Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau covers the latest issue of Rolling Stone with the headline “Why Can’t He Be Our President?” If you couldn’t tell, this is going to be a very glowing profile. The Cut even called it “extremely horny.” It’s the kind of profile that a male writer would do on Margot Robbie or Jennifer Lawrence, basically. But now I can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to sit across from Trudeau and get to see that little half-smile, and share some lingering looks from the Northern Thunderpants. You can read the Rolling Stone profile here. This is the wonkiest p0rn I’ve ever read and I love every minute of it. Some highlights:
On the press: “The back and forth between the press and government is essential to any good democracy. When you’re at your best, it reminds us and challenges us to be at ours. So thank you all for your tireless work.”
On Russia: “Our support for Ukraine, including militarily, is something that stands us very clearly on the ‘Russia is an unhelpful actor in the world’ side of the dynamic.”
On Canada’s image abroad: “A Canadian on the ground in different parts of the world, whether they’re a diplomat, an aid worker or a soldier, has an extraordinary, powerful impact. I mean, the image of Canada, the way people look at you as ‘Oh, you’re Canadian’ – subtext ‘not American’ – ‘but you’re here to help, you’re not here for oil, you’re not here to tell us how to run our country.’ ”
On refugees: “If we take in 40,000 Syrian refugees, it wasn’t because the government sent a couple of planes and signed a decree. It was because communities opened up their homes, their churches, their community centers. Everyone said, ‘Let’s do our part to give some people in a terrible situation a better future.’ We understand that bringing people here to build a better life for themselves makes the world a better place and makes our communities better as well. But I’ve only been able to do this because Canadians are open, generous and dream big for the country.”
On Trump & the American way of doing things: “I don’t feel that I or Canada has to prove anything through big, loud, overt acts. Obviously, I disagree [with Trump] on a whole bunch, but Canadians expect me to accomplish two things at the same time, which is emphasize where we disagree and stand up firmly for Canadian interests. But we also have a constructive working relationship, and me going out of my way to insult the guy or overreact or jump at everything he says [that] we might disagree with is not having a constructive relationship.”
Meeting world leaders: “I got to see how international relations is all about relationships and how you get along with people. How you listen to them. I mean, the way I chat with Merkel is very different than the way I chat with Trump.” (Trudeau had to deny a Der Spiegel report that he asked Merkel to go easier on Trump after he opted out of the Paris accord.)
Canadians don’t believe in identity politics? “Canada’s a place where people don’t always vote on surface identity, but vote on values,” Trudeau tells me. The broad hint is that this is quite different from the United States, where tribalism dominates all of politics. “My vision of the country reflected the community.”
On the Muslim community: “People of the Muslim faith are all too often, unfortunately, victims of terror.”
It cannot be emphasized enough – Justin Trudeau is literally everything good and Donald Trump is literally everything bad. Trudeau is pro-choice, pro-immigrant, pro-multi-faith society, pro-women, pro-feminism, pro-diplomacy, pro-environment, and everything else. He’s is the wokest bae in all the land. I wish Trudeau was our president. No – what I really wish is that Trudeau stay in Canada and Barack Obama came back to 1600 Penn and then they could just work together exclusively and solve all the world’s problems.
Cover courtesy of Rolling Stone, additional photos by Getty.
He’s also pro-fracking/tar sands. I like him, but he’s not perfect. OTOH, he’s not some horrid disaster either.
Disclaimer first – I always vote Liberal and I like Justin. I wish he could only implement environmental friendly policies but he has to balance that with the very real need of some provinces to create jobs in the oil industry. He can’t win this one, regardless of what he does some people are going to be unhappy with it. He can’t put an entire industry out of work – folk would complain about jobs… So he (and the federal government in general ) have to thread a fine line. It doesn’t reflect his private opinion, he has to take into account all parties and interests.
Because jobs are more important than the health and safety of other people! Oh and the good old planet earth. But good to know that its not his private opinion! That helps a lot. Maybe Trump is privately pro Trans, he just makes laws against them. But as long as Justin and Trump have the right opinions behind closed doors, everything is fine! Who would be so evil and judge a politican by their political decisions?
“Because jobs are more important than the health and safety of other people!”
Sorry @QueenB but voters have indicated many times; the answer to your question is mostly yes. Sad but true. If people are worried about paying their bills and (good ol’ privilege!) keeping their kids in a certain lifestyle they really don’t care that much about the environment. Sure they recycle, but what you want them to give up their cars or something? Madness! I get it I do, but he made the best of a bad situation. I really don’t know how the environmental lobby can get people fully onside but the simple truth is most will take jobs over environment almost any day of the week.
I will never vote Lib nor do I think Trudeau is everything good. I mean where is our voter reform? Indigenous rights? The environment?
All failures.
As a beige Canadian I do not find that his party nor him are remotely in line with my values.
It troubles me that there is this weird worship of him. He is a politician and not a very good one at that. It’s just soo bad in the US that he looks like some kind of saviour but as westcoaster the lack of follow through by this government is felt.
