Taking Out the Trash
Exposing Liberal coverups on foreign interference, McKinsey, & more
On March 24th, President Biden came to Ottawa to address Parliament. My current seat in the House is only a few feet from where visiting dignitaries deliver their addresses. I applauded particularly vigorously when he took a shot at the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But with all the attention focused on the U.S. President, the day was also an opportunity for the Liberals to “take out the trash” on a few of their long running scandals. This is a typical strategy in political communications.
When there is a major event going on that will inevitably top the news and absorb most available bandwidth for public attention, a government may try to take advantage of that distraction to release “bad news” that they do not actually want people to see. It is always interesting to have a look at what other press releases the government is putting out at times like these.
THE $6000/NIGHT HOTEL ROOM
First, the government admitted that the Prime Minister and his wife stayed in a taxpayer-funded, $6000/night hotel room in London during the Queen’s funeral.
While in opposition, Justin Trudeau had called on a Conservative cabinet minister to resign over a $17 glass of orange juice she purchased in London. His hypocrisy is on full display now as he looks to bury criticism over his own $6000/night accommodations.
Conservatives have repeatedly asked who stayed in that expensive room and Trudeau has repeatedly refused to answer. His government finally decided to release this information, but only under the cover of Joe Biden’s visit.
“RULES NOT FOLLOWED” IN LIBERAL-MCKINSEY DEALINGS
On the same day, the government revealed that not all rules were followed in the awarding of contracts to McKinsey and Company. McKinsey has received over $100 million in contracts from the Liberal government, some of which were awarded while the head of the government’s “growth council” Dominic Barton was also the Managing Partner at McKinsey.
I had the opportunity to question a McKinsey executive on this revelation last week at the Government Operations committee. Watch these exchanges below:
For more details regarding the Liberal-McKinsey scandal — close relationships, conflicts of interest, and scandalous behaviour by McKinsey throughout the world, find my previous article on the scandal.
Liberals have parried criticism of their ties with McKinsey by claiming that the decisions to hire them were made by independent public servants and were awarded in accordance with clear processes and rules. However, the government’s announcement indicated otherwise. While claiming “broad compliance with values and ethics commitments”, the government press release admitted a lack of compliance with actual rules and procedures around the awarding of contracts. Evidently, what is or is not “broad compliance” is entirely in the eye of the beholder.
We are finding many problems with this government’s dealings with McKinsey, and it’s worth noticing how the Liberals are strategically trying to fly under the radar with these announcements.
Notwithstanding the distractions and the communications tactics, Canadians should still take notice of the scandals that have defined this Liberal government’s tenure.
REMINDER: LOOKING FOR FALL INTERNS IN OTTAWA
I’m looking for interns for next year, starting in September, who are passionate about justice & human rights.
If you are interested, send your resume & a short introductory video to James at james.mcnaueal.732@parl.gc.ca
CARBON TAX: ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER INCREASE
Without any fanfare, the Liberal carbon tax increased to $65/tonne on April 1st. The price of gasoline, home heating and other fuels will see a corresponding increase.
These photos were taken before and after the carbon tax increased overnight. Trudeau’s goal is to go even further and triple the tax to $170/tonne by 2030.
I have spoken extensively in the House on the need for clean technology, like the Quest carbon capture project in Fort Saskatchewan. Conservatives believe in emphasizing clean technology like carbon capture, not punishing families & business owners for heating their homes and driving to work.
TOWNHALL: THE FEDERAL BUDGET
I am hosting a townhall tonight at my office for constituents to discuss the federal budget. Please join us for conversation and refreshments! As space is limited, please RSVP at 780-467-4944 or at garnett.genuis.c1@parl.gc.ca
RESUMING DEBATE: FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN CANADA
Ottawa has been buzzing with talk of foreign interference. A CSIS employee has taken a significant personal risk by leaking information about alleged CCP interference in Canadian elections.
What does foreign interference mean? How does it affect our daily lives? How can we protect Canadian democracy? Professor Christian Leuprecht and I discuss these critical questions in today’s episode of Resuming Debate. Christian is a professor at Queens’ University, and a Munk Senior Fellow in Security and Defense at the Macdonald Laurier Institute. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, I always appreciate the feedback by phone, email, or on social media.
Happy Easter, in advance!
Garnett Genuis
MP, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan
I would like someone to ask Trudeau or Steven Guibeault how they figure that people paying a carbon tax will get it back.
Example small business in Sherwood Park pays 90.00 in carbon tax on there gas bill per month little less in the summer months. How do they get the credit back?
Trying to keep 8 employees working but the monthly bills just keep adding up