The euphoria surrounding Justin Trudeau’s leadership bid has conveniently clouded what the Liberal Party has stood for the past 18 years – rigid austerity and corporate tax cuts.
So far, Trudeau has given no indication that he will move away from this path in his campaign to “renew” the party. In the last federal election, Canadians rewarded the Liberals with record low number of seats in the House of Commons. So, if Trudeau wants to take his party in a new direction, now would be a good time to fill the country in on some specifics.
Charisma and slogans containing terms such as “youth” and “diversity” only go so far.
Vancouver- based columnist and activist Murray Dobbin says that if Trudeau should do a comprehensive overhaul of his party’s current policies. Among the changes Dobbin suggests are taxing the rich, increasing social spending, formulating a clear environmental policy and working with the NDP to unseat Stephen Harper. Taking a stance on these issues will consolidate a disillusioned base.
“Trudeau could get a lot of mileage from criticizing what his party has done to the country and pledging to reverse its course,” Dobbins says, “to re-establish the principles of governance that his father actually believed in.”
Trudeau could also stand up for human rights by denouncing the usage of “security certificates,” a mechanism used to deport non-citizens. Until a ruling by the Supreme Court in 2007 that the process of issuing of these certificates was unconstitutional, those pegged with these certificates couldn’t see the evidence amassed against them.
The Conservative government then introduced an amendment in 2008 that allows “special lawyers,” chosen by the justice minister, to only view “summaries” of the evidence. This amendment was supported by the Liberals.
If Trudeau wants to blaze a new path and bring a new kind of politics to his party, this would be the place to start. It will certainly bring him respect and attention from minority communities such as the growing Muslim community, who have been disproportionately targeted.
These are, of course, slow-moving changes. Nonetheless, Trudeau should commit to them in public. Doing so will rejuvenate dying support for his party, and perhaps even win over supporters from the New Democrats.
The Liberals shifted to the right even in the years of Paul Martin, who boasted as finance minister that he cut government spending to a level comparable to the 1950s. Martin’s aggressive leadership campaign and rivalry with Jean Chretien created huge schisms within the party. By crafting a defined set of policies, Trudeau can unite the party and establish a focus for the future.
Canadians are tired of wishy-washy leaders who, among other things, seemed to not know anything about what he actually wanted – or stood for.
If Trudeau can break this spell by trying to steerr his party in a different direction, then the Liberal Party may have a shot at recapturing past successes.