Canadian tar sands are being sent US to be refined into oil because the process is so polluting it is not legal in Canada.
Scotchy, what is a beige Canadian?
Canadian here who also voted for Justin Trudeau, and I have to agree with Vauvert…he can’t win this one. Many voters out west are in favor of tar sands and fracking because a lot of them work in the oil and gas industries and want to keep their jobs, improve their economy, etc, and they don’t believe it will harm the environment. I personally don’t like the idea, but I recognize that it’s impossible to make every single voter happy, and that some decisions are going to be “wrong” in my eyes.
Aside from that, I tend to disagree a bit about his statement that we don’t have identity politics. We do, it’s just nowhere near as deep or divisive as in the US. Heck, go to Alberta and ask someone what they think of Trudeau and your answer might be very different than if you ask someone in Toronto.
By “identity politics”, I think he means sticking to party before country always. Sometimes we’ll voted conservative in provincial elections, whilst voting liberal in federal. It helps that our system is set up vastly different than the American’s as well. I also voted for Trudeau, and I’m happy with the job he’s doing so far.
Peeking, I didn’t look at it that way, but I get what you’re saying. It’s true that our system here is very different so we’re less likely to be “party first and always”. Heck, I haven’t always voted Liberal either.
Though I still think there is quite a lot of tribalism here as well, it’s maybe a different flavour.
I’m from the west, and we don’t think the oil industry does no harm. Yes, people want to keep their jobs but I imagine the whole country wants to keeps its standard of living too. The transfer payments to Quebec essentially pay for their subsidized child care. When the manufacturing industry collapsed in the east, there was a huge outcry, but it was also a polluting industry. Manufacturing gets a lot of subsidies and breaks, most of which are supported by the east so the dirty industry conversation needs to be more broad.
We also recognize the impact oil extraction has on the environment and have a lot of initiatives for reclamation and cleaning up the aspects of the industry that haven’t been environmentally aware. It isn’t perfect, and there is still a long way to go, but to paint us all us willingly ignorant is inaccurate. Canada’s place in the global economy will shift drastically when oil and gas production drop (which won’t be for a long time because the byproducts are in everything – from data cables, pens, solar panels to all the power that runs other industries). Dairy and agriculture won’t be able to sustain our tax needs, so until we have more to offer for trade options, we will likely remain an oil exporter. Ontario and Quebec buy their oil from Saudi Arabia anyway.
I don’t worship anyone, much less a politician, but overall looking at what the liberals (and implicitly Justin) are doing does make me happy. Is it perfect? No. Do I believe any politician can meet everyone’s needs at all times? No. But as an immigrant who arrived in Canada with one suitcase and now happily pays the highest tax rate in this country, I appreciated seeing how we opened our doors to Syrian refugees. This is a perfect example of why a politician can’t “win”. To some, we didn’t take enough. (I agree). To others we took too many because as they put it, we should take care of our own first. Of course we should, no one denies that, but welcoming people who are fleeing a horrible conflict with the hope of getting their kids to safety should be a priority as well.
Have we figured out a solution to all the difficulties facing a First Nations communities? No. But I appreciated the respect J demonstrated when he went to meet with their representatives during the Canada 150 celebrations when they were protesting. He is aware of the problems and they are trying to work together which is more than the conservatives ever did.
And seeing a diverse, half female cabinet means a lot to me. Seeing him stand up for the Paris accord, opening up new markets and signing new trade deals means a lot, not just to me, but to our economy. Did we have any other PM march during Pride? No. And so on. But I don’t expect that these things will mean much to all Canadians. They do to me, and seeing what can happen to a democracy within a brief period has made me join the party and actually volunteer for the first time. Personally I’m proud of him as a PM.
THANK YOU. And most importantly, this fracking nonsense is linked to the epidemic of missing, killed, and trafficked native women. It’s a problem in the States and an even bigger problem in Canada, which relative to us has a significant First Nations population. It always happens where these fracking zones pop up. Because when you send men to an area filled with disenfranchised people with a shit ton of money, it is entirely predictable that terrible things happen to women.
@PPP “Because when you send men to an area filled with disenfranchised people with a shit ton of money, it is entirely predictable that terrible things happen to women.” Ugh. Yes. Sadly so true.
Yes. It is too bad for everyone that Obama and Trudeau did not have more time together, as world leaders. It’s heartbreaking to imagine what they could have accomplished, and now cannot.
Once again, so proud of being Canadian. Trudeau makes it very clear where he stands, and very clear where he doesn’t.
He’s on track to win our next election, thank goodness.
That was my reaction too. Sigh
Sick of nepotism in politics. At least Obama earned his position. So tired of Ivanka, Sarah Huckabee etc etc
I mean yes, Trudeau would not be where he is if his father hadn’t been PM. But he’s a damn good politician in his own right.
