Parliament session will test PM’s resolve

Now that Parliament has reconvened for the fall session, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces his true test.

We’re going to learn whether he and his promises are, as they increasingly appear to be, nothing more than surface level platitudes. Or if he truly is going to do everything in his power to be the champion of middle-class Canadians.

The PM faces a barrage of issues from both the Conservatives and NDP now that question period has started up again.

The summer saw a number of topics rise to the fore that will no doubt dominate in the days ahead.

Like the Liberal government’s decision to make Omar Khadr a rich man by awarding him $10.5 million before a court had weighed in on the accused killer’s claim.

An overwhelming majority of Canadians opposed the rushed payout. Trudeau will face renewed blow back and for good reason.

A judge’s decision last week that Khadr can’t have unrestricted access to his sister because there’s no reason to indicate her extreme views have gone away is another reminder of how raw this story is for Canadians.

Then there is the start of the heritage committee that the controversial M103 called for. It claims to be against all racism and discrimination — which any good Canadian should support — yet puts unnecessary focus on Islamophobia, a phrase that’s widely open to interpretation.

Liberal Muslims and other critics are right to be worried about radicalism and free speech.

The two most complex public policy issues, however, are the NAFTA negotiations and the tax rules for corporations.

On the former, the Liberals have oddly suggested environmentalism and feminism should be at the fore. There’s nothing wrong with rooting for these issues, but NAFTA talks shouldn’t be about pandering to agendas.

On the latter, their confused rhetoric is leaving law-abiding business owners and their tax advisers worried. How much money is the government trying to take from their bank accounts?

Business owners and entrepreneurs who’ve been following the rules all of these years shouldn’t suddenly be punished in the name of “tax fairness” when there’s nothing provenly unfair about the status quo.

Governing has suddenly become much more complicated for Trudeau. This session is make or break.