02.24.2018 10:06 AM

Please God make it stop

Please.



62 Comments

  1. After this trip, it would seem to be time to do a bit of housecleaning within the PMO. This is when a Prime Minister either asserts his authority, or lets his government get sunk in a sea of unforced errors.

  2. Robert White says:

    Western patriarchy and patriarchal attitudes are likely offended by the display of respect that Trudeau engages in as Prime Minister of CANADA visiting India. Diplomatic protocol requires that sort of posturing, and while it looks a bit too deferential from a western perspective of patriarchy I’m sure it must be politically correct behaviour for a head of state visiting as a guest that is expected to act according to cultural tradition.

    RW

    • Fred from BC says:

      I understand and appreciate the need for protocol, but the praying without the costumes would have sufficed, I think.

    • Pedant says:

      Offended? We’re all too busy laughing. And the people of India are laughing the loudest of all.

      • Robert White says:

        Trudeau is on paid vacation, Pedant. What part of ‘paid vacation’ do you not understand?

        I’m not laughing at Prime Minister Trudeau, and I could only wish to get a paid vacation in India as that would never happen in my pathetic lifetime even if I could double it for duration. Why can’t people be happy for Trudeau and his family? The guy is a legitimate Prime Minister unlike Harper and the neocons who appropriated the Federal Progressive Conservative Party via ballot box stuffing on the internal vote for the amalgamation of Reform-in-Pantyhose-Party with the Joe Clark Progressive Conservative Party of CANADA. Former Prime Minister Joe Clark reneged on the deal he had signed with the membership, and David Orchard. Orchard did not have the funds to fight the neocon coup.

        Trudeau is legitimate whereas Harper was a cheap con short game player with not enough sense to play the long game of a visionary for CANADA. Harper was a one hit wonder, and now he is a washed up Western bum. Trudeau is the one on holidays, bucko.

        get a grip, eh.

        RW

        • Pedant says:

          Got it.
          Prime Minister you like = legitimate
          Prime Minister you dislike = illegitimate

          Ballot-box stuffing. This sounds like your apparent clairvoyance of the sponsorship scandal 3 years before it happened.

          I remember during the 2006 election I was genuinely concerned that the Liberals would rig the vote. I wasn’t just being overly partisan, I actually thought they might do it. By then they were so surpassingly, outrageously corrupt that I thought them capable of anything. And who knows, maybe they did rig it but weren’t quite competent enough to get the job done.

          Who’s paying for this vacation, and why did T2 portray it as a trade mission?

          You needn’t worry about Harper; he doesn’t require the spotlight to be happy. That makes him a far more evolved individual than his successor. He’s surely making decent coin in his consulting practice and gets to wake up every day and glance at the Rockies. Good on him.

          • Robert White says:

            Fat Bastard Harper is ‘happy like a pig in shit’ because that’s where Fat Bastards like Harper end up in life, Pedant.

            I don’t mind paying for the Trudeau vacation, Pedant.

            oh wait….

            I’m on Anti-social Assistance…..hmmmmmm?

            Okay, then I don’t mind if you pay for the Trudeau vacation, Pedant.

            You are a good egg for being so generous, Pedant.

            RW

        • Fred from BC says:

          ” Former Prime Minister Joe Clark reneged on the deal he had signed with the membership, and David Orchard. ”

          Joe Clark? Not the way I remember it…

          • Ronald O'Dowd says:

            Fred,

            Me either.

          • Robert White says:

            I was on the membership roster that former Prime Minister Clark was responsible for as the Federal PC Party President at that juncture in the historiography. Believe me when I state that our esteemed former Prime Minister Clark sold the membership down the river to slaughter, and I, for one, can pretty much guarantee you that Sir. John A. MacDonald rolled over in his grave when the spineless bastard failed to honour his commitments.

            RW

          • Ned Ludd says:

            Sorry Mr. White….let me refresh your memory, because I was there. Peter MacKay won the leadership of the PC Party to succeed Mr. Clark with the support of David Orchard. It was Mr. MacKay who reneged, good, bad or indifferent, on the deal with Mr. Orchard, not to amalgamate Reform and the PC Party.

