The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn -- Trudeau, Trump, Poilievre -- and even Kevin O'Leary

Episode Date: January 9, 2025

The week starts with Trudeau pulling the plug, and wrapping up with Trump seriously discussing Canada as a 51st state.

And hello there, Peter Ransbridge here. You're just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday, that means your turn, and boy, we've got a lot of letters from you about what's on your mind this crazy week. We've had it all. And the Random Ranter's here with his thoughts on that 51st State guy and the once-upon-a-time Canadian who thinks the 51st state guy has got a good idea. That's all coming right up. And hello there. Welcome to Thursday. Welcome to our first Thursday, our first Your Turn of the new year.

And what a week it's been. A prime minister resigns, his party's floundering around trying to decide what to do next and how to do it and who to lead them. And so that's going to be an interesting time. And you've got a lot of thoughts on this story. You've also got a lot of thoughts on the Donald Trump push towards a 51st state for Canada and, you know, taking over Greenland, maybe even by force, getting the Panama Canal. Oh, yeah. This is going to be an interesting year and he's not even president yet. There's another few days, another week or so before that happens. But mainly Thursdays is all about you and about the things you have on your mind

this week. And as I said earlier, there were quite a few letters. There were quite a few that came in after the deadline. Sorry about that. There's a deadline for a reason, and if you didn't make it, you're not on, but just because you made it doesn't mean you're on either because there's a lot of mail, and decisions have to be made. So we'll get around to that

by reading your comments and your thoughts on the issues of the day. Let's get started with Josh Winters in Surrey, B.C. Political turmoil, prime ministerial resignation, wildfires in California. Have you seen those pictures? It's unbelievable. You know, many of us have friends in California. Have you seen those pictures? It's unbelievable. You know, many of us have friends in California, right? Canadians who moved to California for various reasons, for jobs, for retirement, for, well, a lot of, as I said, a lot of reasons. And, you know,

I've been checking in with my friends who live in California, and so far every one of them has had to move, has been evacuated, or they've lost their home. It's unbelievable. We wish everybody the best in what is a very difficult time. Anyway, getting back to Josh's letter, sorry. Political turmoil, prime ministerial resignation, wildfires in California, impending party leadership battles, a potential economic fight to annex our nation,

plus lions, tigers, and bears. Oh, my. As someone who has a predisposition to worry and anxiety, I've found practicing gratitude to be a lifesaver. When I find myself starting to spiral, thinking of all the challenges we face, taking a moment to count your blessings really does help lift spirits. It doesn't have to be anything special. Today I took a little walk to our neighborhood park and felt gratitude for the freedom of movement to walk and leave my home,

the joy of having fresh air in my lungs and to feel the sun on my face, the great privilege to live in a democratic nation with a right to vote, and that's free from war, the blessing of good hearing to listen to the birds sing, and the gratitude that no matter what difficulties we face, I'm alive another day to experience all this. Well, thanks, Josh, for reminding us that there are always moments where we can reflect on the good things in life.

So let's keep that in mind as we delve a little deeper into the troubles that many of you talk about. Mary Reinhart in Barrie, Ontario. I'm a strong believer in the privilege of voting, always working to be informed. And over the many years I've been liberal in my conviction, but I have at times voted both Conservative and NDP. On Monday, Jerry Butts said it. It's from the Moore-Butts conversation we had, which was great. Jerry Butts said, I would suspect three-quarters of the country haven't given Pierre Poliev much thought.

Well, I and some of my well-informed friends, both conservatives and liberals, all ages but most over 40, are struggling with Pierre Poliev. Not the conservative party, but him. His wacko video and then online statement of Trudeau's resignation suggests he does not have a calm, well-mannered, thoughtful leadership approach. I expected more from him on the day Trudeau stepped down. I really want change, but cannot even lightly consider this type of leadership. And you know that wacko video that Mary refers to,

for anyone who missed it during the holidays, was put out by Polyev on YouTube. It's narrated by a British-sounding voice and seems like a documentary trying to prove that, by most definitions, Justin Trudeau is a wacko, and so is the entire Liberal cabinet. Mark LeBrun in Milton, Ontario. I've been thinking a lot about the late Jimmy Carter and how his life relates to other leaders whose official positions come to an end.

