As Justin Trudeau Turns 52, These 5 Birthday Gifts Might Cheer Up Our Beleaguered PM

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau celebrates his birthday on Dec. 25, an anniversary he shares with luminaries like Isaac Newton, former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and celebrities Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart and the recently departed Jimmy Buffett.

The prime minister is coming off one of his most bruising political years ever. Voters are growing restive over persistent inflation and a gloomy economic outlook. This concern is reflected in his declining favourability ratings and  distrubing opinion polls showing the Liberals languishing behind the Conservatives. Pundits are already composing his political obituary.

In order to cheer up our beleaguered leader as he turns 52, we continue our holiday tradition and suggest five unique Christmas/birthday gifts that might help put the bad news behind him.

 

Tickets to a Taylor Swift Concert

 

 

In July, Trudeau – possibly at the behest of his children – tweeted an invitation to Taylor Swift, asking the mega-pop star to bring her tour to Canada. Whether it was due to the PM’s tweet or not, she has now scheduled a Canadian stop for next year. Giving Trudeau front-row seats to this show is the least we can do to thank him for his efforts and also might point him to a post-political career as a concert promoter.

 

Noise Cancelling Headphones

 

Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has built a big lead at the polls largely by blaming Trudeau’s government for everything that ails the country: from inflation to the housing crisis – even for a recent wave of violence in Alberta. When Trudeau wears these headphones in Parliament (possibly listening to Taylor Swift), he easily can tune out Poilievre’s constant braying that  “everything is broken.”

 

A Gift Certificate to Metropolitan Brasserie

 

This Parisian-styled bar, described by Maclean’s as the “the unofficial watering hole to Ottawa’s federal politicians,” is the perfect spot for Trudeau to invite Brian Mulroney for a late-night drink. He can ask the former Conservative PM to share his experience on dwindling majorities and crumbling support bases and explain how to correctly read the polls and resign just in time to avoid suffering a humiliating electoral defeat. Trudeau and Mulroney will want to pick a night when Kim Campbell is not in town.

 

A Brand New Image

 

 

Wax figures are always a little bit creepy but Trudeau’s two statues take it to a whole new level. In 2022, the Grévin museum in Paris added Trudeau to its lineup of foreign leaders immortalized in wax alongside the likenesses of Joe Biden and King Charles III. And Casa Loma followed this up by putting Trudeau in its Backstage Celebrity Gallery, which includes representations of famous folk who have visited the Toronto castle. One social media user described Trudeau’s Casa Loma figure as “unsettling,” while the Daily Mail called the Grévin exhibit “dreadful” – two adjectives that could also be used to describe his recent political year.

 

Winter Jogging Shoes

 

 

In February 1984, Pierre Trudeau famously decided he would quit politics after taking a walk in the snow through the streets of Ottawa. If the polls don’t change soon, his son might soon be imitating his father by taking a similar walk – or, more appropriately in his case, a jog – in the snow. In the event he does take a retirement-pondering sojourn, all-weather runners should reduce slipping and sliding and help him reach a sure-footed decision.

RELATED:

As Justin Trudeau Celebrates His 49th Birthday, 12 Gifts The Prime Minister Would Love

Justin Trudeau At 50: What Might Visits From the Ghosts of Politics Past, Present and Future Reveal?

Justin Trudeau Turns 51 on Christmas: 5 Gifts That the Prime Minister Would Love