Trudeau’s Triumph: The Canadian General Election

On Monday, Oct. 21st, Canadian citizens took to the voting booths in order to elect their next Prime Minister, who will serve as head of government for the next four years. The winner of the election was 47-year-old incumbent Justin Trudeau. Trudeau, a member of Canada’s Liberal Party, was first sworn into office back in November of 2015. Although he has secured another win, the Canadian state will undoubtedly see some change in government operations due to the fact Trudeau’s Liberal Party is now the parliamentary minority. The Conservative Party won 121 seats, out of a total of 338. This resulted in a 20 seat loss for the Liberals, allowing for the Bloc Quebecois and the New Democratic Party to split the remaining spots that were not won over by the Conservatives. Trudeau maintains that he will carry on with his progressive agenda despite this change.

The results of this year’s elections in Canada have reflected the growing political divide the country faces. One of the most controversial issues this new government will have to face in particular pertains to an oil pipeline expansion project, the Trans Mountain Pipeline, which Trudeau greatly supports. The New Democratic Party and the Green Party disapprove of this project. Trudeau’s government purchased the pipeline in 2018 with promises to create an extension that would double the capacity of the current pipeline. The Liberal Party will now face even more of a challenge in implementing this project than it previously might have, given the new parliamentary majority. Other policy priorities for Trudeau’s government include tackling climate change and implementing national universal pharmaceutical care. He rejects the idea of a coalition government and instead intends to gain parliamentary support for his minority government. His new cabinet will be sworn in on November 20th.

Trudeau’s main opposition, Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer, emphasizes his belief that Trudeau’s main focus should be on uniting the nation. It is no secret that the country often battles in terms of finding common ground between political parties. However, it is hard to predict what new initiatives and policy preferences might takeover with this new, politically mixed government.