Hey, come on, most people with Ski Instructor and French/Math elementary teacher as the only jobs on their resume are shortlisted to lead political parties in Canada.
oh dangermaus, enough with that horse shite.
i have far less trust of those career politicians than i do of anyone else.
like having politician as a career goal makes for a great politician.
stop it. have a go at specific poilcy or specifics, but do not trot out that lame ass horse called “he was a teacher, how can he be a poltician”
(this is coming from someone who is very unimpressed with his not following through on proportional representation and is very unimpressed with his stance and work thus far with first nations. )
And they completely disregard the fact that he was a Member of Parliament before becoming PM. They continue with the fake news.
kay/peeking – JT entered Parliament in 2008 and was immediately considered for the leadership of the party. Was he qualified back then? Did he have anything else to offer other than his last name, great hair and core strength from all of his yoga and canoeing? I was replying about nepotism and how his privilege is blindingly obvious.
I saw him speak in person on a university campus in 2013 right before he became the leader of the Liberal party. It was like being at an NSYNC concert. His speech was typical political non-offense rose coloured glasses pap but the women in the room were in rapture and cheering. There wasn’t much substance there from what I could see but it didn’t really matter.
The electoral reform issue is annoying and his insistence on being considered a feminist while waving to the women in the back at a mosque is hypocritical.
What really drove me over the edge is his “Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to work with the ethics commissioner to answer any questions she may have…”. Just answer the question “How many times did you meet the ethics commissioner.” Just search for that video on youtube and still think that he is an ethical prime minister.
Dangermouse isn’t wrong He got the position because 1. His last name was recognizable 2. He was young 3. His numbers looked good for the party
4. His lack of experience means he will always fall in line with his brain trust and whip the party into back tracking on his promises.
He did not get elected leader of the party for his political experience or ability.
I was told this was the reasoning for his election by two different Lib MP’s soooo
Yeaaaahhh
I just hope the NDP get a strong leader this time around and give this bro a run for his money.
The older I get, the more cynical I get. If it takes a pretty boy with his heart in the right place to win back the government from Harper’s Conservatives, then it was worth it. No government is ever going to offer everything that liberals’ (both small and big L) hearts desire. Governments are generally quite centrist by their nature, because they have to convince a large number of people to vote for them. (There are exceptions like Trump, but they are inevitably disasters.) I voted for Jeremy Corbyn’s party in the last UK election, but I would not want him to form a government. In Canada, the left is split between the Liberals and the NDP. Enough people in Canada want the Tories to win that splitting the left-wing vote under normal circumstances (i.e. all the elections that Harper won) is a gift for the Conservatives.
Okay he isn’t perfect. He doesn’t have the greatest relationship with the First Nation. Most of my Canadian friends like him but they aren’t blinded by him either. Same with the French President. We just have such a sh*t stain in the WH everything sounds great in comparison
Yeah, my biggest quibble with him is that he hasn’t followed through on some of his First Nations promises. Granted, no one historically has, but that doesn’t really let him off the hook, especially with his platform.
Hes miles better than the previous one though and very pretty to look at. He also says better words on feminism and equality than most of the people i interact with, so points for that too.
He doesn’t just say words on feminism and equality, he acts on it, as is evident in his cabinet picks, his interactions with minority communities, LGBTQ etc.
He just marched in the Halifax Pride Parade as well – first PM to do so. Honestly – I think he’s a really well-intentioned guy. He has a hard job, and it’s going to be impossible to make everyone happy. As an East Coaster – it’s nice to have someone in power who isn’t completely ignoring us in favor of Alberta. I think he genuinely believes what he puts out about feminism and minorities and equality – and he seems like he’s a good dad on top of that who’s set on raising strong, healthy, and kind children.
There needs to be some movement on the First Nations things, though – absolutely. My husband is kind of in a gray area on a lot of things right now – he’s registered as a Metis (I believe) but there’s a lot of confusion on what this means. He’s of Wampanoag decent, so they’re not really covered by certain treaties that most other FN people are. On top of that you keep seeing news reports about the suicide risk for First Nations children, poor drinking water, lack of support – it’s so incredibly sad. He has it incredibly good in comparison, and recognizes that completely. But there’s still a lot of ignoring and mistreatment towards his group of ancestors. It was a secret his grandmother actually kept most of her life – because she was genuinely afraid of people finding out her heritage. Residential schools were a very real threat, and the one here ran until 1968. My father in law and his siblings could have easily been taken away from their family – and the same could have happened to my husbands grandmother. The whole thing is such a shame – though I do give him SOME credit for at least trying to get the ball moving. Things sit in the court for so long – it’s difficult to make any real change at a fast rate… and there are so many people who genuinely still discriminate and hate on First Nations people.
Peeking, you are very right, that wasn’t a dig at him, but a dig at the people I have to deal with. His cabinet made me incredibly happy.
I think that’s the case with most polititcians in Western democracies though. Most of us are still critical of who we voted for, whether we voted for them because we truly support them or because they were the least awful. It’s just the Trumpsters who worship their guy no matter what. And yes, then, in comparison, many others seem downright wonderful.
I’m Canadian, and I kind of love Justin Trudeau. I like his personality and his values. What he can do for our country politically and economically is another story. So is his way of talking without actually saying anything (which is now a problem with every politician nowadays…) Anyway, he is not perfect, but i still love him.
