Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his advisers wanted to “score political points” when it came time to put pandemic aid policies in place, former federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in an interview with “CTV News” on Sunday.
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During this interview, the former MP for Toronto Center revealed new information about his stormy relationship with the Canadian Prime Minister.
Mr. Morneau revealed parts of his book “Where to we go from here: a path to Canadian prosperity” to be released on January 17, 2023, as the reasons behind his resignation as minister and deputy. , in August 2020.
“It’s become unsustainable,” Morneau said, which comes six months after the federal government sent out COVID-19 aid and amid the WE Foundation controversy.
“The differences of opinion led us to think about our ability to work together. So, whether it’s a leak or a difference of vision, I think the conclusion is inevitable and it’s time to move on,” he said.
So while Trudeau and his team made decisions they felt were best for Canadians, Morneau believes it all should have been done differently.
According to him, he explains that the government was more concerned with how things were perceived than with policy.
According to CTV News, he writes in his book that he was inspired by the hasty political decisions made at the start of the pandemic.
The former finance minister begins his book titled “Conversation in an Empty Room” in which he describes a conversation he had with the Prime Minister at Rideau Hall in the summer of 2020.
He writes that it was one of the “very rare” times the pair were able to chat privately without any other advisers in the room.
Corruption
In the interview, “CTV News” also asked Morneau if he regretted his handling of the WE Foundation case.
Mr. Recall that just hours before Morneau testified before a parliamentary committee about his role in the affair, he disclosed that he had reimbursed the foundation $41,000 for travel expenses. The former minister, whose one of her daughters works for the WE charity, failed to recuse herself from discussions that led to the organization being awarded a private contract to manage the student volunteer bursary scheme.
“I wish I had done things differently,” he said. A lot is happening, but we can always do better.
Not back to politics?
Asked if he would consider a return to politics, Morneau was evasive.
“Let me say that I really enjoyed my tenure. It is exciting to be at the center of what is happening in the country. But more importantly, it really makes sense to make a big impact in the country. […] Politics is about timing. And I think it’s time for me to go back to the private sector,” he replied.
