(OTTAWA) The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to monopolize the Trudeau government’s full attention in 2022. This health crisis, which has now lasted nearly two years, has forced it to review its priorities from top to bottom. If a return to normal remains difficult to predict, the Trudeau government will have to make crucial decisions that could have serious consequences at home and abroad. Some of these decisions have been awaited for years by Canada’s allies.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
What fate will be reserved for Huawei?
One of these long-awaited decisions is the role that Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei can play in the deployment of 5G technology in the country. Former Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale had promised to settle this thorny issue in 2018. “Within a few weeks,” he told reporters, as Canada’s main allies – the United States, Great Britain Britain, Australia and New Zealand – one after another declared that Huawei posed a threat to their national security because of its accountability to the Chinese communist regime in Beijing.
Canadian spy experts are unanimous: Huawei poses a threat to national security. Canada must follow in the footsteps of its Five Eyes allies.
Those weeks turned into months, then years. China’s decision to jail two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, in retaliation for the December 2018 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver airport at the request of the United States , forced the Trudeau government to postpone any decision.
PHOTO BY HAN GUAN, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Canadian spy experts are unanimous: Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei poses a threat to national security.
The two Michaels were finally released last October after more than 1,000 days of detention in harsh conditions. Their release and that of Meng Wanzhou, after the abandonment of the extradition request by the American authorities, clears the way for Ottawa to finally decide the question. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, could announce this decision within a few weeks, we say behind the scenes. Experts say it would be inconceivable for Canada to give Huawei the green light.
Replacement of the CF-18s
In the eyes of many political observers, the replacement of the aging CF-18 fleet has become a symbol of the Trudeau government’s inertia when it comes to making decisions that will have repercussions for the next 40 years.
The former Conservative government of Stephen Harper had chosen to replace the CF-18s with F-35 stealth aircraft designed by Lockheed Martin. Especially since Canada had been participating for a few years – and still participates today – in the development program of the device at the cost of 100 million dollars per year, in order to remain one of the nine partner countries in the project. , which also includes the United States.
PHOTO INTS KALNINS, ARCHIVES REUTERS
The Canadian Army’s CF-18s are approaching the end of their useful life.
During the 2015 election campaign, the Liberals promised to wipe the slate clean by launching a new call for tenders, deeming the F-35s too expensive. This political promise has thus led to delays and caused many twists and turns.
In all, Canada plans to purchase 88 new fighter jets at an estimated cost of $19 billion to replace the 40-year-old CF-18s.
To prevent the CF-18 fleet from becoming virtually unusable, the government must invest $1.3 billion to extend the life of the aircraft until 2032. The Trudeau government has also purchased 18 Australian CF-18s, which required significant upgrades.
While there were three fighter jets still in the running to replace the CF-18s, last spring the cabinet quietly decided in December to drop the Boeing Super Hornet. Result: only the Gripen from the Swedish company Saab remains… and the F-35 from Lockheed Martin.
Everything indicates that the Trudeau government will sign a contract with one of these two bidders in the spring, thus allowing Canada to obtain a first delivery of the new devices from 2025, and that, until 2032. This decision awaited by the Canadian Armed Forces, Canada’s main allies and the aerospace industry should put an end to this decade-long saga of new fighters.
Will Quebec lose a seat in the House of Commons?
The Canadian Constitution requires a review of the distribution of seats in the House of Commons every 10 years, after a census, in order to take into account demographic trends in the country. But the decision whether or not to withdraw a seat from a province rests with the federal government, or even the Prime Minister’s Office.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Independent commissions must look into the redistricting of federal electoral districts starting in February in the 10 provinces.
According to calculations by the Director General of Elections Canada, Stéphane Perreault, the number of seats in the Commons should increase from 338 to 342 by 2024 if we want to take into account changes in the Canadian population.
Ontario and British Columbia, which hold 121 and 42 seats respectively, are expected to get one more each. Alberta, which has 34 seats, should get 3 more.
Quebec should in principle lose one of its 78 seats because its population is growing at a slower rate than the national average.
There would be no changes in the other provinces.
The announcement of this new distribution of seats unfavorable to Quebec provoked strong reactions. The Legault government quickly stepped up to the plate, while the Conservative Party, the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Québécois claimed that Quebec could not lose a seat. Justin Trudeau’s office said it was a recommendation from Elections Canada.
The fact remains that independent commissions must look into the redistricting of electoral constituencies from February in the 10 provinces. All of this work is to be completed within 18 months. But the government of Justin Trudeau can certainly set the tone for this exercise if it immediately dismisses the idea of withdrawing a seat from Quebec.
Are we going to demolish 24 Sussex Drive?
Another file that should appear on the federal government’s radar screen involves the Prime Minister’s official residence, located at 24 Sussex Drive. Since becoming Prime Minister in 2015, Justin Trudeau has not stayed at this residence to allow the National Capital Commission (NCC) to carry out major renovations.
But to date, no repairs have been carried out, so the building, which has needed major work for years, has become a public hazard.
Last June, the NCC sounded the alarm in a punchy report. Work worth $37 million is urgent, failing which the residence will have to be demolished. Since becoming Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau and his small family have divided their time between Rideau Cottage, located a stone’s throw from Rideau Hall, and the Prime Minister’s second home at Harrington Lake.
PHOTO MARC FOWLER, PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL CAPITAL COMMISSION
Since taking office, Justin Trudeau has not stayed at the Prime Minister’s official residence, located at 24 Sussex Drive.
the Toronto Star reported last week that $3.6 million in work has been done on Rideau Cottage to make it fit for the needs of a prime minister. But not a penny has been spent on sprucing up 24, Sussex. Time plays against this residence which overlooks the Ottawa River and has been occupied continuously by prime ministers from Louis Saint-Laurent to Stephen Harper. Justin Trudeau spent his childhood there. And he just might be the one to give the go-ahead for its demolition.