Premiership of Justin Trudeau
The premiership of Justin Trudeau began on November 4, 2015, when the first Cabinet headed by Justin Trudeau was sworn in by Governor General David Johnston. Trudeau was invited to form the 29th Canadian Ministry and become Prime Minister of Canada following the 2015 election, where Trudeau's Liberal Party won a majority of seats in the House of Commons of Canada, defeating the Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government.
The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came second only to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper in terms of keeping their campaign promises, according to a comprehensive study published in August 2019.
2015 Canadian federal election
In the 2015 Canadian federal election, held on October 19, 2015, the Liberal Party, led by Trudeau, won 184 seats and formed a majority government. Trudeau and his cabinet were sworn in on November 4, 2015. The Conservative Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper, won 99 seats, becoming the Official Opposition. Harper had served as Prime Minister from 2007 through 2015.2019 Canadian federal election
In the 2019 Canadian federal election, held on October 21, 2019, the Liberals, under Prime Minister Trudeau, have 157 seats in the 43rd Canadian Parliament, which represents a loss of 20 seats. As a results, Trudeau formed a minority government. The Conservatives, under Andrew Scheer, have 122 seats after gaining 26 in the election, and winning the popular vote. The Bloc Quebecois, under newly-elected Stephane Bergeron, now has "third-party status in the House of Commons" having increased their seats from 22 to 32. The New Democratic Party, under Jagmeet Singh lost 15 seats and held 25. The Green Party now have three seats when previously they only held one, that of the party leader Elizabeth May.Cabinet
Following the November 4, 2015 Rideau Hall swearing in ceremony by Governor General David Johnston, Justin Trudeau, was invited to form his Cabinet and to become the 29thPrime Minister of Canada. The Liberal Party, led by Trudeau, won a majority of the seats in the House of Commons of Canada, defeating the Conservative led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The original members of the 29th Canadian Ministry included fifteen men and fifteen women and was the first gender-balanced cabinet in Canadian history. Following the July 2018 cabinet shuffle, the cabinet consisted of 34 members with 17 women and 17 men, excluding Trudeau.
Trudeau has promised to decentralize power from the Prime Minister's Office and give Cabinet a larger role in governing, stating "government by cabinet is back".
Popular support
Justin Trudeau won the 2015 Canadian federal election with 6,943,276 votes, representing 39.47% of votes cast. In the following election in 2019, Justin Trudeau's Liberals won the most seats, but they ended up losing the popular vote to Andrew Scheer's Conservative party. Indeed, the Liberals only received 6,018,728 votes compared to the Conservatives' 6,239,227.Opinion polling between the 2015 and 2019 federal elections
From his election until the end of 2017, Justin Trudeau's liberals enjoyed a large lead in public opinion polls. In 2018, the Conservatives and Liberals exchanged leads in opinion polls. In the beginning of 2019, The conservatives took the lead following the SNC-Lavalin affair, but polls returned to a virtual tie during the summer and stayed that way until the election in October 2019.Opinion polling after the 2019 federal elections
Following the election, polls were very virtually tied between the Liberals and the Conservatives until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, after which Trudeau's Liberals took a large lead.Leadership polls
Since the beginning of his premiership, Justin Trudeau topped the overwhelming majority of polls asking which of the main party leaders would make the best party leader.Approval rating
According to Angus Reid institute polling, from his election in October 2015 until fall 2017, Justin Trudeau had a positive approval rating. December 2017 was the first time his approval rating fell into the negatives, and it largely remained this way until the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, at which point it returned to the positive.Budgets
2016 Canadian federal budget
presented the Canadian federal budget to the House of Commons of Canada on March 22, 2016 reporting a projected deficit of $29.4 billion for the fiscal year 2016-2017 and a reduction in the deficit of $14.3 billion by FY2020. According to the Annual Financial Report of the Government of Canada 2016-2017 the revised deficit was $17.8 billion as of the end of March 2017.2017 Canadian federal budget
Minister Morneau presented his second budget "Building a Strong Middle Class" on March 22, 2017 in which he projected a deficit of $28.5 billion which risk adjustment of $3 billion. It was adjusted again following the 2017-2018 Annual Financial Report of the Government of Canada to $19.0 billion. A "retroactive change" was made to the accounting "methodology for the determination of the discount rate for unfunded pension obligations". As a result of this change in auditing, revisions were recommended by the Auditor General for budget numbers from 2006 through 2016. What had been reported as a small surplus in FY 2014-15, was audited as a small deficit with these retroactive changes.2018 Canadian federal budget
Minister Morneau presented the FY 2018–2019 budget which projected a deficit of $18.1 billion. The 2018-2019 Annual Financial Report of the Government of Canada revised the deficit to $14.0 billion.2019 Canadian federal budget
Minister Morneau's FY2019-2020 federal budget presented on March 19, 2019 projected a deficit of $19.8 billion. The budget included new spending of $22.8 billion for the period covering 2019 through 2026. Among the new expenditures is the six-month grace period for students in which interest charges on Canada Student Loans will be eliminated. The Employment Insurance job training program accounts for an additional $586.5-million a year in expenses. There were no changes in bracketing for either corporations or individuals in terms of income tax.Establishments
In July 2016, Trudeau announced the formation of the first Prime Minister's Youth Council. Thirty Canadians aged 16 to 24 comprised the board, that will advise the prime minister on education, economy, climate change and other issues affecting youth.In June 2017, Trudeau created the Canada Infrastructure Bank, a federal Crown Corporation of Canada tasked with financially supporting revenue-generating infrastructure projects that are "in the public interest" through public-private partnerships.
