Prime Minister Justin Trudeau started a three-day cabinet retreat in Halifax on Sunday. The themes are fairness and Canada-U.S. relations, but there is a sense of déjà vu.
A year ago in Charlottetown, the cabinet hoped the annual post-summer retreat and the big cabinet shuffle would rejuvenate the Liberal government. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Trudeau and his team are far behind the Conservatives in the polls. The next election is around the corner, making it harder for them to recover. While interest rates and inflation have improved, housing costs and availability remain a challenge. Food prices are high, and the Liberals struggle to counter Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s message that life has become more expensive and unsafe under Trudeau’s leadership.
The Liberals lost a long-held Toronto seat to the Conservatives in June, shaking the party’s confidence in a comeback. The cabinet briefly met online over the summer for appointments, but the in-person meeting at the retreat will be their first since the byelection.
Marci Surkes, a chief strategy officer, believes this retreat needs to be a reset for the government. The focus should be on responding to changes quickly, rather than planning out the next year before the vote.
In July 2023, a significant cabinet shuffle occurred, with seven ministers replaced and others shifted. Minor changes have happened since, and Trudeau has not shuffled the cabinet again.
The fallout from the 2023 shuffle is still felt, impacting byelections. Former ministers Carolyn Bennett and David Lametti leaving politics led to losses for the Liberals. Bennett’s seat was lost to the Conservatives, and Lametti’s might be taken by the NDP.
Although the retreat’s agenda is less interesting than the politics, discussions are scheduled for Monday on housing, fairness, affordability, and the middle class. Tuesday’s focus is on Canada-U.S. relations.
The speculated future of Trudeau has long been a topic in Canadian politics, but he has not hinted at leaving. While the Democrats’ energy surge from Biden’s decision might influence techniques in Canadian politics, a significant shift in leadership is uncertain.
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