Covid Journal, July 23, 2020

Time for Morneau to Resign?

The WE charity fiasco is threatening to pull down the Liberal minority government.

How do you have a finance minister (of all things) that can’t keep track of a few receipts?

FFS.

He HAS to be the fall guy for this.

From day one, I’ve had concerns about his connections with the pension wing that he is associated with (Morneau Shepell) and the lack of distancing from that organization.

He failed to recuse himself from the WE charity decision-making process.

He then, according to Finance Critic Charlie Angus, slips up further:

I think we were all absolutely stunned at the finance committee hearing when Bill Morneau came in and said he’d forgotten that he had taken $41,000 worth of international travel with WE. It slipped his mind.

This is a real serious breach of multiple, multiple sections of the Conflict of Interest Act and the Conflict of Interest Code.

This is very different than him just not recusing himself because of his daughter’s involvement. This is about him accepting these kinds of international paid travel for him and his family. It really crosses the line this time.

Angus holds back on saying Morneau should resign. The Cons are all over it and smell blood: they want him and all of the Liberals out.

If Morneau doesn’t resign the opposition parties will fail to have confidence with the Trudeau government.

The Liberal government will have to call an election, whether we like it or not.

During a pandemic.

For the good of the nation, shouldn’t Morneau resign and try to absorb as much of this hand grenade as possible?