Economic indicators
From the fall of 2015 through March 2019, Canada has added 1 million jobs. That year, the unemployment rate reached its lowest level since 1979." The following year, unemployment rose dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Event responses
Quebec City mosque attack
On the night of January 29, 2017, Alexandre Bissonnette, a young Quebec City citizen, opened fire in a mosque in the Sainte-Foy neighbourhood of Quebec City. Bissonnette checked in on the Twitter account of Ben Shapiro, editor in chief of the conservative news site the Daily Wire, 93 times in the month leading up to the shooting. Six people were killed and 19 others were seriously injured. The Prime minister said in the House of Commons, "This was a group of innocents targeted for practising their faith. Make no mistake, this was a terrorist act". Following the massacre Trudeau attended and gave a speech at religious ceremonies with Premier of Québec Philippe Couillard. Trudeau has also criticized La Meute, condemning them as "racists... these 'nonos' who wear dog paws on their T-shirts".2020 gas pipeline and railway protests
There was a series of civil disobedience protests held in Canada in protest of the construction of the Coastal GasLink Pipeline through of Wetʼsuwetʼen First Nation territory in British Columbia, land that is unceded. Other concerns of the protesters were indigenous land rights, the actions of police, land conservation, and the environmental impact of energy projects. Access to the Coastal GasLink Pipeline construction camps in Wetʼsuwetʼen territory was blocked by protesters and the Coastal GasLink project was granted an injunction in 2018 to remove the land defenders. In January 2019, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of British Columbia removed the blockades and CGL pre-construction work in the territory was completed. Subsequently, the blockades were rebuilt and Coastal GasLink was granted a second injunction by the BC Supreme Court in December 2019 to allow construction.In February 2020, after the RCMP enforced the second court injunction, removing the Wetʼsuwetʼen blockades and arresting Wetʼsuwetʼen land defenders, solidarity protests sprang up across Canada. Many were rail blockades, including one blockade near Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory which halted traffic along a major CNR rail line between Toronto and Montreal and led to a shutdown of passenger rail service and rail freight operations in much of Canada. The Eastern Ontario blockade was itself removed by the Ontario Provincial Police. Blockades and protests continued through March in BC, Ontario and Quebec. Discussions between representatives of the Wetʼsuwetʼen and the governments of Canada and British Columbia has led to a provisional agreement on the Wetʼsuwetʼen land rights in the area.
