September 6, 2024 • 11 mins
UWindsor political science department head Dr. Lydia Miljan joins Jon Liedtke on AM800 CKLW to discuss what to make of the Liberals campaign director resigning and what it means amid election speculation.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to The Shift with guest host John Letcky
on AM eight hundred. We are back John Letcky here
on AM eight hundred CKLW feels like a little bit
of a save the furniture kind of situation right now
when we look at the Federal Liberal Party. The supply
(00:22):
and confidence agreement with the NDP was torn up two
days ago and bringing us closer to a point of well,
we're just closer to election speculation. We can say that
right now, we don't know if there is going to
be a formal dropping of support for this government a
calling of non confidence anytime soon, but we're closer than
we ever have been. And if that wasn't enough, we
(00:45):
just found out as well that the Liberal Party has
lost their main campaign director who resigned and who really
didn't mince words about it, saying that the party should
find someone to replace him who actually believes that Prime
Minster Trudeau can win in the next election strong words.
(01:05):
It's a tough situation that the Federal Liberals find themselves
in right now, and it's one where I want to
get a little bit of information about where things stand politically.
Joining me is the Political Science Department head from the
University of Windsor, Doctor Lydia Milgen joins me. Right now,
doctor Milgin, how are you.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I'm all John, how are you?
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Very well? Thanks, and again full disclosure. You were my
political science professor at the University of Windsor. I think
I legally have to say that fact.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I didn't fail you, right, I passed you.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
You passed me, Yeah, and it was because I deserved it.
I wrote a good paper. I remember that. That's what
I tell myself at least. But hey, doctor Milgen, things
don't look good for these Liberals right now.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
No, they haven't looked good for them for at least
a year, and it's just going from bad to worse.
I mean, it's that enough that they're tanking in the polls,
but now you know they're dance partners left them, and
then to make matters worse, they lose the campaign directors.
So really bad week for the Liberals.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
When you see, like, I don't think that there's really
ever coincidences when it comes to politics. I guess sometimes
there might be, But do you think it's a coincidence
that the party campaign director decided to offer the resignation
the day after the NDP announced the end of the
the end of this playing confidence agreement.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
No, not at all. I think that he was you know,
he obviously saw the writing on the wall, and maybe
he has been planning to do it for some time,
but this just forced him to do it because now
they have to always be in election ready mode. And
if he wasn't you know it. You know, if he
thought I'm going to sort of pass the torch over
the next three months, that's one thing. But having the
NDP leave the agreement means that they have to be
(02:41):
ready to go to the poll at any time, because
there can be a confidence will at any time. And
so if he doesn't have the heart to do it,
he's got to make sure that there's somebody at the
helm for that really important job.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
And we also just saw last week or the week
before a number of volunteers and staff in on Treal
saying that they weren't going to help with the upcoming
by elections due to the government's positions on Gaza and
the war between Hamas and Israel, and the staffers were saying, look,
you can go find new donors, you can't find new staffers.
(03:15):
I imagine that's very much the same situation here with
the main party organizer.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Well, I mean you can always find staffers. I mean,
people are always willing to take your money to do
a job. So I'm not overly concerned about that. It's
just the volume of the staffers that aren't willing to
do the door knocking in a very important by election.
Must remember that's David Lametti's riding and you know, another
one of those so called safe seats, And so for
(03:43):
them not to have the volunteers in the ground, the
people that they would have expected to do that heavy lifting,
is problematic for them. It does allow for the other
parties to have a much better ground game than the Liberals,
and so you know, they've just got, you know, one
problem after another.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
So these seem like pretty ructural problems. But something tells me,
doctor Milgin, that come Monday or Tuesday, we are going
to see the Prime Minister or one of his ministers
walk out and trot out a story that says the
issue is actually just communications. We need to do a
better job at explaining why everything that we're doing is great,
and it's just all the voters who are too dumb
(04:19):
to understand it. We can dumb it down and we'll
release maybe a kid's book or a coloring book.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yeah, well, you know if we did that, gosh, I
think it's like six or eight months ago. They got
in some wonderful communications guru who was supposed to make
everything be better, and you know, every quarter they're going
to increase their vote by five percent. Well it's been
two quarters and they've still been tanking. So their communication strategy,
I mean, let's remember it. The Liberals are brilliant excommunications,
(04:45):
and up until now they were able to sell you know,
you know, ice to to people in the in the
far North. It's no longer communications. People just aren't liking
what they're selling and they're and they're tired of the party.
