One thing you can say about Justin Trudeau — he’s not a prime minister you can easily accuse of pandering to his base.

When loyal Liberals meet for their big biennial convention in Halifax next month, for instance, Trudeau is expected to pop in only for the last day of events. He did the same thing when the Liberals held their last convention in Winnipeg in 2016, for the same reason: a busy week of international travel beforehand.

It’s likely just an unfortunate coincidence that the Commonwealth heads of government meeting is taking place on April 19 and 20 — the very same days that Liberals start their meeting in Halifax next month.

But Trudeau’s expected late arrival to Halifax also underlines his rather loose attachment to Liberal partisans — especially those who joined the party before he took it over. It started with the ejection of Liberal senators when he was still in opposition and continues to today.

Liberals of a certain vintage have been grumbling about this back-of-the-hand treatment ever since Trudeau came to power — rightly and wrongly, in my view. While some of the complaints come from over-large egos disgruntled about their diminished clout, a lot of other allegations of ageism are fair and well-founded. In fact, it’s one of the rare forms of demographic discrimination that seems to be tolerated in the Trudeau government — don’t trust anyone older than the PM.

“Ageism on the Hill means that experience doesn’t count for much,” said a headline on a story in the Hill Times this week that stirred up some spirited conversations in Liberal circles. It was written by Andrew Caddell, a former staff member, journalist and Liberal candidate, who described applying to work for the new Trudeau government and being told that he was just too old.

“When I mentioned my disappointment to a new 40-something MP, he insisted had he not been elected, he would have been passed over as a staffer as well. I was astonished, as he is brilliant,” Cadell wrote. “He replied ‘they are only hiring people under 40.’ ”

There’s a new fire under this discussion these days for one big reason — a downturn in public-opinion numbers for Trudeau, prompted by what looks like some ill-considered advisory work behind the scenes, especially on that disastrous trip to India.

Some of the Liberal elders say this is the price of valuing youth over experience — the arrogance of the new. There may be some truth to that, though young people don’t have a monopoly on political blunders. Donald Trump is 71 years old and breaks political-communication rules in wild and wacky ways every day.

What does seem to be true, however — at least anecdotally, in my experience — is that Trudeau is experiencing a slump in his reputation even among die-hard Liberals. Some say they’re expressing their displeasure by withholding donations or their volunteer work; others say they’re going to skip next month’s convention.

I asked the Liberal party this week how registrations were going for Halifax, and spokesperson Braeden Caley said interest is brisk, possibly surpassing attendance numbers for Winnipeg two years ago.

Even if that does turn out to be true, I suspect the mood may be much different this year. I think there may even be Liberals who are going to Halifax to lay some concerns on the table — nervousness about the ways in which Trudeau has been looking out of touch, not just with average Canadians, but with his own party.

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In a little over a year, Trudeau is going to need loyal Liberals — of all ages — to help him win another election. It might be wise for him to reconnect with them — even the ones who were part of Liberal governments before him.

sdelacourt@bell.net

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