A few months ago, the success of Justin Trudeau in the Canadian elections seemed an unlikely future. Criticized for his age, lack of experience and slightly more left-wing approach to politics, he was an unlikely contender.
The Liberals, who won a decisive majority government with 184 seats, started the campaign with a mere 36 seats in the House of Commons and defied all odds to defeat the Conservatives.
So what changes does he hope to introduce to Canada?
Refugee Crisis
Trudeau recently announced promises to resettle 25,000 refugees in Canada before January 1st. Following the Paris attacks, Trudeau has stood by these plans, despite a wane in support from Canadian public.
Trudeau’s new policy differed from the previous Conservative government, which planned on admitting 10,000 refugees over the next three years.
For those with concerns of security, Canadian Prime minister stated;
“It didn’t take the tragedy in Paris for us to suddenly realize that security’s important. We’ve known for a long time, and we continue to be very much committed to keeping Canadians safe while we do the right thing to engage responsibly on this humanitarian crisis.”
How does Trudeau’s stance on the refugee crisis differ from the UK’s government? David Cameron bucked to pressure in early September, announcing an expanded resettlement programme for Britain, hoping to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years. He has since however stated that he wants to put more effort into returning migrants to their country of origin.
Climate Change
Trudeau’s predecessor was a well known sceptic but Time Magazine believes that Canada’s new prime minister is ‘good news’ for the fight against climate change.
In a speech given earlier this year, Trudeau said;
“In 2015, pretending that we have to choose between the economy and the environment is as harmful as it is wrong,”
With plans to introduce a carbon pricing scheme to reduce emissions and attending conferences in Paris later this month, Trudeau is hoping to show support and create higher profile for talks around climate change.
Following recent polls, it is clear Canadians believe Trudeau to be the best person for the job. The question now is, for how long will this political honeymoon last?
Safiya Bashir on 23/11/2015
