The Trudeau Record
These are my opinions on the Trudeau Government's record. You may, and probably will, disagree.
The Good
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)
It is wonderful to see Canada lead here. Trudeau just cancelled MAID's expansion which I understand given the political pressure he faced, but I hope he overcomes that pressure in the future. Either way, it's a big win for Trudeau.
The Alternative: believe Conservatives would be worse on this. Poilievre says he would not support the expansion of MAID for mental health issues, but he has not said what his position is on the current MAID legislation or whether he would change it.Legalizing Cannabis
I hate illegal drugs, and I dislike most illegal drug users personally, but prohibition was a total failure.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on this. Poilievre voted against legalization and has not said whether he would keep cannabis legal if he becomes PM. He has stated that he would take us backwards on decriminalization.Banning Foreign Home Buyers
We have a housing crisis and drastic measures were called for. Trudeau took this drastic step. He's also just announced a huge subsidy program (the Apartment Construction Loan Program) to encourage the building of new rental housing. This could become a negative if Trudeau doesn't make the ban on foreign buyers permanent.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on this. Poilievre voted against the ban (in the budget of April 2022) and has been skeptical about such bans, but he hasn't made a clear statement on whether he would keep, extend, or repeal the ban. It seems likely to me he would either repeal it or allow it to expire.Canadian Vaccine Industry
We saw what happens in a pandemic when vaccines are in short supply. Other countries hoard them. We need to have them made in Canada so that we can hoard them instead. Vaccines being made in Canada wasn't a thing before. It is now because of Liberal government subsidies and incentives for the vaccine industry.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on this. Poilievre has said nothing, but Conservatives are generally against business subsidies. I am generally against business subsidies, too, but this is an exceptional case and it is in our national interest to support it.Dental Care
The new program is half-assed and only helps people with less than $90k in annual income, but it is better than what we had before, which is nothing. Credit the NDP on this, too. Our country is simply better if everyone, including the poor, has good teeth. And good health, but that was already looked after.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on this. Poilievre is against it, which I find irritating given his own excellent dental benefits through Parliament.Pharmacare
This was in the negative column until February of 2024, when they announced it was a done deal just before the deadline with the NDP. I'm sure that's a coincidence. :) There are no details yet (written Feb 29, 2024), but any program is better than what we have, which is nothing. Again, huge credit to the NDP for this.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on this. They generally don't believe in social programs. As usual, Poilievre has said nothing.Immigration
Our reality is that Canadian-born kids don't want jobs that involve getting dirty, and we have millions of job openings that involve exactly that. That work has to get done or we will fall into decline. We desperately need workers and Trudeau brought some in. A million a year, to be specific. Now he needs to do something about housing them, but that's a previous bullet point.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on this. Harper especially was a total disaster on this, leaving businesses unable to hire due to onerous bureaucracy. Poilievre has criticized Trudeau but has refused to say whether he would change the current target of 1 million immigrants per year.The CBC
Yes, it is flawed but we are less of a nation without a national broadcaster. It's also not as bad as people say. Trudeau keeps it alive.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on this. Poilievre has advocated defunding the CBC and has hinted about selling off its buildings.Senate Reform
Trudeau made all Liberal senators Independent. He turned the Senate into a non-partisan body.
The Alternative: Conservatives would be worse on this. Poilievre has said nothing, as usual, but the Conservatives have not made their Senators independent under his leadership.The Economy
Sane taxation levels. No huge tax cuts for the rich. Reasonable deficits and debt. No, our economy is not perfect, but we're doing better than the other G7 nations, especially when debt-to-GDP is factored in. Trudeau has done well here.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on this. They would talk about balanced books, then cut taxes on the rich and run huge, record-breaking deficits, as Conservatives almost always do (look up Harper and Mulroney for reference). Poilievre has advocated tax cuts, which I find silly given that our tax rates are already lower than those in most of the Western world. Liberals generally strike the right balance here.Our Standing in the World
Under Trudeau, we have restored our relations with other countries, which Harper nearly destroyed. Canada was a pariah under the Conservatives, who thought little of burning bridges. We were disliked and mocked all around the world. We are now highly respected in the world again, and I value that.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on this. Harper was the worst PM of my lifetime on this topic. Poilievre has said little.The Pandemic
Trudeau handled the COVID-19 pandemic quite well, overall. He overreacted on many things (as noted in the "bad" section below) but so did most countries. There was a worldwide panic and the Canadian response was well handled. This includes Trudeau's invocation of the Emergency Measures Act to clamp down on the Trucker Protest.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would have been worse on this, but we will never know. Poilievre has said he hates how Trudeau handled it but has not said what he would have done differently.Guns
Trudeau is unfriendly to guns and has tried to make life as miserable as possible for gun owners, often with no rhyme or reason behind his draconian gun restrictions. I approve.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on this. This is a rare case where Poilievre has made his position clear: he is strongly pro-gun. While I disagree with his position, I appreciate his forthrightness and wish he would be as clear on more issues.Canada Builds, Rent and Groceries Affordability, National School Food Program
It's about time for all of these.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on these. Conservatives generally don't believe in social programs.Private Medical Care
Trudeau opposes private medical care and refuses to amend the Canada Health Act to permit it. He also actively enforces that act, threatening to withdraw money from provinces that violate it. This is core to the integrity of our universal health care system. Let rich people do their medical tourism to other countries. We don't need to encourage that at home.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be worse on this. Poilievre has not said what his position is on private medical care, but Conservatives are generally far more open to the idea than Liberals.
The Bad
The Trans Mountain Pipeline
We should rename it the Justin Trudeau pipeline so that when a disaster happens, we know who to blame.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be the same on this. They would have been better but they're not going to undo it now. Poilievre criticizes Trudeau but has not said what he'd do with the Trans Mountain Pipeline if he's elected.Israel
More slavish and sycophantic support of Israel, which is totally out of line with what Canadians want.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be even worse on this, as hard as that is to imagine. This is another rare case where Poilievre is clear: he would kiss ass even more than Trudeau.Indigenous Issues
Again totally out of line with what Canadians want.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be better on this. Trying hard on this issue was one of the few good things Harper did. Poilievre has said nothing.Transgender Issues
Trudeau supports the promotion of transgenderism, especially in schools. Again totally out of line with what Canadians want.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be better on this. Poilievre has said little, although he has supported Alberta's right to implement legislation curtailing trans rights. He specifically has not said what clear steps he would take if elected Prime Minister.The Online News Act
A ridiculous law forcing FB and Google to pay for links, which resulted in FB simply banning links from Canadians. Now we have less Canadian content, not more. Idiotic move.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be better on this. It is unlikely they would have introduced this law, and they may well repeal it if they take power. As usual, Poilievre has said nothing. Well, he said doesn't like what Trudeau did but he won't say if he'd withdraw this silly tax on links.Lockdowns & Travel Bans
Trudeau did no worse than other countries on this, but in retrospect, it was an overreaction. I still give him credit for handling the COVID-19 pandemic well, overall.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would probably have been better on this, and will probably be better on the matter of lockdowns in future pandemics. We'll never know the former and I hope we'll never know the latter. As usual, Poilievre says he hates what Trudeau did, but he is light on detail about what he would have done differently.Electoral Reform
I cut him some slack on this as the committee recommended Proportional Representation, which would've resulted in endless gridlock. I would rather have nothing than PR.
The Alternative: I believe Conservatives would be the same on this. They would have been worse but they're the same now as neither party is going to do anything. No Conservative wants electoral reform as the current first-past-the-post system is the only one in which Conservatives could ever form a government in Canada.