Trudeau brings son on Toronto charm offensive amid slumping poll numbers

Prime Minister Justin Trudeaubrought his eldest son Xavier to Toronto this weekend on a trip that one expert calledan attempt at damage control amid slumping poll numbers.

Father and son took part in a basketball clinic organized by the Toronto Raptors after the prime minister spokewith black community leaders in a meeting closed to reporters.

Toronto Raptors president MasaiUjiri, whohelped to host the basketball clinic, saidthemeeting between Trudeau and black leaders could lead to more opportunities for youth in Toronto. He described the meeting as productive.

"Most people expressed some of their concerns, some of their struggles, I think,and then some of their successes and stories,"Ujirisaid.

"It was good to see the prime minister listen and interact with these people. He did a lot of listening."

At the basketball clinic,Xavier, 11, did drillswith other youngpeople, passing, dribbling and shooting hoops. The clinic was held at theOVO Athletic Centre, located on the grounds of Exhibition Place.

'Polls are just abysmal'

Trudeau'svisittoToronto came as the federal Liberals face difficult poll numbers.

Lydia Miljan, University of Windsor political science professor, said Trudeau has to recover public support before the October election.

"The polls are just abysmal for them right now," Miljan told CBC Toronto.

"If he wants to beserious about maintaining government coming inOctober, he has got to turn his fortunes around. And the places where you gotto go are places where there arevotes and a lot of ridings. Certainly Toronto, the 905, the GTA, are areas where hecannot lose those to the Conservatives."

Loss of electoral support in the Greater Toronto Area could mean a Liberal minority government or a Conservative win,she said.

'They've got to sell the carbon tax'

"It's early days, we still have a lot of time to go, but this is them really starting thecampaign," she added.

Miljansaid the real task facing the federal Liberals is focusing attentionon their policy agenda. That's been difficult given the public's attention on the ongoing SNC-Lavalinaffair.

Liberals want to be talking aboutclimate change, specifically thecarbon tax on greenhouse gas-emitting fuels, she added. The looming Alberta election on April 16 could complicate the federal election campaign, she said.

The carbon tax has come into effect in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick, the four provinces thatfailed to formulate emissions pricing plans that met federal standards.

"They've got to sell the carbon tax," Miljansaid, adding thatthe Liberals need to move past the SNC-Lavalinaffair.

SNC-Lavalin affair began with story in February

The Tories have been hammering Trudeau over the SNC-Lavalin affair since the Globe and Mail first broke the story in early February.

Citing unnamed sources, the newspaper reported that aides in the PMO and others had pressured former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the prosecution of the Montreal-based engineering and construction giant.

The director of public prosecutions decided last fall not to negotiate a deferred-prosecution agreement with the company, which is facing charges of bribery related to business in Libya in 2011.

Wilson-Raybould later resigned from cabinet, claiming she had been removed from her post in a January shuffle because she wouldn't bow to the pressure from Trudeau and others.

Last week, Trudeau expelled Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal caucus for what he described as breaking the bonds of trust with their fellow MPs over the government's handling of the affair.