Canadians will be well rid of Justin Trudeau. But thanks to his political cowardice, not yet apparently. In a not-unexpected 'have your cake and eat it' moment, Justin Trudeau resigns as party leader, continues as prime minister but seizes a few extra months in the top job by proroguing (suspending) his government to March 24.As it therefore now falls to him to lead the Government of Canada response to the threatened US tariffs, he will no doubt take the opportunity to wrap himself in the flag. Perhaps he feels shaking his fist at Donald Trump will validate the claim he made during his resignation announcement, that he was 'a fighter.' And in his mind, perhaps he is. There was no silly talk about Canada as a 'post-national state.' It was all Canada, all the time.But make no mistake. His actions today were pure cowardice. He could have called an election. He could have tested the confidence of the House of Commons — and would have almost certainly found it lacking — and gone to an election anyway.But, he chose neither of these things now, and chose instead to let some other sap take the chastisement of the electorate, at some time in the future, after the end of March. He says that for now he looks forward to the fight across this country as progressives come together to fight Pierre Poilievre's 'small vision.' But, he has just withdrawn from leading it. Some fighter.Meanwhile the country lurches forward under his leadership, without even the slender check and balance offered by facing the opposition daily in the House of Commons.There is also this. After more than nine years of Justin Trudeau's leadership, the Liberal Party of Canada has become thoroughly immersed in his perspectives. Whatever loyalty Mr. Trudeau may claim to the principles of diversity and inclusion, in fact under his leadership the Liberal Party respected neither. Prospective candidates did not get their nomination papers signed unless they bought the Trudeau package and any who slipped through the ideological dragnet — mostly older and more experienced party veterans who actually knew the game — were simply shunted into level three cabinet posts or to the back benches.In fact, it is really nothing more than a courtesy to call the party 'Liberal' and indeed, when Mr. Trudeau spoke of the election that must now come, he spoke of how Canada's 'progressives' must come together to resist the Conservatives.Progressives they call themselves? Left-wing ideologues? Wokesters? Never mind the party of Laurier. What happened to the party of Jean Chretien or Paul Martin who for all their faults, understood the necessity of a strong Canada, based on a vital economy. So, while it is undeniable that a person more ill-suited to hold high office has seldom presented himself to a Canadian electorate — and never been chosen by one — there is no relief to be found among the surviving members of the so-called Liberal Party. They're as bad as he is, with the added layer of guilt that they failed to remove himAs Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said in response to the prime minister's statement, 'this changes nothing.' The entire party has to be dumped. And no doubt will be.But Mr. Trudeau, the famous and now demonstrably 'just not ready' of Stephen Harper's 2015 election campaign, could have done Canadians a favour by getting out of the way now. He chose not to. How typical. Even as a failure, he's a failure.
