Front Burner

Grappling with Trudeau's political legacy

What will history remember as Justin Trudeau’s accomplishments and failures? And was he able to change with the world around him?
Justin Trudeau presses his lips together and looks sad, while standing in front of a microphone.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his resignation as Liberal leader and prime minister outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Monday, Jan.6, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Nearly a decade ago Justin Trudeau rode a wave of hope and optimism — his so-called "sunny ways" — to the prime minister's office, leading a once-flailing Liberal party out of the wilderness.

A lot has changed since that time. Not only for Trudeau and his party's fortunes, but for the world — and how many people feel about the kind of hopeful vision that once helped propel people like Trudeau into power.

Today we're going to grapple with Trudeau's legacy, and how he may be remembered: the accomplishments, the failures, the scandals — and whether, as the world transformed around him, Trudeau was able to adapt with it.

Our guests are Aaron Wherry, CBC senior writer and the author of Promise and Peril: Justin Trudeau in Power, and Stephen Maher, author of The Prince: The Turbulent Reign of Justin Trudeau.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

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