Until recently, I had only a fleeting knowledge about Carter's post-presidential accomplishments. However, learning about his humanitarian, diplomatic, and advocacy work in the last week has impressed me. You and other optimists about politics remind us that the majority of people who enter politics do so with the genuine, altruistic intent to effect positive change for their communities and broader society.

With the changing of the guard in our federal government imminently coming, I hope that this same longing to work for the betterment of society, which brought many people into politics, will also guide their lives should they find their political careers over. May the good people who are soon on the outs be inspired by Jimmy Carter to continue their efforts to do good work afterwards, just like he did. Jerry MacDonald in Grand Prairie, Alberta. You asked your guests, Butts and Moore, whether they had ever seen anything like this, wherein a sitting head of government resigned the leadership of their party while still in office. In 2014 in Alberta, the provincial progressive conservatives pushed out their sitting premier, Alison Redford, and an interim leader was selected and became

premier. His name was Dave Hancock. He was later succeeded after a leadership race by the late Jim Prentice, who then went on to lose the 2015 provincial election to the NDP and Rachel Notley. Of course, not a federal scenario, but since the parliamentary systems at the provincial and federal levels are virtually identical, still illustrative. Some facts on this. Dave Hancock was premier for just under six months. If the new federal liberal leader, whoever that is, becomes prime minister just before the House sits again in March,

then an election is called or forced very quickly, and then that's a short campaign of fewer than 40 days, and the liberals lose, there is a reasonable chance that the new prime minister would set a new standard for shortest term. Right now, that distinction belongs to Charles Tupper, who was Prime Minister for just 68 days in 1896. I remember that. Interesting fellow, that Tupper man. Carolyn Black in Waterloo, Ontario. What's on my mind this week is to sincerely thank Prime Minister Trudeau

for his service to Canada. It's important to remember that our Prime Minister didn't need to take on a job in politics. It was about his belief and passion to make Canada better. Under his government, there have been significant improvements to our social programs. Definitely, there have been some fails and missteps, too. In so many positive ways, Justin Trudeau put Canada on the world map. I really hope that Prime Minister Trudeau will be remembered for all of the good he did and not for the last few months of his tenure.

Keep listening, Carolyn. Not everybody agrees with you on this point. Jason Elliott Benda in Champaign, Illinois. That's in central Illinois, about two hours south of Chicago. There's a lot on my mind about the Canadian government situation, but the one I'll mention is this. Will the incoming American administration see a prorogued Canadian parliament and a perceived power vacuum in Ottawa as an excuse to continue or escalate their bullying and rhetorical disrespect of Canadian sovereignty?

You think they needed that to do then? I'm not so sure. Jazraj Pirwal in Surrey, B.C. to do then? I'm not so sure. Jazraj Pirwal in Surrey, BC. What a way to start the new year. The PM resigns. I'm disappointed. I really wanted to see Trudeau and Polyev go at it. It would have been so much fun to watch, but alas, it was not to be. Leadership contests and riding nominations are corrupt. Instant members are a problem, and the party

makes sure candidates don't win. Diaspora politics are huge since non-citizens can vote and so can teenagers. Let's start cleaning this up. At the very least, allow only citizens who are 18 to be members of a party who then vote in nominations and leadership votes. Non-citizens should have no say on who the next prime minister will be, and that might very well happen in the coming months. David Oliver in Oak Bay, B.C. What's on my mind? The apparent panic that seems to have taken hold in Ottawa in reaction to Trump's complaints about trade and immigration,

with the prime minister traveling to Mar-a-Lago to sup with the great man and premiers arguing with each other about strategy. It's also undignified. I want my leader to stand up and calmly remind everyone that we are a sovereign nation of free people who respect the rule of law. We have negotiated mutually acceptable agreements with our neighbors on trade, immigration, defense, and other matters. We intend to honor those agreements. But if changes are desired by any party, we stand ready to negotiate mutually acceptable alternatives.

Now, will everybody please keep calm and carry on? Well, David, I hope you're right. I've seen no indication so far that you are, but that doesn't mean you aren't. Todd Burns in LaSalle, Quebec. I worry about the direction our country will take in a post-Trudeau era. In Quebec, our provincial Liberal Party has been relegated to the hinterland, and the other options all leave a bad taste in my mouth. I fear the same federally, with no other party clearly providing what the country needs.

