What Trudeau’s podcast appearances say about Canada’s next election

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knows Canadians aren’t listening.

He knows his defence against Conservative attacks over his signature climate policy isn’t working, at least not yet.

But he plans to keep trying. And while he’s at it, his office is trying something new to get the Liberal government’s message out.

Trudeau recently appeared on four podcasts as he travels the country talking up the Liberals’ latest budget, which he’s pitching as a plan to inject more economic fairness into society for those under 40 — a cohort that has kept Trudeau in power since 2015 but is increasingly turning to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

The interviews vary widely in substance and length — from 30 minutes to nearly an hour — and the podcasts reach very different audiences.

At one end of the spectrum, Vox’s “Today, Explained” is broadcast across U.S. public radio stations.

The other is YXE Underground, which focuses on the stories of Saskatoon’s unsung community leaders.

The prime minister’s availability to such a smaller market came as a surprise: when Trudeau’s team initially reached out, the show’s host thought it was a scam and deleted the email.

As Trudeau tries to reignite the support of millennial and Gen-Z Canadians, he is opening up about more than just policy and his political challenges.

The Canadian Press listened to the string of interviews to get a sense of Trudeau’s thinking, as the clock ticks down to the next federal election.

Trudeau’s commitment to fighting climate change through consumer carbon pricing is a major theme.

Poilievre and the majority of premiers pummelled Trudeau leading up to a long-scheduled increase to the levy on April 1, which added about three cents to the cost of a litre of gas. They argued the