Article content

Justin Trudeau sits quietly at the back of a turboprop airplane, sailing 16,000 feet above the lakes and thick forest that stretch across northern Saskatchewan.

The seat next to the Liberal leader is empty. He may be at his best working a crowd but, for now, Trudeau seems content to spend a rare moment alone, shielded from the grind of the endless campaign.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Electric in a crowd, guarded in private, Justin Trudeau sticks to his script Back to video

When his plane touches down, the performance will resume. Trudeau will smile, pose for selfies and accept hugs from strangers before firing off the day’s carefully scripted talking points. And he will do this with a level of enthusiasm that borders on mania.

But for now, Trudeau just peers out the window, taking in the expansive wilderness below.

In the confines of this tiny airplane, he’s surrounded by his not-so-Dirty Dozen — a group of white-collar warriors who will either short-circuit the Conservative attack machine or crumble under its might.