Pete Quinn in Ottawa. I'm one of the last people I know to have come to appreciate Justin Trudeau and one of very few I know who still holds him in high regard. My timing seems out of sync with most Canadians. While I think I understand the evolution of the public mood, I'm confident his legacy will age very well. I want to pick up, you know, it's funny about legacies, because in many cases they in fact do age well, no matter who it is. I mean, look at Brian Mulroney, the conservative two-majority term prime minister. When he left office, he was like in the teens

in the public opinion polls. Then his party got wiped out in the election that followed his time. But when he passed, you know, in 2024, you could hardly find a bad thing to be heard said about him. Everything was glowing for other reasons than the ones that he ended up in such trouble with the population at the end of his term. I'm confident his legacy, Trudeau's now, will age very well. I want to pick up on one aspect of Chrystia Freeland's resignation, which was surely the trigger for Trudeau's much-delayed, very reluctant, but surely necessary departure.

Your Good Talk panel characterizes the position Freeland declined as a humiliating demotion into a pretend position, shuffling her into the background. With the greatest respect, I think you've all missed the forest for the trees. Our relationship with the U.S. is clearly the most important issue facing this, and the next government, and this is where Trudeau and Canada needed his most capable minister. It's not obvious why your panel and Ms. Freeland don't see it that way,

but maybe I'm the one who got it wrong. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. I'll tell you this, the setup for Ms. Freeland and this new portfolio included no bureaucracy, no department, and no apparent real machinery of government to work with it. And I think that is the point that especially Chantel was making. Eric Patterson in Courtney, B.C. As the candidates emerge for the upcoming Liberal Leadership Contest, and although, yes, I'm from BC, Christy Clark seems a good candidate.

Her political experience and record are very strong, including in economic matters. She's from the West, which will support where the party needs it the most. She would grow support where the party needs it most. She's not part of the Trudeau government, but has a national profile. As a woman, she will be a breath of fresh air, and she has very sharp elbows in the political trenches. To mention Chantal again, she dismissed Christy Clark's prospects,

because even though Clark is taking French lessons, Chantal said rudimentary French is no longer acceptable to Quebecers. So Eric asked this, does Chantel think a lack of total fluency in French, an insurmountable detriment above all the positives, or should she be considered a viable dark horse candidate? Listen, anybody who gets in is, you know, has got to be considered a candidate a dark horse or not um but i think what chantal is echoing is the feeling that in the liberal party of canada

french is a prerequisite and that means the ability uh to speak French fluently. Will I change in this campaign? We'll see. Frederic Vang in Arles-Saint-Pierre, the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I only have one simple question. Why does nobody talk about or suggest Rachel Knopley as the next liberal leader?

Wouldn't she be the best to go after Polyev and face Trump? Well, she'd keep in mind this. When she stepped down as leader of Alberta's NDP about a year ago, she said she considers herself a federal New Democrat, and she has no intention of running for any party at the federal level. She also doesn't speak French. Jonathan Young in Brussels, Belgium. Two things stood out to me on Monday.

Justin Trudeau cited internal conflicts as the reason he was stepping down, blaming others, taking no personal responsibility for his downfall. Two, Trudeau is a self-described fighter, a winner. He won three elections. He's not used to losing. I would argue that part of his stepping down was to avoid a loss to Pierre Polyev. In Trudeau's mind, at least, his legacy will be that he never lost an election. It'll also be that he kind of got run out of town by his own caucus.

Brian Miller in Montreal. As the airwaves, social feeds, and podcasts flood with laypeople and professional pundits pontificating with supreme confidence on everything Justin Trudeau did wrong, my mind moves to Theodore Roosevelt's famous speech and professional pundits pontificating with supreme confidence on everything, Justin Trudeau did wrong, my mind moves to Theodore Roosevelt's famous speech, The Man in the Arena.

