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We heard many of these defences (mostly from people with the Liberal party logo as their social media avatars) in the wake of an interview with Grégoire Trudeau that was printed in the Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil, in which the prime minister’s wife said she is overwhelmed with the number of requests from groups wanting her to speak or promote their causes, and that she and her current assistant are struggling to keep up with demand. “I have three children at home and a husband who is prime minister. I need help. I need a team to help me serve people,” she said.

Many Canadians read this quote to the sound of the smallest, saddest baby violin, reserved only for those individuals who complain about how their tennis lessons make it impossible to maintain a manicure. The wife of the prime minister has no official duties — she is not the first lady of Canada, despite the insistence of one political science professor in a recent interview with Maclean’s — and on those occasions where she is indeed expected to accompany her husband, most — if not all — of the provisions will be pre-arranged for her.

If Grégoire Trudeau wants more help to manage her emails, speeches and appearances, then her party or her family should be the ones to pay for it

It’s true that the public’s thirst for appearances by Grégoire Trudeau is far and above the demand for Laureen Harper, but that’s hardly a justification for expanding the role of the prime minister’s wife — which would just be another unelected, taxpayer-funded, entitled government position. If Grégoire Trudeau wants more help to manage her emails, speeches and appearances, then her party or her family should be the ones to pay for it. Although there is a case to be made for taxpayers footing the bill for renovating 24 Sussex, or providing the family with a security detail, or even covering the costs of child care for the prime minister’s children, there is hardly one for supplying a team to help Grégoire Trudeau download the latest version of iCalendar.