Debacle reflects badly on PM

The immediate crisis in Afghanistan may well have passed by the time Canadians go to the polls next month but the general election will give voters the chance to choose the leader they think is best suited to handle tricky situations like the end of mass evacuations from Kabul.

That judgment is unlikely to be kind on Justin Trudeau. As reports of explosions and mass Western casualties in the Afghan capital began to circulate, the Liberal leader was campaigning in Quebec City, promising an extra $42 a month for seniors receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement. The penny-ante nature of the announcement was in stark contrast to the consequential events happening half a world away, where thousands of applicants to leave Afghanistan for Canada remain trapped.

Trudeau didn’t mention the crisis in his planned remarks but was asked by reporters whether he accepted personal responsibility for the failure to move quickly enough to evacuate those who helped Canada.

He said the situation was “heartbreaking to see” but that Canada has airlifted 3,700 people on 17 flights and will continue to put pressure on the Taliban to allow people to leave.

“We will ensure that in the coming months and years, we bring 20,000 Afghans to their new homes in Canada,” he said cheerily, the epitome of the kind of politician he warned about two days before when he advised voters to “beware people selling simple solutions to complex problems.”

It is possible that the Taliban are willing to negotiate over the release of more refugees — they face a food emergency and a revenue crunch as foreign aid dries up. But it is equally possible that they will seek deadly retribution on anyone who has opposed them. Western governments have been humbled by the chaotic pullout and voters in Canada may well record their verdict at the polls, particularly given Trudeau’s insistence on calling an election just as Kabul fell.

Make no mistake, this election is all about the Liberal leader. He was asked by reporters whether he needs a majority to implement his agenda. The enthusiasm of his response indicates that he dearly hopes voters will fly him to the moon and let him play among the stars.

Canadians are aware that this is a pivotal moment in the country’s history, he said. “If there is one thing past experience has taught us, it is that governments can do really big things in times of crisis that can have a positive impact on people’s lives. We intend to do more really, really big things,” he said, particularly on climate, housing and reconciliation.

It is clear where the Liberal leader’s priorities lie, and it is not with the poor bastards stuck in Afghanistan.

Trudeau’s vaulting personal ambition may prevent him from ever getting the chance to introduce whatever really, really big things he has in mind.

Liberals say they are not surprised at how the campaign has unfolded — that their internal polling always suggested a tight race. The expectation is that it will remain neck-and-neck until after Labour Day, when it may turn into a scrap between the Liberal commitment to $10 daycare and the Conservative pledge to increase health transfers to the provinces.

An Abacus Data poll of leadership characteristics, released Thursday, suggested Trudeau’s personal numbers are holding up surprisingly well — he compares favourably to Conservative leader Erin O’toole when it comes to being judged friendly, compassionate and someone with shared values (though worryingly for both, they are ranked much lower than the NDP’S Jagmeet Singh).

But Trudeau’s Achilles heel is that he is deemed more fake and untrustworthy than the other two men who would be prime minister.

That impression will not be improved by his inattention to the Afghan debacle.