OTTAWA - In Justin Trudeau’s judgement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has spent a decade screwing up the most important relationship Canada has in the world — the one with our neighbour to the south.

So, on Monday, in his second major policy speech in as many weeks, Trudeau proposed what he called some practical, uncomplicated changes to the way Ottawa and Washington and get along.

“It is time for the absurd spectacle of a hectoring, belligerent Canada, that has defined the Harper decade, to come to an end,” Trudeau said in the speech.

To be honest, his “practical” changes are pretty small potatoes.

He’d pick up the phone and dial the White House more than Harper.

He’d create a special cabinet committee devoted exclusively to managing the Canada-U.S. relationship and a regular attendee at those meetings would be Canada’s ambassador in Washington.

Other Canadian diplomats in the U.S. would be encouraged to be “creative”.

Then he’d push for some big North American agreement on energy and the environment, an agreement that would involve putting a price on carbon. Good luck with that if the Republicans (by some miracle) win the White House next year.

Indeed, in Trudeau’s view, the Obama administration would have already approved the Keystone XL pipeline that will take Alberta crude to Gulf Coast refineries if only Harper had spent some political capital in this country instituting a national carbon tax.

Mexico, Trudeau thinks, should play a bigger role in a renewed continental relationship involving its two northern partners. And, speaking of Mexico, Trudeau would drop the requirement, instituted by the Harper government, that Mexican visitors to Canada require visas.

Now, Trudeau’s diagnosis that the Canada-US relationship is ailing is hardly a slam dunk. There are many scholars on both sides of the border that would present evidence either way. And even among those who do find it ailing, many would blame Obama more than Harper for Obama’s inability to build deep solid relationships with his Congressional allies let alone key world leaders, like his G7 partner in Canada.

But let’s put that aside for a minute and reflect on the fact that twice in as many weeks, Trudeau has delivered a substantive speech on an important public policy issue. Last week, it was 32 points on democratic reform. This week a few “practical” ideas on how to manage the U.S.-Canada relationship. And, as Trudeau said when I asked him Monday about this policy-a-week approach to campaigning, he’ll have another one for us next week on the environment.

This is some smart politics by the Trudeau team. Criticized, sometimes unfairly, for being a policy lightweight with long hippie hair, Trudeau months ago cut his hair to a buttoned-down business-style length and now, lo and behold, is the only leader trotting out major policy planks.

They are imperfect policy planks, mind you. Rickety. With holes. Fine. But last week, those interested in federal politics spent a lot of time talking about — and laughing about, if truth be told — the 32-point democratic reform plan. And this week, it is Trudeau once again getting the policy conversation going with his ideas about Canada-US relations.

The Liberals, now in third place in most national polls, need to turn their momentum around with less than 120 days until election day. Turning Trudeau into a policy wonk may be one way to do that.