Sorry Justin, It’s Not Us, It’s You

The Prime Minister seems to think his byelection rout was a learning experience for all of us. But he’s the one not learning the lesson.

By Spencer Fernando, Exclusive to the National Citizens Coalition

There can be a fine line between projecting confidence and falling into delusion.

Justin Trudeau crossed that line a long time ago.

And that becomes more and more evident with each passing day.

After losing LaSalle-Emard-Verdun on Monday, the Prime Minister had this to say:

“Obviously it would have been nicer to be able to win . . . but there’s more work to do,” “The big thing is to make sure that Canadians understand the choice they get to make in the next election,” Trudeau said. “That’s the work we’re going to continue to do."

Trudeau also made a point of noting Canadians were “engaged” in the political process.

Indeed.

What the Prime Minister doesn’t seem to be picking up here is that while Canadians are indeed engaged in the political process, we are engaged in opposition to him.

Trudeau isn’t some distant overseer above the fray, he’s the politician Canadians are turning out to vote against.

In fact, the most consistent result from the byelections on Monday is that voters are in an increasingly anti-Trudeau mood.

The Liberal vote collapsed in both LaSalle-Emard-Verdun and Elmwood-Transcona.

In La-Salle-Emard-Verdun, the Liberals lost what should have been one of the safest seats in the country for them, with their support dropping a whopping 16 points. 

Again, it cannot be understated how big a deal this is. The Liberal vote collapsed in a riding once held by former Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Meanwhile, the Liberals finished under 5% in Elmwood-Transcona.

No, that’s not a typo.

The governing party finished below 5% in a contested byelection.

Meanwhile, the Conservative vote rose 16 points in Elmwood-Transcona.

And in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, the Conservative vote rose 4 points.

As for the NDP, their vote rose 7 points in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, and dropped 2 points in Elmwood-Transcona.

Thus, there were two consistent trends in Monday’s byelections.

A massive collapse in Liberal support, and a strong increase in Conservative support.

This is fully consistent with the polls showing the Liberals on pace for a nationwide collapse.

It’s also fully consistent with polls showing Justin Trudeau is deeply unpopular.

And this is what the Prime Minister arrogantly refuses to accept.

This isn’t a ‘learning experience’ for ‘all of us.’

Instead, he’s the one not learning the lesson.

And the lesson is that Canadians want him to go.

We are reacting to him specifically, his failures, his dishonesty, and his refusal to listen to what the people of our country think.

Canadians don’t want to hear more from Trudeau.

We don’t want a new communications strategy.

We don’t want a rebranding effort.

We want Trudeau to go.

Justin Trudeau thinks his massive unpopularity is about us, but really, it’s about him.

The Prime Minister has had control for nearly a decade.

Life has gotten worse during that time.

Crime is up.

The immigration system is wrecked.

Our standard of living is falling.

Our reputation is tattered.

We are watching as other nations pass us by and seize the opportunities that could have been ours.

Canadians have had enough.

Justin Trudeau has had his chance.

He failed.

That is the message Canadians are sending every chance we get.

Canadians sent that message in Toronto-St. Paul’s.

Canadians sent that message in Elmwood-Transcona.

Canadians sent that message in LaSalle-Emard-Verdun.

Canadians are sending that message by donating far more money to Trudeau’s opponents than ever before.

Canadians are sending that message in the polls.

And now, it’s time for Canada’s Parliamentarians to send that message.

Next week, the Conservatives are going to put a very clear and simple non-confidence motion up for a vote:

“The House has no confidence in the Prime Minister and the Government.”

If they’re really listening to the Canadian people, if they really care about what the Canadian people want, then every MP will vote for the non-confidence motion and give Canadians an election.

In a democracy, no one person should dominate public life. Our elected officials are supposed to be servants, not rulers. And when we get tired with one servant, we switch them out for another.

It’s time to let Canadians go to the polls so we can finally make a statement Justin Trudeau can’t ignore.

Spencer Fernando is one of the most popular and prolific political voices in Canada. He is a writer and campaign fellow for the National Citizens Coalition. Join the mailing list to receive his exclusive weekly columns in your inbox.

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