But am i the only thinking THIS IS WAY. TOO. MUCH.
Rolling Stone magazine. REALLY? …. Maybe im just in shock 🙂
I agree with you on all counts.
Someone at Rolling Stone has a major man crush.
OK, I’ve been out-of-the-loop on vacay and, frankly, too depressed by the relentless, appalling, criminal outbursts making the news day-in, day-out… that I couldn’t even comment. But this? This is a tiny ray of hope that, yes, there IS good in the world, honesty and humanity CAN prevail, and that what is happening to the US right now is – we can but hope – a revolting, short-lived, historical glitch.
I met him once at a bar in Ottawa when he was an MP very late at night. He approached me and some friends and chatted for about 20 min to 30 min and it was magical.
Trudeau is most certainly not everything good. Seriously! I know that his photo ops are working great for some people but others look at issues and he really isnt masively progressive. He talks a good game and lots of women fall for his looks and think “i like his face, he must be a great politican”
If a woman’s vote is based upon looks then please explain Trump.
I never said “a womans vote” and you know it.
And if you think somebody’s got a nice face so they must be a great politician, you’re likely going to vote for them..
So very true Queen B so very true…
Well, “woke” if we’re ignoring his comments about the late Fidel Castro. Honestly can’t look at the dude the same way since.
What was he supposed to say about Castro? Canada and Cuba are not enemies. We have a friendly relationship, and always has. As the head of state, please tell me, diplomatically, what should he have said about a dead ally? There was a lot of American outrage by his statement following Castro’s death (it even spawned a conspiracy that he’s Castro’s son), I just don’t know what was expected of him.
As a Cuban with three uncles and a grandfather executed, and four cousins imprisoned (one for having the audacity to be gay) by Castro’s regime, I am not remotely diplomatic, nor will I ever be. IDGAF about Canadian politics. I give a f*ck about my country, my countrymen, and the brutal rule of a human rights violating dictator the Canadian prime minister praised.
To hell with Castro. To hell with Trudeau.
As is your right. I’m sorry For your family’s tragedy.
You complained about the Canadian Prime Minister’s response to the death of an ally, I assumed you cared for another perspective, Canadian politics matter in this instance.
No doubt Castro was cruel, however, there are people all over the world who see the US as more cruel than anything Castro has done. Ask the people in the Middle East who have known nothing but bombings for the last 17 years, thanks to an illegal war started by W. it’s all perspective.
Some of the same people who are outraged by Castro’s atrocities, are currently praising Putin, who is much worse.
@Peeking In The ignorance and privilege contained in minimizing and dismissing the atrocities that have befallen Cuba to a Cuban is a level of shameful I’ve never encountered before.
I didn’t compare the situations in my country with others. But believe me, my friend, you know nothing of life in Cuba. What little you have read about my people is nothing.
You shouldn’t assume so much about random strangers on the internet. I didn’t personally attack you, nor was I rude or condescending (imho). As a black Canadian of Caribbean immigrant parents, I’m far from privileged or ignorance. My sister is married to a Cuban man, I have 2 nephews and a niece of Cuban background. Your horrific story is not the first I’ve heard. I still think as head of state, Trudeau responded appropriately to the death of another head of state. Again, sorry for your family’s loss.
I understand what you say and I’m sorry about your family, I also get where Trudeau was coming from: for him, Castro was a family friend, someone who absolutely adored his late brother Michel and who’d bounce him on his knees while talking about Russian literature with his dad. Castro was a mixture of greatness and monstrosity: having fond personal memories of him is understandable, but it is also true that he shouldn’t have said what he did on behalf of the whole country.
UGHHHHHH. this is such a small minded, short sighted, myopic view on this article. YOUR family was negatively affected by the man, so he must’ve been an evil dictator.
Arpeggi – he absolutely should have said what he said on behalf of the country. Many Canadians vacation in Cuba, I’ve been twice. Canada and Cuba are allies, what should he have said on behalf of the country?
@Peeking he could have stopped at we’ve lost on of the most important figure of the 20th century and our thoughts are with the Cuban people. He didn’t have to say he was a great/awesome person that will be deeply missed on behalf of all Canadian because some amongst us have also been Cuban refugees at some point and fled torture and persecution and I’m pretty sure, they won’t miss Castro and are in their full right not to.
Going on vacation somewhere is nothing akin to living in a country and we can and should acknowledge that. I visited a few countries with very iffy governments, many if not all of which are our allies. While I’ve had a great time there, it didn’t stop me from being critical of the leaders which is a fundamental right and no one should be jailed for doing that. On the other hand, I’ve also tried to understand different point of views knowing that I’m not the one living there all the time.
Arpeggi..
My point about vacationing wanting that it equates to living there, how did you get that from my comment? It was to show that the Canadian people are not the enemies of Cuba, and that we do commerce with them. Sheesh.
Trudeau’s comments were fine in its entirety, and represents the view of most Canadians. Sorry.
my cuban relatives are still in mourning over castros passing.
they also still live there.
