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This article was published 18/1/2017 (1338 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Editorial

One thing that never takes a winter vacation to warmer climes is public skepticism. It’s a lesson both the prime minister and the premier of Manitoba should learn.

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had to spend some time during his "man-of-the-people," election-style tour deflecting criticism about his trip to the Bahamas as a guest of the Aga Khan. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics commissioner, Mary Dawson, confirmed Monday she is investigating Mr. Trudeau’s Christmas holiday.

Two concerns were raised by opposition MPs.

First, that the prime minister and his family, plus another Liberal MP and his husband and the Liberal party president and her husband, were guests of the Aga Khan, whose foundation lobbies the federal government for funding.

Second, that the Aga Khan’s private helicopter was used to transport the group to the island home from Nassau, something considered a security violation.

Mr. Trudeau has been relatively low-key in his response, suggesting he looks forward to clarifying the matter, but the public and the media pressed him during his two-day tour along the 401 to provide answers last week. Instead of basking in praise for his cabinet shuffle — a potential good news story that would highlight the talent on his front bench — Mr. Trudeau had to deflect accusations about his ethical practices. Instead of selling his Liberal party and his government, Mr. Trudeau was put in the awkward position of having to justify his vacation.

The same thing happened to Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister. Mr. Pallister had the opportunity to bring his Manitoba solution to Toronto’s business elite Friday. He was slated to speak at the Economic Club of Canada, billed as an opportunity for the premier to sell his government’s "business-friendly approach that is committed to eliminating needless red tape, reducing barriers to trade between jurisdictions, and working in partnership with all sectors of the economy." His talk was supposed to send "a strong signal that Manitoba is once again open for business and investment."

Instead of garnering the important media coverage at a national level on Manitoba’s fiscal competitiveness, Mr. Pallister needed to defend his plans to spend six to eight weeks in Central America because he is determined to forge a work/life balance as a result of a 60-hour work week. It was also revealed he doesn’t like to use email, relying instead on the telephone for updates from the legislature while he is away. That raised concerns that, with no paper trail, decisions authorized by the premier would be hard to track. Mr. Pallister’s southern escape in the middle of a brutal cold snap was a story in Maclean’s, the Globe and Mail and the National Post, and on both CTV and CBC’s national networks.

In both cases, the leaders are being painted as elitist, out of touch with regular Canadians and tone-deaf on potential ethical issues, made worse because they seem to be digging in their heels in hopes their explanations will win them public support. In the end, what really gets lost is the opportunity to serve those they represent, because their main message gets sidelined.