Justin Trudeau: Prime Minister of Change and Hope

(Baonghean.vn) - At only 43 years old, the son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Mr. Justin Trudeau has become the youngest prime minister in Canadian history with a pledge to bring change and hope to this North American country.

Spectacular victory

In a political environment that is considered peaceful with the three-term rule of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, this general election in Canada brought a rare dramatic atmosphere. During the 78-day campaign period, public opinion polls showed a close result between the parties.

Mr. Justin Trudeau on election day.

Contesting the 338 seats in the Canadian House of Commons this year are representatives of dozens of political parties, including the five largest political parties in Canada: the ruling Conservative Party (CPC) of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) of Mr. Thomas Mulcair, the opposition Liberal Party (LIB) of Mr. Justin Trudeau, the Green Party of Ms. Elizabeth May and the Bloc Quebec of Mr. Gilles Duceppe.

However, as the election day approaches, other parties are gradually losing steam, leaving two equally matched opponents, the Conservative Party (CPC) and the Liberal Party (LIB), with support rates of 30.1% and 38.2%, respectively. However, even with this opinion poll result, it is still predicted that it will be difficult for any political party to win 170/338 seats in the National Assembly to be able to form a government on its own.

However, the election results announced have overturned all previous predictions when Justin Trudeau's LIB party came in first with an overwhelming percentage. Accordingly, LIB received 40.9% of the votes and won in 190 constituencies, equivalent to 190/338 seats in the new House of Commons. This victory marked the return to power of the Liberal Party after nearly 10 years of absence from Canadian politics.

A Canada hungry for change

After the results of the Election Commission were announced, public opinion immediately sought to explain the spectacular victory of the LIB party and Mr. Justin Trudeau. And the “common denominator” that most people agreed on was the desire for change among Canadian voters.

Canadian voters believe that Canada's position in the international arena is weakening, and they want a change in the governing apparatus that will bring about a change in Canada's development path.

Mr. Justin Trudeau with his wife - Sophie Gregoire and children.

This slogan is compared to the slogan in the very successful election campaign of US President Barack Obama, “Hope and Change”. Mr. Trudeau himself also admitted that he admired the way Mr. Obama had comprehensively changed the way America was led in the direction of democracy. In addition, taking the middle class as an “economic lever” in the election platform also helped him win the support of this majority group in society.

Before entering the election, Justin Trudeau’s background was also dissected a lot. Among them, his young age and short political career were exploited as a weakness by the rival parties.

Mr. Justin Trudeau and his wife watch the election results.

Born in 1971, Mr. Trudeau is actually better known as a teacher and a ski instructor. It was not until 2008 that he was elected to the Liberal Party leadership, and became its President in 2013 when his predecessor retired. Therefore, during the election campaign, the Conservative Party humorously commented that Justin Trudeau had “good hair,” and implied that he was “not ready to be the country’s next prime minister.”

However, overcoming all criticisms about his age and political inexperience, Mr. Justin Trudeau still scored points with voters with strong commitments to reducing the national budget deficit and promoting economic development.

In the fight that is attracting the attention of the whole world against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), Mr. Trudeau also has a different approach from the previous Government - an approach that Canadian voters support, that "humanitarian assistance will be much better than sending planes just to prove how big they are!"

With an overwhelming majority in the House of Commons, the process of forming a government after the election will also go more smoothly. A turbulent political scene will not be the challenge awaiting the new Canadian Prime Minister, but more importantly, how he demonstrates the change he has promised to those who voted for him./.

Thuy Ngoc