Trudeau’s first chirp
It wasn’t a Tweet, exactly. Still, Justin Trudeau’s upbeat half-hour speech kicking off his bid for the federal Liberal leadership could easily have been condensed into a post for his150,000 Twitter followers: I can convince a new generation of Canadians that their country needs them, he assured pumped admirers in Montreal.
That’s certainly what Liberals desperately want to believe as the party begins to rebrand and regroup after last year’s electoral debacle. A charismatic figure with a flair for drama, Trudeau aimed his frothy message of renewal at younger, middle-class Canadians. He promised that the party on his watch will reconnect with average folk and give them respect, empowerment, jobs, a clean environment. It’s all about “more opportunity, more choices, more success,” he said.
That’s a seductive pitch at a time when young people are struggling to get a stake in society. “Canadian families have seen their incomes stagnate, their costs go up and their debts explode,” he said, before adding that people deserve better than what he characterized as the Conservatives’ trickle-down politics of privilege, or the New Democrats’ politics of envy. By planting his flag in the pragmatic centre, Trudeau aims to make a virtue of necessity, given that his party is squeezed between right and left. The approach has worked for Liberals before.
Still, Trudeau needs to do more, even in these early days, to shed his image as a policy lightweight. Those abandoned middle-class Canadians will want to hear more about how the Trudeau Liberals 2.0 propose to deliver the dynamic, compassionate society he evoked. Where’s the agenda to spur innovation and deliver prosperity, jobs and a greener economy? To improve parental leave and child care, ease student debt, reform employment insurance and shore up pensions? And to care for those left behind?
By that standard Trudeau missed an opportunity in Montreal to flesh out his ideas. Some will say this isn’t the time to roll out detailed policy positions. But charisma alone won’t restore Liberal fortunes. Trudeau is smart enough to know that. As with lightning, Trudeaumania is unlikely to strike twice. Canadians who like Trudeau’s pitch are still waiting to see how he proposes to deliver.