The general election held in Canada on October 19 was special for many reasons. Firstly, it was the first such event after the changes to national legislation mandating that general elections should be held in the country every four years on the third Monday of October. This can be considered a move closer to the American model, under which the presidential elections in the US are held on the Tuesday right after the first Monday in November in years divisible by four without remainder. Secondly, it was the first ever electoral victory for a party which ranked third in the parliament before the vote, and it was a record-breaking progress for it as well. Led by Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party has increased its representation from 34 seats to nearly 190, giving it a majority in the 338-seat parliament. The second and third places went to the Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP), with 101 and 39 MPs accordingly. And thirdly, it marked the first time in Canadian history that a person born at the official residence of the prime minister (24 Sussex Drive) returned there as head of government. Justin Trudeau was born exactly there on Christmas 43 years ago and lived there for almost 12 years when his father Pierre Trudeau led the government.
And fourthly, 43-year-old Trudeau was helped by his use of Barack Obama’s slogan “Hope and change,” which he paraphrased as “Real change.” It worked indeed, because 70 percent of Canadians said it was time for a change when asked by pollsters. Photogenic Trudeau often gathered large crowds for his rallies, which brought comparisons with the Kennedy dynasty and election campaigns of Obama.
Addressing his supporters after Conservative leader Stephen Harper conceded his defeat, Trudeau said: “Canadians sent a clear message tonight – it’s time for a change in this country. We beat fear with hope, we beat cynicism with hard work. And above all, we have overcome the idea that Canadians would settle for less.” On his Twitter, the newly elected prime minister wrote one word in English and French: “Ready.” It should be recalled that during the election campaign, Harper paraphrased Trudeau’s first name as “Just not ready.”
As for the political career of Trudeau Jr., it was short indeed, but spectacular. After working as teacher and snowboard instructor, he was first elected to the parliament on the Liberal Party’s ticket in 2008 and re-elected in 2011. Even then, people saw him as a future leader, but he refused to enter the fight for the position of party leader. Finally, he agreed to do so in 2012. During the leadership campaign, he was much criticized for lack of experience and vague political stances, and these accusations resurfaced during the just-ended parliamentary campaign, but he still won the leadership election by a large margin in 2013.
WHAT “REAL CHANGE” IS PROPOSED BY THE NEW PRIME MINISTER?
First of all, Trudeau will lobby for a tax increase for Canadian citizens with incomes over 200,000 dollars per year, and a reduction of taxes for the middle class. Secondly, he promised to work out the right way of pot legalization if elected. He also wants to double government spending on infrastructure, which would bring “modest short-term deficit” for the country, justified by the need to accelerate economic growth.
“WE HOPE THAT THE UKRAINIAN VOICES WILL BE HEARD IN THE LIBERAL PARTY JUST AS STRONGLY AS THEY WERE IN THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY”
Andrii SHEVCHENKO, appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada, Kyiv:
“First, we expect that under new parliament and new government, Canada will stay a strong strategic partner for Ukraine, just as it was previously. All three main parties contesting the election clearly stated their support for Ukraine during the campaign and I think we can only hope that it will stay so in the future.
“As for the Harper government, today, I think, is the moment when we as a country can say: thank you, the outgoing prime minister, for your very strong support for Ukraine. I think that very strong mechanisms of such support have been created over these years, and Canada was the country that came first with its assistance on many occasions in the past two years.
“We have one wish for the new government – to see all existing achievements strengthened, and our cooperation improved or enhanced, wherever we can do it.
“During the election campaign, future prime minister Trudeau said that he would like to give a thought to some new tools of economic assistance to Ukraine. This means that we can get good openings in this area. I would like to remind you that we recently signed an agreement on free trade zone with Canada. I think that now is the time to buttress this document with real projects.”
You probably know that Canadians of Ukrainian descent expressed their support for Harper and feared that the Liberals’ policy may be less pro-Ukrainian. What do you say to that?
“I heard about the fears that a Liberal government may be weaker and softer on Russia and the issue of sanctions. It seems quite likely to me that these fears will remain just that. I think we need to work on it. This is a new government, and, of course, bilateral relations will have to be built anew from scratch in many aspects. There are purely interpersonal contacts and some other cooperation mechanisms to work on, but for all that, I see no reason why Ukraine should lose these achievements that we had with the Harper government.
“I will add that there is a powerful Ukrainian lobby among Canadian Liberals. It is enough to mention Chrystia Freeland, the legendary journalist and politician of Ukrainian origin and a long-term friend of Ukraine. She is a prominent figure in the party. We hope that the Ukrainian voices will be heard in the Liberal Party just as strongly as they were in the Conservative Party.
“I am following reports of my Canadian friends and there are at least seven new members of Ukrainian origin who will take their seats in the parliament. Canada is made so that the Ukrainian factor is always present in its politics and this voice is always there.
“It should be noted that the issue of Ukraine in this election campaign was important, but not crucial. Primarily, it saw Canada solving its internal issues. And it was an interesting campaign, meaningful and reasoned, involving a true competition between platforms and different approaches. I think that this campaign should give the country an opportunity for meaningful progress.
“In my opinion, the key divide was change or the lack of it. In this sense, Trudeau’s victory means change. I think that Canada will appreciate the good work done by Harper and his team who led the country since 2006. However, nine years is a long time in power, even for a country where things are going well.
“Now to the peculiar features of this campaign. It is believed that it was the longest campaign in the nation’s history. Secondly, many noted that the campaign was largely similar to very loud, impressive, and spectacular events we see in the US, with major TV presence and mass involvement.
“Trudeau employed a few innovative techniques during the campaign. One of them was that his campaign manager and close friend Gerald Butts accompanied Trudeau for the almost entire campaign. It is a digression from the standard practice, which has the campaign manager sitting at the headquarters, while the candidate travels around the country.
“The Liberals demonstrated their ability to think outside the box here, and all observers noted that Trudeau had a very strong campaign with a particularly strong finish that allowed the Liberals to make this finish spurt.
“I want to congratulate Canadians on their choice and wish them what we wish for ourselves each election: to have responsible politicians bringing the best possible result to the people and serving their constituents as well as they can. We will keep our fingers crossed for them.”
