From common ground to culture wars: How Justin Trudeau’s legacy spiralled into identity politics

Jonathan Kay describes the Trudeau he knew while ghostwriting the future prime minister's memoir.
Justin Trudeau was elected as a "sunny ways" patriot, but his tenure in office got mired in identity politics and division. (Photo: Taymaz Valley/Wikimedia Commons)

With Justin Trudeau’s announced resignation as prime minister and Liberal leader this week, media pundits wasted no time in penning their reflections, looking back at nine years of how Trudeau changed the Canadian political landscape. One such pundit is Jonathan Kay, an editor at the online magazine Quillette, whose article, “Shame on Us for Ever Believing Him“, describes the evolution of Trudeau’s brand from optimistic patriot to “Canada’s Chief DEI Officer,” embracing American-style culture wars and identity politics.

And he’d know: Kay openly ghostwrote part of Trudeau’s memoir Common Ground, spending ample time with the future prime minister in the run-up to the 2015 election. Kay now returns to Bonjour Chai to describe the Trudeau he knew and how the political landscape has shifted among the left in recent years—especially among Canadian Jewish voters.

Credits

  • Hosts: Avi Finegold and Phoebe Maltz Bovy (@BovyMaltz)
  • Production team: Michael Fraiman (producer), Zachary Kauffman (editor)
  • Music: Socalled

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