[Justin Trudeau’s] talent for intimacy with strangers co-existed with a profound aloofness from anyone who might come close to being a peer…We might walk together for the cameras, but none of us, even his personal friends from childhood, had intimate political relationships with him. Few of us ever spent time with him one-on-one…
Crying was routine at cabinet meetings. There were always boxes of Kleenex on hand, and really sad colleagues would sometimes get a hug from the PM…I think what troubled me the most about the crying in cabinet and the lectures about word choice was that it sometimes went along with what seemed like bullying.
— Chrystia Freeland, Unreliable Boyfriend.
When it comes to meeting political leaders and debating big ideas, I’ve been there. So, if you win the chance to brainstorm your big idea for Canada with Justin Trudeau over breakfast, here’s my advice. Come prepared. Take a deep breath. Smile. And believe in yourself with every fibre of your being. Because you’re about to have the most interesting conversation of your life.
— Freeland, Liberal fundraising letter, 2014.