Federal government response
COVID-19 Pandemic
In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China; it spread worldwide and was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The first confirmed case in Canada was reported on January 27, 2020. Justin Trudeau's government response to this pandemic was the following:Domestic policy
Medically-assisted dying
In the November 12, 2015 mandate letter, Prime Minister Trudeau tasked Jody Wilson-Raybould—who was Minister of Justice and Attorney General from 2015 to January 2019—to work with Jane Philpott, then-Minister of Health, to "respond to the Supreme Court of Canada decision regarding physician-assisted death". She tabled Bill C-14, which amended the Criminal Code to allow medical assistance in dying. It received royal assent on June 17, 2016.Bombardier
Trudeau received criticism when he provided a CA$372.5 million bailout to Bombardier. The public was angered when it was revealed that Bombardier executives received US$32 million of these funds in bonuses, while laying off 14,500 workers. It was also revealed that Patrick Pichette, a director of Bombardier Inc. also sits as a board member of the Trudeau Foundation.Legalization of recreational cannabis
In their electoral platform, the Liberal party wanted to legalize the use of recreational cannabis in Canada. The ministers of Justice and Public Safety and the minister of Health would work on legislation to legalize cannabis. Provinces asked many times for a delay in order to put the right structures in place. In an interview with Pierre Bruneau on TVA, Justin Trudeau said that July 1, 2018, is not necessarily the date of the legalization. On June 21, 2018, the Cannabis Act received Royal Assent and came into effect October 17, 2018, formally legalizing the recreational use of cannabis in Canada.Electoral reform
In the 2015 electoral campaign, Trudeau's liberals promised that the 2015 federal election would be the last one to be first-past-the-post. If elected, the Trudeau government would reform the electoral system to make it more representative. Soon after being elected, the government asked each member of the House of Commons to hold consultations in their riding to hear the citizens. However, the government announced that the electoral reform would not be engaged because the prime minister doesn't want to see extremists entering the House of Commons.Environment
During the 2015 campaign, Trudeau campaigned on increasing regulations for industries and increased action to respond to climate change. Shortly after winning the 2015 general election, Prime Minister Trudeau attended the COP21 summit in Paris. Trudeau committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% before 2030, and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.Pipelines
A July 2020 Globe and Mail editorial said that, in spite of "long and ponderous", rigorous, regulatory reviews and a regulatory system that is "too slow" and the "high bar" that Canada sets for "meaningful Indigenous consultations", Canada, under Trudeau, has had more success in building pipelines than the United States under President Trump. By July 2020, the "all-Canadian" Trans Mountain expansion was under construction and it is expected to be in service by 2024. The Canadian section of Line 3 was completed while the "American section is in limbo". The northern section of Keystone XL pipeline is under construction but the American section is also in limbo.In a 2017 opinion piece in The Guardian, Bill McKibben wrote that Trudeau was "hard at work pushing for new pipelines through Canada and the US to carry yet more oil out of Alberta’s tar sands, which is one of the greatest climate disasters on the planet." The provinces of Quebec and British Columbia have strongly opposed pipelines.
On August 31, 2018, the Government of Canada purchased the "entities that control the existing Trans Mountain Pipeline, its Expansion Project and related assets for $4.4 billion" which was financed through a loan to CDEV, "an enterprise Crown corporation." The Government of Canada does not intend "to be a long-term owner of the Trans Mountain entities." By May 29 when the purchase was announced it was met with a "storm of criticism" from environmental groups, Indigenous leaders and opposition politicians. The Green Party's Elizabeth May said it was an "historic blunder"; the president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs was "shocked and appalled."
Environmental Impact Assessment
Bill C-69 repealed and replaced the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act with the Impact Assessment Act. Bill C-69 also replaced the National Energy Board with the Canadian Energy Regulator. This law required that major infrastructure projects, such as highways, mines, and pipelines, go through a more rigorous regulatory process which includes more public consultations, better consultations with First Nations, and taking into account other broad considerations such as climate change in the decision to go forward with a project or not.The Bill was heavily criticized by Conservatives and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, who feared that the new regulations would stifle investments to natural resources extraction in Canada. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney dubbed it the "No pipeline bill". However, University professors Martin Olszynski and Mark S. Winfield believe these criticisms to be overblown. Winfred point out that these new regulatory framework is much weaker than the one that existed for 40 years in Canada before it was axed in 2012. The bill brings back some of the consultation requirements from that period, but according to Winfield, "the legislation is a relatively minor adjustment to what already existed". In fact, Olszynski believes that this bill would make it easier for projects to go forward, as project critics would be included in the decision-making process, and thus less likely to resort to litigation to make their voices heard.
