I've been on the record as one of Justin Trudeau's detractors in the past, so my thoughts on last weekend's Sun TV Network heavily hyped charity boxing match between the Liberal dauphin and a Tory Senator barely out of short pants might seem like piling on. However, I couldn't care less about what silly media stunt the attention seeking eldest son of the former PM is up to now. What I am somewhat embarrassed about is what he and Patrick Brazeau have done to the already shaky perception of people in public life.
Justin Trudeau is in many ways like Vancouver's mayor – someone who cameras like but microphones should avoid at all costs. 
To Conservatives he's a symbol of entitlement, and of course of Big L liberal politics. Throwing him in the ring and seeing him bloodied by Brazeau was going to be a veritable Conservative wet dream. However, as we know now Justin wasn't ready to allow all that Liberal legacy fall into a heap to the mat.
Conservatives don't exactly come out smelling like roses on this match either. Most of us probably hadn't noticed before now that they've appointed a Senator who is young enough to be the grandson of most others in the red chamber. Patrick Brazeau is 37 years old! And it's one thing to go shirtless – heck, Putin does it all the time – but whose idea was it to dress him in a Speedo?
You could argue that Sun TV got a little bump out of this stunt. For a few hours at least they got out of the Canadian network TV ratings basement. Did it create a whole bunch of new viewers? Time will tell, but for a station that probably already skews male in terms of viewers, looking like Spike TV probably won't broaden their reach.
Yes, I recognize that the scrap raised a lot of money for the worthy cause of battling prostate cancer. However, it's possible that this stunt did set back the respectability of political life in Canada more than a few notches. Don't pity Brazeau because as a Senator he's got a job for life. But for Trudeau I think it will be harder to shake off the ridicule he deserves for stripping down and strapping on gloves for the sake of his leadership aspirations.
A few letter writers to the Montréal Gazette this week seem to share my misgivings. Here are a couple:
I find it extremely disappointing and a bad example that Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau and Liberal MP Justin Trudeau would engage in a public boxing match, even though it raised more than $230,000 for cancer research. Alternative peaceful competitions do exist.
The first source that comes to mind is the TV series Survivor, which has had 24 successful editions over the last 12 years, and which always includes several episodes in which contestants must perform physical feats. These entertaining contests never involve physical force against an opponent and yet do produce a winner…
Robert Marcogliese
MontrealJustin Trudeau, my hero. By embracing boxing, where the goal is to immobilize and batter your opponent, and exposing a concussion-causing sport to our children, Trudeau has again shown his ineptitude in the pursuit of higher office.
Is there no other way to raise money for worthy causes?
Peter Howick
Montreal
Duking it out in politics is one thing. But do political rivals really have to throw punches to keep the public engaged?
Maybe it won't be so long before CPAC really does start to look like an episode of Survivor.
- post by Mike
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I didn’t see you go into the ring.
Trudeau was gracious in victory and merciful to his opponent at the public shaming / hair cutting at Parliament. I don’t agree with his politics, but impressed by his mature and classy actions after the bout. A quarter million for cancer research is nothing to sneeze at either. Trudeau has passed from being his mother’s boy to his father’s son. He would not be so empowered if not for the ridicule beforehand. Ezra Levant can learn a lesson here – and I’m sure he has.
It was a great event and it would be good if it inspired more Canadian kids especially. Politics is _nothing other than_ warfare by other means. Politics is like boxing or football, not figure skating, and that’s simply the nature of the beast, no matter how much the bleeding hearts wish that the “violence inherent in the system” could be removed. Politicians write bills that are then enforced by boxers—OK, they carry guns, so they don’t need to box too much, but imagine how many ears they’d need to box if they didn’t have the threat of being able to shoot.
Indeed, this sort of thing does not go far enough—bring back legally sanctioned dueling, so that the gene pool can be properly thinned of cowards.
Right, because Canadian politics were all daisies and butterflies and totally beyond reproach BEFORE the boxing match, right?
Jeez. If you ask me, this is the sort of thing we need MORE of. They were cooperating together for a shared cause and having fun and being real-ish people at the same time. Better than yelling at each other across the aisle. I’d like to see Baird in the ring instead of his constant bellowing.
Mike, Trudeau fought for his seat in Papineau, which was not a guaranteed shoo-in. Brazeau, not so much. And I believe Trudeau has ruled out being a contender in the upcoming Liberal leadership race. Though being politics, never say never.
I was not about to comment on such crap, but I’ve decided to, as I noticed new names on the list of commentators. While you rarely comment on REAL issues, you have the time to do it on a fluffy subject like this. Shallow is the only courteous word I could use to describe you…
Could you take down that picture of Trudeau posing like a gigolo? If his name wasn’t Trudeau he would not have made it in either politics or boxing… but the way things are, with so many people thirsty for garbage, this is it! Enjoy it Canada!
Well said, Mike. We often disagree – and I do with your gratuitous cheap shot at Gregor – but the boxing match was an embarrassment for public officials. Brazeau had little to lose – and foolishly did – but Trudeau should have none better. His lack of judgement is a warning to Liberals – that he is best known for this & suggesting he might support Quebec separation if Harper stays in office show he is fighting in the lightweight division.
I have to disagree with you on this Mike. The event was meant to be a charity fundraiser for a very good cause. As someone who has lost two family members to cancer, I was ecstatic when I heard Trudeau and Brazeau were going to do this. Indeed, it’s the one intelligent thing I’ve seen Trudeau do since his entry to politics. Sure it was silly, but it was silly enough to bring in a quarter million dollars to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. $30,000 of that was raised by Trudeau and Brazeau themselves.
So to all you people who think this was a waste of time, I ask you, when`s the last time something you did brought $230,000 to charity? Until you do that, you have no right to slam these two.
Headgear was worn by both the combatants. Though I doubt it helped either, in the smarts department.
I think the event was great. Let the guys put their muscle where their mouths usually are. All for a good cause.
My only regret: that gasbag and Young Fart Minister James Moore didn’t climb into the ring with young Justin and demo his own pugilistic skills.
His cutting of the Katimavik program on the eve of the fight, along with the accompanying bombastic comments about the ‘Thrilla on the Hilla’, made me warm all over, in that wrong-headed Garp-like way.
I do get a lot of satisfaction that all the young Conservatives who were so enamoured with the PM presenting gloves signed by UFC meathead George St. Pierre to the Japanese PM, must now hang their collective heads in shame as The Brazman, himself an mma practioner, got a beat-down from The Shiny Pony.
If Moore was a guy’s guy, he’d reinstate the Katimavik program—with military option—as reparation for his so-wrong prognostication. I lost a lot of respect for the man over his small-minded actions over the way he cut that program.
@Bill Tieleman,
Come on, Bill, what is more unparliamentary than what spews from NDP MP Pat Martin’s cakehole?
As for young Trudeau using the fight as a springboard to leaderalship, even if it doesn’t factor in at top of mind as an asset when people choose a new Liberal leader, it won’t hurt him. He’s relatively young, it was for a good cause.
The fight was besides the point– he showed he knows how to spring a surprise on everyone. Reinvention is the savvy politician’s friend. We already know he’s getting the knack of self promotion.
Love him or loathe him, perception is the reality here. And the guy shows that he can take a punch–both literally and politically. He went from effete, complainng weiner to “contenduh” in 3 rounds. That’s the kind of story-book turn-around people love—and opposing political parties hate.
If he can control his worst communications impulses, with a little spit, polish and some old hands advising him, he may be a future star.