This week, two transfers of power took place in North America. One involved direct, real power, while the other was more symbolic.
As my colleague Catherine Porter reports, the swearing-in of Joseph R. Biden Jr. is often expected. as President of the United States on Wednesday will bring a recovery to US and Canadian relations after a turbulent four years under former President Donald J. Trump.
[Read: Justin Trudeau Gets Call From Biden as Canada and U.S. Mend Relations]
While many Canadians felt a heavy relief at the transfer of power, not everyone was excited about the handover, including Jason Kenney, Prime Minister of Alberta. As was generally expected, one of the first attempts of Mr. Pray to kill the Keystone XL pipeline that had to connect Alberta’s oil sands and eventually refineries on the Gulf Coast with a thirsty appetite for the heavy crude oil they produce.
[Read: Biden to Cancel Keystone XL Pipeline in Inauguration Day Executive Order]
Mr. Kenney has vowed to continue fighting for Keystone XL, which kept its government alive last year through investment and loan guarantees worth just over 7 billion Canadian dollars. He also demanded that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau follow in the footsteps of Mr. Trump must effectively emulate and use trade sanctions in retaliation for the actions of Mr. But several people I interviewed with this week said there was probably no legal or trade channel that could reverse the new president’s decision.
[Read: Keystone Rejection Tests Trudeau’s Balancing Act on Climate and Energy]
But unlike mr. Biden’s pipeline action, did not foresee that Governor-General Julie Payette would retire this week. We will probably never know the exact reasons for her sudden departure, although this was clearly caused by an independent human resource assessment which, based on what Mr. Trudeau and others vaguely indicated, suggested that she and her top assistant were one of Canada’s worst bosses.
[Read: Canada’s Governor General Resigns Amid Reports of a Toxic Workplace]
With reference to privacy reasons, the government is not announcing the review. But for months, Ashley Burke of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has been delivering a steady stream of horror stories from Rideau Hall, the Governor – General’s official residence and workplace. Other reports question a number of the actions of Mrs. Payette since she, a former astronaut, took office in 2017, giving the impression that she has a bad case of remorse over the fact that she became the Head of State of Canada as a representative of Queen Elizabeth II.
While Mr. Trudeau can not be blamed for the way Mrs. Payette acted as soon as she was in office, it was clear his call to place her there.
Barbara Messamore, a professor of history at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia and author of the definitive book on the development of the system of government in Canada, was one of the many people who told me that Mr. Trudeau was possibly spared. a likely awkward call with the Queen on Friday when he in 2017 continued to use a non-party advisory panel to select her Canadian stand-in. The system was introduced by Stephen Harper, his conservative predecessor.
Since Mr. Trudeau has set up a similar advisory panel to choose who he wants to appoint in the Senate, his decision is to return to the old way of keeping the election of the governor-general largely within his office.
On Friday, Mr. Trudeau acknowledges what appears to be: “The investigation process that followed has been followed, but of course we will also look at ways in which we can strengthen and improve the high-level appointment review process.”
However, he was less concerned when it came to questions about whether the investigative process, such as journalists, discovered that allegations of abusive behavior by Ms. Payette has risen up elsewhere. And Mr. Trudeau offered little when asked if he ignored any warnings from the process.
“This is the most senior appointment in Canada,” Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history at the University of Toronto, told me. “The blame really lies with the prime minister. This is really something he should wear. ”
Some people, including Professor Bothwell, have told me that they hope that the departure of me. Payette could finally make the minds of Canadians reconsider the role of British princes in Canada.
For the sake of background, Frank Graves, president of the polling station EKOS Research, said his surveys show that the monarch is now a ‘modest source of national identity that has declined over the past few decades.’
Professor Messamore said that, despite the current mess in Rideau Hall, “there is an important reason for the office.” She said Canada was enjoying stability by separating its head of state, the queen via the governor-general, from the political prime minister, the prime minister. Whether a monarch in London is needed to achieve the goal is an open question.
It seems unlikely that, while Queen Elizabeth is still alive, there will be great interest in embarking on reforms that require the powerful task of getting the agreement of all ten provinces. But Professor Bothwell said that if the queen died or retired, “I think no one knows what we are going to do.”
Trans Canada
-
When 17-year-old Robert Waldner got lost during the snowmobiles on Mica Mountain in central British Columbia, reports Dan Bilefsky, he did not panic, he dug.
-
The fashion mogul Winnipeg, Peter Nygard, introduced himself as a multimillionaire and modern Juan Ponce de León, who found the fountain of youth. Catherine Porter reports that Mr. Nygard, as he is now seeking bail in a court in Winnipeg while awaiting trial for possible extradition to the United States as old, sick, broken, lonely and likely to die in prison.
Ian Austen, born in Windsor, Ontario, was educated in Toronto, lives in Ottawa and has been reporting on Canada for The New York Times for the past 16 years. Follow him on Twitter at @ianrausten.
How are we?
We are eager to discuss your thoughts on this newsletter and events in general in Canada. Send it to [email protected].
Do you like this email?
Send it to your friends and let them know they can sign up here.