Newsmakers: Justin Trudeau, Canada’s image-conscious target

Our annual Newsmakers issue highlights the year’s highlights, lowlights, major moments and most important people. Read our Newsmakers 2016 stories here, and read on to see why Justin Trudeau made the list as one of our seven Newsmakers of the Year.

Best/worst of Canadian news
Newsmaker: Donald Trump
Diplomacy vs. democracy 2016

In his first full year as prime minister, Justin Trudeau has rarely been out of the limelight, earning much scorn from critics along the way. Tap the quote that you think correlates to each of the following photo-ops below, criticizing Trudeau for showboating.

A. “The prime minister can use those same tax dollars of families and fly to New York to work out in front of TV cameras, while families are struggling to pay for their kids’ sports.” Rona Ambrose, Conservative Party interim leader

Incorrect!

B. "He’s got the yoga balance down. Wish he would try to balance the budget of the Government of Canada." Lisa Raitt, Conservative MP

Correct!

C. "A flower child from the 1960s wants to run the country." Postmedia editorial

Incorrect!

A. "It is not sufficient for the Prime Minister to support and defend Canadian oil only while socializing with American actors like Leonardo DiCaprio in a posh hotel in Davos." Candice Bergen, Conservative MP and resource critic

Correct!

B. “To very cynically start breaking [promises] just because you have a lot of Facebook followers is pretty arrogant and misguided.” Nathan Cullen, NDP MP

Incorrect!

C. “Justin Trudeau will find it hard to screw up a country so well organized, if dull.” Vilma Gryzinski, international affairs columnist for Veja

Incorrect!

A. "Feminism is being reduced to a political buzzword.” Ellie Ade Ker, a University of Toronto Ph.D. student

Incorrect!

B. "Dropping it to just $100 per person would price cash-for-access fundraising out of business for good.” Globe and Mail editorial

Incorrect!

C. "[Trudeau] generates more gloss than Revlon and threatens single-handedly to rescue the lifestyle pages of a thousand newspapers." Rex Murphy, in the National Post

Correct!

A. "I later told the prime minister he should NOT have gotten out of his seat.” Gord Brown, Conservative MP

Incorrect!

B. "It’s humiliating for the province, for First Nations, intervenors and the taxpayers who supported the scientific work done in this review.” Kai Nagata, energy and democracy director at the Dogwood Initiative

Incorrect!

C. "The [budget] surplus is real whether the Liberals want to admit it or not. Frankly, it shouldn’t take an expert ... to recognize that." Rona Ambrose, Conservative interim leader

Correct!

A. "I’ll see your hubbub about nannies and raise you an anniversary abroad. Bold." Andrew MacDougall, former communications director for Stephen Harper

Correct!

B. "If it’s a glad-handing, ’Hi, I was here, take a picture of me’ mission, he doesn’t need to go.’" Jason Blair, real estate agent

Incorrect!

C. "I think the prime minister risks a bit of overexposure and accusations of being a bit too flashy.” Stephen Taylor, former national director of the National Citizens Coalition

Incorrect!

A. “Unless he’s going to roll up his sleeves and get dirty and help rebuild our home, then I don’t see the point in why he’s going.” Jason Blair, real estate agent

Incorrect!

B. “What kind of man elbows a woman? It’s pathetic! You’re pathetic!” Tom Mulcair, NDP Leader

Incorrect!

C. "Canadians need a plan for jobs, instead they’re getting vacation photos of Mr. Trudeau." Cory Hann, Conservative Party director of communications

Correct!

A. "He made us feel unsafe and deeply troubled by the conduct of the prime minister of this country.” Niki Ashton, NDP MP

Incorrect!

B. “You leave the guy home who’s in charge of oil and gas, who can talk about pipelines, the process around pipelines?” Lisa Raitt, Conservative MP

Incorrect!

C. "With their vanity trips ... the Liberal government is all about photo ops and self-promotion." Alexander Nuttall, Conservative MP

Correct!

A. “Not only does this event break the prime minister’s own ethics rules, but it does not pass the smell test.” Rona Ambrose, Conservative interim leader

Incorrect!

B. "Why would the Liberals break their own rules for the prime minister’s special vanity advertising project?" Andrew Scheer, Conservative MP

Correct!

C. "Mr. Trudeau has permission slips from the voters to do a lot of things." L. Ian MacDonald, editor and publisher of Policy

Incorrect!