          • Robert White says:

            Robert: cool it with the libel or you will be banned. W

          • doconnor says:

            Joe Clark was one of three MPs who didn’t join the Conservative caucus after the merger and endorsed the Liberals in the next election.

          • Robert White says:

            Here I am only a couple of weeks into The War Room with the most FUN lawyer I have ever encountered in my lifetime thanks to Brian Lilly from CFRA for the great recommendation.
            Here I find the greatest bunch of fighting Irish that any fighter could ever hope to find in one gaggle of super smart journalists, hacks, and all round good thinkers & fighters on one Canadian blog, and I get ‘libel muzzled’ for my truthful commentary of the historiography as I witnessed it first hand.

            I love you fighting Irish journalists & lawyers, and we are very similar in myriad ways. Everyone here seems to have passion and it looks obvious that everyone cares very much about politics & CANADA, but I really thought that I could play by the Marquess of Queensbury Rules here and now I have to decipher what I can say and what I can’t say that will cross our most excellent host, and result in my getting banned because I have said something that may appear to look libelous but is in fact not libelous.

            Warren is the lawyer here, and I only have first year university knowledge of law. Could someone please direct me to the appropriate source material that will allow me to discern exactly how not to piss off our most excellent host?

            I’m an Anglican, but I love the fighting Irish, and always have since I was a kid watching The Quiet Man with John Wayne & Maureen O’Hara. Great movie if one has not seen it.

            cheers, all!

            RW

    • Ned Ludd says:

      When you had Indian pundits commenting that ordinary Indians didn’t dress like that, I think it was clear the PM had gone overboard. Dressing once in traditional garb was deferential and a good idea. Multiple times in Bollywood style outfits was too much.
      The PMO should have taken its cue from what kind of traditional clothing PM Modi wears. Plain and modest.

    • Montrealaise says:

      Nice try, but no cigar. Read the reports and editorials in Indian newspapers and the comments from Indian politicians and journalists: they are all highly critical of Trudeau. Some of the comments are “choreographed cuteness”, “tacky” and “Indians don’t dress like this, not even in Bollywood”. They find it ridiculous, not respectful.

  3. Brace Ourselves says:

    Regarding the comment from Mr. White, above, it needs to be noted Trudeau’s act is cause for amusement in India.

    Might we next see a “naked Gandhi” pose?

    • Robert White says:

      Prime Minister Trudeau sports a tattoo so I somehow kind of doubt that we will be seeing any naked Gandhi lookalike poses if the PMO is on their game after the phones started ringing non-stop to wake them from slumber. After all we know the Church Lady that prepares the protocol for dress on these trips is not going to be amused by special displays of that nature, methinks.

      RW

  4. Luke says:

    I am stunned by the cascade of shite that was this India trip. I could excuse the various minor but stupid things, but once I saw that an extremist, convicted attempted assassin was living it up with the Canadian delegation I could not fathom the magnitude of wrath I would want to inflict were i part of the Indian leadership or, for that matter, Trudeau himself. The outrage surrounding this coming from the opppsition is, for once, not exaggerated bullshit. This is a major international diplomatic Fuckyou that requires a vast display of contrition. Trudeau, his government, and Canada are lucky Modi was so forgiving of this affair.

    A Sikh separatist attempted murderer, convicted of trying to murder an Indian cabinet minister, rubbing elbows with Canada’s highest political powers while on a trip to India. Many, many facepalms. Vicarious humiliation. Just fucking awful.

    • Jay says:

      “A Sikh separatist attempted murderer, convicted of trying to murder an Indian cabinet minister, rubbing elbows with Canada’s highest political powers while on a trip to India. Many, many facepalms. Vicarious humiliation. Just fucking awful.”

      Ever wonder how he got back into India, why he’s not in jail?

      Indian Nationalists are playing their own game with Trudeau’s visit.

      • KS says:

        100%

        Lot of instant experts offering up commentary today couldn’t think of a single thing to say about Indian-Sikh politics a week ago.

