CFN – Sometimes you just have to give your head a shake in disbelief. Today we learn that Justin Trudeau has once again copied his father. No, he didn’t swear again in the House of Commons, but he did use his father’s infamous words from the 1970 FLQ crisis “Just Watch Me.” Those words of course were spoken as his father was implementing the War Measures Act designed to curtail civil liberties.
For someone who claims that he wants to do politics a new way, he seems to slip back into old proven methods of getting attention.
I doubt this was a planned slip up. In politics, sometimes you do say things to advance your issue or even create a smokescreen or diversion for a bigger issue. But, in this instance that doesn’t seem to be the case.
It’s no surprise that he thinks that he can beat Stephen Harper, but he chose the wrongs words to say so. He has to believe he can win or he wouldn’t be running for the Liberal leadership, but really shouldn’t he stop and think before putting his foot in his mouth?
Justin has a habit of doing this. Remember his swearing at Environment Minister Peter Kent back in December 2011? While it wasn’t “fuddle Duddle” he still had to stand and apologize. Other than providing him with a bit of ego satisfying extra media coverage, it didn’t earn him many points.
He also put his foot in his mouth when he suggested “… maybe I would think about wanting to make Quebec a country” if Stephen Harper’s vision of Canada was to come true. If people thought that might help him in vote rich Quebec, he probably lost an equal number of votes with his “Just Watch Me.”
And of course if you want to alienate the west, why not mention that “Canada isn’t doing well right now because it’s Albertans who control our community and socio-democratic agenda. It doesn’t work.” While Trudeau did apologize and suggested that he meant Stephen Harper and not Albertans, that gem of a comment played a part in the Liberals losing the Calgary bye-election.
One can argue that we should give him a break, but he is playing in the big leagues now. Every word, every thought, every gesture will be analyzed and where applicable used against you.
One can see the Conservative election ads now… Justin Trudeau’s scrawled “Just watch me” played back to back with a news clip of his father saying the same thing. His comment might play well with the younger generation, but there are a lot of baby boomers and seniors who don’t have fond memories of his father- and they vote.
His campaign team must be shaking their heads, but the good news for them is that so far Justin Trudeau hasn’t given the “Salmon Arm salute” to anyone.
Keith Beardsley is a senior strategist for True North Public Affairs in Ottawa, as well as a blogger and political analyst. He can often be found running or cycling on his favorite bike trails.
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Oh those words “Just Watch Me” brought me back to much better days. Some people may criticize Pierre but Pierre had a personality all of his own. Yes he was arrogant but had to be. Merci beaucoup Pierre Trudeau vous avez bien fait pendant les années que vous avez servi comme premier ministre. Un très grand merci.
Young Justin is not like his dad – he is not as arrogant as Pierre but is a nice guy and has a lot to learn in politics. Pierre was a strong man and I really liked some of Pierre Trudeau’s ways. He wasn’t afraid of the Yanks unlike the a$$ kisser that we have today Harpo. If I were to compare the two men I would much rather Pierre Trudeau any day even with all his faults.
I am a conservative person and a little on the socialist side as well but when it came to a good leader Pierre was it and Harpo doesn’t measure up to one iota of what Pierre ever was and never will be. I don’t think that a PM of Canada ever amounted to what Trudeau was.
As for young Justin he learned a lot of things from his father but he also is his own person. We won’t know the real Justin until he is a leader.
Never underestimate Justin Trudeau. Thinking he may surprise many. He is young, extremely intelligent, has potential and has put the Liberal Party back on the map. Thinking he can move this country forward.
They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree….in Justin’s case, I would be proud.
@ jules,
What the senior did was bring in a charter of rights that will, in the end, divide Canada, like never before. We are already seeing its adverse affects. Look at QUEBEC, LOOK how every issue in this nation is under the microscope of “the charter”
Look at how extremely difficult, almost “impossible”, it is to change the charter along with any amendment to our constitution.
Look at the various multicultural groups, each with its own set of mores, each groups individual and collective culture deemed not only unique, but protected to the hilt.
How about integrating into the country you migrated to ? How about becoming a Canadian? How about forsaking the culture you left for the culture you moved into? We have made our passport one off convenience. merci pierre.
yes that’s our pierre, a true socialist : making the”notwithstanding clause” the most divisive clause ever to enter into Canadian politics.
Now we are graced with kid trudeau, the handsome, yuppy like clone of his father to take Canada for “another ride”.
Lets hope that Keith Beardley is correct when he states that there are many, many baby boomers, who vote and remember his father. This time we “won’t” be fooled.
Justin Trudeau will turn out to be as useless as his father was!
Three things to remember #1Your father was not Santa Claus.#2 Mount Logan Is not for sale So don’t try.and most important#3When push comes to shove and you are tempted to give Canadians the %#@#$% your father did while riding for free on our great railroad we will be sure to tell you wth our votes Do not pass go do not collect 200 dollars and have your fathers coat tales sent back to the cleaner!
Justin has foot in mouth disease and it keeps flaring up.
