Don Martin: Too much smoke not to have a fire somewhere inside the PMO or Liberal Party
After Liberal MPs wasted days to save her from a Commons committee appearance, Justin Trudeau’s office brain finally showed up Friday for a much-anticipated inquisition over foreign interference in Canadian elections.
It was a spectacular fizzle in terms of fresh revelations, which is precisely how Trudeau chief of staff Katie Telford wanted it as she set out to smother her testimony with a national security blanket.
The setup for this appearance before a Commons committee, which is stacked in equal measure with Conservative pitbulls and Liberal poodles, was ingenious. Coronations take less choreography.
It started last month with a foot-dragging filibuster which ultimately failed to deliver a no-show pass for Telford. That was followed by the prime minister finally revealing he was indeed regularly briefed on interference allegations with her.
The Prime Minister’s Office then primed its media friends to brace for low expectations from Telford’s two-hour appearance and the national security adviser set the stage by releasing a list of briefings on the controversy she promised in early March but delivered just two HOURS before Telford took her seat.
Then the real choreography started. Liberal MPs on the committee, who need Telford’s support for cabinet or parliamentary promotions, filled their allocated time with drawn-out PMO-approved puffball questions while the Liberal chair ran interference to cut off the witness when questioning became uncomfortable.
The desired result was achieved: It was a Seinfeldian show mostly about nothing.
To be fair, Telford is a great witness if news-avoidance is the objective, being calm, polished and respectful even when snark and cynicism are thrown in her direction.
She ducked questions about the merits of an inquiry into foreign interference. She declined comment on reported secret memos from security sources and refused to say who received and read them. And she labelled Global stories on Chinese money flowing to candidates as inaccurate while refusing to reveal which part of the much longer story wasn’t true, thus casting doubt on all the facts.
Surprises? Perhaps a couple.
We learned from Telford that Trudeau is a voracious reader of reports and briefing notes that flood across his desk. I figured he was, at best, an executive summary sort of leader reader who would probably settle for a two-minute verbal briefing from staff.
And Telford ensured plausible deniability will no longer provide cover for Trudeau’s often-feigned ignorance on issues. After all, she insists, she never ever keeps any secrets from the boss.
But to the bottom line: What did Trudeau know about foreign interference aiming to secure Liberal minority election wins in 2019 and 2021? When did he know it? And what did he do about it? Well, blank, blank, blank thanks to Telford’s blah, blah, blah.
The one thing Telford’s appearance proved beyond any doubt, as she hummed through can’t-say obfuscations and gagged over national security limitations, is that the only way to find the bottom in this dark rabbit hole of foreign interference is to order up some sort of inquiry for a closer look.
There’s just too much smoke not to have a fire somewhere inside the PMO or the Liberal Party of Canada.
As for Telford, the Liberals should trot her out more often to take the political oxygen out of burning issues.
Chiefs of staff like Telford, who are the politically brilliant and willing to serve as their leader’s dark lord, keeper of the secrets and undertaker to the closeted skeletons while appearing in public as soothing credible figures, are impossible to find.
But now that she’s told us Trudeau reads everything and she holds nothing back, there’s going to be a higher price if any big political lies come out in future Chinese interference probes: They’re both going down together.
That’s the bottom line…
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada will cut its permanent immigration levels by at least 20 per cent
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, ۴ý confirmed Wednesday.
The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.
Trudeau says Liberals 'strong and united' despite caucus dissent
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
'Canadians can breathe a sigh of relief': Bank of Canada governor on interest rate cut
The Bank of Canada made a sizable cut to its key lending rate Wednesday from 4.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent as the global economy continues to expand. The half percentage point cut is the fourth rate cut in a row by the central bank as inflation dropped from 2.7 per cent in June to 1.6 per cent in September.
A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.
A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.
Local Spotlight
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night – with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that – and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.