More importantly, though, he needs to rekindle the widespread popularity he enjoyed within the party itself in his first year as leader.
It’s a critical job because
many older Liberals are starting to question his judgment on issues ranging from his stand on the fight against Islamic militants to comments on how he has “a level of admiration” for China and for talking about smoking marijuana in his home since becoming an MP.
They also question his honesty, especially around riding nominations. Trudeau promised “open nominations,” but that’s “an outright lie,” says one Liberal field worker. He cited several examples where Trudeau stepped in with a hand-picked candidate, including Chrystia Freeland in Toronto Centre who hadn’t lived in Toronto or Canada for more than a decade.
There’s also the problem of a dearth of in-depth policies on issues ranging from free trade, rising prison incarceration rates that are now rivalling those in the U.S., and low corporate tax rates that have failed many middle-class workers.
“What does he stand for?” another active Liberal riding organizer says. “I don’t know.”
Trudeau is aware of the criticism within his own party about a lack of detailed policies.
To address that, he recently recruited
Matthew Mendelsohn, director of the Mowat Centre and a former deputy minister in the Ontario ministry of intergovernmental affairs, to help write his campaign platform. Mendelsohn is on leave from the Mowat Centre, an independent public policy think-tank at the University of Toronto centre.
