Opinion | A broken marriage, a broken brand and a broken country---Justin Trudeau, Canada's master of disaster
By Philip Yeung, university teacher
PKY480@gmail.com
In the history of world politics, never has so much been owed to something so small. Justin Trudeau did not just ride on his famous father's coattails. He rode to the top on the outcome of a minor amateur boxing match. In March 2012, he went toe-to-toe with a Conservative senator in the ring and emerged as the winner. That victory transformed him from a political lightweight into a heavyweight, profusely praised as a symbol of toughness and courage. That bout costs Canada dearly. From that point on, style has trumped substance, launching the 8-year reign of the "Paris Hilton of Canadian politics".
Before the bout, Justin was dismissed for his thin CV as a barroom bouncer and snowboard instructor. He was far from ready for the job of leading the country. Twelve years later, he is still not ready. He has stumbled from one scandal to another fumble. Under him, homelessness has run rampant, and drug addicts have overrun the streets. Canadians are groaning under skyrocketing cost of living and a heavy tax burden, the latest being the carbon tax, leading to calls to "axe the tax". Canada is a changed country.
A shallow man with a glossy veneer, Trudeau loves peddling his brand of celebrity politics. Before his arrival in politics, Canada is known for its blandness. Now, his face has graced Vogue, Rolling Stones and even the New York Times Magazine. This prime minister boasts that, like Trump, he doesn't read books or watch the news. Ignorance is bliss. He is all about appearances. His single most notable achievement in foreign relations is his ability to handle Trump's crushing handshake much feared by other world leaders.
But Trudeau is no world leader. He often looks flighty on the world stage. In 2018, he yielded to the childish urge of wrapping himself and his family in traditional Indian garb posing for pictures like silly tourists. That trip, denting Canada's dignity, was described as the worst a Canadian prime minister has ever taken. His brand of gimmicky politics is calculated to capture eyeballs, not to solve problems.
He has fallen into disfavor with Canadians. By decriminalizing the use of marijuana, he has encouraged drug abuse, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related deaths. Trudeau's policies seem set in stone, not subject to validation, and dangerously treated as gospel truth.
On the world stage, he has angered both China and India. The China debacle is particularly disturbing --the direct result of a leader who lacks the backbone to stand up to Trump. Of all US allies, only Canada has caved into Trump's demand to execute an arrest warrant against Huawei's CFO, a move that hurts its national interest, which no one else would touch with a ten-foot pole. Predictably, it escalated into a full-blown nasty diplomatic tug-of-war between two countries that once enjoyed a special relationship nurtured by his late father. It has yet to recover from this rupture. I shudder to think how an unprepared Trudeau would handle a second wilder Trump presidency.
Things are also falling apart for Trudeau domestically. His wife of 18 years has left him for another man—the first time a sitting prime minister has been publicly ditched by his wife. Henry Kissinger famously said that "power is the ultimate aphrodisiac", but not in Trudeau's case. Chinese wisdom proclaims that if you can't manage your household, you are unfit to run the country. Trudeau has made a mess of both. Canadians have soured on their romance with their stumbling leader. They are tired of having a brainless Paris Hilton in the prime minister's office. Bland is best for Canadian politics. Trudeau may have the political pedigree, but his apprenticeship has been costly for the country. The boxing ring is a cheaper bet, and so is the bar room where he can patrol in his favorite Nike sneakers. The political theatre is no place for flashy amateurs.
Once the dream destination of millions of immigrants, under Justin Trudeau, Canada has lost its magnetic power to become a place to escape from.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
Read more articles by Philip Yeung:
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