I mean it's nine here. The government governments have shuffle
LIFs and so we're now at the stage of you know,
Trudeau derangements syndrome rather than you know, really thinking of it.
(05:10):
Like nothing they can say is having people listen to them.
Canadians are tuning them out completely.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
So I need to read this quote to you. I
don't know how much time you spend following uh liberal
staffer social media profiles, but zero? Okay, So that communications
person that you were speaking about who was hired. Put
up a tweet that said, I'm at the opening for
Tiff and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is here getting a
very warm welcome. He's always with the people. Never see
(05:37):
that other guy anywhere, Tiff. Really, this is supposed to
be the Prime minister getting out with the people, rubbing
shoulders with the common man. This is where they're actually
saying to the public. Look at this is mister relatable.
Do you think this is gonna work?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
No? Again, read the room, guys. It's like and just
the contrast between that, you know on that Tiff that
I'm with the people compared to what we see here Polyevda.
Do you know his Labor Day ad campaign was brilliant.
You know, he was thanking workers, he was thanking the
people who get to keep the economy rolling. He's connecting
(06:16):
with you know, every day Canadians. And meanwhile we have
Justin Trudeau rubbing shoulders with the Hollywood elite. How does
that convey that you are really thinking about Canadians, that
you understand where we live, that you understand the problems
that we're facing on a day to day basis, And
so I just don't get what they're thinking is they're
(06:37):
so far removed from reality it is quite shocking.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Yeah, I mean, and one person responded to the tweet saying, well,
Trudeau's parting at tiff. Our unemployment rate just hit six
point six percent. And the response from again that staff
are fun fact our film and TV industry generates billions
and economic activity for the country. It just it seems
like they don't have a real response other than to
just continue as to what they're doing and damned if
(07:03):
it works.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Yeah, and again, you know, so they got two problems.
One is when they put out announcements policy announcements, like
they did earlier this week, it kind of gets lost
in the other noise. So they certainly had gigant Saints
take away their headline about their national school program. And
then when they do, you know, nobody's listening to that.
And then when they do put something out that we're
(07:25):
listening to is just the wrong message. It really doesn't
resonate with Canadians and it frustrates us even more than
we already were. So, you know, at this point, it's
not that how they're going to lose, it's about how
much they're going to lose, and you know, is it
going to be one of those historic upsets like you
know nineteen eighty four, which I know you're too young
(07:46):
to remember, But I don't you know where where the
Liberal Party goes down to forty seats with a big
super majority under Brian Malrooney or do they do Kim
Campbell and go down to basically wiping out the party
which was another another spectacular finish for a political party.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Well, I mean, we we don't know what's going to happen. Well,
I mean I think we we've got broad strokes as
to what's going to happen. I don't think we're going
to see a Liberal government and I don't as much
as jug Meat sing NDP leader seems confident that he's
running for prime minister and that maybe he's actually gonna
get I can't even get through that sentence quite frankly,
doctor Milton. I mean, is it just for for a
(08:27):
jug Meat saying like to put on a brave face
like that and say I'm gonna win, Like, is like,
is there an upside to it? Is it just that
trying to leap frog the Liberals got a love.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
For trying, But my goodness, you know, he's a force.
He's any force in the world. They're running behind the
Block Quebec loss for crying out, there's no I mean,
it would be that would be the upset for the
ages for somehow the n government to pull out that margin.
