Trudeau is no feminist, say his opponents ahead of election
JUSTIN TRUDEAU’S feminist credentials have been called into question as the Canadian prime minister fights to defend his record before a snap election he called to boost his mandate.
In an election debate on Thursday, Mr Trudeau’s opponents attacked his leadership and accused him of putting political ambitions above governing.
He was interrogated over his treatment of former female colleagues and his handling of the crisis in Afghanistan by the leaders of the country’s four other main parties.
Mr Trudeau, 49, who routinely labels himself a feminist, was questioned on his record in light of sexual misconduct scandals within the military.
He defended his government, which he argued has worked to improve support for sexual assault survivors.
In one of the most personal attacks of the night, Annamie Paul, the Green Party leader, said: “I do not believe that Mr Trudeau is a real feminist.”
Ms Paul suggested Mr Trudeau had pushed “strong women out of his party”, naming three female former Liberal politicians who had quit or been ousted after coming into conflict with the prime minister.
Mr Trudeau has previously been mocked for using clumsy phrasing to burnish his feminist credentials. During the campaign trail he repeated his vow to “counter the she-cession and turn it into a she-covery”, leading one commentator to castigate his “patronising brand of feminism”.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the Leftwing New Democratic Party, also criticised his environmental record, saying: “You had six years and you’ve got the worst track record in all the G7. How can people trust you?”
Mr Trudeau called a snap vote for Sept 20 in the hope of securing a stronger mandate, but his ratings have since dipped and some polls suggest the rival Conservatives could win enough seats to form a government.
The debate at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa was the only English-language one of the election.
With the campaign entering its final stretch, senior figures in Mr Trudeau’s campaign privately admitted his performance had been disappointing. “Worst debate ever,” one of the aides said.
Aaron Wudrick, a policy director at the Macdonald-laurier Institute, said he was surprised by how “agitated” he appeared for much of the debate. “Trudeau is now getting a taste of how frustrating it can be to have a governing track record with baggage while baggage-free challengers make lofty promises – an approach he himself deployed masterfully six years ago,” he said.
A Nanos Research Poll on Thursday put the Conservatives, led by Erin O’toole, 48, two points ahead of Mr Trudeau’s Liberal Party.
Mr Trudeau has come under fire for calling an election two years early. “You shouldn’t have called an election, you should have gotten the job done in Afghanistan,” Mr O’toole told him during the debate.
The prime minister insisted he did not regret his decision at a campaign stop in Hamilton yesterday, saying: “Whichever government people elect is going to be making decisions, not months from now but now, on how we move forward from the pandemic.”