Now that we've got some distance, what should we make of Justin Trudeau's massive political zig-zag over the last few weeks? Some see it as an adjustment to governing, a bit like growing pains.I think this falls way short of what's just happened. Trudeau has challenged the basic assumptions of Ottawa politics and things may never be the same—certainly not for him and his government.The Liberals, as we know, were taking on an eerie resemblance to the regime they ousted. While there was lots of media outrage, some people were sounding relieved—even smug—about it all.Most were people who never bought into Trudeau's talk about openness and transparency in the first place. They were convinced he'd back down and were just waiting for the chance to say "I told you so."To be fair, they have their reasons. Over the years, we've seen lots of governments come and go. Some may have been worse than others, but the rules of play have been pretty consistent: Promise what you must to win. Kick hard issues down the road. Never admit guilt. Obfuscate. And so on…In this view, politics is all about wining power and then keeping control of the situation. Information is a critical tool for this. If you have it and your opponent doesn't, you have the advantage.The way to keep this advantage is to draw a sharp line between the trusted few on the inside and everyone else on the outside. Only those within the circle are privy to the truth.The Harper government had so perfected this approach that many people are now convinced it is the only viable way to govern, a philosophy its admirers call Realism.Realists tend to view talk of openness, transparency and collaboration as a species of populist babble that governments use to spin those on the outside. Those on the inside don't think you can really govern this way. That would simply hand over the government's advantage to its opponents.Consider former Prime Minister Paul Martin. Many observers believe that the Gomery Commission was his downfall. Martin may have thought that launching it was the right thing to do, but according to these people, this kind of high-mindedness is simply naïve.All he did was unleash the sponsorship scandal on his own government. Fans of Jean Chretien like to brag that their guy would never have exposed the government that way. So what about Trudeau?The last few weeks have been a remarkable roller-coaster ride up one side of governance and down the other. First, we got pulled, bumping and clanging, toward the summit of Realism, only to take a sudden and breath-taking plunge back into collaboration and openness.At the end of this dizzying ride, this much is clear: Trudeau has defied the skeptics. In the space of two weeks, he has apologized unreservedly for an intemperate outburst, withdrawn Motion 6 that would have placed control of the House in Liberals' hands, given up his majority on electoral reform, admitted he's been acting like his arch-nemesis, and even signaled his willingness to consider Senate amendments to the assisted dying bill.It was probably inevitable that, sooner or later, the Realism embedded in Ottawa culture was going to collide with Trudeau's campaign commitment to openness and this would result in some kind of crisis.It was not inevitable, however, that he would take the road less travelled and reject Realism. You didn't have to be a cynic to hedge your bets here. And for a brief moment, the cynics looked like they had called it right.Then Trudeau's infamous floor-crossing changed everything. In the hours that followed he appears to have had a personal crisis or reckoning of some kind. I can only assume that he stared Realism in the face and found it wanting. As a result, he chose—really chose—openness, transparency and collaboration.If the last two weeks are any indication, Trudeau is now clearly a man with a mission; and this goes far beyond providing access to journalists or publishing mandate letters.Basically, he is breaking all the conventional rules on governing. Though, in the end, the one that really counts is his willingness to relax his grip on power and see what happens.Giving up his majority on electoral reform thus was a turning point. It is an extraordinary departure from Ottawa culture. A prime minister is never supposed to let go of control. So something big seems to be unfolding here. This is the first real evidence that Trudeau is serious about a tectonic shift in our governance style.What happens next will be an adventure for us all. Trudeau has signaled that he is going where few thought he could or would. He has raised the bar on governance and, as he goes forward, he will be measured and judged by the high standards he has placed on himself and his government.I predict that the sky will not fall.Dr. Don Lenihan is Senior Associate, Policy and Engagement, at Canada 2020, Canada's leading, independent progressive think-tank. Don is an internationally recognized expert on democracy and Open Government. He is currently the Government of Ontario's principal advisor on its Open Dialogue Initiative. The views expressed here are those of the columnist alone. Don can be reached at:[email protected] or follow him on Twitter at: @DonLenihan