(08:59):
So good from the sayings, you know, he's trying to
be Prime minister, but really his best shot is even
to try to be official opposition, which isn't clear because
the way I'm looking at the Poles, I'm thinking that
it's the Block abec Ula that's going to be official
opposition after this next election.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
When was the last time that you remember seeing and
I'll let you go after this question. I'm taking up
to me a year of your time. When was the
last time you remember seeing polling that showed a opposition
party potentially on track to take two hundred and ten seats.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Well, we've never had that kind of math because we
have more seats than we ever have before. But honestly,
it's the nineteen eighty four elections. I mean, this does
feel to me very similar to what I felt, you know,
when I was back as an undergraduate, when we had,
you know, several years of Trudeau government high unemployment, high
youth unemployment. I remember living through that. I mean, the
(09:52):
interest rates were far worse than they are now. But
Canadians just won't put up with high interest rates. And
when we are we are bulking, you know, full on
a quarter where you know, in my parents' generation they're
paying eighteen percent mortgages. So nobody wants to go back there.
And the appetite for change is so strong. I mean,
people are just saying, just pull the plug, just do
We don't even want to wait another year, is what
(10:14):
I'm hearing from most people. It's like, why do we
have to put up with this government when they are
so out of touch and they're not focusing on the
basic things such as inflation, cost of living, unemployment, you know,
the bread and butter stuff. And you know, him fawning
off at twift tiff does not do them any favors.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
As political as I am, and you know, I like elections.
I really don't want an election right now. I was
happy with the idea of not having one, But when
jug Meet Singh came out and destroyed the agreement and
said that there wasn't going to be a vote of
non confidence, I got so angry at him and I
flipped sides one hundred percent and went, no, give us
the election, Come on, don't make us now, just sit
(10:54):
another year of nothing. But it seems like that's where
we are.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Yeah, I'm playing footsy with the Liberals to serve him. Well,
like if he's going to do this case by case
basis and try to get gaming ship, I mean they're
going to tank in the polls even more. You know,
you can't you can't have it both ways. You can't
say it's a corrupt government, they don't listen to you,
blah blah blah, and then support them on every bill.
So they're going to have to make some votes.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Well, they've been doing it for two and a half years,
maybe another year, war coach, Well.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Longer than that, actually since twenty nineteen, is what I said.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
That's a fair point. Hey, doctor Miligin, thank you so
much for your time. I hope that you have a
great weekend.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Thanks you too, John, I was talking to you.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Great chatting with you as well. Doctor Lydia Milgon is
the University of Windsor Political Science Department head
You're listening to The Shift with guest host John Letcky
on AM eight hundred. We are back John Letcky here
on AM eight hundred CKLW feels like a little bit
of a save the furniture kind of situation right now
when we look at the Federal Liberal Party. The supply
(00:22):
and confidence agreement with the NDP was torn up two
days ago and bringing us closer to a point of well,
we're just closer to election speculation. We can say that
right now, we don't know if there is going to
be a formal dropping of support for this government a
calling of non confidence anytime soon, but we're closer than
we ever have been. And if that wasn't enough, we
(00:45):
just found out as well that the Liberal Party has
lost their main campaign director who resigned and who really
didn't mince words about it, saying that the party should
find someone to replace him who actually believes that Prime
Minster Trudeau can win in the next election strong words.
(01:05):
It's a tough situation that the Federal Liberals find themselves
in right now, and it's one where I want to
get a little bit of information about where things stand politically.
Joining me is the Political Science Department head from the
University of Windsor, Doctor Lydia Milgen joins me. Right now,
doctor Milgin, how are you.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I'm all John, how are you?
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Very well? Thanks, and again full disclosure. You were my
political science professor at the University of Windsor. I think
I legally have to say that fact.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I didn't fail you, right, I passed you.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
You passed me, Yeah, and it was because I deserved it.
I wrote a good paper. I remember that. That's what
I tell myself at least. But hey, doctor Milgen, things
don't look good for these Liberals right now.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
No, they haven't looked good for them for at least
a year, and it's just going from bad to worse.
I mean, it's that enough that they're tanking in the polls,
but now you know they're dance partners left them, and
then to make matters worse, they lose the campaign directors.
