Article content continued

On the issue of Quebec, Mulcair has disappointed. He remains dedicated to the 2005 Sherbrooke Declaration, which commits the NDP to recognizing a bare majority in any future referendum on Quebec sovereignty – in clear contravention of both the federal Clarity Act and the 1998 Supreme Court reference decision. Canadians are long past playing footsie with separatists, and it is unfortunate that the NDP is not.

As for casting off the freshman-grade leftism that was the hallmark of the NDP for so many years, the Mulcair-led NDP has taken enormous strides – most notably its commitment to balanced budgets. Which is why it is all the more inexplicable that Mulcair’s reaction to the announcement of a Trans Pacific Partnership trade pact was to denounce the agreement and declare that the NDP wouldn’t consider itself bound by any of its terms. This agreement was five years in the making, and any attempt by a Mulcair government to re-open negotiations would make us laughingstocks.

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau also deserves a great deal of credit. He took over a party that had completely lost its bearings, and from the depths of its 2011 catastrophe he has rejuvenated the aimless organization that once laid claim to the title of Natural Governing Party. Under his leadership, the party has become solvent and cohesive, and he has attracted an impressive roster of star candidates.

Yet the Liberal party’s greatest asset – Trudeau – is also its greatest weakness. For all his considerable personal appeal, Trudeau still has the manner of boy playing a man’s role. He has certainly matured over the past year, but too many important elements of the Liberal platform – foreign policy most notably – bear the mark of his “whip out our CF-18s” unseriousness.