EDITORIAL: Is ‘two-faced’ Trudeau really our best hope?

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is busily trying to convince Canadians he and his government are the best people to deal with the incoming administration of president re-elect Donald Trump.

Judging from history, it’s hard to see how he justifies that claim. He botched the relationship from the get-go.

In what played out like a scene from Mean Girls, in 2019, Trudeau was caught on a hot mic at a Buckingham Palace reception snickering with French President Emmanuel Macron and former U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson about a long-winded media availability by Trump.

Trump later called Trudeau “two-faced.” The confrontation occurred after Trump called out Trudeau over this country’s failure to live up to its commitment to contribute 2% of Gross Domestic Product to NATO.

“I find him to be a nice guy, but the truth is, I called him out on the fact that he’s not paying 2% and I guess he’s not happy about it,” Trump said.

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Trump’s now saying he’ll impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada. The threat isn’t an economic measure. He’s citing border insecurity and Canada’s inadequate funding for NATO as the reason for the tariffs. Those concerns aren’t so outrageous, given that Canadians themselves have raised similar issues. Yet Trudeau continues to waste tax money on imaginary concerns.

Instead of investing in more border guards or beefing up our military, he’s planning to throw $6.3 billion into a sales tax holiday and a frenzy of vote buying. This spring, the government will borrow money it doesn’t have to send $250 cheques to all “working” Canadians who make less than $150,000. The program is unfair in that it specifically excludes seniors living on a pension.

It shows the incompetence of Trudeau and his ministers. They botch every file they touch. Immigration Minister Marc Miller said this week he expects almost five million people living here on temporary visas to leave “voluntarily” when their visas expire next year. Yet we balk when our neighbour suggests we aren’t in control of our borders.

Trudeau’s response to Trump’s first presidency was not that of a serious leader. This country must get its priorities straight and our house in order if we want to be treated as grown-ups on the world stage.