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Brown obviously did not have the kind of Teflon that has thus far allowed Trudeau to escape the Kokanee Grope accusation and dodge most criticism for rubbing a pregnant candidate’s tummy without first asking permission

So, Trudeau likely thought it was safe to shoot at will, using moral outrage to suggest his arch rival, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, should be judged harshly for the unsavoury company he kept—namely the Brothers Ford.

“There’s a lot of people talking in the news these days about the hypocrisy of the Fords and their drug problems, and Mr. Harper and his positions on that,” Trudeau said as the 2015 federal election campaign wound down.

“But that’s not really the issue, as serious as it is, that strikes me most,” he said. “What bothers me the most is the misogyny.

“The Ford brothers should have no place on a national campaign stage, much less hosting a prime minister at an event this weekend,” referring to an event Harper attended.

“That’s just completely irresponsible of the prime minister.”

All this happened the same week that excerpts from a book by former Ford aide Mark Towhey were published, offering first-hand accounts of Rob Ford’s off-the-rails behaviour at the height of his now-admitted drug abuse.

This was Trudeau’s opening.

There is no question, therefore, that Trudeau’s first meeting with Ford following his election to the most powerful post in Ontario would have been a bit testy, if not downright frigid.