Link
Archive
By Alex Ballingall Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA — Shock and disappointment over Monday’s byelection defeat in midtown Toronto is still rippling through federal Liberal circles, with some insiders stating their party has veered too far from the political centre and gained a damaging association with the “woke” left.
It’s one of the many factors Liberals are pointing at — alongside souring views on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership — to explain how they lost to Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives on Monday, in a riding that has elected Liberals reliably in 10 previous campaigns since 1993.
For Marcus Powlowski, a Liberal MP from northern Ontario, part of the problem is a public perception — which he thinks is wrong — that the party is connected to a closed-minded political correctness that prioritizes “identity politics” over “universal human values.”
Powlowski described this type of politics as including “cancel culture,” in which people are shamed for expressing certain opinions, and said the party needs to counter the perception it is too “woke” by better showcasing its centrist values of fiscal discipline, support for free enterprise, and the “traditional” liberalism of free speech, civil liberties and equality.
“In a lot of people’s minds, the Liberal party has become synonymous with concepts like ‘woke’ culture, cancel culture and identity politics,” Powlowski said.
“I think it has alienated a lot of people.”
Sen. Percy Downe, who was chief of staff to prime minister Jean Chrétien, agreed the Liberals have “gone too far left” under Trudeau’s leadership, pointing to how Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault declared earlier this year in the House of Commons that he is “proud socialist.”
“He’s in the wrong party,” Downe said.
He also believes the Liberal government has earned a reputation for lengthy consultations without concrete results, which is now hurting its chances with the electorate. Voters, he said, “think they’re a collection of words as opposed to action.”
The soul-searching comes as Trudeau continues to distance himself from journalists’ questions amid renewed speculation over whether he will stay on as Liberal leader. Trudeau’s official schedule for Thursday said the prime minister — who hasn’t taken questions since the stunning loss on Monday — was in the GTA for a party fundraiser and was set to deliver prepared remarks.
So far, those who have openly called for a new leader are outside the sitting Liberal caucus. CBC reported Wednesday that former Liberal MP Frank Baylis is weighing a possible leadership bid to replace Trudeau. Baylis did not respond to an interview request from the Star.
At the same time, several cabinet ministers and sitting MPs have publicly stated they believe Trudeau should stay, including Guilbeault, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Immigration Minister Marc Miller and Health Minister Mark Holland. Trudeau, in his first public statement on the byelection result, suggested he’s focused on his job and earning back Canadians’ support.
The Prime Minister’s Office has not ruled out convening a national caucus meeting to hash out feedback about the disappointing result and to plot a path forward for the party. Because of the summer parliamentary recess, the next scheduled caucus meeting isn’t until September.
Downe was one of the first Liberals to publicly call for Trudeau to go, in an op-ed published last fall. But on Thursday, the senator suggested it might now be too close to the next general election for Trudeau to resign without saddling his successor with an unwinnable political situation.
“The window for him leaving may have closed,” Downe said.
Many other Liberal insiders who spoke with the Star after the byelection loss stopped short of calling for Trudeau to leave, even if some of them felt the sting of the defeat should spark significant changes in how the party is preparing for the next general election campaign, currently set for the fall of 2025.
For Downe, the party should focus on a handful of core issues, like economic prosperity, immigration and health care. It should also “stop the cheap shots at the Conservatives,” he said, referring to a statement Freeland made this week when she said the opposition Tories have a vision that is “cold, cruel and small.”
“To mock that support is not helpful,” Downe said. “It looks like political separation.”
Powlowski, meanwhile, said he still has faith in Trudeau’s leadership and believes the party is focusing on the right issues — including a promised school food program, dental care and public coverage of diabetes medication and birth control. He suggested if people are willing to “actually listen” to Trudeau and the policies he’s promoting, that will dispel what he sees as a problematic association with the “woke” left.
“I think that’s part of the political centrism … back to the universal human values and getting away from the identity politics,” he said. “I don’t think it’s just white males — I think a lot of different cultures and a lot of people from different countries … feel the same way about a lot of these issues.”
Others say their confidence in the current leadership of the Liberal government has been shaken. One MP, who agreed to speak Thursday on condition they aren’t named, said many in the Liberal caucus are now wondering whether their own seats are at risk. The MP said Canada is heading for a “massive” Conservative majority government unless the Liberals make changes — possibly in the party organization, the Prime Minister’s Office, or even Trudeau himself.
“I’m not yet prepared to say he needs to step down, but there needs to be some self-reflection,” they said.
One thing that won’t work, according to this MP, is for the Liberals to continue with the same strategy and assume their standing will improve.
“We can cling to, ‘Things will get better, don’t worry, hope is on the horizon,’ but Canadians may have moved past that,” the MP said.
“It’s tough to shake that notion that they dislike you.”
