The Liberals started off 2024 well behind the Conservatives in money raised
Although Canadians aren’t expected to head to the polls until October next year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a preview in Laval recently of some of the rhetoric that might be expected before then.
He was at the Château Royal in Chomedey on May 29 as the featured speaker of a Liberal Party of Canada fundraiser organized by Laval-Les Îles MP Fayçal El-Khoury.
According to a CTV News Ottawa bureau report in January, the Liberals were starting off the year well behind the Conservative Party of Canada in terms of fundraising.
Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives had a record-setting fundraising year in 2023 – raising $35.2 million, according to the network – while the Liberals raised $15.6 million in donations during the same period.
Political style consistent
While Trudeau’s popularity with Quebecers and Canadians has dropped considerably since 2015 when he first became prime minister, his campaigning style has changed surprisingly little since then.
As always, he projects a generally unflustered disposition that manages to deflect even the harshest criticism, while continuing to bask in a somewhat diminished aura of stardom on the country’s central political stage.
Trudeau’s longstanding penchant for being photographed with admirers was again on display.
Those attending the Château Royal event were invited after he had spoken to mount the stage in order to have their picture taken with the PM by a professional photographer. Cell phone selfies were specifically ruled out.
Parity and diversity
Introducing the prime minister to a predominantly male audience dressed in business suits, El-Khoury, who has won three elections in Laval-Les Îles since 2015 with very comfortable results, described Trudeau as a leader who supports gender parity and cultural diversity.
“We care about every single Canadian,” he said, referring to the Liberals. “We don’t care about the colour of his skin, or the country he comes from, or the faith he believes.”
Trudeau reacted to Conservative leader Poilièvre’s assertions that the Liberals have overspent
He described Trudeau as a leader who embraces the view that “a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian” and as someone who seeks to “make Canada the best place in the world, the best place to live.”
Brushes off Poilièvre remarks
Trudeau reacted directly to Conservative leader Poilièvre’s frequent assertions that the Liberal government has overspent during the nine years it has been in office and that the Conservatives would implement more austerity.
“We have the lowest deficit in the G7,” he maintained, while noting that Canada is rated by international bankers as having one of the strongest-performing economies in the world.
He alluded to reactionary regimes in various countries, “where people are quick to amplify, to increase divisions and frustration, to highlight differences in the hopes of getting a little more political advantage.”
Social media dangers
Trudeau called this kind of situation “particularly dangerous in a country like Canada where our differences have always been a source of strength.”
Commenting on the negative effects of social media, he suggested that people have stopped listening to each other and learning from each other largely because of social media’s impact. “And that’s something that’s dangerous, not just for Canada and for this extraordinary diverse and rich society we’ve built, but it’s dangerous for democracy,” said Trudeau.
