Article content

Less than 24 hours after the Liberals overwhelmingly voted in Justin Trudeau as their new leader, the Conservatives have launched their first attack ad, declaring the Montreal MP “in over his head.”

Set to circus music and featuring shots of Trudeau in his pirate-facial-hair phase and removing his shirt for a charity event, the ad asks “does he have the judgement to be prime minister?”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'In over his head': Conservatives launch first attack ad at Justin Trudeau, set to circus music and striptease Back to video

“He said he’d think about making Quebec a country,” the narrator says, referring to Trudeau’s much-maligned 2012 attempt at saying he’d consider separation if Canada adopted Stephen Harper’s values.

The ad also highlights newly revived footage of an even more baby-faced Trudeau giving an interview to CTV News in 1999 in which he says: “Quebecers are better than the rest of Canada because, ya know, we’re Quebecers or whatever.”

However, the entire clip reveals that Trudeau is actually paraphrasing his father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, on why Quebec doesn’t need special rights.

“His philosophy, certainly as he passed it on to us, has always been, ya know, Quebecers are better than the rest of Canada because, ya know, we’re Quebecers or whatever,” Trudeau says, his Montreal accent much more apparent in the late 1990s than it is now.



“This idea that we have . . . a lot more of us are bilingual, bicultural, a lot more awareness of the rest and that’s a richness, who’s to say that we should have special protection, or special deals or special allowances that make us protected,” he continues.

The charity striptease video, in which Trudeau removes his shirt to reveal his tattoo and white undershirt, drew a rebuke from the Huffington Post, which said it was taken without permission.

“Tories use HuffPost video without permission in Trudeau attack ad,” tweeted managing editor of news Brodie Fenlon who also added: “I guess CPC forgot that Laureen Harper was at the event a year prior.. and sat with Trudeau.”

Trudeau’s striptease at the 2011 What a Girl Wants fundraising gala for liver disease, helped raise the interest in an auction for a lunch with him, netting $1,900 for the charity.