The Buzz Dec 21st 2024: Unpacking a Chaotic Week in Ottawa

The Buzz Dec 21st 2024: Unpacking a Chaotic Week in Ottawa

Welcome to the weekend and welcome to The Buzz … our last episode before Christmas and the first night of Chanukah, which both fall on the same day this year and that doesn’t happen too often. So, enjoy.

I get a lot of mail, all of which I enjoy, even the ones I don’t agree with. And yes, there are always a few of those! My favourite this week though, came from Lorne Finlayson of Cumberland, BC. Lorne reminded me of a bit of Canadian history that I’d clearly forgotten. At a time when many of us who consider ourselves keen observers of the political scene were perhaps overusing the phrase “unlike anything we’ve ever seen before” to describe the craziness of the last week around Ottawa, Lorne set us straight. (Yes, I know, that was a really long sentence).

Dial your mind back to 1963, for those of you who are old enough to do that or wise enough to pick up a history book of that time period. John Diefenbaker was the prime minister, and his government was in a chaotic mess over the question of basing nuclear weapons on Canadian soil. Some of his cabinet ministers wanted the nukes, others did not. And that “others” column was led by the Chief himself. Dief felt he was being pushed by John F. Kennedy in the White House, and that the pressure was not subtle.

Diefenbaker vacillated as some of his caucus sided with Kennedy. Things got so bad that his defence minister, a fellow by the name of Douglas Harkness, resigned from Cabinet. In those days, at the height of the Cold War, the defence minister carried enormous influence, not unlike the finance minister. It was a minority Parliament (sound familiar?) and Dief feared the government could fall. So, instead, he visited the GG and called an election himself. Voting was on April the 8th of that year and it marked the end of John Diefenbaker’s six-year run as prime minister.

As Lorne concludes in his letter to me:

“I see so many parallels: a Prime Minister who should have left but refused, major cabinet ministers resigning, probably American meddling in our affairs, a split caucus and disaffected Cabinet members. Yes, this has all happened before.”

Thanks, Lorne. Wait ‘til I tell Chantal!

And postscript: the newly elected Lester Pearson government, which in opposition had been in favour of the nuclear option, changed their mind and didn’t accept nuclear weapons, and nor has any Canadian government since.

So, where are we after all the happenings of the past week in Ottawa?

So where are we after all the happenings of the past week in Ottawa? Shuffles, intrigue, back stabbings, front stabbings, Jagmeet Singh threats, Pierre Poilievre demands, scathing letters and awkward holiday parties?

The shuffle of a dozen ministers was supposed to be the headline of the day Friday but it was all but forgotten by early afternoon as other actions took centre stage. Here’s how cbc.ca played it:

Poilievre says House should be recalled as NDP vows to vote down Liberal government Read >

Pretty much every opinion writer in the country has had a go at this for the past seven days.

This might be my favourite though because in my view the Globe’s Andrew Coyne gets right to the salient point. Prime ministers have too much power, writes Andrew, far too much:

🔒 The problem isn’t Trudeau; it’s that prime ministers have too much power Read >

So, the old Troller in Chief south of the border kept trying to stick the knife into Trudeau and Canada through another week.

Word is he’s so happy that Chrystia Freeland has gone from Cabinet. Why? You just might love this piece from my former CBC colleague Carol Off writing for the Toronto Star:

🔒 There’s one good reason Donald Trump is happy to see Chrystia Freeland go Read >

Lots more on all this on our YouTube versions of Good Talk, (there were two yesterday) available at nationalnewswatch.com. Chantal and Bruce are playing their A game on this story.

Okay enough on politics. Let’s go local.

What do you want to know about your neighbours when you are considering a move into a new neighbourhood? Age ranges? Children? Friendliness? All of those are understandable. How about how they vote?

Well get ready, that may be coming from a realtor near you:

Real Estate Platform To Show Neighborhoods' Political Leanings To Prospective Homebuyers Read >

That story I told you about earlier concerning nuclear weapons reminded me of something else from the sixties.

It wasn’t unusual to hear of a neighbour considering, or even following through on the idea, of building a bunker in their backyard to protect them and their family from a nuclear attack.

Ahh but that was a long time ago. Yes, it was. But guess what’s back?

Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite expert warnings they aren’t going to provide protection Read >

The Buzz will keep on buzzing through the holidays, so your Saturday mornings will still be the same. Have a great next few weeks before we all climb into a new year. Take care and we’ll gather again in seven days.

The Buzz is a weekly publication from National Newswatch that shares insights and commentary on the week’s developments in politics, news and current affairs.