Canada 'slowly fading into lawlessness' under Justin Trudeau, former Kelowna MLA says

Former Kelowna–Mission MLA Renee Merrifield has launched a blistering attack against Justin Trudeau, warning that under his tenure “Canada is slowly fading into lawlessness.”

The onetime BC Liberal/United representative said “it feels like nobody is safe anymore,” blaming bail reform and problems with Canada’s justice system.

Speaking to Jim Csek on Tuesday for the duo’s show, Beyond the Ballot, she described the situation in the country as “scary.”

“We don't have a strong enough justice system to actually enforce our laws and instead those that are being enforced are really against regular citizens who are taking matters into their own hands rather than against criminals who are doing the crimes in the first place,” she said.

The Kelowna businesswoman also discussed the Trudeau government’s “lacklustre” reaction to border security in the face of tariff threats from incoming US president Donald Trump.

Trump, she reckons, “ultimately” doesn’t want to implement the tariff.

“I think that really what he wants is for the Canadian and Mexican governments to show that they've made enough of an effort and enough promises that that will be pulled back,” she said.

“Will it be pulled back all the way? No, because you know, the one thing that Trump wants as part of his legacy, is that he did what he said. And in order for him to do what he says, then he's going to have to put some form of tariff [in place].”

Merrifield explained that, in her experience, leaders are “really important.” As an example she contrasted the Obama presidency with Biden’s, suggesting the former’s time in the White House was rather better than the latter’s.

“The diplomacy that Trudeau likes to hang his hat on is simply not going to work,” she said, looking at Canada's leader. “He's going to get absolutely played with by Trump.”

In her chat with Csek, Merrifield also discussed:

• Speculation about a Third World War, which she thinks unlikely due to the change of leadership in the US

• Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter, who is a criminal

• Chrystia Freeland’s talk of a “vibecession” despite Canada being in “an absolute free fall”

• The proposed GST holiday, which she branded a “trinket”

• The “gross” and “disgusting” pay bumps (and new roles) given to NDP MLAs post-election

She concluded by looking at the increasingly vocal business community in Canada, with some entrepreneurs recently criticizing the Trudeau government.

She also offered a few digs herself, warning that the Liberals “rely on ideology when [their economic approach] no longer makes sense.”

“They're in a death loop right now with how much they've spent and overspent,” she said.