Just so you know what we're talking about here, the speech was delivered in Paris in 1910, after Roosevelt's time as president. Brian included a long passage to the speech, but I'll read just a wee bit. It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done

better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood. That was the speech. So Brian Miller in Montreal goes on. So approach Prime Minister Trudeau and his family at the foot of a ski

hill and tell him to get the F out of BC and film the whole thing. That's what happened. Or write an authoritative opinion piece in the Globe and Mail about how history will not judge just and kindly. There will be many of those.

They're all small people, and so am I. Few of us know what it's like to run for election. Fewer know how to inspire others across the country to join, to build a coalition of voters, and set out to accomplish things. Even fewer know the strain and sacrifice to toil for years in the face of an unending parade of challenges and accomplish some things, then fail at others. Almost none of us will make mistakes.

They get public airing 24 hours a day and make concessions and compromises that cost you allies, friends, and family. Yep, Brian, you got that right. John Mullen in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. John writes this. I was with you all along. Donald Trump wasn't joking about the 51st state thing,

and our sovereignty is the biggest threat to his presidency. His playbook, like so many tyrants before him, is, one, make a comment or a joke about something. Two, normalize the something with his supporters to gin up the mob. Three, make the tone nasty when it doesn't materialize his way. Four, turn the target into a bad guy somehow to justify a bad action, whatever that may be. It is truly disheartening to lose a friend, and a Trump government is no friend of Canada. It's that simple.

Clinton DeVoe, or Devo, sorry, Clinton DeVoe, he splits time between Cal Bay, Nova Scotia, and Ottawa. Donald Trump on his social media channel said, if Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no tariffs. Does that sound like a strategic adversary or a strategic ally to you? We can only exist as the 51st state or we face 25% tariffs. Even more disturbing was not a single federal party leader responded to it. I worry about the future of Canada as so many seem prepared to sell us out. Clinton wrote that before Trudeau posted on X, I think it was Tuesday, there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.

I think an awful lot of people feel that way too. But that hasn't stopped Trump. And it hasn't stopped some people who consider at least part of their past being Canadian. And they've saddled up to him and sucked up to him and agreed with the Donald Trump position. And you've got to believe that the random ranter is sitting out there going, I want to talk about this. Let me rant. Well, we're going to let him do that.

We're going to let him do that, absolutely. Absolutely. But first, we're going to hear this break. And welcome back. You're listening to Good Talk. No, you're not. You're listening to The Bridge, the Thursday episode. And it's good talk from you on your turn.

And we've heard lots of comments already and there are lots more to come, but we're taking our mid your turn break to hear from the random ranter. And the random ranter is wound up about Donald Trump. So let's get right at it. Here he is. The random ranter. Is there anyone out there still thinking trump is just joking about annexing canada i can't tell you how much my blood boiled and continues to boil on this i thought i could maybe sleep off the anger but instead i woke up this morning with a better appreciation of what it must feel like to be a ukrainian or that matter, E. Jean Carroll. For me, the fact that Americans willfully elected such an ignorant buffoon is more than enough reason

to reject any notion of a closer relationship with them, never mind becoming the 51st state. But we really don't need any reasons, because it's never been and never will be something we would choose or even consider. It's a non-option. For better or worse, blue, red, or orange, we're Canadians and damn proud of it. We're far from perfect, but there's a lot of things we're not. And super high on that list is Americans. Our default setting might be sorry, but that's one thing the overwhelming majority of us will never be sorry for. Now, I say the overwhelming majority because not all of us feel that way. There are some traitorous Canadians who embrace the thought of joining the U.S. None more prominent than that quizzling Kevin O'Leary.

I'm sure his fragile ego is still hurting from being overwhelmingly rejected by conservatives during his brief run at federal politics. But that's no excuse to betray your country. But can he even say Canada is his country? I mean, in addition to his Canadian passport, the guy is packing passports from Ireland and of all places, the United Arab Emirates. He lives full time in the US and has for years. Self-anointing yourself as Mr. Wonderful, that's about as un-Canadian as it comes. So as far as I'm concerned, he's just another arrogant,

self-interested millionaire, allergic to environmental regulations and taxes, willing to sink to whatever lows will let him keep his grubby little hands on as much of his loot as possible. And you know, when you're talking loot and tiny hands, there's only one place in the world for you. So is it any surprise that O'Leary lives in Florida? Maybe he should just stay there. I'm sure the boaters in Muskoka would appreciate it. Now look, as bad as it is to be subjected to such utter disrespect by our closest neighbor, there are some real positives to this. First and foremost is Trump's transparency. There's not much that's open to interpretation with him.

