Editors Note: This article states the opinion of the author, and not those of Her Campus or Her Campus at UVic. If you would like to write a response article, contact us at u-vic@hercampus.com
I’m sorry, Trudeau—it’s over. But it’s not me: it’s you.
When Trudeau was elected, Canadians and other people from around the world cheered for his very progressive and left wing politics, especially during a time in which many governments internationally appeared to be heading towards the right . While I did not vote for Trudeau myself, I believed that he would be able to reflect the change that many Canadians were hoping for after having the Harper administration for nine years. However, over a year following Trudeau’s election, people are beginning to sing a different tune. In light of recent events, it’s not surprising that people are upset with Trudeau.
Here are some reasons why I myself am no longer a fan of Trudeau, and I’m ready to move on.
1. During the election, Trudeau talked a lot about how important environmental rights were, and many of us believed that he would not approve the controversial pipelines that have been up for debate . The Northern Gateway, Trans Mountain, Enbridge, and the Kinder Morgan pipeline are all pipelines that have been met with lots of protest by First Nations groups, environmentalists, and others. However, despite election promises, Trudeau has approved three of the major pipelines, with the exception of the Northern Gateway. How can Trudeau say that he is for the environment and believes that it should be protected, if he is approving pipelines when there is evidence that points to it being dangerous for the environment? Also, for all those who argue that pipelines are the safest way to transfer oil, look at what’s going on in Saskatchewan. One of their pipelines has spilled on Ocean Man First Nation land, and the best part? NOBODY KNOWS WHICH PIPELINE HAS SPILLED! When Trudeau approved the Kinder Morgan Pipeline, Thomas Mulcair (leader of the NDP) said it was a “betrayal to British Columbians,” and I fully endorse his statement. There were so many peaceful protests to this pipeline that it’s disheartening to see the federal government override people exercising their democratic rights. If a government won’t listen to the people protesting, who are they working for? There are already First Nations groups and environmentalist who say they will fight this, with potential for the issue to go to court.
2. Trudeau said that First Nations rights were of the upmost importance to him, and that he believed in righting many of the wrongs that First Nations have had to suffer at the hands of the Canadian government. While Trudeau did approve a National Inquiry of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, his work with First Nations has fallen short since then. By approving the pipelines, Trudeau has done a great disservice to many First Nations. Also, during the election campaign, he promised First Nations that the government would adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). UNDRIP is a very forward and progressive document written by the United Nations, and if it were to be adopted by the Canadian government, it would be a huge change to the relationship that First Nations have with the government. However, it was announced that UNDRIP would not be going forward due to it being “unworkable.” This was a huge disappointment to First Nations groups and Canadians who believe it’s time for the government to start working towards reconciliation.
3. Trudeau just doesn’t do that much. I know that may sound odd, but, during the first 9 months in office, Trudeau’s government passed only 10 bills, which is the least amount of bills passed by a government in decades. To put it into perspective, when Harper was in office, nine bills were passed during the first 23 days in office. Since Trudeau has a majority government, I would expect it to be easier for him to pass bills, no? Since knowing this, I have become increasingly skeptical of all the selfies and travelling that Trudeau does. Before, I thought it was because he was concerned with more actively engaging with Canadians in comparison to Harper—now I’m not so sure. It appears I’m not the only one, as two young women lured Trudeau into talking about Indigenous Rights by asking him to take a selfie.
4. The final issue that I am going to bring up with Trudeau is his promise for electoral reform. This was a huge issue for me, and many other Canadians. Canadians have become very aware of the many issues that surround our first past the post system, and there’s been demand for reform for a number of years, even before the election kicked off. The Green and NDP parties have both been in favour of electoral reform for a number of years. However, this was the first time the Liberals—and, more importantly, one of the major two parties—said they were also in favour. This was a huge reason as to why many Canadians decided to vote for Trudeau, and to have him go back on his word is devastating for many Canadians who voted for change this past election. It seems as though we will not see any sort of electoral change under Trudeau. Instead, we will see a continuation of the same election system that we have grown tired of. As we continue to progress as a world, it only makes sense that we as a nation would continue trying to become a more democratic country. Right now, with first past the post, we have a system that over represents the major parties and underrepresents the smaller parties. We have tactical voting strategies, which some argue is the reason why Trudeau won as many seats as he did: out of fear of Harper winning again, many votes that would traditionally have gone to the NDP or other political parties went to Trudeau instead.
While Trudeau is currently rocking a 55% approval rating, it is difficult to say how the country will perceive him by the time the next election rolls around. I, however, am extremely disappointed with Trudeau and his lack of change, despite what he promised Canadians. I believe that the points I raised reflect the major promises that he has broken.
This was the first election I was able to vote in, so the reason for me being particularly upset is that I believed in him when he promised change. I wanted a government that reflected the change that many Canadians long for. I know people say never believe a politician, as they will say whatever they need to say to be elected, but I believe that politicians should be held accountable for the promises they make to voters. Politicians should no longer be elected based on empty promises. I’m sorry, Trudeau, but it’s over between us.