Never let it be said that Canadians do not need to see the last of Justin Trudeau. The only problem holding him in place is the lack of a potential candidate to replace him. You could see that in the staying in-place nature of the last election results. There was nobody standing ready for the job.
A leader is the person who can point into the future and say ‘follow me.’ In 2015, Trudeau forgot to point. He just said ‘follow me.’ Since he was not Stephen Harper, Canadians followed. In that election, he satisfied an unusual craving for selfies. He dumped the past of the liberal party who were in the senate. He cancelled memberships in the liberal party and inundated the party list with demands for money. He talked of reconciliation with Canada’s aboriginals. He talked of the needs of a vague middle class of Canadians.
But when some academics actually counted his promises and actions in his first four years, they found he kept about half of them. It was his failures that bothered many voters. There were also distractions. His family trip to India was an embarrassment for Canadians. Purchasing the Trans Mountain pipeline was puzzling. The Jody Wilson-Raybould matter punched a few holes in his claim to being a feminist.
Some of the failures in office were more noticeable than accomplishments. His medically supported death bill could not survive the smell test in the supreme court. As usual, Canada’s aboriginals were displeased with the progress at everything. And, to nobody’s surprise, Canada’s armed forces were accused of systemic misogyny at any and all ranks.
And to confuse things more, the American political experience was stood on its head by a gentleman named Donald Trump. American politics were far more interesting than the dull Canadian experience.
Canada is now into its second term of Justin Trudeau heading a minority government. We must admit that he has done a good job during the ongoing pandemic. We can only be glad that he, at least, understands the situation. He actually listens to good scientific advice.
But never forget how the Brits dumped their hero Churchill after the Second World War was over.
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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry
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