ATTACK ADS GREET TRUDEAU ON DAY 1
MP in ‘ over his head,’ Conservatives say
OTTAWA — Parliament Hill was abuzz Monday with talk of little red wagons and a fundraising strip tease as Justin Trudeau showed up for his first day of work as federal Liberal leader.
The House of Commons galleries — normally nearly devoid of life — were packed with spectators for Trudeau’s first appearance in question period as leader, while Conservative and NDP operatives crowded against reporters to hear his first scrum.
Some openly wondered whether they were witnessing history in the making, though others were adamant the excitement would wane and the normally staid parliamentary atmosphere would return in a matter of days.
For at least one day, however, all eyes were on Trudeau as he set about laying the foundations for the process of leading his party into the next federal election.
The Conservatives unleashed their first attack ads before the day had started, wasting no time trying to portray Trudeau in a comical, unprofessional light while alleging he is in “over his head.”
The 30- second video includes footage of Trudeau doing a strip tease at a 2011 fundraiser for the Canadian Liver Foundation, and a 1999 interview in which a quote about his father’s views on Quebec sovereignty appears to be taken deliberately out of context.
Many have wondered how Trudeau would respond to the Tory ads, which successfully branded former Liberal leader Stephane Dion as “not a leader” and Michael Ignatieff as “just visiting.”
With dozens of journalists jostling for position in the House of Commons foyer, Trudeau described the ad as a “low blow” and accused the Tories of having their priorities backward — a message that will no doubt be repeated countless times in the coming months.
“The idea that they would use ( footage of) me raising money for the fight against cancer at the same time as they’re raising prices for ( medication) for cancer patients with a new tariff they’re bringing in really demonstrates that this is a government that knows how to attack and doesn’t quite think through what it’s actually putting out there,” Trudeau said.
The Canadian Liver Foundation released its own statement saying Trudeau “should be applauded for his support of a serious health issue that affects an estimated 3.4 million Canadians.”
Meanwhile, Trudeau used his first appearance as Liberal leader in question period to try to turn the tables on the Conservatives, targeting their economic record.
Anyone expecting fireworks would have been disappointed as both Trudeau and Prime Minister Stephen Harper engaged in a workmanlike give andtake.
Both looked much more comfortable than they did during their first exchange on March 7, when Harper accidentally called Trudeau “minister” twice, a gaffe a clearly uncomfortable Trudeau failed to exploit.
This time, Trudeau accused Harper and the Tories in four straight questions of secretly raising taxes on middle- class Canadians by ending a tariff special exemption for China and more than 70 other countries.
“The prime minister can couch this in any terms he likes, but the facts are when middle- class Canadians go into a store to buy a tricycle, to buy school supplies, to buy a little red wagon for their kids, they will pay more because of a tax in their government’s budget,” said Trudeau.
“So now that the PM knows what’s in his budget, will he show good judgment, admit it’s a tax and repeal this tax on middle- class Canadians?”
Harper responded by highlighting previous Conservative reductions to the federal sales tax, noting the Liberals voted against those measures.
“What the Liberal party seems to stand for, Mr. Speaker, is that somehow we should give special tax breaks to emerging economies like China,” Harper said, after congratulating Trudeau on his leadership victory. “We think that is inappropriate.”
Besides question period and scrumming with reporters, Trudeau spent much of his first day as leader fielding congratulatory phone calls from provincial counterparts such as Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Quebec Liberal leader Philippe Couillard.