Trudeau said, in his interview with [Susan] Delacourt of The Toronto Star, that he didn’t want to talk about his “legacy,” and instead wanted to focus on what he will be doing for the next “months and years.” But Nanos indicated that Trudeau could be orienting Freeland, who has been given the informal title of “Minister of Everything” by some political commentators, to replace him as leader.
“The level of latitude that Trudeau has provided her is more than many other prime ministers, and people are trying to read into whether that means anything or not,” Nanos said. “It could just be that he trusts Minister Freeland and is happy to give her more responsibilities, or the other interpretation could be that he may be setting the stage for a personal transition at some point.”
Nik might want to confer with his buddy Evan at CTV. Maybe buy some Greek art while he's at it.
There is restlessness amongst his elves. They are uneasy about his reticence to stand up to Quebec’s Bill-21. They fret about inflation driven by the government’s massive spending on COVID, particularly with Omicron now on the scene, and the prospect of even more major spending it poses. So don’t be surprised if, ever so gingerly, the Liberals start looking around for the Next One.
OK, the Liberals did some looking. Here's the answer they came up with:
So the Liberals have qualms about Quebec. Time to anoint The Next One from Uni-Rose, right?
Geoff Russ, same paper.
Nobody from the smaller Quebec-wing of the Liberal Party seems able to challenge Freeland. ... [But] history has been unkind to Liberal leaders who don’t represent Quebec. 1965 was the last time a Liberal leader who did not represent a Quebec riding won a federal election. John Turner and Michael Ignatieff were the last two leaders from outside Quebec. Both oversaw fatal drops in Liberal support in Quebec that doomed the party. Calling their tenures unsuccessful is charitable. Freeland is the MP for Toronto’s University-Rosedale riding and would have to break this trend.
Only 35 of the 160 Liberal MPs hail from Quebec and the party is becoming increasingly reliant on the GTA to hold onto power, let alone win a majority. The Liberals will not win 170 seats again without stronger showings in Quebec or elsewhere in Canada.
Well, OK then. Maybe the Liberals should run a Quebecer next election. Who's available?
Sigh. Is it just me or does all this wild speculation seem a bit.. aimless?
Susan Riley, same paper.
If he wasn’t another straight, white man from Montreal — red-headed, even! — Marc Miller, minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, could be a leading contender to replace his friend Justin Trudeau one day. Not that the prime minister is going anywhere.
That said, Miller’s leadership ambitions, if they even exist, exist primarily in the realm of idle speculation, particularly since Trudeau’s successor has already been anointed by many Liberals and media: Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. She is formidably accomplished, trusted with important files that are seen as a prelude to promotion — U.S. relations in the Trump years and now finance. She obviously has the confidence of the prime minister and his entourage.
Another potential contender — at least in the fervid imagination of journalists writing year-end columns — is National Defence Minister Anita Anand. An impressive newcomer to politics after a successful career in law and academia, Anand won public gratitude for her efforts during the pandemic as procurement minister. Anand is a no-nonsense communicator who usually avoids cringeworthy boasting about her government’s accomplishments, and doesn’t waste much time responding to unserious criticisms from across the aisle. She comes across as mature, smart, and down-to-earth.
What this idle musing fails to take into account, of course, is whether Anand, or any other of the prime suspects, would be remotely interested in the top job. It can be massively disruptive to a person’s health, family life, and — especially for women — sense of personal safety.
Not that Justin Trudeau is going anywhere. So, really, case closed.
But wait — do we really know if Justin Trudeau is going anywhere? I say we open the cold case!