Justin Trudeau’s campaign: a cursed ballot

Sunday August 15th. In the morning, the Prime Minister, Justin trudeau, said goodbye to his children. That same afternoon, he went on an election campaign for 36 days, the shortest period provided for by law. An election is needed to choose how to end the crisis and ensure a post-pandemic recovery, he says outside Rideau Hall to justify a summer election in the middle of the fourth wave of COVID-19. ” Do you have something to say. “

The explanation did not stick, and Justin Trudeau was called upon to explain this choice throughout the campaign. He never admitted that his goal was to get a lost majority in 2019; he contented himself with asking for a “strong mandate” to guide the country.

10,000 kilometers from Canada, the capture of Afghanistan by the Taliban burst into the Prime Minister’s campaign. His political opponents accused him of dragging his feet and for providing too little assistance to Canadian collaborators in this country. Justin Trudeau has pledged to double the number of Afghan refugees admitted to the country to 40,000.

Even though he has been Prime Minister since 2015, Justin Trudeau has mainly campaigned on his record of the past 18 months, in particular on his management of the pandemic and on his recent projects, such as the pan-Canadian child care program included in the 2021 budget. A few days before the campaign, he announced the compulsory vaccination of federal officials. Those who refuse it still don’t know exactly what consequences they will face if the Trudeau government is re-elected.

The Liberal offensive became clear during the campaign: the conservatives are the enemy to beat. Both in party advertisements and in campaign leader speeches, the opponent Erin O’Toole is presented as a threat to the right to abortion or to stricter gun control, as a risk of privatization of the health system. Justin Trudeau attacked his conservative opponent over his refusal to demand that his own candidates be vaccinated. He doubled down, promising legislation that would protect companies demanding the vaccine from lawsuits.

With great fanfare, the Liberal leader presented his platform after everyone except the Green Party. He is however the only to have encrypted it on the spot. He does not fear future deficits: $ 78 billion in new spending over five years, in addition to the hundred billion planned for the stimulus in the budget, and $ 25 billion in new revenue.

On the other hand, Justin Trudeau has multiplied declarations of attachment to Quebec, even asking for an apology to the moderator of the debate in English for a question deemed insulting to Quebecers. Describing himself as a “proud Quebecer”, he promises a government “progressive, in our image, with our values”.

We knew that the Liberal leader attracted crowds and requests for selfies. It has become clear that he also attracts his detractors, loud and sometimes aggressive, especially in southern Ontario. Security has been reinforced around the caravan, which did not prevent someone to throw gravel at him. To these demonstrators tempted to then target a health establishment, he now promises a criminal trial.

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