So really bad week for the Liberals.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
When you see, like, I don't think that there's really
ever coincidences when it comes to politics. I guess sometimes
there might be, But do you think it's a coincidence
that the party campaign director decided to offer the resignation
the day after the NDP announced the end of the
the end of this playing confidence agreement.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
No, not at all. I think that he was you know,
he obviously saw the writing on the wall, and maybe
he has been planning to do it for some time,
but this just forced him to do it because now
they have to always be in election ready mode. And
if he wasn't you know it. You know, if he
thought I'm going to sort of pass the torch over
the next three months, that's one thing. But having the
NDP leave the agreement means that they have to be
(02:41):
ready to go to the poll at any time, because
there can be a confidence will at any time. And
so if he doesn't have the heart to do it,
he's got to make sure that there's somebody at the
helm for that really important job.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
And we also just saw last week or the week
before a number of volunteers and staff in on Treal
saying that they weren't going to help with the upcoming
by elections due to the government's positions on Gaza and
the war between Hamas and Israel, and the staffers were saying, look,
you can go find new donors, you can't find new staffers.
(03:15):
I imagine that's very much the same situation here with
the main party organizer.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Well, I mean you can always find staffers. I mean,
people are always willing to take your money to do
a job. So I'm not overly concerned about that. It's
just the volume of the staffers that aren't willing to
do the door knocking in a very important by election.
Must remember that's David Lametti's riding and you know, another
one of those so called safe seats, And so for
(03:43):
them not to have the volunteers in the ground, the
people that they would have expected to do that heavy lifting,
is problematic for them. It does allow for the other
parties to have a much better ground game than the Liberals,
and so you know, they've just got, you know, one
problem after another.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
So these seem like pretty ructural problems. But something tells me,
doctor Milgin, that come Monday or Tuesday, we are going
to see the Prime Minister or one of his ministers
walk out and trot out a story that says the
issue is actually just communications. We need to do a
better job at explaining why everything that we're doing is great,
and it's just all the voters who are too dumb
(04:19):
to understand it. We can dumb it down and we'll
release maybe a kid's book or a coloring book.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yeah, well, you know if we did that, gosh, I
think it's like six or eight months ago. They got
in some wonderful communications guru who was supposed to make
everything be better, and you know, every quarter they're going
to increase their vote by five percent. Well it's been
two quarters and they've still been tanking. So their communication strategy,
I mean, let's remember it. The Liberals are brilliant excommunications,
(04:45):
and up until now they were able to sell you know,
you know, ice to to people in the in the
far North. It's no longer communications. People just aren't liking
what they're selling and they're and they're tired of the party.
I mean it's nine here. The government governments have shuffle
LIFs and so we're now at the stage of you know,
Trudeau derangements syndrome rather than you know, really thinking of it.
(05:10):
Like nothing they can say is having people listen to them.
Canadians are tuning them out completely.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
So I need to read this quote to you. I
don't know how much time you spend following uh liberal
staffer social media profiles, but zero? Okay, So that communications
person that you were speaking about who was hired. Put
up a tweet that said, I'm at the opening for
Tiff and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is here getting a
very warm welcome. He's always with the people. Never see
(05:37):
that other guy anywhere, Tiff. Really, this is supposed to
be the Prime minister getting out with the people, rubbing
shoulders with the common man. This is where they're actually
saying to the public. Look at this is mister relatable.
Do you think this is gonna work?
Speaker 2 (05:53):
No? Again, read the room, guys. It's like and just
the contrast between that, you know on that Tiff that
I'm with the people compared to what we see here Polyevda.
Do you know his Labor Day ad campaign was brilliant.
You know, he was thanking workers, he was thanking the
people who get to keep the economy rolling. He's connecting
(06:16):
with you know, every day Canadians. And meanwhile we have
Justin Trudeau rubbing shoulders with the Hollywood elite. How does
that convey that you are really thinking about Canadians, that
you understand where we live, that you understand the problems
that we're facing on a day to day basis, And
so I just don't get what they're thinking is they're
(06:37):
so far removed from reality it is quite shocking.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Yeah, I mean, and one person responded to the tweet saying, well,
Trudeau's parting at tiff. Our unemployment rate just hit six
point six percent. And the response from again that staff
are fun fact our film and TV industry generates billions
and economic activity for the country. It just it seems
like they don't have a real response other than to
just continue as to what they're doing and damned if
(07:03):
it works.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
Yeah, and again, you know, so they got two problems.
