Liberals and the Amazing Race to Power

By Lethbridge Herald on February 1, 2025.

FROM THE HILL
Rachael Thomas – Conservative MP for Lethbridge

Have you ever watched The Amazing Race? 

Teams of two race around the world, completing challenges in different countries. The goal is to overcome obstacles, solve clues, and outpace other teams to reach the final destination and bring home a cash prize. 

Things can go really well for a team with a shared vision, trust, and communication. With these qualities, a team might even win the whole race.

But imagine if one partner decides to leave the other behind, just to win for themselves. That’s what’s happening in Canada right now.

The Liberal government, led by Justin Trudeau, has chosen to leave Canadians behind in pursuit of its own partisan interests. 

As we face big challenges, like the threat of 25 per cent tariffs from our largest trading partner, the Liberals have chosen to abandon Canadians and the wellbeing of our country. 

Faced with a rupture in Canada-U.S. relations— potentially costing 1.5 million jobs, causing a major economic downturn, and disrupting supply chains—Trudeau and the Liberals have prioritized their internal leadership race over actually governing. 

By proroguing Parliament, they’ve brought government business to a halt. 

While the country faces a massive crisis, the Liberals have chosen to prioritize themselves by avoiding accountability and delaying an election as they turn inward to sort out who will replace Trudeau as leader.

Canada has never been so weak, and things have never been so out of control. Liberals are putting themselves and their leadership politics ahead of the country. 

As the frontrunners in the Liberals’ leadership race, Chrystia Freeland and Mark Carney are fighting for power rather than fighting for Canada.

They’ve been complicit in making life worse for Canadians by supporting policies that have resulted in a higher cost of living, more taxes, out-of-control government spending, and increased crime. 

Take Chrystia Freeland, for example. She has supported Trudeau every step of the way, even voting to raise the carbon tax over 40 times. In front of the Finance committee, Freeland said “I absolutely believe that a price on pollution is the right thing for Canada and for our economy.”

She now claims to be fighting against the establishment, but this is laughable. Having spent nine years as a minister, she is the establishment. As Trudeau’s second-in-command, she helped lead the country into this mess.

Then there’s Mark Carney. In a bizarre interview aimed at American audiences, Carney tried to present himself as an outsider. But he’s been deeply involved with the Liberals for years, advising Trudeau and backing policies like the carbon tax. In his own book, Carney wrote: “One of the most important initiatives is carbon pricing…the Canadian federal carbon pricing framework is a model for others.”

As Chair of Trudeau’s Task Force on Economic Growth, Carney helped Trudeau craft a budget with a damaging $62 billion deficit. 

These so-called “fresh faces” are just like Trudeau—they’ve been with him all along.

This cannot go on. The Liberals are not worth the cost, the chaos, or the corruption. 

Canadians deserve better. 

We need strong leadership that will focus on the people, not on personal power. 

The Conservative Party is the only one ready to fix the damage the Liberals have caused. We will eliminate the carbon tax, build more affordable homes, balance the budget, and tackle rising crime.

Canada is at a crossroads, and the Liberals have proven they can’t lead us out of this mess. With the cost of living rising and the threat of 25 per cent tariffs from the U.S. looming, we need a leader who will put Canadians first.

Just like in The Amazing Race, we can’t win if our government leaves us behind. Canadians deserve a government that works with them, not for itself. It’s time for a change. We need an election now. 

Rachael Thomas is the Member of Parliament for Lethbridge. Her column appears in the Herald the first Saturday of each month.