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In the midst of the mess brought on by John McCallum’s evident inability to pass up an interview, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer made a remark that could stand as a key theme in this year’s election.

“This is, I think, part of a bigger problem,” he observed. “And that is Justin Trudeau’s approach to diplomacy, where he thought he could conduct image-over-substance foreign affairs. And now Canadians are paying for his mistakes.”

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Image over substance has come to define the Trudeau Liberals’ approach to government. It contributed substantially to their 2015 victory, when voters keen on a change after nine years of dour Conservatism chose “sunny ways” over the unsmiling rigour of Stephen Harper. It turned him into a global celebrity when a wave of selfies and carefully staged photo ops led to an outpouring of swooning headlines.

Image over substance has come to define the Trudeau Liberals’ approach to government

It didn’t hurt that the Liberals armed themselves with a deep bag of expensive promises, the impracticality of which got overwhelmed in the excitement. It took time for the glow to fade, but the third year of the Trudeau mandate has not been kind to the prime minister or his record, and much of it derives from the question of depth, and whether Canada’s prime minister has enough of it to protect Canadian interests.