(Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Local MP reacts

‘The chaos was real’: MP Gary Vidal on Freeland’s resignation

Dec 17, 2024 | 5:14 PM

A quiet has settled over Parliament Hill after yesterday’s historic and weird day in Canadian politics brought the government to a standstill.

“Yesterday was very chaotic, it was a very interesting day around here,” said Gary Vidal, Conservative MP for the Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River riding.

Monday had been shaping up to be a busy day with the anticipated roll out of the Fall Economic Statement later that afternoon. Vidal said members of Parliament from all over the country were in various stages of making their way to Ottawa for the tabling. Vidal was en-route when the news broke that Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned.

“We all just kind of walked into the middle of it so to speak,” he said. “It was probably one of the weirdest days of my almost six days of being here.”

As the day unraveled, the MP spoke with colleagues and friends about the historic nature of the moment.

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“It just kind of accelerated through the day and peaked last night and then like I say this morning, it’s just kind of quiet this morning,” he said.

“Now everybody’s in a wait and see mode – what’s going to happen next I think.”

As a chartered professional accountant, the “numbers guy” stressed the importance of what the day was supposed to be about: the economic statement.

“Those are big days in Ottawa because those are setting the course, reporting on the paths and setting the course,” he said.

As members of the press, experts and political staff gathered in the lockup (a fixture during rollouts that allow for reporters and others to review the documents and ask questions of the politicians before writing stories), Vidal said they “got locked up in the lockup.”

While the $61.9 billion deficit should have been the topic of conversation throughout the halls of the government and across the country, instead, it became almost a footnote in the day.

Reflecting back, Vidal said what struck him is the current government’s situation.

“It’s just literally spiraling out of control,” he said, noting it only took a matter of hours for the full ramifications of Freeland’s resignation to lay bare the problems.

“It’s the spending, it’s inflation, it’s immigration, it’s crime, it’s drugs and disorder, they’re just so many things that we’ve been talking about for months,” said Vidal.

“Yesterday it just kind of all blew up with a fuse that was lit yesterday morning.”

The statement was expected to be tabled at 4 p.m., in the House of Commons. Since that was no longer possible, he said the government tried not to table the FES, but the house ordered it to happen.

“The media and all the people in the lockup had already seen the document, right?”

“It was out there in public so, they finally were forced to actually table it in the house, but it didn’t go through the normal process,” he said, referring to the process involving the initial presentation and subsequent response by the opposition parties.

“We all agreed on how this would play out,” said Vidal of the all-party order.

When asked if there had been a backup plan, the Conservative member said instead of the report being public at 4 p.m., it was the Prime Minister swearing in Dominic LeBlanc to fill the finance minister role.

“This was like literally flying by the seat of your pants if what it looks like from where I’m at,” Vidal said. “The chaos was real here in Ottawa.”

As for how it will affect his constituency which includes Meadow Lake, Vidal spoke to the current situation facing all Canadians.

“This out of control money printing has created out of control visits to food banks. I mean the impact for people is real in this cost-of-living crisis.”

Now, Vidal joins others in asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call an election.

“We need a government with a mandate from the people that can stand up and represent the people,” he said, referring to the looming threat of American tariffs.

“At the end of the day, Canadians are always right when they choose their government, so, they will make the right decision, and they will elect the government that they want. I think it’s time for that to happen.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: juleslovett.bsky.social