The Authentic Self-Obsessed Trudeau

 Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, 2017. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

"I was extremely disappointed with Justin and felt really bad for Shinzo Abe. He'd put so much into the TPP-11 [Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement] and this was a very public humiliation."
"Likewise for Prime Minister [Nguyen Xuan] Phuc of Vietnam. He had dozens of cameras waiting to record the historic moment, and then it hadn't happened."
"This last minute backflip looked flaky. Had I misjudged him [thinking there was substance in Justin Trudeau behind the mask of flippant juvenile egocentricity that most world leaders attributed to  him]?"
"What, Justin, is going on? You have just humiliated our friend Shinzo, who happens to be the leader of the third largest national economy in the world."
"And, if that wasn't enough, you have humiliated our host, Prime Minister Phuc."
"Justin always wore perfectly tailored suits that fitted like a glove, bright socks and on this occasion two-tone shoes. 'What do  you think of the socks?' he asked, crossing his legs as he sat down. 'Justin', I said, 'we're not here to talk about  your socks'."
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, autobiography A Bigger Picture

It was a critical meeting, a wrap of the negotiations between the government leaders participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement -- after its largest prospective partner, the United States, had pulled out as a living example of President Donald Trump's contempt for trade agreements -- where all the leaders were under the impression that everyone had agreed to the terms and conditions making up the agreement and all that was left was the ceremonious signing of the agreement at which point they could all congratulate one another, celebrate, and issue the obligatory public relations photos.

The empty seat, foreground, for Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is seen during a meeting of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Danang, Vietnam, Friday, Friday, Nov. 10, 2017. Efforts to reach an agreement this weekend on a Pacific Rim trade pact appeared to collapse Friday when persistent concerns over the deal, including Canada's, forced the abrupt cancellation of a scheduled leaders' meeting. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AAP Image via AP-Mick Tsikas

That good-news scenario concluding a long-awaited, hard-bargained agreement just fell flat. Two of the leaders were missing, and no one knew where they were, but matters could not proceed in their absence so the assembled leaders stewed, wondered, and waited. Until Japan's Shinzo Abe turned up. And as Turnbull describes the scenario, as Abe strode into the meeting looking "very flustered" he responded when asked what was happening: "Justin won't sign. He's pulling out."

Justin Trudeau his trademark of flamboyant socks. This time during a meeting with the Irish PM. in May 2017 (Paull Chiasson-CP)

A typically theatrical Trudeau pout. And Turnbull enquired of Abe, was Trudeau attempting to scuttle the deal, to which Abe responded, yes, exactly what he was thinking. The other leaders had "bent over backwards" for Canada's leader throughout the negotiations. Any such negotiations on the world scene involving Justin Trudeau typically came packed with demands that such considerations as feminism, environment, aboriginals and labour laws must be included. It's how Justin-the-Woke scuttled the free trade agreement he was anxious to sign with China that fell through.

So, thought Turnbull at this turn of events, Trudeau after all hadn't been unfairly cast as a "lightweight" by those critical of his histrionics and referential 'sunny ways', brightly declaring as he took his place among other world leaders post-election that under yet another Trudeau "Canada is back!" Truth is, the juvenile thespian in Justin Trudeau never humiliates him no matter what the theatre of play, the performance of the day, or the inconvenience of display.

It is the Canadian public and Canada itself that is humiliated. His casual disregard of ethics, justice and letter of the law as it regards his behaviour is always self-justifiable, he is that complacent and self-assured of his perfection.

Malcolm Turnbull (L) and Justin Trudeau.. (CBC)

Turnbull, acting the kindly mentor to an impetuous, ignorant young man who by some distortion of historical measure, had inherited the mantle of prime minister on the basis of his family name and his father's chequered stewardship of Canadian interests, displayed patience and a willingness to overlook some elements of a new leader's obvious lack of leadership qualities. Trudeau's non-committal attitude after a long and laborious period of negotiations left the other ten world leaders with the impression that Canada should be written out of the agreement.

Confiding in Turnbull, then-Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto observed his belief that Trudeau had "lacked the strength to say 'no' months ago and now lacked the strength to say 'yes'." Followed by Japan's Abe's determination to forge on and  hammer out a solution: "We have to keep the train moving, we can't stop. If Canada won't come, make it a TPP-10", Turnbull advised Abe, rather than the TPP-11, following the refusal of its 12th member, the U.S., to be included.

That led to a Japanese negotiator writing up and presentng for consideration two draft press releases highlighting the agreement; one excluding and one including Canada: "right now, we are pretty indifferent as to which one we issue". And then, days later, at a World Economic Forum in Davos, Trudeau announced that Canada was back in TPP-11.

Turnbull, top row centre, kept up appearances with Trudeau as they took their places for the leaders' photograph at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam in November 2017. (Adrian Wyld/CP)