The Line
The Line is a Canadian magazine dedicated to covering local, national and international politics, news, current events and occasionally some obscure stories. Hosted by Matt Gurney and Jen Gerson.
The Line
Trudeau backs away from his immigration disaster
In the latest episode of The Line Podcast, recorded on Oct. 24, 2024, your hosts take a long, hard look at the federal stories that all came out this week and rub their temples long and hard.
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The big story this week was the caucus coup/mutiny/insurrection/kerfuffle that ... wasn't. After weeks of speculation, the restless Liberals didn't even take their best shot. They basically wimped out and the PM thanked them for their donation. Sorry, we meant for their comments. We don't rule out there being another flare up later, especially if the polls remain so bleak, But if nothing else, the PM has a bit more breathing room than before. Matt told Jen that he thinks the lame munitineers have basically handed Pierre Poilievre the next election. And they probably, on some level, know that.
Also this week: a long talk about what the LPC used to change the channel from their internal problems. They've announced a big cut to immigration targets, and have come as close as they ever do to admitting they screwed up. But they're taking responsibility in such a grudging and timid way that it's reminding Matt of another election he can remember. It didn't go well for the incumbents. Jen also underlines, correctly, that the damage is done. The cut announced this week will feel big for the Liberals. But it won't be nearly big enough to actually begin to address the problems we now have. Those are baked in for years to come.
They end by chatting about two provincial elections that took place in recent days. In B.C., who knows? In New Brunswick, at least, we have a clear result!
All that, and much more, in the latest episode of The Line Podcast. To subscribe and read more, check us out at https://www.readtheline.ca/