Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the rising costs of his climate policies in the face of mounting criticism from around the country by declaring, “My job is not to be popular.” He added, “My job is to do the right things for Canada now and do the right things for Canadians a generation from now and that’s what I’ve been focused on.”

Such comments are suggestive of a martyr complex, sacrificing popularity on the altar of righteousness. In truth, the climate file is Trudeau’s vanity project and the hill on which he is prepared to die.