There is little doubt that Jagmeet Singh is an outright socialist, dreaming of a new world order where authoritarian socialist governments take over all Western democracies and add their populations to the 75% of the world’s citizens who live under totalitarian regimes already. His willingness to side with Trudeau is little more than self-interest, a chance to assure a lifetime indexed pension and have a voice in policy denied his struggling party.
Trudeau’s willingness to join with Singh is also understandable. It enables Trudeau to cling to power despite his flagging popularity with voters, and Liberal-socialist coalitions are nothing new to Canada.
Former Liberal Ontario premier Mitch Hepburn, an alcoholic who spent his days holed up with hookers in a suite at the King Eddie when he wasn’t sloshed at the racetrack was a similarly corrupt politician who clung to power in post War Canada any way he could. With winnings from bets on the horses based on tips from Globe and Mail owner George McCullagh, Hepburn could fund his disgraceful behaviour with utter disregard for the scandals he inflicted on his wife and family. Trudeau’s obvious tryst with Melanie Joly comes to mind as a parallel. While first hand evidence of Trudeau’s corruption is absent, he reportedly inherited about $1.2 million from his father’s estate and is now estimated to have a wealth approaching $10 million. I doubt he is that frugal and without someone like McCullagh to provide tips on horses I suspect his wealth didn’t come from luck at the racetrack.
But Hepburn didn’t just form a coalition with socialists when his days became numbered, he formed a coalition with the Communist Party of Canada. It didn’t work out since he lost his constitutency after a feud with McKenzie King, resigned in 1942, and was ultimately succeeded as Ontario Premier by Conservative George Drew in 1943.
McCullagh’s colorful life is a great study and the recent book “Big Men Fear Me”1 chronicles his life, that of Hepburn and the odd history of the Globe and Mail, eventually sold to the Montreal Webster family after McCullough’s premature death. Donald Colin (“Ben”) Webster was my partner in the foundation of The Enfield Corporation Limited in 1984, investing $100,000 for a 25% interest he sold three years later for $42 million. Ben died of cancer in 2013, a serious loss to Canada and to me.
Not much stands in the way of Canada’s march towards a socialist state. Teachers’ unions (all infested with socialists) spend their indoctrinating our children on socialist ideology; our universities are riddled with far left faculty; and, our institutions have become more conerned about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); Environment, Social and Governance (ESG); and, climate change than about democracy, personal freedoms and open capital markets. DEI, ESG and “climate change” policies are destructive to the well-being of the Canadian economy and have no redeeming benefits. On the bright side, teachers and university faculty seem to get their pronouns right.
George Gourrie is the author. I recommend the book for anyone interested in Canadian political history. It is a great read.
Well spoken ....
Michael, had no idea you were part of Enfield, there is a name from the past. I can only concur with your statements, unsurprisingly Trudeau is being led along to follow the US model. What seems to be happening is Chairman Mao's Maoism, using transgender (majority are ex woman) and other groups as the foot soldiers. Hard to see anything to derail it... (The Christian shootings in Tennessee recently is only the tip of the iceberg, being pushed hard in schools)
PS: I only moved to Ontario in the 70's and know very little of the colourful political history before Bill Davis, who just died Aug 21.