Can Trudeau beat cynicism? Just watch him

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/09/2013 (4373 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“Some say Canadians don’t seem to trust politicians anymore. My big problem is that politicians don’t seem to trust Canadians anymore.”

— Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin Trudeau

Justin Trudeau knows how to work a crowd.

During his first stop in Manitoba yesterday, the charismatic federal Liberal leader spoke to a packed room at Brandon University and never missed a beat.

In a room filled with students, former students, professors, party faithful and folks just out to hear the man talk, Trudeau kept their attention — first through his 25-minute address, and then through a question-and-answer session after he opened the floor.

The questions from the floor were varied, touching on everything from getting more women in politics, aboriginal issues and even the byelection here in Brandon-Souris.

The most common theme throughout the hour was a message of a more positive outlook on Canada and Canadians, and how his approach would mark a sea change from the cynicism that has marked Canadians’ view of politics and politicians.

His stated goal is to create a Liberal movement across the country over the next two years — Trudeaumania 2 perhaps?

One question from the floor suggested that the Liberal party was the party of Eastern Canada, and that the Conservative party was the party of the West. What was he going to do to make inroads into Western Canada, as a means to govern for all Canadians, not just the East?

Trudeau’s answer was that the Liberal party had a lot of work to do before it would deserve another chance from voters in Western Canada. Part of that approach was to listen to Canadians, allow for a more open nomination process for candidates, and loosen up the party machine in Ottawa so that local politicians could better reflect a bottom up approach to issues and problems, rather than a top-down approach, which he said is favoured by the Tories.

“All western Canadians got was people who’ve become mouthpieces for the Prime Minister’s Office, spokespeople for Stephen Harper in their communities,” Trudeau said as he answered the question.

“And lately we’re seeing in the news that the Conservative party isn’t satisfied in turning good people into mouthpieces, they’re picking the people who they think should be their voice here in Brandon.”

As we have said before on this page, the nomination process for the Conservative Party of Canada here in Brandon-Souris smells rather foul, and we continue to believe that.

During a private interview with Sun staffers yesterday before he took to the podium, though he didn’t want to wade in too deeply into another party’s process, Trudeau offered his own take on the situation.

“This is a move, either accidentally or deliberately, crafted to impose a top-down view of politics at a time where I think politics is changing deeply,” he told the Sun. “When we see a politician from any party, or the political structures within any party strong arming local organizations like this, it reflects poorly on all of us as politicians and political parties.”

Clearly, the fact that Trudeau has made a visit to Brandon-Souris and has promised to return in the not too distant future, suggests he believes the riding is in play.

Considering how yellow-dog Tory the riding of Brandon-Souris has been over all these years, any suggestion that Liberal fortunes under candidate Rolf Dinsdale or some other person who has yet to come forward could significantly improve because of lingering dissatisfaction from the Tory base in Brandon-Souris would be almost sacrilegious.

Though as you can read in today’s paper, the fact that a card-carrying Conservative — Killarney-Turtle Mountain Mayor Rick Pauls — feels strongly enough to run as an independent in Brandon-Souris, perhaps change really is in the air.

We certainly agree with Trudeau that Canadians are tired of dirty politics. Apparently more than a few people agree with him, too.