Wednesday night’s debacle had nothing to do with SNC-Lavalin. Trudeau was in a safe Liberal space. And he screwed it up
The prime minister who we saw Wednesday night is about as far from the Justin Trudeau who campaigned for the top job in 2015 as can be imagined.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a true believer or one who thinks the prime minister’s entire public persona is a carefully created political act. In either case, you’d be baffled after the performance.
Trudeau was in Toronto, at the gorgeous downtown Omni King Edward Hotel, for a meeting with top Liberal donors. The event was for members of the so-called Laurier Club — those Liberal supporters who donate the maximum to the party each year. If you’re under 35, $750 a year gets you into the club.
Older than that, and it’ll cost you $1,500. As the prime minister was speaking, a woman stepped forward, unfurled a banner and began to shout about Grassy Narrows and mercury poisoning. She was quickly hustled away by security, while the prime minister, his voice amplified by the public address system, drowned her out.
“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you for being here.” A pause, and then in a clearly mocking tone, he added, “Thank you very much for your donation tonight. I really appreciate your donation to the Liberal Party of Canada.”
For the rest of this column: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/matt-gurney-pm-scores-a-direct-hit-on-the-core-of-brand-trudeau