And for those of you out there who are choosing not to take his words at face value, I'll say this. Hope is something that's great to have, but it's not a plan. In my books, the plan looks something like this. We need to assume that NATO is doomed and start acting accordingly Trump is proposing land grabs on two NATO allies So we have to assume that NATO, as we know it, is dead And even if it survives in name, there's no way we can rely on Trump's America to honor it Or, for that matter, any other international treaty

Under Trump, there is no solid ground there are no givens and the goal posts will continue to change our sovereignty is in peril and trump's america will no doubt see fit to erode it given the opportunity especially in the north on the tariff front Trump has clearly indicated that we have nothing America needs. And you know what? For the most part, he's right. America could be self-sufficient in energy. They could build all their own cars. They could provide their own lumber and so on and so forth. But they couldn't do it tomorrow or even next year or even during his term. Untangling our integrated economies would not be easy and it would not come cheap. It would take years and years to move production,

establish new supply lines and replace all our energy. You can't just flick a switch and have it magically happen. So in the short term, we have an opportunity to make it really hurt. And that's exactly what we need to do. If Trump is looking for a fight come January 20th, he's thankfully doing it all the wrong way. I mean, America might be a lot bigger, but if they think we can't punch back, then they will be sorely mistaken. Because if they want to drop the gloves with Canadians, they will not come out unscathed. And pretty much any Canadian hockey player besides Governor Gretzky could have told them so. Of course, the Americans just won the junior hockey,

and they're in pretty good shape going into this four nations cup too but hey hockey isn't everything sometimes we think it is um okay let's keep going on this because uh well i i think there's probably you know a lot of support for what the ranter just said. There are those who feel differently. Now, I think they're the minority in Canada. Every poll you see shows, I don't know, an 80-20 split or a 70-30 split on this question of becoming the 51st state. But Alex Texas from Fraser Heights, BC writes,

51st state, I encourage you to ask for input about this matter from your listeners who are recent immigrants. Nearly everyone who's an immigrant, with whom I've had a chance to discuss this subject, with over the holidays, shares my sentiment. This is a real movement. If one-for-one passports were offered, many recent immigrants would take the U.S. passport.

Well, that's a totally unscientific survey, but it might be worth asking that question. Percy Phillips in Portage Prairie, Manitoba. I'm a Canadian who believes this is a great country, but has been run for the last decade by idiots. I have a great uncle buried in France who died during World War I as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. I also have a great great uncle buried in the military cemetery outside of Nashville. He fought as an American in the Union Army. The family emigrated to Canada 120 years ago, homesteading in the West. Given the choice between a continuation of the current Liberal government and their policies

and remaining a Canadian or becoming an American citizen, you might be surprised how many would take the offer. Well, I think I would be surprised, as I said, given all the recent data I've seen on this. But it'll be interesting. I'm sure there are new questions

being asked of Canadians right now on this. Joanne Stevens in Vancouver. Annex Canada, buy Greenland, take over the Panama Canal, bomb the drug dealers in Mexico, change the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Mr. Trump assures us that this can all happen in defense of the free world. Maybe the free world needs defending from him. Frank Wang in Surrey, B.C.

There's one uncomfortable truth that few in this country are willing to admit. The United States is not our friend. With the increased rhetoric on tariffs and annexation this week, we once again see just how our close reliance on the U.S. makes them more of a threat than a partner. Canada is a lot like a glorified banana republic right now, with the majority of our exports being something that either grows out of the ground or dug out of the ground. These exports are sold cheaply to our neighbors down south, with our weak dollar who then graciously makes them into manufactured goods

and sells them back to us using a much higher U.S. dollar. Many of our larger companies have either relocated to the U.S. or been bought out by American companies. Meanwhile, the biggest U.S. companies like Google and Meta easily shrug us off when we tell them to abide by our rules. We're exposed to an ungodly amount of American culture through social media, TV, film, podcasts, and it slowly erodes our own.

