Re: "Scheer malarky over Trudeau," by Kathi Travers, May 31.
The Conservative party has elected a new leader, Andrew Scheer, who has been variously described as "Harper with a smile," a "safe choice" and a "PM in waiting." At 38, he is seven years younger than Trudeau. Maxime Bernier came a close second on his platform of free market libertarianism. But neither of them has enough support to beat ever popular Justin Trudeau.
To understand the second landslide of Trudeau, one may take a look at 18th-century Britain where William Pitt the Younger, following in the footsteps of his famous father, William Pitt the Elder, became prime minister at the tender age of 24 and was ridiculed for his lack of experience. A popular ditty commented that it was "a sight to make all nations stand and stare: a kingdom trusted to a schoolboy's care." But he proved to be successful. He reformed the Canadian and Indian governments, abolished the slave trade, created a "sinking fund" to pay down the debt and signed a trade treaty with France. He also kept Britain out of the turmoil of the French Revolution. He served as prime minister of Britain for 17 years and died young in office at the age of 46. Most historians consider him as Britain's greatest prime minister who oversaw Britain's transformation from a rural and agricultural society to an urban and industrial one.
Justin Trudeau shares many traits with Pitt the Younger. Like younger Pitt, he is the son of a great Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. He is also very charismatic. Although not as young as Pitt the Younger, at 44, he is young enough to satisfy the public yearning for change after a decade of Harper government. He has been largely successful in his first year in office. He successfully re-resettled 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada, addressed the grievances of native Canadians, signed the climate change agreement and passed an infrastructure budget. He also stood up against U.S. President Donald Trump and his bullying tactics. In Trump's "Buy American" protectionism, Bernier's free-market libertarianism would be a cry in the wilderness.
Although I am disappointed by his abandoning of electoral reform pledge, Trudeau is likely to be re-elected in a second landslide. Trudeau the Younger seems poised to replicate the feat of Pitt the Younger, at least in the short run.
Mahmood Elahi
Prince George
