Trudeau Has Fled His Ottawa Home In The Face Of The Protests

Justin Trudeau has fled his home and is now hiding in a secret location. News outlets are saying it is because of “security concerns” due to the trucker protest in Ottawa. But the more likely explanation is that Trudeau doesn’t have the guts to come out and face “the small fringe minority” he was mocking and downplaying just a week ago! It’s not such a small minority now, is it? Of course, instead of addressing the people and their concerns and working out a solution in a democratic fashion, it’s so much easier to run away into hiding.

I run a small business and so I know that it’s unpleasant to deal with angry customers. Of course, Trudeau has many more angry “customers” than I ever had (and would), but the principle is the same. No one wants to talk to people dissatisfied with how you are doing your job – but it is an important part of the job to listen to these criticisms. If only because the people criticizing you have a right to do so! We live in a democracy, and as the news media has been telling us non stop (when it’s time to push their agenda) that protests are an important part of the process. And now that so many people have made the long journey, taken the time off work, and are taking massive personal financial losses (because not everyone in this country earns $350,000 a year like Trudeau does) – he doesn’t even have the decency to be there to listen to their complaints! If Mr Trudeau is hoping for a peaceful mutually beneficial resolution of these protests, this is the absolute worst way to go about it! Because him not being there just makes the protestors angrier.

I’ve been in business for a while, and I have had my own share of angry customers. And while I don’t want to pick up the phone and listen to an angry customer, I still do it. Not just because they have a right to be angry and call me about it, but also because letting someone vent their anger, apologizing and promising to do better is enough to diffuse many situations – and sometimes I even get away without redoing the order at my own expense, or splitting the cost (if I don’t think I am at fault, or not fully at fault). Because people are not rational, we are emotional. And it’s important for us when we are angry and dissatisfied to have our emotions validated.

How can a pedigreed career politician, and a substitute drama teacher not understand these basic truths? How can he lead a nation when he doesn’t understand how to lead? Well, it’s easy to understand, it’s just difficult to put into practice. It takes guts to stand up when you are criticized, and to take it, to roll with the punches (metaphorically speaking, because this is a peaceful protest of course 🙂 ). He was successful at boxing too – he can get hit in the face but can’t stand to face a crowd? What kind of a leader is that? Back in the day, politicians were not afraid to put their lives on the line for the sake of honour – John A Macdonald once challenge a senator member to a duel for quoting his proposed bill out of context. The cooler heads have prevailed, but in those times it was not uncommon for men to meet with pistols at dawn.

Plenty of American Presidents fought in duels too – Abraham Lincoln was challenged to a duel and fought in it, and Andrew Jackson got shot so many times that the bullets that could not be removed from him made him “rattle like a bag of marbles”. Leaders were not afraid to face bullets in the past, but it seems Trudeau is too afraid to come out and have the trucks honk at him.