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“Well, first of all,” Macdonald continues, sadistically sharpening his blade before a trembling straw man, “she hasn’t asked for any more help to take care of her kids.”

Indeed, she has not. Which almost suggests … that isn’t what this is about.

Macdonald has another theory, though. Grégoire Trudeau is “amazingly popular,” he says, citing no evidence. But for the embittered minority who don’t like “amazingly popular” people, she’s a “tall poppy.” And you know what Canadians do with tall poppies.

Well, it’s a theory, like we say: woman with no official role wants two staffers; taxpayers have questions; eh, they probably just hate successful people. We seem to have company, at least: here are opposition politicians complaining about Samantha Cameron’s “special advisor.”

Citing no evidence, the Toronto Star’s editorialistsdeclare that “Canadians increasingly expect the PM’s spouse to play a significant public role.” (We’re not sure why they put it that way; they seem to mean thisPM’s spouse in particular.) “Ignoring that would be disrespectful to those seeking her help, and would squander an opportunity to do good work,” they say —raising awareness “about bulimia and anorexia … Canadian arts and fashion around the world,” for example.

“If she doesn’t respond to, say, a children’s charity, that could become its own issue,” Sheila Copps tells the National Post’s Ashley Csanady.

For heaven’s sake, she’s not some kind of siren. People are not deluging Grégoire Trudeau with appearance requests because they literally cannot help themselves in the face of her overwhelming charm. There is demand for her time precisely because she has signalled a willingness to supply it. She has a higher profile than Laureen Harper or Sheila Martin did, as the Starsays itself, “because she wants to.”