ANALYSIS: Justin Trudeau, who thrived as an underdog, loses the fight – National
Justin Trudeau often seemed most comfortable when he was playing the role of the underdog and overcoming expectations.
Throughout his career he’s been dismissed as a lightweight, first by members of his own party, then by a Conservative regime that sneered at his eligibility to lead the country, and by his opposition critics ever since.His greatest electoral success — taking the Liberals from a third-place rump to a commanding majority government in 2015 — is emblematic. His critics claimed he was “just not ready,” made cracks about his hair or flashy socks, and watched in disbelief as Canadians disagreed.There was a sense after that election that Trudeau and his closest handlers had a handle on the Canadian zeitgeist, that he was a leader who was not isolated from the public but happy to ...










