Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knows Canadians aren’t listening.
He knows his defense against conservative attacks on his signature climate policy isn’t working, at least not yet.
But he plans to keep trying. And in the meantime, his office is trying something new to spread the Liberal government’s message.
Trudeau recently appeared on four podcasts as he travels the country talking about the Liberals’ latest budget, which he presents as a plan to inject more economic justice into society for those under 40, a cohort that has kept Trudeau in power since 2015, but increasingly addressing the conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Interviews vary greatly in content and length (from 30 minutes to almost an hour) and podcasts reach very different audiences.
At one end of the spectrum, Vox’s “Today, Explained” airs on public radio stations in the United States.
The other is YXE Underground, which focuses on the stories of Saskatoon’s anonymous community leaders.
The prime minister’s availability for such a small market came as a surprise: When Trudeau’s team initially reached out, the show’s host thought it was a scam and deleted the email.
As Trudeau tries to rekindle support among millennial and Gen Z Canadians, he is opening up to more than just policies and their political challenges.
The Canadian press listened to the series of interviews to get a sense of Trudeau’s thinking, as the clock ticks toward the next federal election.
Trudeau’s commitment to fighting climate change through consumer carbon pricing is an important issue.
Poilievre and most of the premiers hammered Trudeau, leading to a long-planned tax increase on April 1, which added about three cents to the cost of a liter of gasoline. They argued that the Liberals were seriously exacerbating the cost of living.
“When (the) price of gas goes up 20 cents, people say, ‘Oh, it’s the carbon tax,'” even though it’s only three cents, Trudeau told The Big Story.
“And we actually increased carbon rebates at the same time,” he said.
“The context is that people look for things to be frustrated about, because they are frustrated, and it’s a very easy target.”
While the anti-carbon pricing message may be gaining traction, Trudeau is confident that will change come election time.
“Right now, we’re a long way from an election. It’s easy for people to get frustrated about a lot of different things. My choice as a leader is, ‘Okay, do I bow to that even though I think it’s wrong?’ “Trudeau said.
“I think people are wrong to worry about this. I understand why they are.”
Meanwhile, he launches frequent attacks on Poilievre, who has promised to use “technology, not taxes” to address climate change, for lack of a concrete plan.
And he goes on to talk about how Canadians end up getting their money back through rebates, with people on lower incomes benefiting the most, though he admitted he has to “wait patiently” until the message comes through.
“No one has heard that yet,” the prime minister said.
“But I will continue to say it and show it so that when a year and a half comes and people make a decision, they are more informed about what the alternative is.”
If he simply wanted to do what was popular, he would take a different path, Trudeau said.
But that would come at a cost.
It would mean that the time he spent away from his children and what his family sacrificed during his time in politics “won’t have been worth it,” he said, his voice cracking with a hint of emotion.
Polls over the past year have shown the Liberals consistently and significantly behind Poilievre’s conservatives. Recent polls conducted after the release of the federal budget show no sign of change.
Speaking to Vox, Trudeau characterized the looming challenge in the context of a broader fight against the rise of populist and authoritarian leaders.
“Democracy is definitely threatened,” he said.
He took pains to characterize it as a ballot issue when Canadians go to the polls, a contest that is scheduled for October 2025 at the latest.
“Canadians will have to choose over the next year and a half what kind of country we are,” Trudeau said.
“Are we a country that believes in evidence and science? Are we a country that looks after each other and believes that government has a role to play in ensuring that people are protected and that the world runs responsibly?” “
Or, Trudeau continued, “Does it continue down a path of amplifying anger, division and fear, and the government steps aside and leaves people to fend for themselves?”
He said, as he has said before, that he is ready for that fight.
But when the time comes to lay down his arms, he told Freakonomics Radio, he plans to return to his roots.
“I would still be a teacher,” he said. “I will look to get back to teaching in some way, shape, or form.”
Trudeau also referred to an interview in French he gave last month in which he said he thought about quitting smoking every day. One comment was translated into English as: “I’m doing a crazy job.”
He told the podcast host that the description of his role in French would best translate as “a job for crazy people.”
When it comes to his personal life, Trudeau said he remains Catholic and that faith is part of who he is, “although I probably haven’t done a good job of passing that on to my children like a good Catholic should.”
And although the prime minister who legalized cannabis said he had tried marijuana before, “it’s never been my thing.”
He’s more of a “beer and bourbon drinking type of guy” and “still, not too much.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2024.