John Ivison: The Liberal MP Justin Trudeau couldn’t control. Memoir reveals final, angry call with PM – National Post

By her own admission, Caesar-Chavannes was guilty of erratic behaviour, as she battled mental health challenges and attempted to adapt to a House of Commons she felt was designed to reinforce power and privilege.

But this was a government that promised to do politics differently; that pledged to shake up the status quo; and, which was elected, at least in part, because it championed unconventional candidates like Celina Caesar-Chavannes.

In some ways, these flaws were my super-powers, she said, as she realized that she was not destined for the political heights and she should instead use her platform to amplify the voices of quiet, little Black girls who felt and saw injustices but could not say anything.

She said her feminism required her to be bold. It requires me to have uncomfortable conversations and to speak my truth.

Matters came to a head after an ugly online confrontation with Peoples Party leader, Maxime Bernier. Some of Caesar-Chavannes colleagues expressed support, using a #HereforCelina hashtag.

Trudeau was noticeable by his absence until the hashtag started trending on Twitter. She was upset that he had not come to her aid but agreed to meet him, at his request. The meeting lasted three minutes, which I felt was more of my time than he deserved.

When the whole controversy over his dressing up in blackface emerged in the 2019 election campaign, I thought I should have seen that one coming

As the SNC Lavalin affair unravelled, Caesar-Chavannes became ever more disillusioned and told the Prime Ministers Office that she did not intend to run again. Coincidentally, she planned to make her decision public on the same day that Jody Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet. Trudeau called to say he couldnt have two powerful women of colour announcing they were leaving at the same time and asked her to delay.

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John Ivison: The Liberal MP Justin Trudeau couldn't control. Memoir reveals final, angry call with PM - National Post

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