A WALK IN THE … RAIN? — It’s the Canadian shorthand for leaving politics.
Former prime minister PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU said it four decades ago this week, romanticizing his decision to step down: He took a “walk in the snow” to mull over leaving office. Snow-Walk Day, Feb. 28, is this Wednesday, and some political observers will be watching it like Groundhog Day. — Speculation abounds: As Justin Trudeau slumps in poll after poll, the questions keep on coming: When will he call it quits? Trudeau laughed off the suggestion of taking a snowy walk this time last year, and just last week laid out his case for staying on in an interview with RYAN JESPERSEN, where he voiced a desire to fight for the very heart of democracy. Aside from it being far too obvious a parallel to be likely, especially for someone who lived under his father’s long shadow, what might be the big clue here is what’s missing from the equation: There’s barely been any snow in Ottawa. No blizzards in the forecast — rain on Wednesday, although maybe snow that night. — Clock’s ticking: If PM JT isn’t going to step away this spring …he’s running out of runway before the next election to make that move. As CHANTAL HÉBERT pointed out on PETER MANSBRIDGE’s pod,the next and maybe last reasonable window for him is after the spring budget passes the Commons, which would leave enough time to install a new leader for the fall sitting. That inevitably means a new question from interviewers next year on the annual observance, assuming the polls don’t change: Why didn’t you take a walk in the snow? — Related reading: RAYMOND BLAKE writes for The Conversation: “40 years after his famous walk in the snow, a look back at Pierre Trudeau’s resignation” WTO PUT TO THE TEST — It’s the established liberal trading world order vs. the populists and nationalists as meetings over new rules for world trade kick off in the UAE. Trade Minister MARY NG is off to Abu Dhabi for the World Trade Organization’s ministerial conference (known as MC13, in officialdom lingo) today through Thursday, and will be in company of the EU’s trade and agriculture chiefs, VALDIS DOMBROVSKIS and JANUSZ WOJCIECHOWSKI. — On the agenda: Agriculture and fishing rank high. As POLITICO’s CAMILLE GIJS writes, India wants to permanently shield its food security program from WTO challenges over subsidy rules — a key stance given the upcoming elections in April and May. That leaves it in a position to hold up other issues as ransom over the issue. Eyes are also on reforming the WTO’s dispute settlement system, which has been dysfunctional since the DONALD TRUMP admin blocked key appointments. As POLITICO’s Gijs and DOUG PALMER set the stakes for our Pro s, any agreements still “may not be enough to salvage a global institution that is increasingly torn apart by the conflicting goals of its members, economic fragmentation fueled by Russia’s war in Ukraine and retreating American leadership on global trade.” — Set expectations to low: KEITH ROCKWELL writes for the Wilson Center that “there is a serious risk that the complex and arduous process will stall and ministers will produce little by way of meaningful results” on most files, aside from the “possible exception of an e-commerce agreement” that could prove useful to small companies. | 
