Liberal leadership candidate Justin Trudeau’s challenges just beginning: Tim Harper
Justin Trudeau’s hard work begins after the votes are counted in the federal Liberal leadership contest.
By: Tim Harper National Affairs
Published on Sat Apr 06 2013
Were there any doubters remaining, Justin Trudeau showed Liberals, and any Canadians willing to surrender part of their Saturday afternoon, that he plays in a different league than his leadership challengers.
The real question that is still unanswered is what league will a Trudeau-led third party be playing in by 2015?
The only time the Metro Toronto Convention Centre crackled with any excitement Saturday was during Trudeau’s appearance at a showcase event that had the unexpected result of showcasing how much trouble this party would have been in had the Papineau MP decided to wait for another election cycle before reaching for the top.
The obvious front-runner merely cemented his position, but he was lapping the others in a very shallow pool.
DAVID COOPER / TORONTO STAR
Justin Trudeau did nothing Saturday to ease concerns that he has avoided talking about specific policies
in the Liberal leadership contest, writes Tim Harper.
The two women who had hoped to use this final event to build some momentum on the eve of party voting both underperformed.
Joyce Murray, it becomes clear in a mini-convention hall, may have an electoral co-operation policy that sets her apart, experience in government and some high profile endorsements from former foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy and environmentalist David Suzuki, but has difficulty lifting words and ideas off the page.
Her one-time, voter co-operation message fell flat in the hall and her hope now has to be that those who signed up to vote for her for that single reason will look beyond her performance here and vote for the concept.
Martha Hall Findlay meandered through her speech, unable to decide where she was going to be folksy or substantive and accomplished neither.
Neither Deborah Coyne, Karen McCrimmon nor Martin Cauchon left anyone with any memories from the day.
All suffered from too much time and too little to say.
That left Trudeau to be the lone jewel in this showcase.
He did nothing to assuage concerns from those who believe he has brought a paucity of policy to this exercise, but on Saturday he could not be faulted for that, because this was not the type of forum made for a laundry list of policy.
He looked beyond the horizon and took his case to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and NDP leader Tom Mulcair.
He vowed that his vision would treat immigrants and newcomers as “community and nation-builders . . . not a demographic to be mined for votes.”
He vowed to undo the combative Harper foreign policy and bring constructive voices, not discordant ones to the world stage.
“I have met, talked with, and learned from more Canadians in the past six months than Mr. Harper has in the past six years,” he said.
He accused Mulcair of using western resources for eastern votes and playing the same divisive political game as Harper.
Electoral co-operation? It would create a “Frankenstein’s monster, at war with itself over fundamental values,” that would extend Harper’s career, Trudeau said.
If there was substance missing from Trudeau’s speech, he did not shrink from a mention of the famous name and the famous father.
It was the 45th anniversary of Pierre Trudeau’s ascension to the Liberal leadership and the son now known simply as “Justin” acknowledged that his campaign was all about his father — and everyone else’s father and mother, and the country they built for us.
Trudeau’s departure from the stage took the remaining air out of the room, but there was something else missing from Saturday’s proceedings.
The hard work ahead for the Liberals was paid lip service by every prospective leader, but nothing more than that.
A party which has too often in recent history reached for the shiny bauble rather than roll up its sleeves, a gang that looks back at past triumphs instead of peering bravely into the future, can no longer do either if it is to find relevance.
It has been questioned many times, but still one is left to wonder if the magnitude of the work was really evident to those who gathered here.
“Hope, my friends, yes,” said Trudeau. “Always hope. But more than that. Hope and hard work.’’
Just words, but words that needed to be heard, nonetheless.
The reality check came from outgoing interim leader, Bob Rae, a welcome parting gift to those who were there to pay him tribute.
He reminded a party torn apart in the past by internecine battles that unity was vital.
He reminded the party that it is only as strong as its weakest riding association and that there will be 338 ridings that need work in the 30 months before the next election.
The easiest part of this for Trudeau is winning the race.
Assuming that is confirmed a week from now, the real hard work for him is just beginning.
Tim Harper is a national affairs writer. His column usually appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. tharper@thestar.ca Twitter
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