        Speaks volumes of how pathetically ill-informed Canadian observers are as well. That so many people, particularly in the media, are being spoon-fed a completely perverted narrative just shows how little they care to understand of the history and state of politics at play here.

      • Matt says:

        Regarding how he got back into India, I’m told, the visiting leader or head of state supplies the host country with a list of people who they want to accompany them on the trip. The host country will usually grant visa’s to everyone as a good will gesture.

        But Warren would know better if that is usually the case.

        • Autofill says:

          That wasn’t and isn’t the problem. This man was for decades on a no fly list for the Indian government .. And even Indian authorities don’t know how his name got deleted.

        • KS says:

          Doesn’t matter.

          The final say always goes to the host country and the notion that the Indian government was either a) unaware of Atwal’s history at the time of a request; or b) have granted a visa as a gesture of “good will” is absurd.

          Given who Atwal is, the Indian government would have denied passage if it had strongly objected to Atwal’s entrance into the country.

    • KS says:

      “… lucky Modi was so forgiving of this affair.”

      The Indian government removed Atwal from their own black-list; they couldn’t have been too surprised when he wound up on the guest list for the event.

      This is the same Indian government that has prevented Jagmeet Singh from entering the country just for being a vocal critic over the central government’s part in the 1984 genocide. Neither leniency nor ignorance are characteristics they have ever demonstrated.

      Moreover, is Modi really one to be bestowing forgiveness? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Gujarat_riots

      Indian politics is not for the faint of heart. All of Canadian dilettantes suddenly fancying themselves experts don’t know just how complex and torrid the history is.

      • Luke says:

        You lot raise good points. No need to repudiate me for attempting to participate in political discourse, however. Us unwashed masses might on occasion forget we aren’t experts on all things and, in a lapse of wisdom, fail to remember how little one really knows. I mean it about that lapse. Normally I am acutely aware of what I know little about, and it is a mistake to forget.

        • KS says:

          Not my intention to come down on you for participating. For what it’s worth, your overall perception of the incident being embarrassing for Trudeau isn’t entirely wrong.

          My frustration is with the framing of the incident and how many observers are essentially indulging a highly fabricated narrative.

          We all pundit from time to time, but we gotta be cognizant of dipping our toes into issues that are much, much deeper than we appreciate.

          • Luke says:

            Oh my goodness, commenting on this website is so much more productive than on the news sites! Civility and learning?! Outrageous!

            Thanks KS et al.

  5. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Warren,

    Ponder deeply Prime Minister and then act because right now someone is making you look like an idiot.

    Make sure your wrath goes into the appropriate net. No scapegoating allowed on this one.

    • Jim Keegan says:

      Ronald, the Prime Minister needs no help from anybody to make himself look like an idiot; he is doing a superb job of it all by himself.

      This guy and his handlers would screw up a two house paper route. What an embarrassment to Canada.

      • Ronald O'Dowd says:

        Jim,

        The PMO necessarily needs a reset button. It’s my hope that it goes a lot better for Trudeau than it did for Rodham Clinton and Lavrov in 2009.

  6. Fred from BC says:

    “Vacuous” is the term that always comes to mind when I see Junior performing without a script. This is worse: this was actually planned beforehand.

    I never thought I would say this, but I’m forced to admit that I haven’t had an ounce of respect for any Liberal Prime Minister (or potential one) since Jean Chretien. I was no great fan of Chretien (I’ll never forgive him for the gun registry farce, for one) but he was at least a competent politician…and more ‘human’ than anyone since (including Stephen Harper, who I *was* a fan of).

    • Robert White says:

      I liked Jean Chretien very much and always thought he was a barrel of laughs intermingled with seriousness and a businesslike manner. Harper always had too much meadow muffin between his ears IMHO. Way too short term thinker with no vision for CANADA at all IMO. Scheer is cut from the same cloth.

      Trudeau is okay.