That’s what I mean, Kay. It’s either brainwashing or perspective. The Castro regime did (continue to do?) some awful things, no one is disputing that. Trudeau said nice things about Castro, just like the American President said nice things about that Arab thing after he died. It’s what heads of state do. I wasn’t being dismissive of anyone’s suffering.
*Arab King.
This love affair folks have for Trudeau and Macron b/c they’re fine is similar to Obama and it bugs the tf out of me. I don’t need politicians to be perfect, because they’re not, but I always don’t need ridiculous romanticism when some of Trudeau’s (and Macron/Obama) policies harm/ed vulnerable people.
You can probably find examples of the vulnerable being harmed under the leadership of every country in the world, now, then and unfortunately in the future too. We can only try to do better and Canada is trying. It doesn’t make what happens to the vulnerable okay, nothing will. We learn, we are still learning and are moving forward.
What LadyD said. Most liberal Westerners love Angela Merkel too, and she’s not exactly “fine.”
Trudeau is hardly perfect though (ahem, First Nations). Then again, a president/PM is not a dictator, and just like there are checks in place to stop a president/PM from going full on absolutist, there are plenty of checks in place to stop presidents from enforcing things that are objectively good (happened with Obama, happens with Trudeau, happens all over the place).
But at this point I guess I’m so jaded that even “decent” seems awesome. I hope Trudeau will deal with issues regarding the people of First Nations more attentively, sensibly and ardently in the future.
What should he do with First Nations issues? (Is there consensus anywhere on actions needed?)
Hes corrupt Anyways, see him on YouTube as I always say here. He won’t answer basic and reasonable questions from the conservatives or the NDP (the more liberal party with a leader with some integrity who asks great questions.)
What should he do with First Nations issues? Well for one, consensus is not needed here! He could do what is right! What the law tells him he must do. (The Human Rights case the gov’t lost for 1).
He could honour the treaties that allowed settlers to take land and resources that didn’t belong to them.
He could honour the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Rights that he said he would.
He could live up to the Supreme Court rulings – the law of the land – on consultation and collaboration.
If he starts there, then you would see what a progressive country Canada is.
He could just start following the lead of the City of Vancouver on how to work in collaboration and consultation with mutual respect and dignity between First Nations and governments.
Tania, your first point is concrete action, honouring treaties is measurable and means the 1% will miss out on exploiting resources. I highly doubt he’ll do this on a large scale but let’s see. Maybe a token one. He take the native side with LNG. Collaboration etc maybe he will do this. It’s not expensive or committal to let someone speak. The UN resolution would be a huge project to actually get resources like water health centre groceries equal to an average town to every tiny isolated town. That’s measurable and a huge amount of money and I don’t see him doing that, even Mulcair I don’t think would do that to the point that the UN saw them having equality. Uniquely challenging and expensive in Canada as even in cities our stuff costs like 30-40% more than the US, and to set up things easily accessible to many tiny and remote areas is a huge project, with trades people with union wages, truckers, construction workers (with travel wages and housing) etc . So many different small towns/villages in such a huge area. The cost would be huge. He might try to help the worst off with their water or mould problems.
Water, housing and electricity. We cannot afford to not help those suffering the most. We have to help. Like you said, the villages and reservations are so spread out, communities of 200-500 people with access only by float planes or helicopters, boats, dog sleds, etc. makes it difficult to put it mildly. It’s a real challenge and probably a large part of the reason only 60% of Canada has access to the net. In Iqaluit, Nunavut, a gallon of milk is over $10, 2.5K of white flour just under $14, bag of carrots less than $2 here, almost $7 in Iqaluit. One of the harsher places in the world to live, it’s currently 3C in the middle of summer, and the cost of getting food there is bizarre.
Lady d – it would be interesting if people could genetically engineer foods to grow there. Seaweeds or other plants? (I love eating seaweed and I think Some FN are it in the past or still do. The govt should give them little buildings equipped to raise chickens or mushrooms in cold climates. I think innovative sustainable local solutions are key, unless the increasing electric or self driving cars can make the food delivery less expensive. Or if some FN want to leave, support that generously, if they need money to travel to a new city and go to school. They probabaly don’t have enough money to do that in a lot of cases. Anyways I’m sure every little area could honestly use a huge project: If not a water improvement than a school or road or medical facility. Trudeau knows This and knows he’s not going to meet the standards of the UN.
Giving access to drinking water to every village and reservation isn’t something that would cause a constitutional debate or needs consensus, it’s fulfilling a basic human right. It probably wouldn’t cost much to do either. Same goes with better housing policies so that 3-4 generations don’t have to live under the same (often rotten) roof.
If it was cheap and easy to do, I guarantee the government would have done it already.
@fioriucci – I lived on a fly-in only reserve as a teacher. You are correct with housing. We spoke to 2 teachers who were local to the reserve. They hated it and wanted to leave. When we asked why they didn’t said it was because they couldn’t afford a house if they left. They just could not imagine trying to navigate that. Also, a lot of the older generation where we were were illiterate, so being closer to urban centres where they would be even more marginalized and isolated would have been very problematic.
