You know it’s definitely serious when a politician holds a press conference and orders two other politicians to stand slightly behind him like mannequins while he reads from a prepared statement.

That bit of staged ceremony took place earlier this week in the house of staged ceremony – Ottawa – when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was flanked by two mute, grim-looking ministers, Minister of State Melanie Joly and Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc.

The only thing missing from the choreographed scene was a drum roll or fanfare to match the stricken profundity of the occasion.

The former Liberal Party prince is facing a mutiny orchestrated by a host of concerned backbenchers worried about losing their jobs — in light of polls suggesting Trudeau’s government is in such poor shape that much of the caucus reportedly reaching for the nearest life jacket or life jacket. preferably a large lifeboat to accommodate them all.

So, in a likely futile attempt to revive his political prospects on the subsistence front and prove to Canada’s largely white, male cognoscenti that he still has the right stuff to remain prime minister — for now, at least — the charming, effervescent Trudeau has channeled the tough, determined Trudeau.

In effect, the Prime Minister declared diplomatic war on India – a rising superpower and would-be ally – based on “evidence” collected by the country’s dysfunctional, scandal-ridden police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

That “evidence,” Trudeau said, would show that Indian “agents” orchestrated a clandestine campaign “that poses a significant threat to public safety.”

The RCMP, for its part, claims that India’s covert plans amount to “serious criminal activity in Canada,” involving coercion, threats and the murder of Canadian citizens on Canadian soil.

Apart from a bunch of cops and politicians, no one has seen a shred of the “evidence” to judge its strength – but I digress.

Trudeau said he asked New Delhi to be kind and help the RCMP by cooperating with the ongoing investigations. It should come as no surprise that New Delhi told Trudeau and company to take a long, lonely walk – to put it charitably.

Cue the diplomatic war. Trudeau expelled six Indian diplomats stationed in Canada, including the High Commissioner of India. In a predictable response, India ordered six Canadian diplomats to pack their bags and go home immediately.

The aforementioned white, male cognoscenti – who encourage wars of any kind – applauded Trudeau for standing up to state-sanctioned “terrorism” and insisted that India would “pay a heavy price” for doing what the Prime Minister and the RCMP think New Delhi does. agents do what they do to Canadians in Canada – even though none of them are aware of the shrouded “evidence.”

Like I said, Canada’s white, male cognoscenti just love war – diplomatic or otherwise.

But here’s the sickening friction.

Trudeau, his cabinet and the well-known list of obsequious columnists and commentators always on TV are pure hypocrites.

They will, of course, refuse to acknowledge this, as they are incapable of introspection, let alone recognizing the blaring, prima facie evidence of their outright hypocrisy.

Defending his decision to expel the Indian diplomats, Trudeau said: “Canada is a country rooted in the rule of law, and the protection of our citizens is paramount.”

Sure, that’s it.

Trudeau’s I’m-gonna-detain-the-bad-guys-who-do-bad-things-to-Canadians-to-account-for-tough-guys is apparently limited by geography and which close “ally” is responsible for harming citizens as Prime Minister, he is charged with protecting it.

Canada’s white, male cognoscenti didn’t bother to listen carefully to anything Trudeau said before reaching for their pompoms.

“We will never tolerate the involvement of a foreign government in threatening and killing Canadian citizens on Canadian soil – a deeply unacceptable violation of Canadian sovereignty and international law,” Trudeau said.

Let me paraphrase Trudeau for the hearing impaired.

If any country, especially Israel, threatens, coerces or kills Canadians in Lebanon or in what remains of the human hellscape known as the occupied Gaza Strip, I’m not going to do a damn thing about it.

Oh yeah, I might have my insignificant Secretary of State write a tweet or two ‘condemning’ Israel’s murder of an elderly Canadian couple while they sought safe haven, and approving her making a quick phone call to express condolences to the surviving family.

That farcical bit of performative nonsense aside, my government and I have essentially codified Israel’s consent to kill Canadians with impunity because our beloved friend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would never violate the rules of war or international law.

Despite my tough talk, Foreign Minister Joly and I will indeed “tolerate” the murder of Canadians by a “foreign government” as long as it does not commit its (war) crimes “on Canadian soil.”

You see, in our duplicitous view, this does not constitute an “unacceptable violation” of “international law.”

Remember that Israel has the absolute, indisputable right to defend itself and that a few dead Canadians – blown up into charred, unrecognizable pieces that require DNA testing to confirm their identity – will not change our short-sighted minds.

Heaven knows we cannot run the risk of the usual apoplectic suspects inside and outside Parliament accusing my sprawling government of being anti-Semitic or siding with “terrorists”.

De facto: We will not summon the Israeli ambassador to Canada to Global Affairs headquarters for a robust discussion or expel Israeli diplomats in response to the military’s killing of three Canadians in Lebanon in recent weeks.

Is that clear, everyone?

If my portrayal of the true meaning of Trudeau’s cynical, calibrated comments offends his soon-to-be-unemployed toadies or any member of Canada’s white, male commentariat, then I urge them to speak to Kamal Tabaja, the eldest son of the 74- year-old Hussein and 69-year-old Daad Tabaja, who were burned to death by an Israeli missile fired by an Israeli pilot at the end of September.

That’s a rhetorical request, because Trudeau has already forgotten about their murder. And the columnists who rush to write pieces denouncing India’s alleged crimes have never, and never will, demand that Israel “pay a heavy price” or denounce its documented crimes – whether the victims are Canadian couple who celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary this past. April or the more than 42,000 mainly Palestinian children and women, all victims of genocide.

I spoke with Tabaja – a Canadian citizen living and working in Bahrain.

He agreed. Prime Minister Trudeau is a complete hypocrite.

“My parents did nothing,” Tabaja said. “They didn’t even bother… putting out a press release. They just sent a tweet.”

Tabaja said it was right for Trudeau to hold India responsible as any “self-respecting” country would take immediate “political and diplomatic action” when Canadian citizens are targeted by a foreign power, but that the murder of his parents is “ignored” .

In the wake of Trudeau’s “shameful” double standard, Tabaja said he — on behalf of his five still-grieving siblings — has written a letter to the prime minister condemning his glaring failure to hold Israel to account in the same way.

He waits for an answer.

Tabaja also agreed that Trudeau’s tough stance stops at the Israeli border and that it was unthinkable that this or any other prime minister would ever sanction Israel the way Canada has sanctioned India.

“Oh yes,” he said. “They all stop there.”

Sadly and shamefully, Kamal Tabaja is right.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.