      RW

      • Fred from BC says:

        You don’t give Stephen Harper any credit at all, do you? Not for co-writing the Clarity Bill with Preston Manning (everyone knows that Dion didn’t really do it, sorry). Not for breaking Quebec’s long-time stranglehold on power by proving that you really *didn’t* need to win Quebec to form government in Canada? Not for guiding us through a worldwide recession in better shape than any other western nation? Not for refusing to kowtow to China, or to the CAWG zealots who would attempt to bankrupt us?

        He made mistakes, as all Prime Ministers do…but he will be remembered as one of Canada’s better leaders.

        • Ronald O'Dowd says:

          Fred,

          On Quebec, Harper didn’t really have anything to do with this. That was done by Westerners whose demographics and political clout are the envy of every province and territory, except l’Ontario. Harper was smart enough to clearly see the trend and align his party with it at the time when it was bound to pay the most electoral dividends.

  7. Pedant says:

    In all your years observing federal politics Warren, have you ever witnessed such an absolute epic fail of a foreign trip?

    Or junket, I should say, given that it was 90% vacation with the family.

    Btw, he has reduced Canada’s age by 50 years : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1QQsQe6oDc

    • Warren says:

      Joe Clark losing his luggage and walking into a bayonet was the previous low water mark.

      This trip has beaten that.

      • Dan Pomerleau says:

        Remember Jason Kenney dressed like an Inuit?
        This doesn’t even come close to that, or many other things.
        This is small potatoes from a media group (not yourself…) starved for validation while the paper industry dies and the click industry struggles.

        • Matt says:

          “A” media outlet?

          Countless Indian news outlets have shredded him. CNN, CNBC, CBS, multiple Australian and British media outlets all mocking him.

          All those who can’t admit Trudeau’s fuck ups are turning into those Harpercons they always loved to attack.

          And for people who are claiming this fiasco was no big deal, they sure seem to be spending an awful lot of time defending it.

          • The Doctor says:

            Furthermore, the At Issue Panel on CBC last Thursday was absolutely scathing. And the CBC ain’t exactly some Liberal-unfriendly outfit.

    • Jim Keegan says:

      The YouTube video is hilarious. I would be willing to bet that it wasn’t just a slip of the tongue by Trudeau – rather, the speechwriter fucked up by inserting “100 years“ in the speech instead of “150 years” and our PM, as he always does, simply and blindly read what was put in front of him instead of exercising some basic thought process.

      • Matt says:

        Can’t blame him for forgetting how old Canada is.

        It’s no like his government spent hundreds of millions of dollars promoting Canada 150 or anything.

        Oh, wait……

  8. Ned Ludd says:

    I noticed that the PM and his family were dressed in Western clothing for their meeting with PM Modi, which made me relieved.
    I think dressing in traditional garb ONCE was a nice way to pay homage to the host country(and of course, wearing some kind of head covering is mandatory when visiting the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar) I just wonder who in the Liberal brain trust came up with the plan that traditional, nay, Bollywood outfits, worn everyday, would be a good idea.
    I’m just glad it stopped before the PM aped the Mahatma and wore a dhoti.

    With this official visit, I also hope the PMO learned a thing or two about proper vetting of guests invited to functions, and that when paying homage to a host country, sometimes less is more.

  9. Dan Pomerleau says:

    I’m incredibly un-annoyed by this.
    Reciprocal 1 billion dollar deal.
    Counter-terrrorism deal.
    X,000 new jobs coming down the pipe.
    I mean, who cares about this? I personally hope they get another majority so the media understands appearances are irrelevant and engaging others is relevant. And important.

    I likely won’t be voting for the Liberals, but the Conservatives and NDP bring nothing, absolutely nothing, to the table at the moment. So…

    • Matt says:

      Except Trudeau tried to sell that trade deal as Indian companies investing $1 billion in Canada.

      Then the PMO was left scrambling to send out a clarification it was actually Indian companies investing $250 million in Canada while Canadian companies will invest $750 million in Indian companies

  10. Kevin says:

    Sorry JT, I’m not buying this respect for hosts line. To me it looks like theme day at the Jr. K. Congratulations on the trade deal, now it’s time to come home.