Marine protection
Bill C-55, a marine protection bill amended requirements under the Oceans Act regarding what constituted marine protected areas. The Liberals, the Green Party and the NDP approved the bill and the Conservative Party was opposed. Bill C-68 restored provisions in the Fisheries Act, which protects more thoroughly fish habitat that Spehen Harper's government had removed in the 2012 Bill C-38—Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act. The new Canadian Navigable Waters Act changed what constitutes 'navigable water'.Carbon Pricing
The federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act passed into law in December 2018. This bill instituted a Carbon pricing in Canada. Through the pricing system, provinces and territories can base their carbon pricing system on the needs and requirements of their own jurisdictions. If their proposed system does not meet federal requirements or if the province or territory decides to not create their own system, the GHGPPA implements a regulatory fee. In provinces where a GHGPPA fee is levied, 90% of the revenues will be returned to tax-payers. The carbon price is part of the Federal government's commitments to the Paris Agreement.Single Use Plastic
In June 2019, Justin Trudeau pledged that, if re-elected for a second term, his government would ban the use of single-use plastic by 2021.Feminism
As a well known self-described feminist, Justin Trudeau nominated a gender-balanced cabinet consisting of 15 men and 15 women. On November 4, 2015, a journalist asked him why it was a priority to have a cabinet that was gender balanced, to which Trudeau answered succinctly, "Because it's 2015". Then-Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould was mandated in the November 12 letter to introduce "government legislation to add gender identity as a prohibited ground for discrimination under Canadian law", which was implemented in Bill C-16.In January 2018, in a speech at the World Economic Forum, Trudeau called for critical discussion on issues brought up by the Me Too, Time's Up, and Women's March movements. Trudeau has also advocated a high standard and "zero tolerance for sexual assault, harassment or other forms of misconduct by his employees or caucus colleagues". As leader of the Liberal party, Trudeau initiated investigations on several members of parliament resulting in the dismissal of cabinet minister Kent Hehr, the resignation of MP Darshan Kang, and the suspension and later expulsion of MPs Scott Andrews and Massimo Pacetti.
In an interview, Trudeau explained that the zero tolerance standard applied to himself as well, and stated, "I've been very, very careful all my life to be thoughtful, to be respectful of people's space and people's headspace as well." However in 2018, after it was revealed by a woman that a 'groping' incident occurred in 2000, Trudeau said there was no need to conduct an investigation into the allegation.
In March 2019, Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes resigned as a member of the Liberal caucus, citing that Trudeau shouted at her on the phone when she told him she would not like to run in the 2019 federal election. Caesar-Chavannes told The Globe and Mail that Trudeau shouted that she didn't appreciate him. As a result of this resignation, and the resignation of other prominent female liberal members of parliament Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott, opposition MPs, such as Candice Bergen, have accused Trudeau of being a "fake feminist".
Refugees
The headlines made by the body of Alan Kurdi on a beach of Turkey in September 2015 made a significant turnover during the 2015 campaign. Then-candidate Trudeau made a plea that under his premiership, Canada would accept 25,000 refugees in Canada. One month after taking office, the first plane of refugees was landing at Pearson airport in Toronto. Trudeau and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne were there to welcome arriving refugees.Trudeau has also advocated and supported open border immigration that starkly contrasts President Trump, publicly announcing "To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada", one day after Trump's executive order banning refugees and visitors from Muslim-majority countries Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. In winter 2017, soon after President Trump took office in Washington, many Haitians who were in the United States due to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti decided to pass through the border in upstate New York to cross into Quebec. Afraid of being deported to Haiti, many decided to come illegally to Canada in hope of a better life. The RCMP, the Custom Agency and the Army set up a temporary camp in Lacolle, Quebec, in order to regulate the influx of people trying to come into Canada. As the Canadian government recognized the United States as a safe country for immigrants, they would not be taken as refugees if they arrived at a custom border from the United States. As a result, they needed to pass through illegally to be able to request refugee status. Both the Conservatives and NDP oppositions asked the government, both for different reasons, to stop the influx of Refugee claimants from Roxham Road in Lacolle.
Trudeau's government has also objected to the term "illegal border crossers". There has been an influx of overland illegal border crossings, and conflict between the Federal government and the Ontario government over how to provide housing for the incoming migrants.
Immigration
On 2017 the Liberal government announced Canada will welcome nearly one million immigrants over the next three years. The number of migrants will climb to 310,000 in 2018, up from 300,000 in 2017. That number will rise to 330,000 in 2019 then 340,000 in 2020.On October 31, 2018, the Government of Canada had updated its multi-year immigration levels plan, which would see the number of new immigrants in Canada rise to 350,000 by 2021. This plan was to see immigration levels rise by 40,000 more than Canada's target of 310,000 immigrants in 2018.