One is when they put out announcements policy announcements, like
they did earlier this week, it kind of gets lost
in the other noise. So they certainly had gigant Saints
take away their headline about their national school program. And
then when they do, you know, nobody's listening to that.
And then when they do put something out that we're
(07:25):
listening to is just the wrong message. It really doesn't
resonate with Canadians and it frustrates us even more than
we already were. So, you know, at this point, it's
not that how they're going to lose, it's about how
much they're going to lose, and you know, is it
going to be one of those historic upsets like you
know nineteen eighty four, which I know you're too young
(07:46):
to remember, But I don't you know where where the
Liberal Party goes down to forty seats with a big
super majority under Brian Malrooney or do they do Kim
Campbell and go down to basically wiping out the party
which was another another spectacular finish for a political party.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Well, I mean, we we don't know what's going to happen. Well,
I mean I think we we've got broad strokes as
to what's going to happen. I don't think we're going
to see a Liberal government and I don't as much
as jug Meat sing NDP leader seems confident that he's
running for prime minister and that maybe he's actually gonna
get I can't even get through that sentence quite frankly,
doctor Milton. I mean, is it just for for a
(08:27):
jug Meat saying like to put on a brave face
like that and say I'm gonna win, Like, is like,
is there an upside to it? Is it just that
trying to leap frog the Liberals got a love.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
For trying, But my goodness, you know, he's a force.
He's any force in the world. They're running behind the
Block Quebec loss for crying out, there's no I mean,
it would be that would be the upset for the
ages for somehow the n government to pull out that margin.
(08:59):
So good from the sayings, you know, he's trying to
be Prime minister, but really his best shot is even
to try to be official opposition, which isn't clear because
the way I'm looking at the Poles, I'm thinking that
it's the Block abec Ula that's going to be official
opposition after this next election.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
When was the last time that you remember seeing and
I'll let you go after this question. I'm taking up
to me a year of your time. When was the
last time you remember seeing polling that showed a opposition
party potentially on track to take two hundred and ten seats.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Well, we've never had that kind of math because we
have more seats than we ever have before. But honestly,
it's the nineteen eighty four elections. I mean, this does
feel to me very similar to what I felt, you know,
when I was back as an undergraduate, when we had,
you know, several years of Trudeau government high unemployment, high
youth unemployment. I remember living through that. I mean, the
(09:52):
interest rates were far worse than they are now. But
Canadians just won't put up with high interest rates. And
when we are we are bulking, you know, full on
a quarter where you know, in my parents' generation they're
paying eighteen percent mortgages. So nobody wants to go back there.
And the appetite for change is so strong. I mean,
people are just saying, just pull the plug, just do
We don't even want to wait another year, is what
(10:14):
I'm hearing from most people. It's like, why do we
have to put up with this government when they are
so out of touch and they're not focusing on the
basic things such as inflation, cost of living, unemployment, you know,
the bread and butter stuff. And you know, him fawning
off at twift tiff does not do them any favors.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
As political as I am, and you know, I like elections.
I really don't want an election right now. I was
happy with the idea of not having one, But when
jug Meet Singh came out and destroyed the agreement and
said that there wasn't going to be a vote of
non confidence, I got so angry at him and I
flipped sides one hundred percent and went, no, give us
the election, Come on, don't make us now, just sit
(10:54):
another year of nothing. But it seems like that's where
we are.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Yeah, I'm playing footsy with the Liberals to serve him. Well,
like if he's going to do this case by case
basis and try to get gaming ship, I mean they're
going to tank in the polls even more. You know,
you can't you can't have it both ways. You can't
say it's a corrupt government, they don't listen to you,
blah blah blah, and then support them on every bill.
So they're going to have to make some votes.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Well, they've been doing it for two and a half years,
maybe another year, war coach, Well.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Longer than that, actually since twenty nineteen, is what I said.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
That's a fair point. Hey, doctor Miligin, thank you so
much for your time. I hope that you have a
great weekend.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Thanks you too, John, I was talking to you.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Great chatting with you as well. Doctor Lydia Milgon is
the University of Windsor Political Science Department head
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