Analysis | Justin Trudeau on the battlefield until the end

The main thing about the interview given by Justin Trudeau on Friday is not that he regularly questions himself, despite the candor of his remarks. It is rather that he will remain in post until the final battle.

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Arrival of Justin Trudeau at Radio-Canada in Montreal for his interview on the show “Midi info”, March 15, 2024

• Alec Castonguay (View profile)Alec Castonguay

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It is rare that statements of the Prime Minister of Canada are making headlines around the world, both in places where the country has rather good press, such as in the United Kingdom, and in those where it is not at the peak of its popularity, such as in China or in India.

No one wakes up one morning wondering what the leaders of Norway or Spain think about a hot topic, and the same has always been true of Canada, despite its membership in the G7 and G20.

It is true that it is not common for a prime minister to candidly say that his job at the head of the country is a job< /em> crazy and that the personal sacrifices are so numerous that he questions himself every day, as Justin Trudeau said in an interview on my show Noon info, Friday noon.

However, despite the din since Friday noon, particularly among political opponents (New window) of Justin Trudeau, Canadians who only read the headlines from the BBC (New window), from < em>Times of India(New window), Reuters (New window), the Toronto Star (New window) or Radio-Canada missed the gist of the 24-minute interview that the Prime Minister granted to Midi info – in which we addressed several subjects, such as immigration, the housing crisis, the environment, the carbon tax, Haiti and the Gaza Strip, in particular.

What I learned from the part of the interview on his political future is not that he sometimes thinks of leaving office or that he regularly questions himself, despite the candor of his remarks. It is rather the passion that he put into the almost two-minute response where he explains, on the contrary, that he will remain in office.

It was at the very end of the interview, in response to a question from a listener from Rimouski who asked him if it would not be better to leave the head of his party before the elections, given the shape of the polls, that Justin Trudeau addressed his personal situation at the head of the country.

Here is the full quote on air, following a relaunch of my part:

I think about [leaving] every day! It’s ajobcrazy thing I'm doing. Sacrifices on a personal level… If I didn't doubt almost every day, I wouldn't be human. It's super tough, it's super dull sometimes, but my God, the track we're on… Democracies are so under attack around the world with extreme populism… It's that's why I entered politics, not to be popular, not for personal reasons, but because I want to serve, because I have something to offer.

A quote from Justin Trudeau, in an interview with Midi info, March 15, 2024

Let's quickly move on to the poor initial translation by a press agency, which translated the Quebec expression super flat des temps into English as boring, while he clearly did not want to say that his work is boring, but rather that it is sometimes thankless… The subtleties of the French language in Quebec! A few hours later, the English-speaking agencies which picked up the news corrected the situation and adjusted the translation, but the first version had already traveled.

However, just before this tirade, Justin Trudeau had mentioned with conviction that he was going to remain at the head of the Liberal Party of Canada until the next general election. I couldn't be the man I am and give up the fight at this point.

Then, he added that Canadians, in the next election, will have such a fundamental choice to make about the kind of country we want. He spoke about women's rights, the rights of the LGBTQ community, the fight against climate change, investments in battery factories like Northvolt and Volkswagen…

These are not trivial explanations. By framing his decision to stay in politics in a fight between progressivism and conservatism, between democracy and populism, a bit like Joe Biden against Donald Trump in the United States, Justin Trudeau has just substantially raised the bar .

By clearly stating that I could not be the man I am and give up the fight at this time, he decapitated all the rumors about his future, including among the liberal troops, where a possible resignation has been talked about behind the scenes since weeks.

Several activists, strategists – and even a few MPs – still saw a window for his departure after the tabling of the next federal budget on April 16 . A resignation this spring would still give the party enough time to choose a new leader in time for the start of the political year in September.

Justin Trudeau could always change his mind, of course. Politics is unpredictable. No one knows what the next few months will hold. And he wouldn't be the first. If Denis Coderre, who swore he had given up on politics for good, went back on his word, anything is possible.

But by adding that this is the fight of a lifetime, that his deep convictions encourage him to confront Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in the electoral campaign and that the fate of the country is at stake, or almost, Justin Trudeau places the debate beyond the polls and its popularity. Backing down wouldn't be easy.

And the lack of backup options or an obvious heir apparent to replace him in the Liberal caucus makes a rebellion unlikely internal to Paul Martin against Jean Chrétien.

Obviously, Justin Trudeau still considers himself capable of going up the slope, of surprising.

Do Canadian voters, used to seeing him and hearing him since 2015, with the fatigue of power which soon accompanies nine years of reign, do the same reading as him? Are they still listening? It's far from certain.

Regardless of speculation on the right and left, Justin Trudeau was very clear on Friday: he intends to fight to the end, even if it means dying on the battlefield.

• Alec Castonguay (View profile)Alec Castonguay Follow