'A celebrity from birth': Trudeau vacation latest incident to raise spectre of an out-of-touch elite
When Justin Trudeau became prime minister it was, in many ways, a homecoming.
Born in 1971, just a few years into his father’s decade-plus reign as prime minister, Trudeau grew up in the spotlight.
As a child he met world leaders including Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan while family friends included Fidel Castro and the Aga Khan.
It is his continuing friendship with the latter that has landed the prime minister in hot water lately, but it is just the latest in a string of events that has raised the spectre of Trudeau as an out-of-touch elite.
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“He’s in violation of the Conflict of Interest Act,” said Duff Conacher, founder of Democracy Watch, of the Aga Khan vacation. “How can he not see that this is the appearance of a conflict of interest?”
In fact, Trudeau told reporters “we don’t see an issue” when it comes to the use of the private helicopter or his friendship with the Aga Khan, who chairs a foundation that receives millions of dollars in federal grants. But he does welcome any questions the ethics commissioner might have.
“Welcoming questions” from the ethics commissioner is becoming a familiar refrain. It’s one Trudeau trotted out just last month when so-called cash-for-access fundraisers prompted questions from commissioner Mary Dawson in December.
What is new, though, is the appearance that the prime minister may be bristling over the backlash, which is starting to come in from all sides.
Pushing the need to combat climate change, the introduction of a national carbon pricing policy while many Canadians struggle to pay hydro bills, let alone afford tropical vacation getaways, has also contributed to feelings that the prime minister is out of touch.
This week Trudeau began a cross-country tour to reconnect with Canadians (an endeavour not without its own controversy, as questions were raised about data collection to pad the Liberal Party database.)
‘Very much an elite’
Throughout his political career, Trudeau’s critics have seized repeatedly upon his privileged upbringing.
In November, family ties caused the prime minister another problem when he was castigated for his statement on the death of Fidel Castro, who served as an honorary pallbearer at Trudeau’s father’s funeral.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper referred to his opponent’s personal wealth during a 2015 debate over Conservative tax cuts:
“Let’s be clear, the vast majority of Canadian families cannot rely on a personal trust fund,” Harper jabbed.
According to Trudeau’s own disclosure, he has a $1.2 million inheritance from his father and earned $1 million over six years as a public speaker.
But it’s not just a matter of financial wealth, says Alex Marland, a professor of political science at Memorial University who studies political branding.
“It’s not about financial might,” Marland told Yahoo Canada News.
“He was going to be a celebrity from birth, without ever doing anything. It just happened because of who his parents were, because of when he was born.”
And Trudeau has courted that celebrity to his political advantage, he says. Where it becomes a problem is when people start thinking about what that kind of privilege means.
“Justin Trudeau is very much an elite and always has been,” Marland said.
“He has skills, there’s no question. But the only reason he became leader of the Liberal Party… was because of his name and his background and connections. Not because of his resume.”
Marland says that is not a criticism.
And regardless of who comes into office, they come in as an outsider imbued with hope and optimism, he says. Then it gets harder.
“It’s inevitable that you start to encompass power and authority and everything that is wrong, as well as everything that is right,” he said.