Good for the liberals ,yet another leader without qualities.
I have lost track now will he be #4 in the past 6 years ,
But careful what you wish for for you might actually get it .
The liberals are holding ever so tightly to those glory days of the past and Justin is riding that coattails,The conservatives will only gain with Justin steering the liberal ship.
Oh dear, Mr. Beardsley, where is your sense of wit and occasion? Your backwardl-looking observation may win you brownie points with the conservative herd, but that’s all.
Look at the context. A fellow passenger on a flight asked Justin Trudeau “Can you beat Harper?” Back came Mr. Trudeau’s reply. Many hundreds of thousands of Canadians have taken their seats to watch the come-uppance of our sour bully of a PM whose policies are so damaging to our country. After Justin Trudeau’s swift and unexpected disposal of Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau in a boxing ring, they may not have to wait too much longer.
Pierre Trudeau was the best Prime Minister I remember.. We needed the War Measures act back then.. i remember i was living in QC at the time….no I did not flee QC.. Personal reasons brought me ON but I miss QC and I go back there regularly.
The French in QC were not treated fairly years ago.. they got their backs up and they went too far.. that is the bottom line.. Most intelligent people do nto agree with all the stuff that is going on there now..
Quebec is not influencing Ontario as Ontario is a province on it’s own and it’s language laws are simply that theirs.. I wish the blaming QC for everything would stop…
@ jane doe-doe,
You obviously don’t know your quebec history, just like pierre, stella and richard.
The french were never treated badly,their premiers from 1920 through 1959, invited the ENGLISH TO COME IN AND TAKE OVER QUEBEC ECONOMICALLY.
Please do you homework. it was premiers s Godbout, tachereau and duplessis, that refused industralization grants from Canada, ( P.M. MacKenzie King to be exact) because they wanted to keep the french habitants on the farm , ignorant and uneducated. They then offered huge tax incentatives to US and UK companies to come in and SET UP SHOP. They also offered up Les Habitabnts from the farm as a source of cheap labor.
Therefore the English WERE GIVEN CONTROL. In 1960, when the first modern day separatists came along, almost all of them were inflenced by Lionel L’abbe groulx, who was the second separatist and nationalist. His writings shed light on what had happened and through and his inflluence the first modern day separatists came to power. Godin, Levesque, Morin, Laurin , burns, and Charron.
So jane doe-doe, to blame the English for the demise of the french prior to 1960, it simply not true. it was the french leaders themselves that were responsibile, as you say, for not being treated well.
Hoping this article doesn’t go back to a language debate…..enough already!!
Mr. Beardsley was writing about Justin Trudeau and the Conservative Party…..not language **smile**
@ stella,
Again , what are you talking about ?
the indroducing of the “charter” goes directly to language rights. it also goes to THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE’ Are you not aware of this ?
the “charter” that was brought in by trudeau, , along with “the notwithstanding clause”, directly impacts language and freedom of choice. Do you not understand how the “charter” and the laws of this land work ??
It is how trudeau, wanted the french to take over Canada.
It allows, quebec to pass bills like 101 AND 14 LEGITIMATELY
trudeau, was also responsible for the mulit-cultrual dynamic that Canada has evolved into today. Every cultural group can claim their particular heritage is being discriminated against.
this is why in quebec, they set up the the multi cultrual forms to look very deeply into the emergance of various cultures, other than the Enfglish and wanted them squashed.
This is about the rights of the few superceeding the rights of the many.
Do you know any history at all stella ? have you any clue as to the way laws are formed and teir effects ???
Hey Stella you were the first to talk about it!
Pierre’s or was it one of the rolling stones son Justin has a big problem trying to bring back a dinosaur of a party that believes its entitled to run the country -You have to earn it through votes.
Justin has alienated the west already and as for Quebec the liberal party will be fighting with the NDP over the Quebec scraps (seats).
It used to be if you didn’t have Que and Ont you didn’t have the country.
All has changed and 30 new seats- federal Riding’s with 3 allocated to Quebec -why? for appeasement as their population has not grown to justify the new seats.
The remaining seats are in Ont and the west where the biggest growth of populations have occurred.
Justintime (To see himself in the media)has already stated that if the country has Harper as a leader he will help Quebec with separation !
Now many will look at this as he is a closet separatist,which in fact by his biased statements would indicate that he is.
Not to worry when election time comes what Justintime(For media plugs) says will be brought forward and remind Canadians who they are dealing with,You may call it attack ads but the liberals won’t be immune to do the same.
Justin should have waited a few years. I’m going to vote for him though. At least with his father he had a chance to be minister under pearson for a while…I hope I’m wrong. I have been wrong once or twice in my lifetime.
Peter you forgot the largest influences of all in Quebec that really hit home during the 60’s English TV and as more and more asked the other main influence in Quecbec the Catholic church “how come I have been kept on the farm one priest one nun from a large family” the answer from the pulpit was the English have kept ypou down. The Quebec people were awaking then and they continue to do it today !
@ richard,
the errors of your lifetime are on-going, as evidenced by your posts.