Two years in, Trudeau´s rookie ministers have accounted for much of the government´s grief: Hébert
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau celebrates the second anniversary of his election victory this week with his finance minister in a self-imposed exile from the House of Commons that the opposition parties would gladly make permanent.Three parliamentary sitting days in the ethical storm that has engulfed Bill Morneau over his decision to keep control, albeit indirectly, of his shares in his family’s pension services company he has yet to show up in the House to face down his opposition critics.They allege the minister breached if not the law at least the spirit of the conflict-of-interest rules that govern elected officials, a point the Conservatives and the New Democrats hammered over the course of Wednesday’s rowdy question period.Read more: Morneau open to changing financial affairs as Conservatives, NDP demand ethics investigationTrudeau, Trump governments trade criticism as NAFTA talks falterMorneau walks himself into a political crisis: Tim HarperIn an interview earlier this week Morneau said he had no plans to step down. But at mid-mandate Trudeau’s star economic recruit has become a liability. That’s not just because of his handling of his financial affairs. He is a weak link in a crucial spot in the government’s chain of command.As Trudeau’s clumsy efforts to play interference for his finance minister demonstrated earlier this week, it is a situation that the prime minister cannot, on his own star-dusted merits, mitigate.Had he served in someone else’s cabinet, Trudeau would not have been a natural choice for a senior economic portfolio. Morneau was meant to anchor the government’s economic team. Until further notice, the anchor is dragging down the Liberal ship.The finance minister’s travails are also acting as a distraction from some of the more inspired moves of the government over the first half of its mandate.Inexperienced ministers have accounted for much of the bad press the Liberals have endured ...