Trudeau's Canada unsure whether it is hip to be 'hip'
Daniel Lak

New York Times article on the prime minister's popularity stirs talk about US perception towards its northern neighbour.

In Canada, we are often torn between feeling ignored and getting too much of the wrong sort of attention.

A common refrain is that people in the US "know nothing" about us. Then we usually add that they don't take us seriously enough, even if they do notice us.

We just can't make up our minds.

Take last week’s opinion piece in the New York Times headlined "With the rise of Justin Trudeau, Canada is suddenly….hip?"

Full story: http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/americas/2016/01/canada-unsure-hip-hip-160120210634834.html

-- AL JAZEERA 2016-01-21

Can YOU BE anymore liberal and lefty than this guy? Obama is considered a brave warrior compare to this

zero of a politician....

It will be interesting to see how this hipster PM handles a cratering natural resource based Canadian economy.

Please look away from Canada, in our shame at the reality of who got into power. It is like a sick joke.

How is it "hip" to be more concerned with taking "selfies" than dealing with actual issues ?

How can it be "hip" to promise to run deficits in the 10s of billions in the hopes that it will all magically balance itself out before the next election ?

How can it be "hip" to spend 3 days in the Philippines just after being elected, to attend a conference for a group you aren't actually a member of (ASEAN), meanwhile completely ignoring the fate of 2 Canadians being held hostage by Muslim rebels in the Philippines at the same time ?

How is it hip to promise that a small tax cut for the (large) middle class will be offset by a large one to the (much smaller) upper class, when it has been shown it will actually cost the tax payers billions ?

How is it hip to decide that Canadians shouldn't be allowed to save more for their retirement by cutting the Tax Free Savings Account amount from $10,000 to $5,000 ?

How can it be "hip" to claim that wealthy families (like his) shouldn't have government funded daycare/nannies, then as soon as he is sworn in adds 2 (taxpayer funded) nannies to his staff ?

How is it "hip" that Canada was just slapped in the face by not being invited to a meeting of Defence Ministers involved in fighting ISIS, when countries with smaller contingents were invited ? How is it "hip" that the new Minister of National Defence was caught out in a lie by claiming a week earlier that he wasn't going to attend the meeting because he would be having other meetings "down the road", when the truth is he wasn't even invited ?

I'm not sure when lies and BS became hip but I'm sure that the taxpayers won't think it's hip when they realize just how much it's going to cost them.

Canadians are some of the nicest people on the planet. They have this way of just being polite. No country is perfect and whatever the problems are, they'll get them sorted.

Cheers.

He should be "HIp" like his father Pierre...

Canadians are some of the nicest people on the planet. They have this way of just being polite. No country is perfect and whatever the problems are, they'll get them sorted.

Cheers.

Being born and bred as a Canadian I like you post, Thank you.

How can it be hip to bring in 25000 refugees and want to make the total 50000 by the end of 2016 if there is not enough job's for canadian's and the current immigrant population that is already in the country.Plus now there is a problem finding permanent housing for the refugees.Many have families with four,five and even six kid's.How can it be hip to have a government like that

Canadians are some of the nicest people on the planet. They have this way of just being polite. No country is perfect and whatever the problems are, they'll get them sorted.

Cheers.

Being born and bred as a Canadian I like you post, Thank you.

I do too but realistically it's changed and that's why I'm here now. I enjoy reading TV everyday after Canada's MSN because it's so disgusting seeing the attitudes.

Can YOU BE anymore liberal and lefty than this guy? Obama is considered a brave warrior compare to this

zero of a politician....

My country's leader and you are calling him a zero...where are you from ezzra and why would you make that remark? I suspect a Yankee doodle dandy with great insight (found in a bottle)

No responsible leader's job is easy. Most Canucks are overjoyed our fellows finally got rid of US lapdog and environmental despoiler Harper.

We hope Trudeau will be more like his father: a world peacemaker who never made Canadians fight US wars and who welcomed both US and Vietnamese war refugees. (Yes, I'm one of them.)

It's not just about the economy. That's like the tide, it comes and goes.

Compared with the winner of the Nobel War Prize down South (no hope, no change), Trudeau is a breath of fresh air.

Body slammed in The Times today for US$ 8.00 cauliflowers. ?

Can YOU BE anymore liberal and lefty than this guy? Obama is considered a brave warrior compare to this

zero of a politician....

My country's leader and you are calling him a zero...where are you from ezzra and why would you make that remark? I suspect a Yankee doodle dandy with great insight (found in a bottle)

I wish he were a zero, instead of a massive negative.

I'm related to some Canadians by marriage and most have dual citizenship as a result. It took me a while to realize the the "Eh" they end a lot of sentences with was uber polite. I believe they are allowing someone else his opinion by not being too declarative. It's almost like they end a declarative sentence with an interrogative, asking if that's OK with you.

I could go on, but there's this culture of being polite that has to be experienced and it's hard not to really like them.

I wish them well in this current struggle. They'll pull out of it.

Cheers.

When an American steps on a Canadian's toes, the Canadian will say "sorry."

Trudeau depends on the Sharia vote. You pays yer money and you takes yer chance.

typical Canadian....always apologizing for something,eh!