Like most politically charged scandals or issues, it can often seem like a never ending cycle of headlines. It gets to a point where we all go “okay, we get it!” and insist that the news has surfaced, and it’s time to move on. And if you look through social media, or – dare we look – the comment sections on the online articles, it looks like some people have gotten to this point when it comes to the Conservative Party talking about Trudeau’s Aga Khan vacation.
It’s true – Andrew Scheer and the Conservative Party are still talking about this illegal vacation. But… it’s because they need to. Let’s take a step back and get imaginative – bear with me.
You’re in a convenience store with your child. They really want a chocolate bar, but you are about to go home for dinner so you don’t give them money to buy one. Instead, your child pockets a chocolate bar while you are distracted. When you get into the car, you notice the stolen chocolate bar in their pocket.
Now, you clearly need to say something. Some sort of discipline needs to occur, so that your child knows this behaviour isn’t acceptable. After asking where they got the chocolate bar, acknowledging that what they did was illegal, you expect your child to do what’s right.
Now… in this situation, the right thing to do is obvious. You would want your child to walk back into the store, apologize, and return the chocolate bar. This would clearly show regret for their action, and would be an effort to genuinely apologize and rectify the situation.
Instead, your child apologizes to you for their actions, recognizes that what they did was wrong, yet eats the chocolate bar anyways. Clearly, your child does not believe what they did was wrong, because they ate the chocolate bar after apologizing for stealing it.
Do you see where I’m going? The reason we’re still talking about Trudeau and his vacation is because it seems so clear that he doesn’t believe he did anything wrong.
Was it determined that what he did was wrong? Yes.
Did he speak to the media and apologize? Yes.
Did he seem genuine in his apology? Highly debatable.
Did he return the money spent back to the taxpayer? No.
Using the example from above, Justin is the child who acknowledged that he stole the chocolate bar, yet eats it anyways. This shows nothing but a sense of entitlement, putting himself above the law and above standard ethics.
It is the job of the official opposition to hold the government accountable. Justin hasn’t taken responsibility for his actions, and that’s why Andrew Scheer and the Conservative Party refuse to let this go.
An apology is one thing. Accepting responsibility is what shows remorse. To that, I say keep pressing.
[OPINION PIECE]
