MacDougall: Trudeau's record enough to make you laugh

Even on his way out, Justin Trudeau put himself ahead of the country. His tenure, and resignation, were rich with irony.

Published Jan 07, 2025  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference at Rideau Cottage on Jan. 6 that he will leave office as soon as the ruling Liberal party chooses a new leader. Photo by DAVE CHAN /AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

If the problems facing Canada weren’t so serious, we could all have a good laugh at Justin Trudeau right now.

The man who rose to political prominence in part via his boxing skill now leaves office before receiving his KO at the hands of Pierre Poilievre. The great feminist is defenestrated by a woman he tried to strongarm into a made-up job. The man who “loves” Canada leaves office loathed by Canadians, the green champion having earned much of their displeasure through his signature policy: the carbon tax. It’s delicious.

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And just when the moment called for a smidge of self-awareness, the prime minister was at his theatrically unaware best, pledging that he was still a fighter, even if those around him didn’t think he could go on to win this last fight. And so he was going to step aside, for the good of the country. At least we now have the answer to the question “Just how slow is it possible to clap?”

The popping of champagne corks probably isn’t what the prime minister envisioned in response to his departure from politics, but it is the sound that will ring in his ears if he listens to the Canadians he has spent the latter years of his reign ignoring. Trudeau might still call himself a champion of the middle class (and those hoping to join it), but he has lost the centre of the country. And the left. And the right.

In taking too long to understand the tea leaves every Canadian not employed by the Prime Minister’s Office had no trouble reading, Trudeau has now put the country he professes to love squarely behind the eight-ball as it faces a raft of pressing public policy problems, most notably Donald Trump’s pledge to whack Canadian goods with 25 per cent tariffs. Trump feeds on weakness and Canada is now leaderless and prone. That Trudeau has chosen this path for Canada is a black mark on an already blotched record.

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And now, stasis. On Trudeau’s request, Parliament is shuttered until late March. In the meantime, a clutch of Liberals who didn’t have the guts to shove a mortally wounded Trudeau out will now try to convince the Liberal membership they have what it takes to stand up to Bully Boy Trump. What serious politician is going to bob for the apple of “shortest prime ministerial reign in Canadian history”?

Watching Trudeau try to play his greatest hits on the steps of Rideau Cottage — and there are some — I couldn’t help but think of the scene in The Godfather where Michael Corleone tells Tom Hagen he is being replaced because he isn’t a wartime consigliere. And this was exactly Trudeau’s problem; he was brought in during — and made for — peace time. He was not the man for the job when the going got tough.

To be sure, the past five years would have tested even the most adept politicians. But in an age where national governments are being pulled apart by global forces, the last thing a country needs is someone with no interest or skill in governing or coalition-building. Government by press release might keep social media fed, but it doesn’t keep the wolves at bay or put food on Canadian tables. We were promised so much more.

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Which brings us back to laughing at Justin Trudeau. One of his signature achievements was to reinvigorate the membership of the Liberal Party following its post-2011 nadir. Well, now the Liberal leadership race will be open to just about anyone who wants to participate, Liberal or not. Anyone who is 14 or over and declares they are “ordinarily resident” in the riding they want to vote in will get their shot. I’m sure the meme lords of TikTok — to say nothing of the authoritarians who already have a track record in meddling with our democracy — will not abuse this gaping hole in the Liberal party’s electoral integrity.

In other words, Justin Trudeau’s parting gift to his party could very well be the destruction of his party. Wouldn’t that be a laugh?

Andrew MacDougall is a London-based communications consultant and ex-director of communications to former prime minister Stephen Harper.

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