We're growing our podcast. We've imported so much. I'm not disagreeing with what you just said. We've imported so much toxic American-style politics, sometimes it's hard to tell if I'm watching C-SPAN or CPAC. What Canada should do is to strategically diversify our partners economically and culturally. Trade more with the EU. Play China and the U.S. off each other to compete for better deals. Find our niche in Korea, Japan, and other nations.

Diversify, diversify, diversify. Got it, Frank. And I see China has already made that move overnight, saying, you know, we can have a better trade arrangement between Canada and China if you want to do that. Debbie Werner in Cherryville, B.C. That's northeast of Kelowna. My hope is that Mark Carney and all members of the Liberal Party

listen to Tuesday's Good Talk and that Mr. Carney is our next Prime Minister. Barry Hoffman in Burlington, Ontario. I can't understand why in this country of huge water reserves the Government of Canada can't resolve the long-standing boil water advisories on First Nations. Here, we get a letter that brings it down to the reality of what's happening in parts of Canada right now. In a First World country, it's a sad state of affairs. Sure is. Hopefully, after all the Baroque nonsense is finished,

the parties will reintroduce Bill C-61, stalled at second reading, and get her done. Bill C-61 recognized safe drinking water is a basic human right for all First Nations, set water quality standards on reserves, and protected the sources of water flowing on a First Nations lands. It dies with prorogation. There are 32 long-term drinking water advisories on 30 reserves right now. Now, that's much better than it used to be. It was almost up to 200 10 years ago.

But still, 32 still exist. Sarah McDonald in Toronto. Justin Trudeau's choice to hold his resignation news conference in front of Rideau Cottage predictably brought back memories of the pandemic and those daily news conferences. What a time it was. Monday's image of him standing up there reminded me that as a country, we did pretty well throughout those early days when no one knew what to do, when we waited for vaccines, and then mostly we all went out to get them,

when we dutifully stayed home and masked up with the greater good in mind. We had a solid leader in Mr. Trudeau during that time, and although his image has been tarnished, history should remember the pandemic years as a particularly strong time in his tenure as PM. Laurie Fair in Mill Bay, British Columbia. That's on Vancouver Island. I'm an exhausted 64-year-old voter and quite frankly a complete cynic in regard to whomever is in power.

How can we get Canadian politicians and parties back to working together for the people of this great nation? John Minchell in Comox Valley, BC. What's on my mind is that I cannot fathom why anyone would want to be the winner of the liberal leadership campaign at this time. With an election pretty much guaranteed to come as soon as Parliament gets back in March, whoever gets the leadership this time is likely to be extremely short-lived. It reminds me of the resignation of Brian Mulroney in the 80s in his replacement with Kim Campbell. What was the result of that? Going

from a majority government to two seats. Anyone with any common sense should hold off getting into the race now and wait until the next election or afterwards. They would be much more likely to have a chance to become a substantial liberal leader at that stage. That may be exactly what some of them are thinking, John. Derek Dillabo in Ottawa. Try as I may, I cannot see even a tiny morsel of appeal to Donald Trump. Even if I look past the perpetual lies and criminal behavior, the sexual assaults and bullying on the selfish Bible steak sneaker selling grifting. And if I pretend that the January 6th spectacle on the deaths and destruction it

caused was a fantasy, if I get past all that and more and squint really, really hard at the man himself, I see nothing. No redeeming quality whatsoever. No intelligence, wisdom, compassion, decency, or probity. He's not just a zero, but a massive corrosive negative. To not recognize the supposed mystical greatness of this man must truly make me an idiot. What am I missing? Or maybe a better question, how could so many people from Wayne Gretzky to Elon Musk, fall for this guy?

Garth Wilson in Bowmanville, Ontario. Justin Trudeau did need to resign. Unfortunately for our country, it may prove to be too late. But maybe we have the opportunity to get a new voice for the nation we desperately need. Trudeau did an admirable job as a leader that should not be forgotten in very difficult times. He provided leadership roles to strong women in government, but nine years is a long time in that role.

