Partially discharged

That is a perfect summary of him.

BristolUK

You may be right. Certainly his photo is in the paper rather a lot.

It's hard for me to get interested that much in Canadian politics - barely a cigarette paper dividing the two main parties. But Canada does seem to get a bit of respect that wasn't there before he got elected.

I just get a little tired of criticism for the sake of it, every little thing as if he is somehow the one who made something go wrong.

I mean, seriously, someone gets invited (who very quickly gets uninvited when the mistake is discovered) and people behave as if Trudeau himself sat down, chose guests and personally typed out the invitations.

Apparently 14 MPs paid their own way, not being part of the official group, and one of them requested the invitation to the dinner reception hosted by the High Commissioner for Canada in India.

dbd33

This is a hook off of which I don't think you should be let. I've just been to America. I spoke to people in bars. No mention of civil war.

Where do you find your frothing loons?

jerryhung

Did you watch the video?

I thought the headline was ridiculous until I watched it - he was only having a bit of an inside joke with the audience. I kind of feel sorry for him how far it blew up and how misconceived it was.

(Sorry I didn't read this whole thread )

jerryhung

There is a lot of hate for Trudeau it seems, particularly from conservatives.

At least he takes it all gracefully.

dave_j

The official argument suggests that he meant this innocent remark as a joke, but I'm not so sure.

The man's a politician and as such is always on the lookout to capture that goodfeel moment and probably spends more time thinking up ways to improve his image than running the country. I think that this comment was a deliberate attempt to attract good reviews but one that was sadly misjudged. What worries me more is that, like so many in his 'profession' and despite the time he spends moulding his image, he's completely out of touch with how normal people think. Had he invited anyone who worked for a living to comment of his latest idea then he'd have learned something to his advantage.

It betrays an arrogance born out of years of feeling superior to the rest of us. He'd like to portray himself as a liberal but his origins would have allowed nothing else so I wonder whether he's simply a convenient liberal not having a serious political view of his own.

Canadians need a liberal voice, but they need one with passion burned into the psyche from years of struggle rather than one who labels himself one because that's what dynasty demands.

Jingsamichty

I agree. I do not see Justin Trudeau on the BBC news, nor really in the mainstream media, but then again that is true of Canada itself. The only time I ever see Trudeau mentioned is in insulting Facebook posts by Canadian conservatives. Even then, none of it is original comment by those Canadian conservatives, it is just sharing of questionable posts, purely based on the fact that they don't like him therefore they have to belittle him.

Partially discharged

Excellent summary of my feelings on Trudeau.

scrubbedexpat091

This whole thing seems strange in regards to this Atwal guy.

https://www.google.ca/amp/vancouvers...arrassment/amp

macadian

He belittles himself by his Ill advised conduct, and by association, Canada too, a national embarrassment....

BristolUK

A national embarrassment? An odd description for someone who appears well respected in the ROTW.

US Newsweek - Canada's Trudeau Proves Once Again He's the World's Most Popular Leader

Sky News UK - Why is Canada's Justin Trudeau so popular?
The 45-year-old is better-liked than other leaders he will be joining at the G20 in Germany this week.

Of course all leaders lose public support after initial popularity. His popularity appears to have plummeted to Harper's peak levels.

Almost Canadian

Do commentators saying he is popular equate to being well respected by the ROTW?

I don't believe anyone has ever denied that he is popular and I fully accept that other leaders may envy his popularity.

I simply hate the fact that he is unable to string a sentence together when he is asked a question by anyone that isn't a fan or that, when he does make a prepared speech, his attempts at sounding authoritative fail miserably.

An example:

I also wish that, like Notley in Alberta, he would stop spending money that he has no plan to repay.

Oakvillian

This. I don't think Conservative-leaning posters on here can possibly be aware just how much damage Harper did to Canada's international reputation. The starkest example is possibly the unfortunate debacle surrounding the (failed) international lobbying to get elected to a spot on the UN Security Council in 2010. Even Lawrence Cannon, Harper's foreign minister at the time, acknowledged that Canada's move away from its traditional "peacekeeper" reputation towards a much more hard-line foreign policy, had played a significant role in the defeat.

Canada's reputation, and that of its prime minister, are rather stronger now under Trudeau than they ever were under the previous administration.

BristolUK

Not in itself, no, but with examples given of popularity and in the absence of foreign news media reporting the opposite it very likely does. Unless one believes people can be popular but not respected.

It seemed a reasonable response to the suggestion he was a national embarrassment.

dave_j

Popularity is a two edged sword when used in any discussion. I believe that one A. HItler was popular at one time, even did well in the 1933 election. Of course he did promise jobs, a larger international presence etc. and to an extent did deliver, but to use popularity as an argument to assess any politician is fraught with difficulty.