» Trudeau’s cosplay in Canadian Tire just another photo op

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He’s not crying anymore!

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And while Prime Minister Mark Carney is taking the tough questions now, former prime minister Justin Trudeau is living the life as a free man.

It must be a weight off of his shoulders. Maybe he’s shedding tears of joy now.

“Gotta love a Monday morning at Canadian Tire,” Trudeau wrote in an Instagram post on St. Patrick’s Day.

Move over walk in the snow. This was a walk in the kitchen aisle.

It’s not clear if he has in fact moved out of Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall, across the street from 24 Sussex where he lived as a child but didn’t during his more than nine years as prime minister. But certainly the image he’s portraying here is getting things together for a new residence.

Where that will be is unclear.

But this post, which shows Trudeau dressed down in a blue jean jacket and wearing a ball cap with a canoe logo on it, is sending the message he’s a regular, everyday man now.

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Even unemployed. Of course, he is neither.

From all accounts he has not given up his seat in the House of Commons as the MP for Montreal’s Papineau riding and will not until after the next election, which he has indicated he will not run in.

Most Canadians don’t have the kind of pension he will soon enjoy or the opportunities that will be presented to him.

And on a Monday morning, those blessed to have jobs don’t have the time to walk around a Canadian Tire, let alone have the money to purchase much. Many Canadians are hanging on for dear life. Some have already found themselves kicked out of their apartments or homes — as illustrated by a couple seen on the same day as Trudeau’s social media post moving all of their worldly positions to a ravine that will now be their home.

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So, this Trudeau Canadian Tire picture is more theatre, which is something he does well.

That said, seeing this picture kind of works because it shows how fast you can lose power and acts as a reminder that every leader is just a person who is no more important or less important than anybody else. I’m not sure Trudeau believes that, but he clearly wants to convey that everyman narrative and maybe even drag in some sympathy responses.

Maybe the next shopping trip for the former PM will be over at the soon-to-be-out-of-business Hudson’s Bay chain, where 9,000 workers will soon be free on Mondays themselves to shop with him.

But, like his trademark going to the Jarry Metro Station in Montreal, the one in Canadian Tire is just another staged photo op.

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It looks like he didn’t have star photographer Adam Scotti take this new one. It appears to be a selfie. But so far no other photos have found their way to social media to see if Trudeau really was alone in the store or if he had security and handlers in tow.

It will be interesting to see if this is the last one he puts up and then fades into obscurity, or whether he will re-invent himself in new roles nationally or internationally, as other leaders have certainly done. At just 53, he certainly has youth on his side plus quite a work resume and serious connections.

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He also has a world brand to build for progressives and liberals to cling to as things globally swing more to the right. But if Trudeau really wants to convey what it is like for many people in Canada, he can show just steps from the Parc Jarry in his riding where the CBC has posted images of lineups at the food bank of people who can’t afford to get a new coffee maker or utensils at Canadian Tire for the new crib.

Certainly, many wish Trudeau well as he leaves office but it’s not lost on them that hungry people lining up for food in the riding he has served as an MP for 17 years, and country he led for almost a decade, is the more real Canadian photo op in 2025.

jwarmington@postmedia.com

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