TRUDEAU WAS READY
There was a sense that Canadians were in the mood for change the moment Conservative Leader Stephen Harper called the marathon 11- week election campaign in the early days of August. With no clear favourite, however, it was a question of whether more Canadians would gravitate to NDP Leader Tom Mulcair or to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau — or whether Harper could pull off another mandate from a divided citizenry.
Monday evening, it became clear that Trudeau was perceived as the best agent of change, leapfrogging from third place in the House of Commons to forming government. The Liberal leader deserves full credit for running a steady campaign that emphasized the promise of real change and an end to Harper’s reputation for fostering divisions. It’s fair to say that Harper’s personal unpopularity among some segments of the electorate played a role in the Conservatives’ loss.
The Liberals’ ascension can also be attributed to a popular set of policies — promises that wouldn’t be out of place in the platforms of the Tories and the New Democrats. A cornerstone of the Liberals’ campaign was a pledge to lower the federal income tax rate from 22 to 20.5 per cent on incomes between $ 44,700 and $ 89,401, while raising taxes on the wealthiest one per cent.
The Liberals also said they would boost federal infrastructure spending to almost $ 125 billion, from the current $ 65 billion, over the next decade. Calgary has been promised $ 1.5 billion for public transit as well as an undetermined amount for flood control measures, so there are benefits from such spending, but clearly there’s a difference between strategic investments, such as Calgary’s so- called Green Line, and a free- forall that pulls the country further into debt.
It’s to be hoped Trudeau is able to discern the difference. He has treated his pledge to run $ 10- billion annual deficits for the next few years as a badge of honour. Profligate spending is to no one’s credit.
Significantly, Trudeau will form a majority government, meaning he won’t have to curry favour with the NDP to keep his party in power. A majority government provides him with a solid mandate and assures political stability for the next four years.
In the end, Canadians decided Trudeau was ready, despite the attack ads of the Conservatives.
Speaking in Calgary Monday night, Harper was gracious in accepting defeat and said he alone bears responsibility for the loss. It’s reported he’ll step down as party leader, but remain MP for Calgary Heritage. Canadians owe the prime minister a debt of gratitude for his years of inspired public service.