Vegreville Processing Centre
In 2017, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada decided to close the processing centre in Vegreville, Alberta, and to relocate the centre to Edmonton. The community of 5,000 people, located about 100 km east of Edmonton, decided to fight back against the decision. 280 people work at the centre, and according to Global News, 2/3 of the workers would quit instead of moving west to Edmonton. The battle against the closure of the Vegreville Processing Centre is supported by the Rural Canada Matters movement.Phoenix pay system
The Office of the Auditor General conducted two reports, one if 2017 and another in 2018 reviewing the Phoenix Pay System—a payroll processing system for Canadian federal government employees that is run by Public Services and Procurement Canada which has been controversial for a number of years— The 2018 report said that the Phoenix system was an "'incomprehensible failure' of project management and oversight." Then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper had introduced the system as part of his 2009 Transformation of Pay Administration Initiative, to replace Canada's 40-year old system with a new improved, cost-saving "automated, off-the-shelf commercial system." By 2018, Phoenix has caused pay problems to over 50 percent of the federal government’s 290,000 public servants through underpayments, over-payments, and non-payments. In the same year the Senator Percy Mockler's Standing Senate Committee on National Finance report on Phoenix Pay Problem called Phoenix an "international embarrassment" and that fixing Phoenix's problems could be up to $2.2 billion by 2023 instead of saving $70 million a year as originally planned by the Harper government. In May 2019, the Parliamentary Budget Officer predicted that the Phoenix replacement—which will save millions—will not be operational until 2023.Foreign policy
In its July 25, 2019 Special Report of Canada's international role during the premiership of Prime Minister Trudeau, The Economist, said that despite "politics" that muddied Canada's relationship with several foreign powers, Canada's "place internationally was still strong" with friendly relations with "Europe, Australasia and beyond".Chrystia Freeland was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs on January 10, 2017, as Canada's international relations underwent major changes. As the commitment of the United States to the United Nations and the World Trade Organization weakened under President Donald Trump, and the "foundational principles of the post-war order" are called into question, Trudeau is highlighting his support for these institutions. Foreign Policy named Freeland 2019 "Diplomat of the Year" as a "key defender" of this system and for "speaking out for fair trade policies and against human rights violations."
International trade
Under Justin Trudeau, Canada entered two new major free trade agreements. These are the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, between Canada and the European Union—negotiated by then Minister of International Trade, Chrystia Freeland,—the "biggest trade deal since NAFTA"— and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership with ten Pacific countries. The Economist argues that the foreign relations with the United States and China were "more resilient" than the media reports "imply".Cuba
After the passing of Cuba's former president Fidel Castro in November 2016, Trudeau released a statement that described him as a "remarkable leader" and a "larger than life leader who served his people". Trudeau was criticized by political observers in Canada and the United States for the statement. United States Senator Marco Rubio called the statement "shameful and embarrassing", while Canadian MP Maxime Bernier called his remarks "repugnant". The Washington Post questioned many of the claims made in Trudeau's statements, saying that Trudeau "appears to accept outdated Cuban government spin as current fact".China
In 2016, Trudeau visited China and attended the G-20 summit in Hangzhou where he was affectionately nicknamed Xiao Tudou, meaning "little potato" by the Chinese public. Trudeau visited China again in December 2017 to launch trade negotiations. Before agreeing to formally start talks, Trudeau wanted China to agree to a broad framework included collective bargaining and occupational health and safety standards as part of a progressive trade agenda, but this was not acceptable to Premier Li Keqiang, while this also "raises obvious questions about the advice the Prime Minister's Office was getting from its embassy in Beijing, and in particular from its ambassador, former Liberal cabinet minister John McCallum".Meng Wanzhou affair
On December 1, 2018, while transferring planes at Vancouver International Airport en route to Mexico from Hong Kong, Meng Wanzhou was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the request of the United States, pursuant to the extradition treaty between Canada and the United States. is a Chinese business executive with permanent residency in Canada, who is the deputy chair of the board and chief financial officer of telecom giant and China's largest privately held company, Huawei. The charges brought against her by the American Justice system relates to Huawei's bypassing of american sanctions on Iran.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the federal government was aware of the intended arrest but had no involvement in the process. According to David MacNaughton, Canada's former ambassador to Washington, the extradition request was made very suddenly on November 30, with no discussion between U.S. and Canadian officials. However, MacNaughton also says the U.S. has several agendas in going after Huawei, one of which is that it wants its allies to ban it. A close adviser of Justin Trudeau says the view inside the Canadian government is that John Bolton was the driving force behind the arrest of Meng. Trudeau was informed of Meng's arrest at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, and according to one source, was caught off guard.
Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland, rejected China's demand that the Canadian Government should block the extradition, despite China's decision to block imports of Canadian canola seed, and warned Beijing that "It would be a very dangerous precedent indeed for Canada to alter its behavior when it comes to honoring an extradition treaty in response to external pressure." She added that to do so could make Canadians around the world less safe.
Canada's Ambassador to China, John McCallum said, "From Canada's point of view, if drops the extradition request, that would be great for Canada." On January 26, 2019, McCallum resigned as Canada's ambassador to China at the request of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Ralph Goodale, says the arrests of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in China are an "arbitrary action", and that Canada will continue to demand that the detainees are treated fairly. Goodale says that China has produced no evidence to indicate any validity to the criminal allegations against them. The aforementioned former Canadian ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques, says that leveraging international support for Canada, particularly from the US, will be necessary, that an anticipated Canada–China free trade deal should be taken off the table, that inspections of Chinese goods entering Canada should be increased, and that Canada should lodge a complaint against China at the World Trade Organization, over its decision to ban the importation of Canadian canola seed.
In June 2020, Nineteen prominent former politicians and diplomats signed a letter calling for the release of Meng. Included among them are former Liberal foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy, former Conservative foreign affairs minister Lawrence Cannon, former Conservative senator Hugh Segal, former NDP leader Ed Broadbent, former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour. They join former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in this call. Prime Minister Trudeau rejected the call saying, "We will continue to remain steadfast and strong and say very clearly in our actions and in our words that randomly arresting Canadians doesn't give you leverage over the government of Canada anywhere in the world."
India
Trudeau drew criticism for his trip to India in February 2018, as the official schedule had few business meetings while having numerous photo ops at tourist stops. The BBC wrote that Trudeau was "jet-setting around the country to take part in what appears to be a series of photo ops cunningly designed to showcase his family's elaborate traditional wardrobe". In addition, Liberal MP Randeep Sarai originally invited convicted attempted murder Jaspal Atwal to an event, although the invite was later rescinded. The Atwal invite controversy also led to fears from Indian prime minister Narendra Modi that Trudeau was appealing to Sikh fundamentalists.Saudi Arabia
Trudeau has been urged to stop the $15 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia – believed to be the largest arms sale in Canadian history. The Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen has been criticized for "indiscriminately targeting civilians". Saudi Arabia is also accused of massive human rights violations. Trudeau has defended the Harper-negotiated arms deal with Saudi Arabia as "a matter of principle". He said: "It's important that people know that when they sign a deal with Canada, a change of government isn't going to lead to the contract being ripped up."Scandals and Controversies
Aga Khan
In January 2017, Canada's Ethics Commissioner, Mary Dawson, began an investigation into Trudeau for a vacation he and his family took to Aga Khan IV's private island in the Bahamas. The Ethics Commissioner's report, released in December 2017, found that Trudeau had violated four provisions of the Conflict of Interest Act. By breaking the law, he became the first sitting prime minister to do so.Elbowgate
was an incident in which Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came into physical contact with two opposition Members of Parliament in the House of Commons on May 18, 2016 during the parliamentary session. During the incident Trudeau grabbed Conservative MP Gord Brown by the arm and then inadvertently elbowed New Democratic MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau in the chest. Trudeau subsequently apologized and was not subject to parliamentary sanctions for the incident.SNC-Lavalin affair
Background
On February 8, 2019, The Globe and Mail reported that sources close to the government said that the Prime Minister's Office allegedly had attempted to influence Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould concerning an ongoing prosecution of SNC-Lavalin while she was Minister of Justice and Attorney General. When asked about the allegations, Trudeau said that the story in the Globe was false and that he had never "directed" Wilson-Raybould concerning the case. Wilson-Raybould refused to comment on the matter, citing solicitor-client privilege and, on February 11, the Ethics Commissioner announced the opening of an investigation into the allegations. Trudeau welcomed the investigation, stating that "Her presence in cabinet should actually speak for itself." Wilson-Raybould resigned from the Trudeau cabinet on February 12, 2019, the next day. Trudeau