It is both an honour and a privilege to be named Canada’s first female Minister of Finance. I am eager to continue our govts work of helping 🇨🇦s from coast to coast to coast get back on their feet. Together, we will ensure Canada’s economy bounces back from these difficult times.
— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) August 18, 2020
Chrystia Freeland was already the deputy prime minister and intergovernmental affairs minister in Canada when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked Freeland to become the new finance minister.
Freeland will drop the intergovernmental affairs portfolio: Dominic LeBlanc will take over as intergovernmental affairs minister. LeBlanc had the intergovernmental affairs portfolio along with Northern Affairs and Internal Trade from July 2018 until November 2019.
Freeland has also had the foreign affairs and international trade portfolios.
Freeland is the first female finance minister in Canadian history. She succeeds Bill Morneau, who resigned as finance minister and MP for Toronto Centre over the WE charity scenario. A reminder that declaring conflicts of interest is always better. A scandal, perhaps, but still not as bad as finding out your chief of staff writing a $90,000 personal cheque to pay off a sitting Canadian senator to cover up an alleged crime. How Nigel Wright wasn't charged with a crime is still befuddling.
Kim Campbell briefly was prime minister as Brian Mulroney got in the lifeboat that was the sinking Mulroney Government. Freeland might be prime minister someday. She will be well qualified if that happens.
Senate finally passes gender-neutral O Canada bill
Julie Payette will be the new Governor General of Canada
Julie Payette was an ideal pick for governor general on the surface. A French-Canadian woman, an astronaut and scientist, Payette checked off a few boxes.
A governor general does have to understand that living in Rideau Hall that parts of the house are open to the public. The Trudeau family is living elsewhere on the campus since 24 Sussex Street has a number of serious issues. Privacy is a sacrifice a governor general needs to make.
The governor general has come under fire for bullying the employees under her, making demands for costly renovations for Rideau Hall, where she still has not moved into after 3 years in office, extra RCMP officers because she tries to evade them on trips, and costs due to last-minute trips.
Gov. Gen. Julie Payette engulfed in controversy (Front Burner CBC Radio)
Governor General's disregard for RCMP security detail driving up costs, sources say (CBC News)
A governor general term is usually 5 years, though we saw Stephen Harper extend David Johnston's time by an extra 2 years. Payette has been governor general since October 2, 2017.
The governor general is the one who decides whether Parliament can be prorogued. This was crucial this week when Payette gave permission to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to prorogue Parliament until September 23.
Proroguing Parliament means temporarily suspending Parliament. For a historical proroguing that was much more serious, recount The Daily Show with Jon Stewart take from 2008.
The governor general is the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, but this saga is a Canadian issue. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland went out of her way to praise the office but not Payette when questioned in a recent interview.
A Canadian governor general has never had to be replaced before. We have noted in the past that the governor generals have been Canadian only since 1952.
We need young people to understand that now is not the time to go to large parties. @VancityReynolds & @Sethrogen - please help spread the message to stop the spread of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/u9SodpRnxu
— John Horgan (@jjhorgan) August 12, 2020
“I hope young people in B.C. don’t kill my mom frankly. Or David Suzuki. Or each other. Let’s not kill anyone. That’s reasonable.”
Ryan Reynolds gave that message in response to British Columbia Premier John Horgan seeking help with COVID-19 cases stemming from young people more concerned about partying.
Both Reynolds and Seth Rogen replied positively online to Horgan's request.
Famous Canadians known to people in the United States are usually without a place tied to that person. Reynolds and Rogen aren't the only famous British Columbians but have obvious ties to the region.
Deadpool was filmed in Vancouver. We recently noted that Rogen took David Chang around Vancouver for an episode of the Netflix series Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
The BC COVID-19 numbers have been stellar but that is also due to concern when even a few cases come up.
Horgan runs a minority government in BC. Unlike his New Brunswick counterparts, that government is about as smooth a minority government as we've seen. This doesn't mean a perfect government, just one where the parties get along fairly well.
2020 Canadian politics preview
CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage
Today is the postal deadline for the 2020 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election. We will have the results when the party knows.
Late August is normally a slow time in politics. Since we can't go anywhere, we will be on top of Canadian politics, provincial and federal.
Twitter captures: @cafreeland; @jjhorgan
photo credit: CBC News
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