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A study in contrasts

I have been thinking about how much Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to be a Canadian-style Trump, or Trump-lite. I can't cover all aspects where I think they are like the other, so only briefly, I ask you to bear with me, polite Canadian.
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I have been thinking about how much Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to be a Canadian-style Trump, or Trump-lite. I can't cover all aspects where I think they are like the other, so only briefly, I ask you to bear with me, polite Canadian.

Stereotypes are handy for this comparison:

Americans are brash, egotistical, and aggressive; Trump is brash, rarely apologizes, doesn't care what people think, loves to pick a fight, and attacks people when he thinks it will fit his purposes.

Canadians are polite, apologetic, and like to be "the good guys"; Trudeau tries to be warm, apologizes tearfully and is eager to be seen as correct and important in the world.

The differences above, if you reread them, are mostly personality, not character. I think both men share a number of character traits.

Trudeau campaigned on his feminism. Nice words. Sounded good. What we actually got was someone who sees himself as God's gift to women, and superior to them, similar to the charges against Trump:

1. His wife gazing adoringly at him on International Woman's Day. Sweet. However, to accurately demonstrate woman's equality, the photo should have been him admiring her. But, that's just one photo, and it's not fair to judge him by one poorly planned photo.

2. In his gender-balanced cabinet his two most qualified women got booted out of caucus for standing up to him, for daring to believe that the female empowerment he campaigned on would actually be part of the government's modus operandi. (This point could also fit into the next category).

3. A recording of Trudeau yelling at a female Junior MP, berating her for not being thankful for what he had done for her.

4. A past groping incident is made public, and Trudeau declares that the woman "experienced it differently."

Trudeau promised sunny ways. I discovered a word that seems to describe him perfectly: "sententious." It means "given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner." Trump doesn't pretend to be nice or moral. What we got by electing Trudeau was:

1. Spreads division by saying that anyone who doesn't agree with his particular view, on immigration policy, on abortion, free speech, etc., is backward, racist, hateful, etc.

2. Former ambassadors get a call from the PMO "encouraging" them to keep their remarks in synch with what the PMO is saying.

3. Instead of working together in a respectable, non-partisan way, he publicly berates the premiers of provinces who don't share his views.

Trudeau campaigned on openness and respect for the media. We see Trump publicly embarrass a reporter by dismissing him, and suspends him from White House Briefings. Trump frequently accuses the media of not doing their job, and reporting fake news. In Canada, we like to think we are not so crass. We consider such ill-mannered behavior beneath our dignity. We hold the press in high regard. Trudeau has given us:

1. "Encouragement" to read the "correct" government-appointed-panel-approved media by offering tax breaks for subscribing to "approved" media.

2. He is "managing" our errant media by using the above-mentioned, government appointed panel to approve only some media for government funding. This is government control of the media, nothing less! Actual control, not just Twitter blasts.

As that "nasty orange man" speaks unkindly about and fires staffers and high-ranking officials seemingly at will and often for no reason at all, we watch in horror and increasing pity for our southern neighbours.

Trudeau, in Canadian fashion, has been gentler, kinder, in how he manages to bring about the kind of PMO controlled governance he favours:

1. He maintains a Liberal-party-approved judge appointment list, and doesn't apologize for it.

2. He publicly commented on the certainty that second-in-command Vice-Admiral Mark Norman would face trial for misconduct. After spending a great deal of his own money on legal support, which unlike most in his position, was denied him, the charges were dropped. But the damage to Norman's reputation was done, he couldn't return to his poisoned workplace, so he received a buyout.

3. The case of SNC Lavalin. Judicial interference at the highest level of government. He continues to say "We respect the rule of law." Which law, Mr. Trudeau, the law of what the PMO says, goes?

I could go on, but my word count is already high.

In summary, personality is like the icing on the cake. Character is what we actually do, not how we do it. Trudeau may appear nicer than Trump. Trudeau is more attractive than Trump. We can and should expect more than that, and we shouldn't be fooled twice. Genetic good looks and fancy socks are not enough.