The Liberal Party has an opportunity to provide a leadership choice for all Canadians, someone well-versed in finance and foreign policy who has the ability to unite not just Liberals, but all Canadians, someone well-versed in finance and foreign policy, who has the ability to unite not just Liberals, but all Canadians, and work collaboratively with strong personalities at the provincial level to provide one clear, united voice that is desperately needed. Polly Evans-Singh's lack of humility and statesmanship, even responding to the resignation and being able to acknowledge Trudeau's service again, spoke volumes to me about their character as leaders. Poliev is by no means a popular

leadership choice. I believe he is just the other option. But he is still stuck on a carbon tax election and winning when a real PM-in-waiting should recognize the threat to our country and democracy is the upcoming administration south of the border. We desperately need the next PM to see his or her job as uniting all Canadians with one strong voice to protect and defend the beauty of Canada, not politicians that are just wanting the top job on their resume. Matthew Sklarczyk in Vernon, B. BC. I'm glad Trudeau is gone, and I look forward

to what is most likely a majority conservative government led by Pierre Poliev. Simply put, they align more with my values. However, I'm concerned with the state of the opposition. Politically, the left side of the aisle is in complete destruction. The liberals are rudderless and the NDP struggle to find an identity. Their support nationally has been reduced to a flicker and this does concern me. The beauty of our system is the progress of liberalism constrained by the discipline of conservatism. It's important that a strong opposition hold Pierre Polyev to his promises he makes to the people.

Power is an addicting tonic, and time and time again, we've seen it break even the straightest arrows. I believe Pierre Polyev is the right person for the job right now, but we need a strong opposition to keep the train on the rails no matter who is in power. Don Dufour in Ottawa. Thank you for stepping down, Prime Minister Trudeau. Better late than never. Never would have meant a certain conservative win in the upcoming election led by Polyev. Late means the Liberal Party has a chance to elect a new leader and head into the election, giving Polyev the competition he really didn't want, and thankfully a chance to give Canadians

a viable alternative. Respectfully, Jagmeet Singh will be left in the electoral dust. Derek Forsyth in Edmonton. What has been on my mind this past week has been a saying I first heard as a teenager and has stayed with me over the ensuing five decades. That saying is, the easiest job in the world is to sit back and chuck stuff. Stuff is not the original word, but this is a G-rated podcast. Yes, it is. Most of the time. Pierre Polyev has done a masterful job in painting Trudeau and the liberals into a frame of arrogance and incompetence.

What he has not done is presented his vision for the country and what steps he would take when and if elected Prime Minister. To improve conditions for Canadians, it appears that to date his focus was making himself look better by demeaning or diminishing his opponents, generally via the use of simple slogans, stunts, and flooding the social media platforms with anti-government, anti-Trudeau messaging. Well, maybe, but it's worked. But at some point, he is going to have to demonstrate he can transition from attack dog and actually lead.

That's what campaigns are for. And one assumes that's what Canadians will be looking for during a campaign, right? Anyway, Derry concludes, until that happens, I, as a lifelong conservative, won't be considering the CPC as a viable replacement to the Liberal government. Kathy Mathers in Waterloo, Ontario. I consider myself politically as a fiscally conservative, socially liberal centrist. Polls show that there are many, many Canadians who also consider themselves centrist. That's basically the story

of our country, right? Why then is there no centrist party anymore in Canada? In recent years, both the liberals and conservatives have become more aligned with their fringe memberships. We are left with no one to vote for. Why has this happened? Watch carefully over these next couple of months. I think you're going to see certainly with the two old line parties,

both trying to move closer to the center from where they are. It's a different travel path for both of them. But watch that. Joe Stover in Churchill, Manitoba. Joe's a friend. And Churchill, of course, is where my career started almost 60 years ago now.

Joe writes, I'm disappointed but not surprised that Mr. Polyev did not wish the Prime Minister well after Monday's announcement. I'm more disappointed that Mr. Singh followed suit. We need our political leaders in Canada to remember that even though we don't have to agree with our political opponents, the benchmark should always be that we respect them

as they want the same thing you do, what is best for Canada. Shale Palliwell in Ottawa. Canadians should be showing more appreciation for Justin Trudeau's leadership during his time as Prime Minister. I'm kind of surprised. There's a recognition on the part of most people, including liberals, who have written in that it was time for Trudeau to go, but there have also been a fair number of people trying to point out

some of the things that actually did go right during Trudeau's time in leadership as far as they're concerned. And Shale writes, I'm appreciative of the way he and the Canadian government handled the COVID-19 pandemic. On a pro rata basis, COVID-related deaths in Canada were a fraction of what they were in the U.S.

