Ramblings on our glorified new Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister on a wave of popular politics. In the final days of the 2015 campaign, the Liberal Party turned their lost dog party leader into the energetic and charismatic frontrunner Canadians were looking for. The party hosted arena-styled rallies, the kinds that haven’t been used in Canadian politics for years, winning the support of major Canadian newspapers like the Toronto Star. So far, Canadians seem happy with their choice. Many feel they have made a change.

It’s great to see that the cabinet is more racial and sexually diverse, and that science and democracy are proclaimed to be flourishing once again in the True North. Yet when will the honeymoon end? When will the nation’s tipsy stupor result in the inevitable hangover?

Perhaps it will be when we wake up and realize that we didn’t vote for a Liberal government, but instead a referendum on Stephen Harper.

I read an interesting piece in the Scarborough Mirror a few weeks ago by David Nickle, who analysed how the once trailing Federal Liberals came to form a majority government in Ottawa. The answer he found was quite simple. In the 2014 Toronto Mayoral Election, after four years of Mayor Ford’s lunacy, Torontonians elected John Tory, a candidate who-like Justin Trudeau- was in third place when the campaign began.

That same year, Ontarians re-elected a provincial Liberal government that was so evidently corrupt that the Provincial Police were investigating their top advisors. In both cases, the leaders that came to power clearly did not have the best platform and were often not the electorate’s first choice, but the safest choice. In Toronto, Tory proved to be best positioned to end the Ford term in the mayoral office. In Ontario, the Liberals seemed to be the best bet in avoiding the Conservative plan to crush the public sector. Federally, something similar has happened. As Nickle concludes, the Liberals were posed as the best choice to avoid Harper serving another term as PM.

It would be foolish to think they have been given a clear mandate to rule. Yet, Canadians appear to be in love with their new Prime Minster. This is no better represented than in the media. If you read the Toronto Star endorsement of Trudeau, you may think you’ve mistaken professional journalism for a love letter. Then, there’s the CBC coverage of the swearing-in at Rideau Hall. The national broadcaster dedicated two minutes to a slow-motion shot of the new Prime Minister walking towards the residence with his wife in hand; it was a scene that looked like it belonged in the coverage of a celebrity wedding, rather than any event involving Canada’s Governor General. Peter McKay, Canada’s former Minister of Defence, may have had a point when he said that the media’s coverage of the new PM is more like watching an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

But don’t be fooled by the media façade- Canadians are about to smell the roses and if you live in Montreal, it’s going to stink!

Earlier in November, Trudeau’s new Environment Minister approved plans to begin the dumping of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River. It begs the question, WTH Mr. Trudeau? It seems that environmentalists won’t be out of a job with our new government after all. In fact, in a matter a time, when the honeymoon comes to its stench-filled end, all progressives will be back in Ottawa kicking the same old can and demanding change. When the Harper-bashing comes to an end and the media stops its endless rendition of Trudeaumania 2.0, will Canadians be returning to the polls to vote strategically once again for a change government?

Pierre Trudeau once said, “just watch me.” Now it’s his son’s turn, and indeed we’ll be doing just that.

Featured image courtesy of The Canadian Press