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Are either Chrétien or Martin the sort of leader Canadians are now looking for, even within the Liberal fold? Chrétien’s main claim to glory was his ability to win majority governments. He won three of them, but did so against a hopelessly divided opposition that had splintered into fractious rival factions. Now the main opposition is united and the Liberals haven’t won an election in 11 years, or a majority in 15. What’s more, they face an emboldened NDP that could ensure they remain stuck in third place.

Trudeau’s campaign appearance with Martin bordered on the surreal.

Trudeau’s campaign appearance with Martin bordered on the surreal. Though a disappointment as PM, Martin still attracts respect for his success as finance minister in taming Canada’s out-of-control deficit, ushering in a long string of surpluses. Yet even while basking in Martin’s reflected glow, Trudeau declared his intention to run up a new string of deficits, borrowing billions for an ill-defined infrastructure scheme while putting off balanced budgets until some time in the future. His offhand dismissal of Martin’s great accomplishment may reflect the degree to which he’s been influenced by the Wynne government, which runs the country’s most indebted government, spending $1 billion a month on interest while continuing to borrow at a healthy pace.

It may be that Chrétien, Martin and Wynne appeal to the Liberal base, such as it is, but why expend such energy on voters already committed to the cause? Are they so worried by the NDP that they feel the need to halt votes bleeding to their rivals? Chrétien and Martin may once have been winners, but neither has won anything in a long time. Meanwhile, pairing the younger Trudeau with Chrétien emphasized again how he tends to fade into the distance next to an experienced campaigner.

Scott Fitzgerald once wrote: “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” With Trudeau, Chrétien and Martin as the face of the “new” party, he could have been speaking of the Liberals.

National Post