It’s the economy, stupid: Justin Trudeau to take on economy at first policy convention in Montreal

Video: Chief Political Correspondent Tom Clark lays out what’s in store for Justin Trudeau and his party at the convention.

OTTAWA – He may be best known for his pot-smoking admission, his startling move to kick senators out of caucus or even by his famous father, but at his first policy convention since becoming Liberal leader 10 months ago, Justin Trudeau will put the focus on one thing and one thing only: the economy.

His opening night speech Thursday – expected to be more of a scene-setter, with an emphasis on Trudeau’s Quebec roots – will nonetheless be framed by a discussion about economic growth from Bill Clinton’s former treasury secretary Lawrence Summers and newly-elected Toronto MP Chrystia Freeland.

And that, Liberals say, will set the tone for the weekend: a focus on middle-class prosperity, infrastructure investment and growth.

“What I will be reminding the attendees of the convention of, is the fact that top of mind for all Canadians is the economy, is their jobs, is their kids’ prosperity, is their retirement, their parents’ health care,” Trudeau said this week at his party’s caucus retreat in Quebec City.

“These are very, very real concerns.”

Trudeau’s team has been for months emphasizing the concerns of the middle class – concerns that for them are inextricably linked to the economy. While the 160 policy proposals this weekend focus on everything from physician-assisted death to elder abuse to transgender issues, Trudeau has taken pains to say the economy is top of mind.

Trudeau adviser Robert Asselin, associate director of the graduate school of public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa, said the economy is an important narrative for Trudeau.

“In this current era of globalization where economies are usually dependent on each other, to run for prime minister is also to run on the economy as being number one priority, because of what happened with the recession, what happened with the financial crisis around the world,” he said.

“It’s evident the economy will be the core theme of the convention.”

And while the first few months of Trudeau’s leadership were focused on rebuilding the party, on fundraising and expanding the grassroots, the next stage is to set the broad direction of where he wants to take the country.

But don’t expect too much detail.

It’s unusual for federal parties to announce policy that hasn’t yet been discussed – and so Trudeau’s second speech on Saturday afternoon, while expected to be meatier than his first, will likely leave out specific proposals.

“A lot of people are always raising expectations for those speeches, and they are bound to be disappointed,” said Asselin.

“We are not into an election yet. I am not expecting him to do a policy speech. It will be more of a broad direction, this is where I want to lead the country to, these are my priorities for the next election.”

Liberals say Trudeau also wants to be judged by the quality of his team and the plan they put together. And so the convention will also be announcing new candidates, and featuring major players such as retired general Andrew Leslie, who has recently amassed controversy – and Conservative ill-will – over his moving expenses.

Trudeau’s team also wants to explicitly draw a contrast to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in particular on team-building elements of leadership, as opposed to the perception of Harper as a one-man gang.

There will also be an emphasis on Harper’s opportunism – as Liberals call it, his “legacy mode” – which purports he is more concerned with his own political legacy than the direction of the country. So with a surplus expected in 2015, the Liberals want to sketch out a plan for what to do with the money, capitalizing on the Conservative government’s recent reversal on income-splitting.

As for the NDP’s success in Quebec, the Liberals plan on focusing on the fact that Quebecers don’t want the Conservatives, period.

Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc, one of Trudeau’s closest allies who who has known him since childhood, said he anticipates a “very good speech” from the leader.

“People saw that at the leadership convention in April, they saw it throughout the leadership campaign. You’ll see a very, very strong speech focused on economic policies, on economic priorities,” he said in Quebec City.

But while the focus is on the economy, others aren’t so sure about Trudeau’s capabilities.

Harper’s former adviser Tom Flanagan, who teaches political science at the University of Calgary, said Trudeau’s only weakness is that his economic statements “are banal at best, frighteningly vague at worst.”

“But if I were advising him, I wouldn’t worry about correcting that right now,” Flanagan wrote in an email.

“I’d save serious economic policy for closer to the election campaign, so that other parties can’t poach it.  So for the time being, just skate along on personal popularity.”