chose to dance at a Taylor Swift concert last fall while the Canadian flag was burned during antisemitic riots in his own riding.

He lost the confidence of even the minority of Canadians who voted for him, he lost the support of his own party and he even lost the loyalty of his personal lackey Jagmeet Singh. He does not have a mandate to act on our behalf during this crisis. And yet, here he is, speaking on our behalf on the international stage during the most significant crisis Canada has faced in decades. All Canadians should feel cheated and outraged that there was not an election before Trump’s inauguration, which would have provided a clear mandate to a new government.

So, back to the polls: I cannot believe that Canadians would re-elect a failed Liberal government. I know the media generally love close races and the mainstream left-leaning legacy media despise conservatives, but it is time to elect a government with common sense that will make Canada a serious country once more. A government that reflects true Canadian values, like hard work and responsible management. This old, tired Liberal government cannot do that with the same old, tired individuals, whether they are led by Carney or Freeland.

Our country has so much potential: people, resources, institutions, governance. We are not a post-national country. Let’s get involved; let’s get outraged by what is going on. It’s time for the silent majority to awaken, get vocal and throw this government out.

National Post

Lt.-Gen. (retd.) Michel Maisonneuve spent 35 years in the Canadian Army and 10 more as Academic Director of RMC Saint-Jean. His book “In Defence of Canada: Reflections of a Patriot” was published in October 2024 by Sutherland House.  

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