Finance Minister Bill Morneau started his work week in front of the Liberal caucus, telling them the government was never going to stop dancing the middle-class jig, even though many inside the caucus were getting the impression that the jig was up.
And it didn’t start feeling any better when Morneau, with the prime minister at his side, told them that changes were coming to the tax attack on hair salons, lawyers, dentists, and families that milk cows, feed chickens, bale hay.
Oh, and hey did I mention they own real pitchforks? Oh, by the way, we’re cutting the tax rate paid by those people who we’re trying to nail for cheating and greed.
WATCH: Why did Justin Trudeau prevent Bill Morneau from answering questions?
But even if they take an axe to the business tax, Morneau’s brand has been taking too many headshots from his own right hand.
Just in case you haven’t been told, the artwork for the cover of last year’s budget was farmed out to an ad agency.
Artwork? This isn’t the Louvre. It’s a dusty shelf in Ottawa.
Why need artwork? So not middle class.
So Morneau’s department paid more than $200,000 for the cover of a big thick boring government document.
Governments that serve the people, which is what democracy is about, are supposed to ask every time they write a cheque, “What’s the public good here? What’s the benefit to the Canadian people?”
If you can’t answer that question, you don’t cut the cheque.
But in my view, if you’re not even asking the question, you don’t belong in government.
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I don’t care how financially successful your ancestors have been.
And I don’t care how wealthy your in-laws are, (Morneau’s wife’s family, the McCains of McCain Foods are worth $3.7 billion, a lot of French fries).
But I don’t care how much Mr. Morneau and Mrs. McCain-Morneau are worth.
He is worthless as a finance minister if he’s out of touch with the people who elected his government.
Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives are running neck and neck with the Liberals even though almost nobody can tell you who Andrew Scheer is.
Run the experiment.
Go to any mall, grocery store or watering hole and ask regular folks, “know who Andrew Scheer is? I’m looking for him.”
You’ll get blank stares everywhere.
Someone will call 911 and say there is a person of interest you need to look at.
He’s asking questions about some cluck named Andrew.
WATCH: Finance minister Bill Morneau addresses why his assets are not in a blind trust
Folks, here’s the truth.
Some cluck named Andrew is gobbling Liberal lunch right now because the finance minister can’t remember ever being middle class, can’t connect with most who are and in his latest can’t remember.
Can’t remember why he didn’t disclose information on all his corporations, one in particular which rents out the French villa he owns.
“Honey, can you remember where I put my French villa?”
Memo to Minister Fat Cat: When they’re laughing at you minister, they’re not voting for you.
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