Trudeau vows fresh approach
OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau officially becomes prime minister on Nov. 4 and will unveil his cabinet the same day.
However, he remained vague Tuesday on when Parliament would return or when Canadian military aircraft would stop bombing ISIL forces in Iraq and Syria.
Trudeau’s first full day as prime minister-designate was a whirlwind of activity clearly aimed at showing Canadians he would be a different type of prime minister, and that his Liberals would be a different type of government than Stephen Harper’s Conservatives.
The victorious Liberal leader shook hands and posed for selfies with dozens of excited morning commuters in Montreal. He said Canadians had better get used to such interactions, despite what some will see as security concerns.
“One thing I’ve shown throughout my career, and especially during the campaign and in the time that I’ve been leader, is, for me, being in touch with Canadians, hearing them, listening to them, is a big priority,” he said. “I will continue to be open and accessible and in contact with Canadians.”
Trudeau returned to Ottawa around noon to speak to party volunteers and campaign workers. He told them that while it was a day to celebrate, “our hard work is only beginning. Our goal all along was not just to give Canadians a different government, but a better government.”
He talked about listening to scientists, working with the public service, and delivering on the commitments he made during the election campaign. He also delivered a message to Canada’s “friends all around the world.”
“Many of you have worried that Canada has lost its compassion and constructive voice in the world over the last 10 years,” he said, in reference to criticism of the Conservatives’ foreign policy over the past decade. “Well, I have a simple message for you. On behalf of 35 million Canadians, we’re back.”
During his first news conference with Parliament Hill journalists as prime minister-designate, Trudeau said he would announce a cabinet on Nov. 4, the day he officially becomes Canada’s 23rd prime minister.
He reiterated his plan to have gender equality around the cabinet table, and said it would be smaller than Harper’s last cabinet.
Trudeau wouldn’t set a timeline for implementing campaign promises. Those include ending Canada’s bombing campaign against ISIL; establishing a panel to help appoint senators to the upper chamber; and beginning work on an electoral system to replace the current system of first-past-thepost.
“Our approach is to name a cabinet as quickly as possible,” Trudeau said when asked when his government would release the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal. “Until that point, our constitutional obligation is that we have a single prime minister, and on Nov. 4 it becomes me.”
Trudeau said he had spoken to U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday about a variety of subjects, including ISIL and the Keystone XL pipeline.
“I committed that ... Canada has a role to play in the fight against ISIL,” Trudeau said. “But he understands the commitments I’ve made around ending the combat mission.”
Asked specifically when the jets would be coming home, Trudeau replied: “We will be moving forward with our campaign commitments in a responsible fashion. We want to ensure that the transition is done in an orderly fashion.”
In March, Parliament approved a 12-month extension of the bombing mission and a related training effort in northern Iraq. The motion was adopted thanks to the Conservative majority in the House. Both the Liberals and NDP opposed it.
Trudeau also promised during the campaign that his first order of business when Parliament resumed would be to cut income taxes for middle-class earners.