For someone used to getting his own way for most of his life, public hostility, repeated failure and relentless bad news must be terribly trying for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. His government began in 2015 with high hopes and widespread good wishes. Now that it is all coming crashing down, he refuses to accept blame and either change course or resign — a personal shortcoming that has become a national problem.

Here’s a skill-tester. What do Donald Trump, Narendra Modi, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Olaf Scholz, Malcolm Turnbull, Claudia Sheinbaum and Benjamin Netanyahu all have in common? Answer: each has reason to dislike Justin Trudeau. In a couple of cases their scorn can be worn as a badge of honour, but the list’s impressive diversity testifies to Trudeau’s repeated own-goals.

His current desperate effort to revive a government on life support is founded on the premise that, unlike the untried Pierre Poilievre, he has experience handling Donald Trump. He certainly does. But it’s not as if his experience has been good. The president-elect has ill-concealed contempt for this supposed Trump-whisperer, having called him “two-faced” and a “far-left lunatic.” The “experience” started with Trudeau’s self-indulgent expression of disdain for the once and future leader of the free world, who is notoriously sensitive to criticism.

The two could not be more different — an alpha male and a beta-male feminist with starkly opposing ideologies and world views: nationalism over globalism; common sense and traditional values versus wokeism and identity politics; deep-seated belief in free enterprise and mistrust of the deep state in contrast to faith in big government and bureaucracy; rejection of “fake news” versus financial support for legacy media.

Trump also has very specific complaints about Canada: a porous border that lets in illegal fentanyl and migrants (albeit not as many as from Mexico); a trade surplus (the product of the strong U.S. economy and our rich storehouse of resources, especially energy); protectionist supply management and deficient defence spending.

Modi is bitter about Trudeau’s cosy relationship with Khalistani separatists. When Scholz came on bended knee to ask Canada for help with Germany’s energy crisis, Trudeau preposterously claimed there was no business case for exporting LNG to Europe. Sheinbaum resents Canada for betraying Mexico by trying to cut it out of the USMCA trade deal. Netanyahu is contemptuous of Trudeau’s moral ambivalence about Israel’s existential battle against genocidal terrorists backed by Iran and his willingness to “abide” by biased arrest warrants from a rogue International Criminal Court. Xi publicly scolded Trudeau for leaking a private conversation, while his staff have referred to him as a boy and a running dog. Putin called Trudeau an idiot and scoundrel. Turnbull criticized Trudeau for humiliating other leaders and appearing “flaky” during the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations. There is widespread irritation at hypocritical hectoring from a middle power that punches below its weight.

On the economic front, bad news just came from former Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz, who says Canada is currently in a recession, GDP per capita having declined for six consecutive quarters and eight of the past nine. The cost of living increased 30 per cent due to unbridled federal spending, including for an expanded federal civil service, which has grown 26 per cent since 2015, almost three times population growth. Federal debt is approaching $1.4 trillion or $32,000 per Canadian, with carrying costs of $46 billion this year. That is profligacy writ large.

Meanwhile, unemployment is at 6.8 per cent, with 88 per cent of new jobs coming from the public sector. The loonie has fallen to 71 U.S. cents, a reflection of relative decline that will only get worse if Trump follows through on his tariff threats.

Examples abound of intrusive and harmful regulations that do not achieve their public policy purpose. The proposed cap on oil and gas production would lower production, undermine capital investment, stifle job growth and reduce government revenue. The rapidly rising carbon tax is despised across the country. Another 324 models of firearm will be added to the 1,500 banned in 2020 — with no evident impact on violent crime or repeat violent offenders.

The government frequently violates parliamentary accountability, the bedrock of our democracy. Its refusal to turn over documents related to conflicts of interest and misappropriation of funds at the now-defunct Sustainable Development Technology Canada is only the most recent example.

Given the litany of failure, it is hardly surprising that: Liberal poll numbers have tanked, most Canadians say they want Trudeau to resign, and potential successors are not too subtly scrambling for attention.

Canada urgently needs: fundamental reform of its economic and energy policies, re-establishment of its standing in the world and a return to competent government. Trudeau should put the country before his ego and either resign or call an election — though it seems more likely Canadians will have to wait till next October unless he scores a high-profile gig before then.

Joe Oliver was minister of natural resources and minister of finance in the Harper government.

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