I am reading a book called Braiding Sweetgrass right now, and it is a narrative told by an Indigenous scientist (from Oklahoma!). She uses plants to tell the stories of her people in a way they do storywork. There are 8 components to storywork, but they include place, tradition, land and so on. She has a great story about the Pecan tree and how it came with her family’s tribe when they were forcibly moved from the NW to Kansas and again to Oklahoma. Her stories tell histories and botany and are fascinating. But my point is that many Indigenous people don’t want to leave because they are tied to the land in a more visceral way we are – they know the seasons, the biome, the traditions, their histories, identities and roots are marked by the landscape. They are so completely connected to their ancestors. Leaving is more than leaving harsh conditions for many of them.
Supposed to be working thanks for your reply and info 🙂 interesting stuff. I figured they didn’t all want to leave. But sometimes those stories or murdered women are shortly after leaving to try something new. Not sure what’s available now if anything but we should make it easier. I’d have to assume that just like any culture some people like to keep the traditions and some don’t and can’t wait to leave
Actually his party does ignore Canadians.
He point blank said that “Canadians don’t want voter reform, so sorry not going to happen”
We do, we want that.
And for the record most westcoasters don’t want fracking and dangerous pipelines running through our towns and cities.
Just saying.
abolish the indian act.
for a start.
YES!!! It has to go for these people to move forward. There are too many bands with different needs.
Cue the “but what about!!! No he’s not he did this!!!” crowd. Sigh…
No he is not perfect. Far from it. But he’s workable, he respects basic human freedoms and dignity (something the literal piece of garbage the Americans elected is incapable of). The rest is workable, changeable. With him there is a fighting chance of making positive changes. Too few countries have that chance right now. He’s possibilities. I’ll take it.
Agree. He’s not perfect, but lord, a leader Canadians can be proud of. We Americans are beyond jealous.
Amen, Mia.
I would give anything to deal with normal disagreements instead of feeling as if we are in a fight to save the country.
Canadian speaking here… he’s far from the perfect image you see…it’s mostly that…image. He’s just there for the cameras and selfies! Not everybody here is enchanted by him, like everybody outside Canada. Only when Trump got elected It seems that we had the lesser devil here.
But politicians are never worshipped here like they are in the US. If somebody told me that JT wasn’t “their Prime Minister” I would not care. Politics are just not as divisive here. I think that’s one of the major benefits of having a multi-party system.
I always found the Obama worship a little strange even though I liked/like him. And I remember even as a young teenager thinking that whole Dixie Chicks and George W Bush drama was so crazy. I think that was my first exposure to witnessing people identify so closely to their leader.
It sounds like you miss Harper. The problem with Trudeau is people expect him to solve all our issues within his first four years. After the grey years of Harper and the slow erosion of our public safety nets, the rise of racial intolerance and the lack of movement on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous women..I voted NDP after being serverly disappointed on the Liberals stance on Bill C-51 – Trudeau is making headway..not fast enough for many but after Harper and witnessing the political mayhem south of the border, I’ll take Trudeau over anyone in political power. As for the pipelines, I am disappointed. But, what are we going to do stop using our vehicles? Buy a hybrid? All move to urban areas so we can use public transit..we are addicted to fossil fuel consumption. We need to stop looking at the flaws and focus on what we as Canadians are doing right..we need to collectively examine fossil fuel reduction. As for Indigenous issues are not going away overnight. We need to simply begin by accepting we were here first and acknowledging our shared damaged past and rebuild our relationship. First step is to recognize we are human beings..not a stereotype we should be included in the decision making process not shuffled off to the sidelines like a small child. Trudeau at least acknowledges the issues and recognizes our contribution to this insanely beautiful cultural mosaic called Canada..
What “Obama worship”? The man was vilified in the USA. Insulted in ways that I’ve NEVER seen in my 60 years. Most of us on the left wanted to see him move from his centrist, ultra- cautious stance. He never pivoted, was extremely business friendly over the individual citizen and it was FRUSTRATING as hell. I very much admired the man but he was not all I wanted from my president and I know many, many liberals who felt the same.
Whoever followed Harper would have seemed like the lesser evil. Unless it were a true loon like Kellie Leitch.
Well said.
As a Canadian living in the US I can say without pause that I miss, “home”. I’m very well aware here that the things I took for granted are things that could cost us our house and livelihood. I cannot go into an emergency room here without bringing my credit card.
Heck, I couldn’t even get birth control here! I went to 3 different clinics and all rejected me for various ridiculous reasons! I ended up texting my nurse back home and all she needed was my blood pressure results so I went to Wal-mart, took it and sent her a screenshot.
So Canadians back home, don’t take your country for granted. Justin isn’t Prime Minister because he was, “woke”. He still has a lot of issues he needs to work through to get me onside – and I voted for his candidate in my riding (he is now the Minister of Defense! – especially around his treatment of Indigenous children.
