Who is looking out for Canada’s interests?

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Kevin Lynch was a clerk of the Privy Council and vice-chair of BMO Financial Group.

There is much reporting about the backstabbing and dysfunction within Justin Trudeau’s government and endless “will he, won’t he” speculation about whether the Prime Minister will resign. But one question is conspicuously absent from the conversation: Who is looking out for Canada’s interests?

It is not the current government, which is in such turmoil that it is barely breathing, let alone governing. Its fall budget, masquerading as an economic statement, was basically dead on bizarre arrival, tabled minister-less and loveless in the House. Its lifespan is measured in weeks from when Parliament resumes, given the public statements of the Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Québécois to vote no-confidence. The Liberals’ prospects in the election that will ensue, according to the polls, are somewhere between bleak and Armageddon.

But what about the country itself? The global coverage of our imploding government is hardly reassuring for allies or investors. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump is drawn to weakness like a lion on the Serengeti. In an election with the Liberals led by Mr. Trudeau, it is quite possible that the Bloc could become the Official Opposition and, with the Parti Québécois leading in the polls provincially, Quebec could face another sovereignty referendum. The government has squandered our fiscal advantage, hollowed out our military, shattered our immigration system and shown little interest in our anemic productivity while economic, geopolitical and security threats to Canada rise to Defcon levels.

If the Liberal Party cared about more than just itself, it would think about the risks we are facing on national unity and the sovereignty of the country not to mention Mr. Trump’s threats. It urgently needs a new leader without the baggage of the dismal fiscal and economic track record of recent years, the post-national rhetoric that undermines our sense of nationhood and the symbol of the divisive carbon tax. Canada needs someone who can negotiate with the Trump administration in a pragmatic way, protecting our national interests while dealing effectively and quickly with irritants.

But the frontrunning Conservative Party doesn’t appear to be looking out for Canada’s interests, either. If Conservatives cared about more than their party’s strong electoral prospects, they would assist – even better, lead – in building a strong, unified Team Canada approach to dealing with Mr. Trump. The simple math of the parliamentary calendar and length of federal electoral campaigns is that there can be no election held until early April or, in the event of prorogation, later in May. That leaves a lame-duck Trudeau government at the mercy of Mr. Trump for months in the absence of a concerted federal-provincial-private sector-American partners coalition to beat back the threat of 25-per-cent tariffs. Indeed, given Mr. Trump’s concerns about Chinese hegemony, such an alliance could broaden the conversation to strengthening the North American economy, rather than weakening it with bilateral tariffs.

Meanwhile, the non-functioning House of Commons – the core institution of our democracy – bears a striking resemblance to Canada Post, which Canadians barely noticed was on strike. MPs should rise to the moment and pass legislation to tighten border security, crack down on drug smuggling and improve anti-money laundering rules – along with funding to support them – if we are to demonstrate to the Americans that we are credible.

The Trump rollercoaster has not waited for the mere formality of his inauguration. Besides threatening punitive tariffs on Canada and Mexico and mocking Canada as the 51st state, the president-elect has promised immediate action on Ukraine while indicating that he wants to take back the Panama Canal, buy Greenland and rain terror upon the BRICS countries if they de-dollarize.

Canada, as a supporter of Ukraine, has a direct interest in any settling of the conflict, and we need a clear position going in. Yet, the Trudeau government’s repeated failure to meet our NATO defence spending commitments will likely become an issue for Mr. Trump over the course of these discussions and could sideline us.

Adding more fuel to the national dysfunction is the fact that the ramp-up to the 2026 renegotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement will begin soon, likely with a new set of outrageous Trump demands. The question on American and Mexican minds: Who speaks credibly for Canada?

In mid-June, Canada will host the 2025 G7 meeting. Mr. Trump will be at the peak of his powers and facing a weakened French President, a wounded Japanese Prime Minister, a stumbling British Prime Minister, a new German Chancellor and, if the polls are accurate, a new Canadian Prime Minister. But who is setting the agenda for this pivotal Western conclave?

Only a functioning government can help us prepare for the many challenges 2025 will bring.