The Snow Job: How Justin Trudeau’s Progressive Dream Became Trump’s Latest Punchline

Photo by Joy Real on Unsplash

Last week, as Justin Trudeau took his fateful walk in the snow — a theatrical echo of his father’s famous resignation — I couldn’t help but think of a conversation I had with a Toronto cab driver last month. “Trudeau?” he snorted, when I mentioned the PM. “We wanted Obama, but we got Drama.” It’s the kind of cutting street wisdom that perfectly captures how Canada’s progressive prince transformed from political messiah to national exhaustion.

I remember being in Montreal when Trudeau first swept to power in 2015, watching young voters practically swooning at campaign rallies. The atmosphere was intoxicating: here was a 43-year-old political rock star promising to turn Canada into a progressive utopia of universal healthcare, multiculturalism, and kumbaya internationalism. Like a Silicon Valley startup promising to change the world through artisanal toast delivery, it all seemed terribly exciting at the time.

But as any venture capitalist will tell you (probably while wearing a Patagonia vest and sipping kombucha), excitement doesn’t pay the bills. With inflation rampant, a $62 billion deficit (rather more than his promised $10 billion limit), and housing costs that make London look positively affordable, Canadians have discovered that progressive dreams come with distinctly…