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But so far at least, Canadians appear willing to make allowances for the rookie leader with the famous pedigree. After being reduce to a third-party rump in 2011, the Liberals have rebounded in the polls since Trudeau took over, vaulting past both the NDP and Conservatives into a solid first place.

And the fluff over his China comment last month, in the midst of four hotly contested byelections, didn’t appear to have any repercussions at the ballot box. The Liberals were the only party to increase their share of the vote in all four ridings — dramatically so in the two Manitoba contests.

Trudeau believes the explanation is simple.

“I think Canadians are tired of politicians that are spun and scripted within an inch of their life, people who are too afraid of what a focus group might say about one comment or a political opponent might try to twist out of context, to actually say much of anything at all,” he said.

“And I don’t think that in our parliamentary system, which thrives on countering arguments and robust back and forth around debate, that we are well served when everyone is trying to be as bland as they possibly can be. I think Canadians want to get a feel for the people who will serve them … and, for me, I think that Canadians will trust people who trust them.”

Of course, Trudeau’s critics would argue that he doesn’t say much of anything either, even if he is unscripted.

He disputes that, arguing that he’s been taking “strong, principled, pragmatic” policy positions since Day 1 of the leadership contest: a focus on the economic challenges facing middle class families, supporting the takeover of Nexen by China’s state-owned energy company, more foreign investment, supporting the Keystone XL pipeline to take Alberta’s oilsands crude to the Gulf Coast, among other things.