    • Pedant says:

      Chrsitie Blatchford compared him to Mr. DressUp pulling costumes out of the tickle trunk. Although I think the wonderful and very talented Ernie Coombs (RIP) would have handled the costuming with more dignity and elegance.

  11. David says:

    Trudeau needs to dial it down. He is over-exposing himself and his family, especially after all those town halls. He should lay low for awhile. Just focus on parliamentary business. Give the photo ops a big rest for awhile. He doesn’t want the public to start getting tired of him — or worse, sick of him.

  12. Mohammed says:

    The trip isn’t so bad, and white Canadians aren’t getting why the Indian media is reacting so negatively. (I’m Canadian, but not white). Few points

    – first don’t forget Modi leads a right wing Hindu nationalist gvt and has personally created an atmosphere conducive to both pogroms and lynchings (Google: cow protection killings). Any sensible Liberal (or liberal) should keep their distance from a character so unsavoury he was denied a US visa back before he became PM. You wouldn’t want a hug from Orban or Erdogan, right? — Modi is the same. (Modi’s Canadian political bestie?- Patrick Brown, no joke).

    – The dominant group in this Indian gvt are right wing upper caste Hindus. While they are open to Sikhs joining as a subordinate group , the obvious success of an Indian minority in Canada is awkward. Imagine how you would feel if Macron came to visit Canada with a team of high profile quebecois-origin Cabinet ministers, all of whom emigrated in the seventies in response to Canadian “oppression”. Imagine French Minister of Finance Parizeau — would the English Canadian media unreservedly applaud his success?

    – Trudeau’s trip to India, like Harper’s trip to Israel, has much to do with winning the support of a domestic minority. The white Canadian media didn’t like either trip — although a similar trip to the UK or Ireland would probably win plaudits. I see Sikh Canadians reacting less negatively that non Sikhs. It’s not great, but it will help against Jagmeet.

    – Trudeau has made an uncharacteristic mistake with the visuals — he’s usually good at this. But the international audience has taken it worse. In Canada, every Indian wedding now has a white guy playing dress up in shalwar or Shirvani. It looks less weird here. Still, he took it too far for me — it’s a culture not a costume.

    • Jim Keegan says:

      Well, we don’t have to look too hard……

    • The Doctor says:

      Yes, but this time they happen to have a perfectly valid reason to dump on Trudeau. The Atwal thing was mind-boggling incompetence, and now on top of that the government are telling lies about what went down.

  13. Peter says:

    I had a horrible dream last night. The Trudeaus were making an official visit to Germany and inspected the honour guard wearing lederhosen and a dirndl, accompanied by the Canadian Forces Ompah Band. All of Germany was laughing at me. I woke up sweating and crying. I really must cut out those heavy bedtime snacks.

    • Pedant says:

      There’s a (rather scary) Photoshopped image trending on Facebook and Reddit showing Trudeau done up as a geisha for a trip to Japan. Our PM has become a running meme.

      • Ned Ludd says:

        He is the face of the party, and when people start making fun of you, and continue to make fun of you-it’s the beginning of the end. Just ask Joe Clark.

        • Fred from BC says:

          Absolutely.

          Joe Clark made one grievous miscalculation, though: he thought he could tell Canadian voters the truth, and they would reward him for his honesty. Sadly, it seems that we would rather hear the usual lies.

          (not such a problem for our current PM, though)

  14. David Ray says:

    welcome to Festerworld. most comments i’ve ever seen here, evah.

  15. Patrick says:

    I think the dancing humanizes him. A display of joy when visiting friends. Most of us are terrible dancers, but it sure is a lot of fun. As a voter i really don’t care what he was wearing, and I don’t know why anybody would – these are petty things. Small things a small person would obsess about – i don’t vote for a wardrobe – I vote for the charter, health care, privacy rights, accessible and affordable education, and equal opportunity for people irrespective of their creed, or gender, or region, or accent –

  16. Ray says:

    I think the look on the young fella’s face says it all.

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