If you do one thing today, google Cindy Blackstock’s name and read about her fight for Indigenous children in care in Canada who receive sub-funding compared to other children. She won her case against the federal government and the government is still fighting her. How you treat the most vulnerable of your population is the starting point of your value system and Justin Trudeau is failing on that.
As in immigrant living in the U.S., I can refer you to many programs in the U.S. that make medical care affordable (or free, if needed), and thus no credit card required. If you need resources, let me know.
Laika, which programs are they? I would love to know!
I’m Canadian, not a Liberal – I’m an NDP supporter through and through (for non-Canadians, that’s our centre-left/left party) but after so many years of Harper as PM I’m just happy we are heading in the right direction under Trudeau. He basically just has to act like a normal, competent Prime Minister (like, speaking to the press again, or re-instating the Long Form Census) and he looks like the most amazing politician ever because the bar was set so low with Harper. I wish he would do more for the First Nations though….
but I guess next to Trump he is a beacon of hope for the world!
Yay NDP! I veer between the two, and voted NDP in the last election (my riding was blood-red anyway, so no need to vote anti-Conservative), but as a dual citizen I was very pleased to see Trudeau’s government prioritize repealing the horrific Bill C-24, which stripped Canadians of their citizenship if they were convicted of terrorist charges.
And I think it’s really important to highlight how the PMO conducted itself under Harper. He was incredibly secretive and acted annoyed at having to deign to speak to us. Oh, and remember when he had the government websites changed to say “the Harper government”??
i just wish they could get this MMIW inquiry off the ground. The amount of resignations so far is very sad and it’s too important to abandon.
Justin gives me JFK Jr vibes on that cover he’s a cutie that’s all I got I don’t know anything about dude other than he’s not like 45
After the cluster*ck I watched on CNN this morning (wtf Scaramucci?) having a Trudeau type (aka normal, reasonable, fairly progressive, not a daily embarrassment) seems like a distant dream. At this point I’d settle for Idiocracy’s President Camacho. LOL
Right now the White House is like a big high school if that high school were full of mafiosos and neo-Nazis. They’re dangerously stupid, hateful and immature. Keep us in your prayers.
“Keep us in your prayers.”
AMEN!
What is Trump going to tweet when he sees that cover? I anticipate a tweetstorm about “the failing Rolling Stone”!!
Ivanka has already hidden a copy under her pillow for later…
HAHAHA! Annetommy you know it is true.
I think people are blinded by his looks and by how awful trump is. Trudeau got a lot of good qualities but he’s far from perfect. His relationship with First Nations is problematic and I find it disrespectful to the indigenous population that so called liberal publications like RS don’t dwell much on that.
Hes not MORE disrespectful about FN than anyone in the past though, right? (Just wondering if I missed something )
You would have to understand where America is right now and our history with our own First Nations populations that are still called Indian or Native American. Our histories are very different in that regard and most Americans aren’t familiar with the issues there. Your population is larger and much more present culturally. It is very noticeable once a person crosses the border and travels north. I was surprised when we traveled north in Ontario that there were actually older people who didn’t speak English! There is even food and we don’t really have much of that here. Bannocks were new to me though I more than made up for it by stuffing my face with them for several weeks. Yummy.
The Smithsonian has a Native American museum that is worthwhile and a great cafe serving dishes from different tribes but that isn’t as personal as what you have.
Look I am proud to be Canadian and I am very grateful that Donald Trump is not my PM or President, but JT is not a saviour. He walked back election reform promises, his record on First Nations peoples is appalling.
JT is a regular, typical politician who is also hot. The contrast is just so stark now when comparing him to Trump.
Justin Trudeau is undermining and taxing hard working Canadians to the gills in order to make himself appear better on paper by making the books look more balanced. Meanwhile Canadians are struggling and receiving very little in return for what we contribute to the Canadian economy.
i don’t believe we have any new taxes. how is he making himself look better if we pay the same taxes we have always paid. we receive the some of the best medical care in the world. we have infrastructure that works. i don’t think we have much to complain about. we are truly fortunate people. the area that needs improving is conditions for First Nations. i really hope P.M. Trudeau starts to speed that up.
Yeah, there aren’t many new taxes if any. Truth is, if many are struggling it’s because we have failed to diversify our economy in the past 30-40 years. We rely way too much on natural ressources and housing and never made policies to increase our presence in the tech fields. Innovation is what will push the economy up in the long run, but we’ve failed to invest because spending means we won’t be able to cut taxes right before the next election. Harper in this regard has been pretty terrible and acted in a way that will affect the country for years to come: by putting all his eggs into one unsustainable basket (it brings good money atm, but it won’t last long) and cutting research budgets because “the private sector will do the R&D”, he didn’t do us a long-term economic favour
This. Exactly. Canada and Australia are in almost exactly the same basket in this respect. (The UK is in a much worse position, but we did that to ourselves).
@Anna. I agree. Many People are struggling. Young families Are struggling. Retired people are struggling. I don’t know about you all but our taxes have gone up.
