Inside Justin Trudeau’s first two years in power
In this performance report, we take stock of how the PM has fared at the halfway point of his term
This Magazine@thismagazine
Justin Trudeau has reached the midway point of his term as prime minister. But after two years in power, how much change has he truly made? In this special report, we grade Trudeau’s performance—and our PM has some serious work to do.
TRUDEAU’S MEDIA PRESENCE: C-
“When American news is dominated by a president with no filter, it’s hard to not be enraptured by our self-proclaimed feminist hunk prime minister…. It’s hard to see when we should be genuinely applauding him and when we’re just swooning over a Ken doll with half-decent politics—because our leader seems so much better than the alternative.”
TRUDEAU ON INDIGENOUS RIGHTS: F
“Trudeau can no longer scrape by with prime ministerial tweets and tokenistic gestures in the hopes that they might somehow solve the problems at hand. Indigenous people, and upcoming generations, want more than ‘a place to store their canoes and paddles so they can connect back out on the land.'”
TRUDEAU ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS: D
“This is the Liberals’ diplomacy under Trudeau in a nutshell: They are a bulwark of the worst impulses of liberalism and capitalism, and effect superficial dedication to social justice issues in an effort to mask their less-than-savoury endeavours.”
TRUDEAU ON SOCIAL ISSUES: B-
“We’re not used to a leader who will take off his shoes and walk into a mosque or a teepee, sit with us, and tell us, ‘You belong here.’ But, with only two years left to go, it’s time for more concrete policy that addresses the underlying issues and fears of these minority communities.”
TRUDEAU ON THE ECONOMY: B
“Trudeau was forced to push himself out of the worst economic decade since the Second World War, and after a sluggish start, Canada’s economy has indeed picked up.”