I finally listened to this, and it was quite interesting, although there was much fawning, as expected, on the part of Aaron Wherry and Susan Delacourt.
It's full of interesting history and even some insider tidbits from two journalists who got too close to the PM and apparently were burned by his brilliance, like Semele before Zeus.
Much of what stands out for me are the omissions. Trudeau's declining popularity is put down strictly to "the wear and tear of government." (Is everybody sick and tired of that phrase yet?) Nothing about the bold progressive promises that he got elected on and then broke, like bringing in electoral reform and ending fossil fuel subsidies. (Hey, remember TMX?)
OK, yes, we can now get stoned legally. Thank goodness, right? Takes the edge off the disappointment.
Near the end, Eric Grenier asks if Justin Trudeau's legacy can be compared to his father. Aaron Wherry says, "He's not going to have something like the constitution or the charter." Nothing foundational.
But he could have. Electoral reform could have been it. It was something his father tried and failed to do. It could have been a great legacy for him, and he threw it away.
I think Trudeau has some dim awareness of that. He recently told a roomful of Indigenous people that his greatest regret as PM is not having rammed through "ranked ballots" back when he had the majority that would have made it possible.
Implementing the ERRE Committee recommendations instead is still possible. But he won't think of doing it, because he doesn't value democracy, only his own power.
Oh boy. Two of Trudeau's biggest fans together in one podcast? I usually listen to all The Writ podcasts, but I may have to skip this one.
I finally listened to this, and it was quite interesting, although there was much fawning, as expected, on the part of Aaron Wherry and Susan Delacourt.
It's full of interesting history and even some insider tidbits from two journalists who got too close to the PM and apparently were burned by his brilliance, like Semele before Zeus.
Much of what stands out for me are the omissions. Trudeau's declining popularity is put down strictly to "the wear and tear of government." (Is everybody sick and tired of that phrase yet?) Nothing about the bold progressive promises that he got elected on and then broke, like bringing in electoral reform and ending fossil fuel subsidies. (Hey, remember TMX?)
OK, yes, we can now get stoned legally. Thank goodness, right? Takes the edge off the disappointment.
Near the end, Eric Grenier asks if Justin Trudeau's legacy can be compared to his father. Aaron Wherry says, "He's not going to have something like the constitution or the charter." Nothing foundational.
But he could have. Electoral reform could have been it. It was something his father tried and failed to do. It could have been a great legacy for him, and he threw it away.
I think Trudeau has some dim awareness of that. He recently told a roomful of Indigenous people that his greatest regret as PM is not having rammed through "ranked ballots" back when he had the majority that would have made it possible.
Implementing the ERRE Committee recommendations instead is still possible. But he won't think of doing it, because he doesn't value democracy, only his own power.