With files from Tonda MacCharles
When even the Toronto Star is publishing articles about you being too woke you've fucked up
Archive
By Alex Ballingall Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA — Shock and disappointment over Monday’s byelection defeat in midtown Toronto is still rippling through federal Liberal circles, with some insiders stating their party has veered too far from the political centre and gained a damaging association with the “woke” left.
It’s one of the many factors Liberals are pointing at — alongside souring views on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership — to explain how they lost to Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives on Monday, in a riding that has elected Liberals reliably in 10 previous campaigns since 1993.
For Marcus Powlowski, a Liberal MP from northern Ontario, part of the problem is a public perception — which he thinks is wrong — that the party is connected to a closed-minded political correctness that prioritizes “identity politics” over “universal human values.”
Powlowski described this type of politics as including “cancel culture,” in which people are shamed for expressing certain opinions, and said the party needs to counter the perception it is too “woke” by better showcasing its centrist values of fiscal discipline, support for free enterprise, and the “traditional” liberalism of free speech, civil liberties and equality.
“In a lot of people’s minds, the Liberal party has become synonymous with concepts like ‘woke’ culture, cancel culture and identity politics,” Powlowski said.
“I think it has alienated a lot of people.”
Sen. Percy Downe, who was chief of staff to prime minister Jean Chrétien, agreed the Liberals have “gone too far left” under Trudeau’s leadership, pointing to how Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault declared earlier this year in the House of Commons that he is “proud socialist.”
“He’s in the wrong party,” Downe said.
He also believes the Liberal government has earned a reputation for lengthy consultations without concrete results, which is now hurting its chances with the electorate. Voters, he said, “think they’re a collection of words as opposed to action.”
The soul-searching comes as Trudeau continues to distance himself from journalists’ questions amid renewed speculation over whether he will stay on as Liberal leader. Trudeau’s official schedule for Thursday said the prime minister — who hasn’t taken questions since the stunning loss on Monday — was in the GTA for a party fundraiser and was set to deliver prepared remarks.
So far, those who have openly called for a new leader are outside the sitting Liberal caucus. CBC reported Wednesday that former Liberal MP Frank Baylis is weighing a possible leadership bid to replace Trudeau. Baylis did not respond to an interview request from the Star.
At the same time, several cabinet ministers and sitting MPs have publicly stated they believe Trudeau should stay, including Guilbeault, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Immigration Minister Marc Miller and Health Minister Mark Holland. Trudeau, in his first public statement on the byelection result, suggested he’s focused on his job and earning back Canadians’ support.
The Prime Minister’s Office has not ruled out convening a national caucus meeting to hash out feedback about the disappointing result and to plot a path forward for the party. Because of the summer parliamentary recess, the next scheduled caucus meeting isn’t until September.
Downe was one of the first Liberals to publicly call for Trudeau to go, in an op-ed published last fall. But on Thursday, the senator suggested it might now be too close to the next general election for Trudeau to resign without saddling his successor with an unwinnable political situation.
“The window for him leaving may have closed,” Downe said.
Many other Liberal insiders who spoke with the Star after the byelection loss stopped short of calling for Trudeau to leave, even if some of them felt the sting of the defeat should spark significant changes in how the party is preparing for the next general election campaign, currently set for the fall of 2025.
For Downe, the party should focus on a handful of core issues, like economic prosperity, immigration and health care. It should also “stop the cheap shots at the Conservatives,” he said, referring to a statement Freeland made this week when she said the opposition Tories have a vision that is “cold, cruel and small.”
“To mock that support is not helpful,” Downe said. “It looks like political separation.”
Powlowski, meanwhile, said he still has faith in Trudeau’s leadership and believes the party is focusing on the right issues — including a promised school food program, dental care and public coverage of diabetes medication and birth control. He suggested if people are willing to “actually listen” to Trudeau and the policies he’s promoting, that will dispel what he sees as a problematic association with the “woke” left.
“I think that’s part of the political centrism … back to the universal human values and getting away from the identity politics,” he said. “I don’t think it’s just white males — I think a lot of different cultures and a lot of people from different countries … feel the same way about a lot of these issues.”
Others say their confidence in the current leadership of the Liberal government has been shaken. One MP, who agreed to speak Thursday on condition they aren’t named, said many in the Liberal caucus are now wondering whether their own seats are at risk. The MP said Canada is heading for a “massive” Conservative majority government unless the Liberals make changes — possibly in the party organization, the Prime Minister’s Office, or even Trudeau himself.
“I’m not yet prepared to say he needs to step down, but there needs to be some self-reflection,” they said.
One thing that won’t work, according to this MP, is for the Liberals to continue with the same strategy and assume their standing will improve.
“We can cling to, ‘Things will get better, don’t worry, hope is on the horizon,’ but Canadians may have moved past that,” the MP said.
“It’s tough to shake that notion that they dislike you.”
With files from Tonda MacCharles
When even the Toronto Star is publishing articles about you being too woke you've fucked up
