https://www.washingtonpost.com...m_term=.a9372465f2bc

Canadians’ love affair with Justin Trudeau is over

By Alan Freeman March 29 at 2:44 PM


OTTAWA — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau no longer looks invincible.

After showing a steady lead in public opinion surveys for more than two years after his surprise October 2015 election victory, Trudeau appears to be politically vulnerable. And that’s despite a buoyant economy, what’s seen as a steady hand in NAFTA trade talks with President Trump, and a weak political opposition.

“All of a sudden, we saw this drop,” said David Coletto, chief executive of Abacus Data, an Ottawa polling firm, referring to his company’s latest poll, completed in early March. “It’s the first time since Trudeau became prime minister that we have results showing the Conservatives slightly ahead.”

CBC’s Poll Tracker, which aggregates and weights the results of a dozen opinion surveys, reported in late March that the opposition Conservative Party is now in the lead, at 37.7 percent of voting intentions, compared with Trudeau’s Liberals, at 33.7 percent. The left-of-center New Democratic Party was third at 18.5 percent.

Some observers say it’s just a question of midterm blues, with a Canadian election not scheduled until the fall of 2019. But the real culprit seems to have been Trudeau’s visit to India in February. During the week-long trip, Trudeau was widely mocked for wearing traditional Indian garb as he crossed India with his wife and three children.

For voters who had welcomed Trudeau’s global status as a progressive political leader and proud international standard-bearer for Canada, the images of Trudeau in brash Bollywood outfits at well-known sightseeing spots were a serious comedown.

“When you have foreign media like CNN and BBC making fun of our prime minister, that was jarring for some people and made people question whether he was the best person for the job,” Coletto said.

For critics such as columnist Andrew Coyne of the National Post who see Trudeau as charming but an intellectual lightweight, the India trip simply proved their outlook. “The little things that seemed so charming at first, all those dashing gestures and glam photo ops might well come to seem, at first frivolous, then irritating — an impression of unseriousness compounded by a series of bungled foreign-policy excursions of which the India trip was only the last,” Coyne wrote.

Making things worse, Trudeau was harshly criticized for the dinner invitation made to Jaspal Atwal, a convicted Sikh Canadian terrorist from British Columbia, for an official Canadian dinner during the visit. The invitation was withdrawn after it was made public but not before inflicting significant political damage on Trudeau and his entourage.

Pollster Nik Nanos says what’s striking about Trudeau’s dip in popularity is that it’s completely “self-inflicted.” Both the Conservative and New Democratic parties have new, inexperienced leaders who are making no significant impression on Canadians. In fact, Trudeau still leads by a healthy margin as the preferred choice for prime minister.

Besides the disastrous India trip, Nanos said that something else is going on. There’s a major gender divide when it comes to Trudeau’s support, and it’s only getting more pronounced.

Women have always been partial to Trudeau, not just for his movie-star looks but also his progressive social policies and his self-description as a feminist. Nanos said this divide grew more sharply as he continued to push a pro-feminist agenda, with Trudeau having lost about one-third of his male support since 2015.

“He’s been very gender-focused,” Nanos said. “When you focus so much on gender, it means that other voters, i.e. men, aren’t as important.”

Nanos believes there’s still plenty of time for Trudeau and the Liberals to turn things around. “They have to return to a progressive agenda and focus on the middle class. That appeals to both men and women.”

Stephen Azzi, associate professor of political management at Carleton University in Ottawa, said he wouldn’t put too much stock in polls 18 months ahead of an election. “Governments tend to lag in Year 2 or 3 of their mandate,” he said. “I think they should be worried, but I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom.”

But it's the Current Year!

bless his heart

he didn't so much as win the Canadian election as Stephen Harper was reviled and despised

but he was elected in spite of the fact that his only claim to fame was his last name

other than that, he's pretty much a zero

and as for Canadians complaining about CNN and others making fun of him - well, boo frickin hoo

what do you think they've been doing to Trump 24X7 since he started campaigning?

buckle up snowflakes, its gonna be a rough ride as he has nothing of substance to improve his position, no vision and no power

look up 'pajama boy' in the dictionary and his face would be in there

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Who could've predicted that Trudeau's incompetence would grow tiresome since he was even less qualified than 0bama (not kidding, at the time of both of their elections Trudeau was even less qualified to lead a nation than 0bama)? Oh yeah, me!

I was living in Can-eh-duh during his campaign and election in 2015. 0bama's campaign team was running Trudeau's Hope and Change campaign, and unlike the Israelis the Canadians were lapping the hollow nonsense up.

He was also campaigning on better relations with King Putt who was term limited, but Canadians don't understand the US well enough to realize electing someone to have good relations with a lame duck with one year left on their Constitutionally limited final term was moronic.

I pointed both out to everyone who would listed, but they just apologized and went back to the Canadian obsession of staring at their own feet.

Slight thread drift, but Why was Harper so reviled ?

It seems to this outsider to Canadian politics that Harper is a lightyear better than that vapid putz Trudeau.

not trying to brush off your question, but I suggest you read a book called 'Party of One' by Michael Harris

its a very good look inside the manipulative mind of a psychopathic politician

The guy is a loon and Canadians thawed and awoke to reality...

This is what happens when people *cough*women*cough* vote for a candidate based upon the candidate's looks.

Let's roll back the voting laws to pre-1920 days and the world might begin to start making sense again.

But, I ask you- where's a live volcano when you need one? Huh? Huh? Never around, but let me try to have a picnic in the park and here comes the pyroclastic flow...

quote:

Originally posted by divil:
Slight thread drift, but Why was Harper so reviled ?

It seems to this outsider to Canadian politics that Harper is a lightyear better than that vapid putz Trudeau.

Despite Canada not being able to control the world economy, his administration and political party took the blame for two events:

global economic recession of 2008

oil & gas bust of 2014

The latter hit Canada hard, because the other provinces were living off Alberta’s oil sands wealth and even the conservatives were spending like sailors on shore leave.

I like Harper so I can’t say why he was reviled but the above (in addition to falling for hope & change nonsense and a guy who was all style and no substance) is why haven’t he and his party got the boot by the voters

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

quote:

Originally posted by divil:
Slight thread drift, but Why was Harper so reviled ?

It seems to this outsider to Canadian politics that Harper is a lightyear better than that vapid putz Trudeau.

Buzz Lightyear is a lightyear better than that vapid putz Trudeau.

tac

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:

And this is the guy leading Canada?

Anyone else remember all those published pix of this dimwit parading around like some 5YO playing dress up?

Nothing against 5 year olds, but this twit is supposed to be the leader of a NATION, not the kindergarten playground.

quote:

Originally posted by Elk Hunter:
And this is the guy leading Canada?

No one is leading Canada. The PM's office is occupied by a GQ model wannabee.

“They have to return to a progressive agenda and focus on the middle class."

A progressive agenda focuses on the middle class like a pride of hungry lions focus on a herd of antelope.



.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
This is what happens when people *cough*women*cough* vote for a candidate based upon the candidate's looks.

Let's roll back the voting laws to pre-1920 days and the world might begin to start making sense again.

But, I ask you- where's a live volcano when you need one? Huh? Huh? Never around, but let me try to have a picnic in the park and here comes the pyroclastic flow...

19th amendment has had some disastrous unintended consequences.

As have plate tectonics.