Foes of the prime minister are rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of this term being his last, as the scandal enveloping the Trudeau government continues to develop, and on the very day that Parliament resumed sitting, a huge convoy of trucks and protesters formed up in front of the Parliament Buildings.
Weyburn has two representatives in the convoy of trucks, as Jerry Mainil Ltd. and farmer Terry Benning each had a truck drive across Canada to take part in the protest rally on Tuesday and today, Feb. 20, to press their requests for help for the oil and gas industry in Western Canada, particularly for pipelines to be built.
Also on the weekend was the pro-resource rally in Moosomin, which had the leader of the Opposition, Andrew Scheer, Premier Scott Moe and the premier of New Brunswick, among others, on hand to protest the treatment of the oil industry and the need for more pipelines.
These protests are all mounting while Trudeau is trying to deal with the storm of controversy around the SNC-Lavalin affair, which picked up steam first when the former justice minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould, resigned, and then over the weekend, Trudeau’s top-level advisor, principal secretary Gerald Butts, resigned, both not saying publicly yet why they’ve stepped down.
Some pundits feel that the political world is waiting to hear some statement from Wilson-Raybould, and with Butts stepping down from his position in the PMO, he would then be free to respond to whatever she says.
While the rally is not really connected to the SNC-Lavalin controversy, it seems to be a convergence of problems for the Trudeau administration, and they aren’t really dealing with either one very well.
What all of this shows is there are a great many angry, frustrated people across Canada. If the ruling Liberals don’t do anything, either to address the needs and concerns of the oil industry, or to address the very real concerns being raised about the SNC-Lavalin issue, they are going to be paying a very heavy price come election time this fall.
The concerns of the oil industry have been voiced loudly for a long time now, and rallies and protests are only going to continue until there are some answers, or until there’s a different government in place. This industry is a major contributor to Canada’s economy, and it’s not just hurting people in western Canada, but the entire country. The voices that were ringing out here, and in front of Parliament, need to be listened to.
