Will Justin Trudeau make a great prime minister? Not likely. Is he better than the alternatives? You bet. There is something of a debate in the household these days about a forthcoming event for Mr. Trudeau in September. We might just use the $300 it would cost for two of us to attend to stock up on Kraft Dinner. There is a long cold winter coming.
You would think at her age, the wife would hardly be gaga about Justin’s good looks. She liked the father too. While Pierre Trudeau was hardly as good looking, he was certainly a lot smarter. Last time we saw Justin, the wife was telling him about her collection of Trudeau family Christmas cards that chronicled Justin and his brothers’ youth. He only looked slightly pained at the recounting.
But this country has really had it with Mr. Harper and the Hair. This guy would be much happier as the dictator of some banana republic somewhere. He reminds us of the late Idi Amin Dada from Uganda. The two of them are so impressed with their importance they lose sight of the objectives of leadership. The journey itself becomes the objective.
Mr. Harper is only happy when he is flying to some world capital with his hairdresser where people will treat him as though he is important. You get the impression that the recent problems of Alison Redford as Premier of Alberta were just as a scapegoat for Alberta’s frustration with Canada’s high flying Prime Minister. You really wonder when the son of the guy who created the National Energy Program starts to look good to voters in Alberta.
The one thing you can count on is that New Democrat Thomas Mulcair has a much further journey in the land of William Aberhart than young Trudeau. They will have to provide the NDP leader with a 20-gallon hat in Calgary that can sit on his shoulders. It would be the only way to hide the fact that he is a stiff necked easterner. Mulcair’s finicky manner and prosecutorial style just do not sit on a western saddle.
Across Canada, we now know that people want their country back. They want the respect of the world community for Canada’s fairness and willingness to keep the peace. They want a balanced approach to our economy that creates jobs for all. They want more federal concern for education and health care and our environment. They want a shared vision for this great country.
If Justin Trudeau can motivate our youth, charm our women and offer the caring kind of government this country needs, he has sure got our vote. It is just a shame that we are supposed to wait until late next year?
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Copyright 2014 © Peter Lowry
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