Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is meeting with his cabinet today as part of their annual summer retreat. I wasn’t invited, nor was I asked for my input. But I am going to offer it anyway, even though I know it will be rejected.

From what I have heard about Trudeau in his nine years in office, he doesn’t pay much attention to advice. He is convinced of his abilities and the righteousness of his cause. He ignores the nay-sayers, no matter how low he has sunk in the polls. Unlike Joe Biden, he has no plans to retire.

I could suggest that the country would be a better place with someone else in charge. Even Trudeau’s fans know it is time for a change.

The longer he stays, the bigger the electoral defeat when the next election is held. He may have felt he could craft winning campaign if Donald Trump once again becomes president of the USA, but that is no longer a sure thing.

I was thinking about Trudeau’s future when I cam across these words in London’s Evening Standard when I was there in May. Though the words were written about the then Conservative PM of the UK, they seemed to reflect so much what has been happening in Canada.

The near-certain knowledge a governing party is to be wiped out does not make for good governance. First, sleaze and ill-discipline explode, because party whips no longer have power to bring everyone into line. Usually errant MPs can be bribed or threatened with their future prospects, but if there are no future prospects, there is no leverage, and backbenchers can do as they please.

Then, too, people just leave. There has been an exodus of MPs who have announced they are stepping down… which harms morale. A leadership contest on the near horizon does little to promote harmony. MPs and even ministers are incentivised to build their own platforms…

The Prime Minister’s decisions have been warped too. There is the impression he has been in last-ditch campaign mode for much of his term in office. Short-term signaling has trumped long-term decision making. Why think of the future when yours can be measured in months?

It certainly does sound like a description of Canada’s Liberal party, which has been hot by too any scandals to list MPs and cabinet ministers have announced they will not run again in 2025, with some opting to leave already. The legislative agenda seems to be more confused than not. Names are being bandied about as potential replacements for Trudeau.

I don’t expect tis cabinet retreat to come up with ideas to make Canada better and save the Liberal Party. Sunday there was an announcement about using surplus federal land for housing to help ease the housing crunch. I seem to remember last year’s cabinet retreat also made housing a priority. A year later they now are considering doing something.

At this rate, by the time they come up with a concrete plan Justin Trudeau will no longer be prime minister. The writing my not be on the wall, but it was in the Evening Standard.