To give credit where credit is due, it takes a lot of chutzpah for a political leader to embark on a listening tour along the lines that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is taking on with his cross-Canada town halls. The prime minister’s staff and managers took a gamble that Trudeau’s appeal to many Canadians and his willingness to meet face-to-face with everyday citizens would outweigh the flak he would no doubt receive on the tour.
From seeing news reports on the town halls, there are plenty of softball questions from those in the audience, to be sure, including questions on what it’s like to be the prime minister and how to get tough stains out of a tie.
But hardly a day seems to go by without a controversy rearing its head in these off-the-cuff sessions, whether it’s him getting asked by an emotional audience member how he can bring in a carbon tax when she already can barely make ends meet; or him answering a question about pipeline approvals by saying Canada needs to phase out the oilsands; or by the ridiculousness of him answering questions – even English questions - only in French while in Quebec.
Then there’s the other fires burning at home, including the fact that questions have been pressed about cash for access deals, regarding reports that members of the Chinese business community have been paying amounts that exceed federal contribution limits to attend fundraising dinners with the Prime Minister; or the fact that Trudeau is the first sitting Prime Minister ever to be investigated by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner for receiving a free vacation and private helicopter ride from the Aga Khan, the founder and a director of an organization that is a federally registered lobbyist.
As hot as the fires have gotten under Trudeau in the previous town halls, the hardest test is still before him – facing down the west and prairie provinces.
There won’t be any questions about how to get stubborn stains out of ties at those town halls; in fact, one might guess these will be tougher matches than any Trudeau has seen in a boxing rink. Questions about the carbon tax, the economy and the future of the oilsands are sure to be at the forefront of people’s minds, and it remains to be seen if Trudeau comes out of it still standing, or if this gamble will end with him and the Liberals knocked out of Alberta’s political rink with a solid one-two punch.
