We’ve just had another full week of watching Justin Trudeau resort to every defensive trick to fend off allegations of Chinese interference in our elections. Beyond strategy, we’re curious to know what he really thinks about China deep down.
Believe me, the decisions of a political leader are not just the result of calculations. They are generally tinged with his deep thought and his convictions.
Unforgettable moment
Let’s go back to Thursday, November 7, 2013. In a reception hall in Toronto, Justin Trudeau participates in an evening conference with businesswomen.
They paid to hear a relaxed Justin Trudeau present his vision of Canada.
Justin Trudeau had just taken over the reins of the Liberal Party and was beginning to rebuild the party in preparation for the election. Political leaders participate in dozens of these activities, both to raise essential funds, but also to promote themselves and spread their message.
After making his usual spiel, Justin Trudeau arrives at the sympathetic stage of answering questions from the women present. Nothing too fancy.
Mr. Trudeau is at his best in the kind of closeness he creates in this kind of exercise.
Then comes this lady with an original question. “After Canada, what is the other country that you admire the most? »
Which answer !
Justin Trudeau’s answer would go down in history. “I have a certain admiration for China because their dictatorial regime…allows you to transform their economy in the blink of an eye…”
Of all the countries in the world, he chooses China! Amazing answer for someone aspiring to rule a democracy. An answer that earned him a shower of criticism.
Nevertheless, everything indicates to us that it was about an honest answer, which translated an impression well anchored in his thought.
His response is reflex. In an instant, he reveals what comes spontaneously to his mind. We all understand that if he had weighed the pros and cons with a team of advisers, he would never have answered that.
Vulnerability area
How not to think back to this statement ten years later when he became Prime Minister and Chinese interference is the order of the day.
Did the author of the 2013 answer have the right reflexes at all stages? Has he always had a lucid reading of the reality of Xi Jinping’s relations with China?
One thing is certain, the subject of China is a terrain of vulnerability for Justin Trudeau. Because of this, evasions and hesitation become even more damaging.
The discomforts accumulate. A former president of the Trudeau Foundation is the one the Prime Minister appointed to report on interference in our elections.
The Trudeau Foundation reimburses the dubious donation of a Chinese billionaire seven years later.
Even at the level of appearances, nothing this week could reassure Canadians.