Simply put, the country is in trouble, and half measures in Parliament would only amount to —"shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic."

View this email in your browser ([link removed])

To say this has been a highly unusual and dramatic week in Ottawa would be putting it mildly.

The week's expected major news event was the Finance Minister's long-overdue fall economic statement.

Instead, many in Ottawa awoke Monday morning to news that the Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, had tendered her resignation from cabinet to Prime Minister Trudeau.

This was no ordinary resignation. In her letter, the former finance minister revealed that PM Trudeau had fired her from the portfolio the previous Friday and offered her what many considered a demotion.

Even more alarming, Ms. Freeland expressed her strong disagreement with Prime Minister Trudeau's fiscal measures, stating that they were "costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment."

This development is widely attributed to Trudeau's plans for increased borrowing and spending on new initiatives—including the temporary "GST Holiday" and proposed $250 worker rebate program—which have faced strong opposition from economists and other stakeholders.

Ms. Freeland's sudden resignation triggered chaos within both the Trudeau Liberal government and the Liberal caucus.

While there is internal and external pressure on the Prime Minister to resign, it remains unclear what he will do next. However, he has already appointed a new Finance Minister—his longtime personal friend and New Brunswick Member of Parliament, Dominic LeBlanc.

The Fall Economic Statement was, in a word, devastating for Canadians. Some speculate that the former Finance Minister's refusal to endorse this document may have contributed to the tension between her and the Prime Minister.

In their previous fiscal updates, the Liberals had firmly guaranteed that the deficit for the past fiscal year would not exceed $40 billion. The Liberal government referred to this $40 billion deficit limit as a "fiscal guardrail”.

Fast forward to this week: Canadians were shocked to discover that the Liberal deficit for 2023-24 reached $62 billion—almost $22 billion more than the Liberals promised to spend last year.

Keep in mind that last year's target deficit of $40 billion—the so-called "fiscal guardrail"—was neither imposed nor suggested by the Conservative official opposition. This “fiscal guardrail” was designed to reassure markets and economists, despite blowing past its own previously designated “fiscal anchor”.

The $40 Billion “fiscal guardrail” deficit was the spending limit imposed by the Trudeau Liberal government on itself. The fact that the Trudeau Liberals massively and completely failed to achieve even their own fiscal targets is evidence of a government completely out of fiscal control.

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the common sense Conservatives, as the official opposition called for an immediate vote on the Fall Economic Statement before Parliament rose for the Winter constituency break. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister and his House Leader did not respond to this request.

While Conservatives have consistently voted non-confidence in this government, the events of this week have changed minds, particularly the leader of the NDP. Despite Jagmeet Singh and his NDP caucus supported the Trudeau Government as recently as last week- granting the government an additional $26 Billion in new spending, has had a change of heart and called for the resignation of Prime Minister Trudeau, inducing whiplash on the Prime Minister and his cabinet.

So what do I think?

With the government in such turmoil from this ministerial resignation, coupled with worsening economic conditions and impending trade threats from China and the United States, an election would give the winner a fresh mandate and stronger hand in dealing with a multitude of domestic and international challenges.

Simply put, the country is in trouble, and half measures in Parliament would only amount to—as one constituent put it—"shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic." This is why I rose on Tuesday and publicly called on the NDP leader to stop propping up the Trudeau government and vote non-confidence at the earliest opportunity.

My question this week: Would you prefer to see Prime Minister Trudeau resign—triggering an internal Liberal Party leadership process as suggested by Jagmeet Singh—or would you prefer a federal election?

I can be reached at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or call toll-free 1-800-665-8711.

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
** Email (mailto:[email protected])
Dan Albas is the Member of Parliament for the riding of Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola and the Co-Chair of the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations. In addition, Dan co-chairs an All-Party Parliamentary Cancer Caucus. Dan's riding includes the communities of Kelowna (specific boundaries), West Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, Keremeos, Hedley, Princeton, Merritt and Logan Lake.
You can reach Dan by calling 1-800-665-8711 or visit: DanAlbasMP.ca
Our mailing address is:
Dan Albas MP
101-3731 Old Okanagan Hwy
West Kelowna, British Columbia V4T 0G7
Canada

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.
Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp
[link removed]