Adnan R. Khan: When a leader decides they have all the answers, and want the levers of democracy to align to their vision, only bad things can happen
Remember back in December 2015, when Justin Trudeau leaned so heavily into his sensitive-everyman shtick, greeting Syrian refugees at Pearson international with a smile so painfully endearing it made you feel like Canada really deserved the rather condescending trope of the dorky but nice northern folk?
The India fiasco was of a different species. The sartorial faux-pas could be forgiven but it was hard to overlook the presence of Jaspal Atwal, the one-time Sikh separatist convicted in India of trying to assassinate the Indian prime minister, on the list of VIPs traveling with Trudeau. Is Trudeau falling prey to his own image? His handling of the SNC Lavalin affair would suggest so. What stuck out most to me in recent revelations was the insistence with which Trudeau appeared to be pursuing his agenda. Over the course of the now-infamous 17-minute telephone conversation between Jody Wilson-Raybould and Michael Wernick, Wernick said no less than four times that the Prime Minster was “firm” about his position on the SNC-Lavalin file.
The sad fact is that the collapse of Trudeau’s brand is infecting the Liberal party. It doesn’t deserve it. I have been impressed, for instance, with Chrystia Freeland’s poise on the international stage. The Liberal government has shown more deep thinking when it comes to handling the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. It has used Canada’s resources much more effectively in places like the Mediterranean Sea and Ukraine.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Beauty, joy and resilience’: Yasmin Khan celebrates the rich tradition of Palestinian cooking‘The kitchen table has always been one of my favourite places. The best conversations happen there’
Read more »
Alberta Liberals Accidentally Insert Innuendo Into Their Merch'Mr. Kenney thought it was hilarious that I didn't look it up,' Alberta Liberal leader David Khan said.
Read more »
What the PMO's 'bush league' handling of SNC-Lavalin says about Trudeau - Macleans.caPolitics Insider for April 5: Canadians' shaky confidence in Trudeau, Wilson-Raybould and Philpott speak in depth, and why USMCA is sunk
Read more »
One activist on her decision to shun Trudeau: 'A refusal to sit idle' - Macleans.caRiley Yesno: Why absence and silence was so powerful at Daughters of the Vote
Read more »
The fall of the feminist Prime Minister - Macleans.caShannon Proudfoot: The Daughters of the Vote, 338 young women, filled the House of Commons and with devastating timing turned on a leader they once admired
Read more »
Maclean's journalists nominated for SABEW Canada awards - Macleans.caPrajakta Dhopade among the nominees for awards recognizing the country's best business journalism
Read more »
'Open for Ridicule': Doug Ford's licence plate slogan contest - Macleans.caThe Premier is suggesting one of his popular campaign slogans for licence plates on commercial vehicles. Cue the road rage.
Read more »