I cannot think in memorable history of a worst performing leader than the current Canadian prime minister of those who spent any decent time governing the country. Though, he is someone who I still wish generally well but not to remain in his current occupation, partly because of the shambolic mess he has significantly contributed to over Khalistan. To put it simply, Trudeau is not fit enough for purpose of heading a G7 or G20 country of Canada’s stature. He has failed so miserably to keep his country safe or other countries on important issues of extremism. Simply speaking he should resign.
There have been solid leaders in Canada with serious grips on foreign policy and security. I know this well. In 1975, when I was political party active (far removed from such partisan politics for decades) I was a delegate (alternate) to the Tory party leadership convention. I backed Flora MacDonald, a brilliant charismatic, and “populist” leader. Four years later, she became Canada’s first female external affairs minister when there were few women with such a cabinet post around the world. Interestingly, she was so highly respected internationally, that she received much acclaim, even “awarded the Padma Shri, a civilian award, by the Government of India in 2004,” given to the highly accomplished (Wikipedia).
She was one who in her “retirement years” pushed hard and concretely development in the Global South and being a main doer behind getting a girl’s school in Afghanistan running well. This was a person from modest roots from a poorer part of Canada whose family experienced The Great (economic) Depression. Flora truly cared and identified with the common person and those unfortunately pushed down. Her leadership campaign was funded by simply many sending to her a few dollars from common folks. I interviewed her for a journalistic piece.
In some important ways Prime Minister Modi, I believe shares common roots socially and in populism with what she represented. Despite delegates at that leadership convention bowing out not to support getting MacDonald as its first female leader (India had already had its first female prime minister, almost a decade before), she still was a trail blazer for women’s rights by accomplishment more than pleading and pushing any excessive woke feminism. It may be speculative but such types as MacDonald in wise leadership and extensive foreign affairs knowledge would likely have led Canada away from such a mess over the Khalistan issue, though certainly keeping a pro-Canada stance but centered in fairness and realism.
Now, for Justin Trudeau in part contrast. He is a man who thinks euthanasia laws he put into place for people psychologically troubled should provide the right to have themselves killed with lawful “ease”. Think how disturbing such legislation is by itself: What kind of message does this send, for example to the many youths, enough of them troubled looking for a leadership of hope in life and where there should be emphasis on the idea of therapeutic holistic treatment and having enough grit to have the character to push through hard times as all of us go through?
Unlike Flora MacDonald who never accepted a bribe or was squeaky clean on receiving any unacceptable patronage, Mr. Trudeau was embroiled in major scandals one related to a Montreal engineering company and a family member. Contrastingly Mr. Modi has essentially officially has geared up a campaign against corruption, not so easy at all to do given certain forces in India.
Worrisome is too much of the Canadian establishment a good many behind Trudeau are increasingly in a disconnect to and/or a minimum of real empathy for those of the needy, even in their own society. To many of them are in opposite narratives to what is needed on many foreign affairs issues (Think on India against extremism, think on Ukraine against that government’s neo-Nazi connections, think on Libya that the chaos Canadian fighter bombers added to t there, think on excessive wokeness and think on Khalistan!) And Justin Trudeau like many globalists never experienced what Mr. Modi did from a modest but honest job managing a tea stand in his younger years, living in a very challenging situation.
That included starting off in a somewhat poor area and pulling himself through by hard deliberate work, getting an education from the street and most of his own reading and learning many hard lessons over many years. Ms. MacDonald had also had not so much formal education and thought she was discriminated unnecessarily for this.
Then look at Trudeau instead an inheritor of millions of dollars was brought up largely with a silver spoon, elite private schools and with lots of recreational leisure pleasure. Many in comparison describe the Prime Minister of India as no-nonsense on serious matters, even of a very high work ethic and of temperance. A leader who is making a world of difference, first to his needy citizens, on fast paced growth and development and substantively contributed internationally with his outstanding G20 leadership of recent. This includes his sound firm actions on terrorism.
Back to Justin Trudeau, added to the preceding concerns, is his disingenuousness so many feel about him. It has been a continuous worry and expressed to him by some top global leaders. Contrast this with honest hard-working truckers who were being decimated by his government’s, likely overly strict covid rules. Ones which made it hard for these essentially workers and small businesses from surviving or decently well. But could silver-spooned Trudeau feel their pain? No instead, he even accused them of being associated with neo-Nazis as they protested some of Trudeau’s draconian measures – totally uncalled for. (Then later Trudeau applauded a Nazi in the gallery of the Canadian parliament) Then not to forget that he had his government seize the bank accounts of some of the more activist truckers, but far from being terrorists.
To top it off and “quote” one of the top psychology clinicians, Jordan Peterson, also a Canadian, “Narcissist Justin Trudeau has never said a true word” (Telegraph, YouTube). Further, there are the many worries Canadians express with a recent polling saying only about 30 percent want him reelected.
Though, it is a general principle for New Delhi not to interfere with the serious internal affairs of another country, is it now “open season” politically some might argue given Trudeau’s approach on Khalistan issues? India’s External Affairs minister S. Jaishankar in his recent speech before the UN General Assembly makes it look like that Trudeau has no place to hide from diplomatic opprobrium.
The next shoe to fall off may be the large Indian diaspora, significant in many Member of Parliament ridings to think carefully on their political choices in the election in 2025. It is too bad that Mr. Trudeau does not have the “elder” wisdom and global insights in his continuous direct ears of the types of Flora MacDonald or even Mr. Modi. Whoever he may be listening to on the Khalistan issue, he would do better to listen more carefully to New Delhi. It might not be only b better for Canada and the world but might even save his premiership in the end.
Peter Dash writes widely on geopolitics.