Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has blamed others for his own mistakes on numerous occasions. As True North outlined in its latest research report, Trudeau has blamed Conservatives 138 different times instead of answering direct questions during question period.
While conservatives are Trudeau’s most frequent target, Trudeau has pointed the finger at many others.
Among those blamed for his shortfalls are members of his cabinet, leaders of allied countries and provincial premiers.
Here is a list of five more people Trudeau has blamed for his own problems.
1.Scott Brison is the reason Jody Wilson-Raybould was demoted
When Scott Brison resigned from his cabinet position as President of the Treasury Board and then as an MP altogether, Trudeau pointed to him as the reason behind his decision to demote the first Indigenous Attorney General and Justice Minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould from her position.
“If Scott Brison had not stepped down suddenly, there would not have been a cabinet shuffle and Jody Wilson-Raybould would still be Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada,” said Trudeau about the decision.
Other cabinet members like Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland were not shuffled out of their posting.
Critics argue the real reason Trudeau decided to give Wilson-Raybould the boot was because she was unwilling to play ball with the political pressure inflicted by the Prime Minister’s Office to give SNC-Lavalin an easy way out of their corruption and bribery charges while she was the country’s top lawyer.
2. Claiming the Indian government was responsible for inviting Jaspal Atwal
The India trip was disastrous for Trudeau’s reputation. Yet, despite the fact that inquiries show that a Liberal MP was responsible for inviting convicted Khalistani extremist Jaspal Atwal to official events, including a state dinner, Trudeau stood by comments made by his own staff which allegedly accused the Indian government of sabotaging his trip to the country.
Shortly after the Canadian public discovered that a man convicted of attempting to murder a Punjab minister was invited to several Canadian government events in India, Trudeau stood by his office’s claims that factions within the country’s government were responsible for the incident.
“Our professional non-partisan service does high quality work, and when one of our top diplomats and security officials says something to Canadians it’s because they know it to be true,” said Trudeau.
Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer called the claim a “conspiracy theory” at the time and the theory was eventually debunked after it was discovered that Liberal MP Randeep Sarai was responsible for the invitation and not the Indian government as Trudeau’s office claimed.
3. Stephen Harper was responsible for prosecuting Vice Admiral Mark Norman
Following the SNC-Lavalin affair, Justin Trudeau had to answer for the prosecution of Vice Admiral Mark Norman, whom the Liberal government accused of breach of trust charges which were eventually dismissed by federal prosecutors.
Despite the fact that his government hid documents, prevented evidence from being accessible and were accused once again of political interference in the case, Trudeau decided to blame Stephen Harper for the entire situation.
Ultimately, Norman would receive no apology from the prime minister, despite the ordeal and ultimately denied his former position in the military.
4. Blamed Doug Ford for failed infrastructure promises
After running on a platform which promised vast infrastructure investment, Trudeau’s promises faltered once the province of Ontario asked the government to pitch in for transit in the province.
Trudeau accused the Ontario government of “dragging its feet” after they asked for the federal government to contribute towards a $28.5 billion transit project.
Sources claim that when the announcement was made by the Ford government, not a single federal representative was present to cheer it on.
5. Jody Wilson-Raybould is at fault for the SNC-Lavalin controversy
In the midst of the Liberal government’s SNC-Lavalin political interference disaster Trudeau put the blame on former Justice Minister Wilson-Raybould for an “erosion of trust” between them.
Even Trudeau’s former principal secretary at the time, Gerald Butts, echoed his sentiment when he said that “two people can experience the same event differently,” and that Wilson-Raybould was simply not aware of the normal processes of government.
According to the prime minister, Wilson-Raybould never came to him with her concerns, despite the fact that testimony and evidence show that she in fact readily brought her issues to his office on several occasions.
Ultimately, Trudeau’s actions in the matter led to the ejection of several MPs from his caucus, including Wilson-Raybould herself.
