OPINION
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The Trudeau honeymoon will come to an end
F
ollowing a gruelling 11-week election campaign, it may come as no surprise that a resounding win for the Liberals left many Canadians in a state of euphoria. First, a clear majority for the Liberals means we don’t have to fear another election call six months down the road, which may have been the case in a minority government situation. Second, the entire world has headlined news about Canada’s handsome new prime minister, which should lend itself to fodder for comedians and editorialists alike for the next six months. As was the case in 2009, when U.S. President Barack Obama first took office, however, this is the honeymoon period. Few in Ottawa can forget Obama’s visit to Ottawa within weeks of the inauguration, his spontaneous trip to the ByWard Market to meet regular Canadians – embarrassingly, we still have Obama Cookies as a memorial to this celebrity event. It was a nightmare for his security
BRYNNA LESLIE Capital Muse detail, but added to the post-election euphoria linked to a handsome, young leader, who also happened to be the first black president in America’s history. As for Canada’s new prime minister-elect, he spent the morning after the election meeting and thanking voters in a Montreal Metro station. The king of the selfie, Trudeau shook hands and posed for at least half a dozen smartphone photos in the video footage I saw. The following day, he was back at it on Parliament Hill. He has vowed to live under less security than his predecessor to make himself more approachable and available to the people of Canada, which is both welcome and frightening. On the whole, it’s all very lovely.
I’ve been caught up in the viral shares of news headlines, photos and online quizzes. One of my favourites was “Trudeau vs. Zoolander,” where you have to guess whether our new prime minister or Ben Stiller’s character gave voice to a particular quote. I achieved 70 per cent on my first round. But what happens after the honeymoon? First, we’ll wait to see who Trudeau appoints to his cabinet on Nov. 4. He has promised a smaller cabinet than that of his predecessor, one where ministers have more autonomy from the PMO and one that is 50 per cent women. The latter promise shouldn’t be hard to fulfill. There are a number of veteran woman Liberals—Judy Sgro, Kirsty Duncan, Carolyn Bennett and Joyce Murray—any of whom could easily be established in cabinet. There are also a number of newcomers, including Ottawa Centre’s Catherine McKenna, an international affairs lawyer, and the founder of the NGO Level, formerly known as Lawyers Without Borders. Sharp as a tack
and with international experience in southeast Asia, McKenna is pegged as a favourite for Foreign Affairs, which would make her Canada’s third-ever woman in this portfolio. Once the cabinet is established, then the real work begins. For those anticipating or dreading radical change, don’t hold your breath. These things take time. Trudeau has promised to pull Canada out of the conflict against the Islamic State, but it’s my expectation that even that could take up to a year. Whatever was promised in the campaign, the process of transition needs to go through the bureaucracy, both international and domestic. The same goes for legalization of marijuana, tax changes and international trade agreements. The new government will be bound and restricted by what the previous government has put in place. Some things may take more than a
four-year term to unravel or reverse. The most interesting thing from where I sit is the change of mood. Regardless of the inevitable gaffes and missteps that will take the shine off Trudeau in the coming weeks, the promise of more openness from the new governing party – including more media availability – is a welcome one for those of us in the world of journalism. Will the government and the prime minister maintain that promise when they realize how sharply the media will scrutinize and hold them to account? That remains to be seen. Our collective honeymoon with Trudeau and his government will come to an end sooner or later. But that doesn’t mean we have to let go of our nostalgia for a young and handsome leader who promised change – because Moulin de Provence has Obama Cookies for everyone.
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Chief electoral officer thanks workers To the editor,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 230,000 Canadians who contributed to the successful delivery of the 42nd general election. Once again, Canadians were willing to take time from their busy lives, making personal and professional sacrifices to work long hours to ensure their fel-
low citizens could exercise their democratic right to vote and receive the election results without delay following the close of the polls. I am overwhelmed by the exceptional professionalism and dedication our election workers have demonstrated in serving Canadian electors, often in very challenging circumstances. There will be time in the coming
weeks and months to review our electoral procedures and consider ways they could be modernized for future elections. For now, our dedicated election workers should take great pride in their accomplishments and important contributions to our society. Marc Mayrand Chief electoral officer of Canada
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Kanata Kourier-Standard - Thursday, October 29, 2015 7