Leaders - tale of the tape

We still hear comments that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is too young and does not have enough experience. Here are some facts:

• Trudeau was born in 1971. Andrew Scheer was born in 1979.
• When Mr. Trudeau became prime minister he was 44 years old. If Mr. Scheer wins the forthcoming election, he will be prime minister aged 40. 
• Trudeau has worked outside politics. He only entered politics at the age of 36 in 2008.
• Apart from a short period doing (what we have just learned) is clerical work in an insurance office, Scheer has only worked in politics and was elected in 2004. 
• Scheer has no ministerial experience, although he was a member of the Conservative caucus for a long time. 
• Trudeau has four years’ experience as prime minister in which he had to deal with a number of complex issues. Some could have been handled better, for sure, and many were handled well.
• When things were looking particularly dark on NAFTA negotiations Mr. Scheer urged the prime minister to come to an agreement (read cave in) as a matter of urgency. In other words, he panicked. Christia Freeland and Trudeau held firm and gained some important concessions from Donald Trump. 
• Trudeau had the good sense to recruit high quality people like Bill Morneau and Ms. Freeland with broad experience of the real world. There is no obvious evidence of the same sort of vision from Scheer. We are going to be stuck with Pierre Poilievre, another career politician with no real world experience, and Lisa Raitt (a professional administrator) in the higher echelons of government.

Do we really want a very young Prime minister that has no experience and is supported by an inexperienced and unimpressive team; panics under pressure; Is repeatedly “economical with the truth” (re insurance qualifications, citizenship); knowingly uses tweets that are untrue; did not disclose his U.S. citizenship until forced to?

Until the renunciation process is complete, he is bound by an oath of allegiance to the United States.

Progressive minded voters should vote Liberal to save us from the appalling prospect of a totally inexperienced leader who seems to be incapable of openness and transparency. 

John Bailey, Kelowna