New year, old problems for Trudeau

OTTAWA—Another new year begins with a controversy about a prime ministerial vacation. What is new is old again as we launch 2024. Yes, there are far more important issues than what our prime minister does on vacation, or the fact that he takes one. But these sorts of stories capture attention because, unlike war, climate policy, or immigration challenges, this is a story people can relate to. Most of us have been fortunate to go on vacations, take time off, enjoy ourselves with family and friends, and decompress. We encourage others to do so, and know holiday time can be good for our mental well-being. We all probably get the notion of household budgeting. When we find ourselves in tougher financial times, as we are now, more trade-offs have to happen in deciding whether or not you actually go on vacation, or buy something more essential for the home. Layer in the traditional Christmas and other holiday period when people exchange gifts, host dinners, and try to support charities that are important to them, and the financial crunch can feel real and bite deep. Most fair-minded Canadians couldn't care less if their prime minister takes a vacation with his family. The prime minister is a human being and deserves time off, too. Most would probably be reasonable enough to accept that as a global leader, our prime minister needs to fly on a secure government aircraft; yes, he will need security and a skeleton staff to travel with him. Domestic and international events don’t adjust to his or anyone else’s personal schedule, so even on holiday he can’t fully disconnect. Some will see it as OK and important that the prime minister gets the all-clear on his vacation plans from the ethics commissioner. Though going there in the first place may raise the eyebrows of a few who wonder whether the person can't themselves tell the difference between what is acceptable and what is not. Then again, if you are the prime minister, what you do is viewed from many different lenses, some of them highly partisan and critical. Let us dig into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent family vacation to Jamaica. Cleared by the ethics commissioner, with an acknowledgement that the PM and his family would pay the commercial airfare equivalent for traveling to the Caribbean, and a late admission that the PM would be staying at no cost at a friend’s accommodations. It is the latter part that is currently causing Trudeau grief. You see, the PM and his family were not crashing on couches or stuck in a dusty spare room. Nope. As reported by the National Post, they were staying in what would normally be deluxe private accommodations that retail for $9,300 a night. That accommodation is owned by the aforementioned family friend. Herein lies the prime minister’s current perceptual problem. Having told Canadians he recognizes times are tough, acknowledging that his main political opponent—Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre—is doing a better job connecting with people’s economic pain, and having a history of controversial vacations, Trudeau's recent Jamaican jaunt looks clueless, if not cruel, to some. Though taxpayer money is not paying for his borrowed vacation villa, it can come across like he is throwing some of the white beach sand from his holiday retreat in our faces. The message here almost screaming in our faces is: “Hey suckers, life sucks for you, but not me. I feel your pain—not!” Frankly, the prime minister may have concluded: "I am going to take this type of vacation, and I am going to take crap anyway. So, shag it." In some ways, you can’t blame him; in others, it might be a sign he is getting closer to the door than he is the electoral boxing ring. That is my first 2024 conspiracy theory. Happy new year, all. Tim Powers is chairman of Summa Strategies and managing director of Abacus Data. He is a former adviser to Conservative political leaders. The Hill Times