That is true. Every Western country, and keep in mind that's on a per capita basis, right? Pro rated. Every Western country spent public money to help their citizens cope with COVID-19. Every Western country suffered from inflation as a fallout from COVID impacting global supply chains. Trudeau didn't cause inflation. There are countless other good things Trudeau did while in office, and we should remember those as well.

Got a couple more left here. Rachel Evans in Alliston, Ontario. Actually, she lives in Alliston, but she's currently in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Oh, it's a tough life. Rachel writes, what's occupying my mind is the marriage of the world's most powerful man with the world's richest man at a time when artificial intelligence is poised to rapidly develop at a rate and in a capacity that is unclear at this time the implications for canada and the world

make this the most dangerous period of my lifetime. Canada's vulnerability is clearly compounded by our rudderless state and prospect of an inexperienced prime minister, like the rest of the world by the morally bankrupt narcissistic approach to governance and foreign policy of the president-elect and his circle. The morass of Trump's dangerously unqualified cabinet picks, his willingness to use unprecedented intimidation tactics at home and abroad, the global rise of extremism, and ind in holding elected officials accountable, and in persuading them to act in good conscience, the imminent arrival of more deceptive forms of artificial intelligence is terrifying. In the hands of bad actors like Trump and his wealthy tech bride, I fear the very worst. I hope I'm wrong. Kevin Hovdebo in Kinestino, Saskatchewan. That's in the provinces, north central area. I'm utterly disgusted with the selfishness of Justin Trudeau proroguing Parliament just before Trump takes office with looming tariffs.

And I hope the remaining liberals and their new leader get absolutely decimated in the next election for enabling Trudeau to carry on for this long. God help us all through the insanity that is about to unfold between us and Trump. All right, then. I'll bet you've all noticed that there's one person we haven't heard from yet.

But here's her letter. It gets the last word this week. Marilyn Wallace from Fanny Bay, British Columbia. Happy New Year does not define 2025 so far. What's on my mind are swirling emotions that swing from anger to apprehension to sadness. I'm angry that Canada has now left without a functioning government for the near future.

And just when we need one most. I'm apprehensive about the unpredictability of the American tariffs and truly horrified when I hear the words 51st state. But I'm also sad. The 10-year public service of a prime minister who brought us the concept of sunny ways and led us through the COVID crisis, better than many other leaders, is ending with vitriol and condemnation. Oh, Canada, where are we headed?

Well, that is the unanswered question at this hour, isn't it? Where are we headed? Where are we headed politically? The governing party of the day is in a shambles and without a leader. What are they going to do? And whoever it is, where are we headed? The opposition, it seems like they've got their game together at the moment. We have a clear indication of where are we headed with them.

And then we have our neighbors to the south. Our greatest friends. Our best allies. Sure, we have ties to Britain and elsewhere, but the Americans are the Americans. They're right there. We reach out and touch them. So many of us go there on our holidays.

So many of them come here on their holidays. And here we are suddenly in a discussion led by you-know-who about the 51st state. I warned you as soon as he started, this is not a joke. He's serious, or he wants to be serious on this. And look at him with his maps and his Greenland and the Panama Canal and the Gulf of America, although I'll give him this. Gulf of America, he can actually do that. The Brits renamed the German Sea the North Sea during World War I.

And you'll still find on some maps it's still Germania Sea or German Sea. So you can probably do that. Gulf of America. At least for Americans to call it that. Where are we headed? The poet of Fannie B.C. has it right again. Thanks to all of you for your letters this week.

And thanks to the many others that came in as well that we just didn't have time for. We'll come up, we'll dream up another question for next week. Tomorrow it's our second good talk of the week. There was a special one, as you know, earlier this week right after the resignation. And tomorrow we'll try to tie a ribbon on the week. Try and answer that question of where are we headed. At least where are the liberals headed.

We'll take a run at that tomorrow with Chantel and Bruce. Thanks so much for listening today. Looking forward to talking with you again tomorrow.