Yep our taxes have skyrocketed. And we don’t recieve child tax benefit, can’t write off childcare or extracurricular activities for our kids. There are more tax repercussions coming down the line which will make it impossible for many private sector working women to take any maternity leave at all or plan for retirement. It’s a mess.
He’s cut the child benefits and things like that that went to families.
Actually my child benefits have gone way up. It was only cut for people in the top 10% of income base. The tax cuts we have been given as a low income family have been life changing.
I know he is not perfect, but this world needs more politicians like Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron and even Angela Merkel and less like Trump, Maduro, Kim, etc.
HONK HONK.
I have a feeling this article is what is causing Trump’s meltdown this week, and why he’s lashing out at Transgenders in the military. He likes the attention this is getting, he doesn’t care if it’s good or bad, he just wants everyone to be talking about him.
What is a wokest bae?
My parents have a great respect for his father Pierre. It is because of Pierre that my parents were able to stay in Canada. The former British Empire at one time had a policy that allowed all those a part of the Empire to travel within its dominions and colonies. My parents took advantage of this opportunity. But Canada like many former dominions was pro immigration for whites only. I guess Pierre according to my dad didn’t care about this.
I know it is not a popular opinion among many Canadians and I live in Alberta so people really cannot stand Pierre and as a result many hate Justin too. I understand where many out West are coming from. Studying Canadian history through out school, one gets the idea that western provinces feel screwed over and everything is about Ontario or Quebec.
I like Justin and hope he will continue with the support he is giving Syrian refugees but I also hope he works towards true reconciliation with Aboriginals in Canada.
One of my good friends gotta take as few pictures with him at Stampede. She works with refugees so she was there when Justin Trudeau met Syrian baby Justin Trudeau. The photos were precious.
Ridiculous naming a baby after him. What a joke. And yes with both Trudeaus everything was and is about Ontario and Quebec.
Why is it ridiculous? Just because you wouldn’t do it? My mom and her whole family immigrated to Canada under the Liberals and have been staunch Liberal-supporters ever since. The appreciation they felt for the PM who they feel “let” them come to Canada was and remains huge. I can totally see why a family would name their kid after a figurehead they feel was instrumental in bringing them to a safe country.
Trudeau Sr’s immigration policies actually opened up immigration to more than just European countries and created a support base among non white immigrants that let the Liberals gain power in the 90s under Chrétien. This is provable fact.
As for Albertans hating Trudeau, that is because of the National Energy Plan which was bashed because the Tories in power in the province didn’t explain that it helped them when the energy crisis in the late 70s destroyed the price of oil and the federal government stepped in to help. When the oil boom happened then they got resentful for giving a little back.
Anyway, Alberta has big issues and needs to get a sales tax. They are relying way too much of oil money and it’s going to start being a real big problem soon. None of this has anything to do with either Trudeau but 40 plus years of Tory rule provincially.
He is NOT a feminist. Just because you call yourself that doesn’t make it true.
Please count the ways he isn’t?
A gender-balanced cabinet is a pretty good sign that he is, in fact, a feminist.
As an Albertan (who does not work in the oil patch), I like Justin for the most part, but the rising debt really bothers me. I liked Harper’s fiscally conservative take on things, but I like a socially progressive politician. I am also very bothered by the feeling that he just doesn’t like Alberta. I feel like our lifestyle here is so different that he can’t grasp what we are. We’re ‘western’, and that is our culture, and I don’t think he understands us. Heck, compared to the many Easterners (and particularly Newfoundlanders, damn they are fun) I have met, we are downright boring. Most of us, I think, are actually socially progressive, we just might take a bit longer getting there – we don’t seem to like to jump in, but once the change is made, we adjust just fine. I just wish he liked us. As a Canadian, that hurts my feelings.
As a socially progressive, did you find harper off putting ? I personally didn’t feel he rocked the boat at all (thus, he didn’t take away any socially progressive freedoms.)
I agree, I didn’t dislike Harper, we certainly didn’t go backward socially. I really struggled the last election, because I liked his fiscal direction. I have seen the comments upthread about people disappointed with Trudeau’s promises to indigenous peoples, but I think they are doing better than if we hadn’t changed governments. I think it’s a good thing for our parties to go from one in power to the other, as it provides us with some balance, but I think we are going to have a heck of a hole to dig ourselves out of with our current Prime Minister.
Something nice, hes a good example for the average western guy. He makes it clear that women (can?) find feminist men hot, and it doesn’t take away their manliness. Score one against rape culture and toxic masculinity. But he’s still in bed with one percenters and his main goal is to stay PM
Le Sigh.
Mais oui…c’est vrai ( that’s all I’ve got and I’m not even sure about that…).
Dressing left, voting right: PM Zoolander does some things well, but on energy he comes down hard pro-pipelines.
I’ll say straight off that I’m a bit of a Trudeau fangirl. Also, as Kaiser alludes to in the opening paragraph, I love that he is subjected to many of the same questions and interview “techniques” that have been baiting women for years. I think it was an interview on Kelly and Ryan and was asked about his hair, his outfit, his family, and a topless pic of him was shown on screen. The first sexually objectified leader in North America.