Trudeau Uses Ukraine Crisis as Photo-Op
Greg Zink
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Never one to let a selfie, sock display, or fake gesture go to waste, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has been galivanting around Europe to pledge his support for Ukrainian troops and officials. What has ensued has left many wondering what the Prime Minister is even doing amidst the war zone and what his real intentions are.
With little to offer in terms of money, troops, or equipment, the Canadian government has been relegated to continuously exclaiming: “Let there be no mistake, Canada and its allies are united.” This essentially amounts to hiding behind the US while trying to redirect any accusations of underfunding its NATO obligations.
For Trudeau himself though, war is exactly the kind of godsend that could help him deflect near-record-low approval ratings, massive inflationary pressure, soaring energy prices, and a transition from a thoroughly flogged Covid narrative. His State-funded broadcaster CBC, wasted no time taking pictures of the slumping PM with Latvian troops.
Euro-Trip (Without Costumes)
Beginning his journey in England earlier this week, Trudeau started his Euro-trip with a series of highly coordinated meetings with British officials and the Queen. Picking up exactly where the Freedom Convoy left off just a few weeks ago, a large crowd of protestors blocked the gate at 10 Downing Street while chanting “F**k Trudeau! F**k Trudeau! F**k Trudeau!” This forced ‘Justin from Canada’ to take the back entrance and avoid the opposition (as he is want to do whenever he’s publicly challenged).
He then met with the Queen, but Trudeau did not don his usual maple-leaf-emblazoned cloth mask despite Elizabeth’s advanced age (and recent bout with The Virus). Instead, he opted for a bald face look while a mere hours earlier he was fully masked getting off his plane. Then hours later, masked while meeting PM Boris Johnson…
I guess Trudeau’s talk of wanting to protect “vulnerable communities” (like the elderly) was just empty campaign rhetoric.
After attending several barren meetings that could’ve easily been done by phone (and saved countless tons of CO2 emissions), Trudeau then set course to NATO member Latvija.
Off to Latvia
Still not displaying any of his usual dress-up costumes, Trudeau then headed to Riga for another round of empty words and great photo-ops.
Though Canada only currently spends “1.39 percent of its GDP on defence, Trudeau has long argued that his government has a plan to increase the defence budget to $32 billion over several years…But Ottawa has never even pretended to have a plan to meet the two percent target“. It’s one thing to advocate for a neutralist foreign policy, but to be openly interventionist while still reneging on your promises (and still expecting protection from the United States!) is absurd.
While speaking with a collection of European officials, Trudeau’s Minister of Defence (Anita Anand) and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez, used the opportunity to push identity politics amidst the conflict. They echoed each other’s ideology as they paid homage to International Women’s Day and took turns pushing the message that the “Eighth of March should have been a day of celebration of women and girls in Ukraine”, but that “brutal aggression is forcing them to flee their country or fight for their lives.”
This highlights the credible assertion that Defence Min. Anand was appointed to the Cabinet position purely based on her gender. Trudeau’s strange fixation on a “gender-balanced cabinet” has led him to select individuals, not on their merit, but rather their sexual organs.
Defence Minister Anand was only elected to Parliament in 2019 and was for the bulk of her adult life, teaching corporate law in a university. Needless to say her connections to international affairs, war, and macroeconomics are unclear (but at least she’s more qualified than a drama teacher would be).
Zelensky Promises and Misinformation
Throughout his trip, Trudeau has made a point to repeat talking points about “misinformation” ad nauseam. The gist of his seemingly endless mentions of “weaponized” ideas is supposing that, if you don’t subscribe to the Western establishment narrative of events and motivations, then you are essentially aiding and abetting “Russian war crimes”. This is a theme he has been embracing throughout the Covid pandemic, and more recently in the Freedom Convoy. If you disagree with the government agenda you are a radical, a subversive, and potentially a terrorist.
While in Berlin, Trudeau spoke with President Zelensky over the phone and shortly thereafter, the Ukrainian leader tweeted that he “Talked to [his] friend @JustinTrudeau about 🇺🇦🇨🇦 defence cooperation and how to increase sanctions pressure on Russia. Agreed on further diplomatic steps. Canada stands with Ukraine. We feel it every day.”
On the official government website, Prime Minister Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s “steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.” They also announced that he “updated President Zelenskyy on Canada’s response to Russia’s unlawful and unjustifiable invasion, which includes additional sanctions against Russia, further military aid such as another shipment of highly specialized military equipment and advanced technologies as well as humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.”
Trudeau will continue his trip across Europe over the coming days as he poses with troops, talks like a tough guy, and makes empty threats against vastly more powerful enemies.
He may not be able to bust out his traditional Ukrainian Poltava costume (with kersetka), but he can obnoxiously dance around his enemies while hiding behind hard American power.
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