Article content continued

“I was a high-school teacher. I am a strong advocate for women’s rights and I’m not a woman. That’s an argument I summarily reject, particularly since I’ve spent the last three years building a political party, almost re-booting it from scratch,” he said, with some irritation.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

“I’ve been listening more than speaking, and am deeply connected to people’s hopes and dreams. We are demonstrating that in the quality of our plan, the quality of our team and the style of leadership I represent — a fresh approach to leadership that is respectful and collaborative and is focused on drawing people into politics rather than turning them away.”

But too often for the liking of many Liberals, Trudeau takes a New Testament approach to politics.

He makes much of the fact that he’s not going to play the political game.

In an interview two years ago, he told me, “Who cares about winning? We should focus on serving.” In a scrum with reporters on Wednesday, he said his new electoral reform measures are “not about what might work to win a few votes — this is about what the country need to solve its challenges.” Yet if he doesn’t win, there will be no Liberal reforms — that’s his first responsibility.

“It’s been my principle from the beginning that I don’t want to play the politics of fear. You won’t hear me say about Mr. Mulcair that he doesn’t care about Canadians’ physical security,” he said during our interview.

It’s unlikely the New Democratic Party leader would reciprocate such boy scout sentiments.