said he did not anticipate her resignation and expressed disappointment over her decision, as it was not reflective of the conversations they had had during their recent meetings. Following Wilson-Raybould's resignation, Trudeau further elaborated by stating that the government abided by all rules, did its job properly, and that if anyone within the government - including the former attorney-general - felt otherwise, the responsibility lay with Wilson-Raybould to address these concerns directly to him. Trudeau refutes Wilson-Raybould's claim that this is an issue involving attorney-client privilege and mentioned that she did not approach him to discuss or highlight any concerns regarding this case. She has retained Thomas Cromwell, a former judge for the Supreme Court of Canada, as counsel in order to determine the scope of information she is allowed to share with the public. On February 18, 2019, Gerald Butts, Trudeau's principal secretary, resigned from the government and categorically denied all allegations.Jody Wilson-Raybould testimony at the House of Commons Justice Committee
On February 27, 2019, Jody Wilson-Raybould testified in front of the House of Commons Justice Committee that "For a period of approximately four months between September and December 2018, I experienced a consistent and sustained effort by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in my role as the Attorney General of Canada in an inappropriate effort to secure a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with SNC-Lavalin." She named 11 people involved with the "sustained effort" to politically interfere which include Gerald Butts, Trudeau's former principal secretary, Katie Telford, Trudeau's chief of staff, Bill Morneau, Trudeau's Minister of Finance, and many other high ranking people within the Prime Ministers Office and the clerk of the Privy Council, Michael Wernick. She says she was promised a line of positive op-eds if she intervened in the case to say what she was doing is proper. Further, Wilson-Raybould says she received "veiled threats" while receiving the sustained pressure even after saying no previously.Later that same day in a news conference in Quebec, Justin Trudeau said that “I completely disagree with the former attorney general’s version of events,” adding he had not ruled out whether she will remain a Liberal MP or be allowed to run for the party in the fall election.
High profile resignations
In the wake of the SNC-Lavalin Affair, during February 2019, Principal Secretary Gerald Butts resigned from office. In March 2019, Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott resigned from cabinet while remaining members of the Liberal party caucus. After delivering his second testimony to the Justice Committee in March, the Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick resigned from office.Ethics Commissioner's report
, the Parliament of Canada's Ethics Commissioner, began an investigation in March. On 14 August 2019, he released a report that said Trudeau contravened section 9 of the Conflict of Interest Act by improperly pressuring Wilson-Raybould.Polling
A Leger poll conducted for the Canadian Press found that 41 percent of respondents thought Trudeau had done something wrong amid the SNC scandal, while 12 percent thought he hadn’t. Another 41 percent were undecided. Despite questions and criticism regarding whether his public reputation as a feminist was in doubt due to Wilson-Raybould and Philpott's alleged treatment, a later poll conducted by Innovative Research found that those most likely to dispute Trudeau's feminist credentials in the wake of the controversy were "Conservatives and populists" already opposed to Trudeau and the Liberal Party. According to the Toronto Star, 30 percent of those surveyed said Trudeau's Liberals were best-placed on gender equality issues, down from 36 percent in polling conducted before SNC but still well ahead of all other opposition parties by that measure.Brownface/blackface controversy
On September 18, 2019, Time magazine published a photograph of Trudeau wearing brownface makeup in the spring of 2001. The photograph, which had not been previously reported, was taken at an “Arabian Nights”-themed gala. The photograph showed Trudeau, wearing a turban and robes with his face, neck and hands completely darkened. The photograph appeared in the 2000-2001 yearbook of the West Point Grey Academy, where Trudeau was a teacher. A copy of the yearbook was obtained by Time earlier in the month from Vancouver businessman Michael Adamson, who was part of the West Point Grey Academy community. Adamson said that he first saw the photograph in July and felt it should be made public.On the night of September 18, following Time's publication of the photograph, Trudeau spoke to reporters and apologized: “I shouldn’t have done that. I should have known better and I didn’t. I’m really sorry.” When asked if he thought the photograph was racist, he said, “Yes it was. I didn’t consider it racist at the time, but now we know better.” While speaking to reporters, Trudeau also admitted to wearing blackface makeup in high school while singing "Day-O" at a talent show.
On September 19, 2019, Global News obtained and published a video from the early 1990s showing Trudeau in blackface. The video showed Trudeau covered in dark makeup and raising his hands in the air while laughing, sticking his tongue out and making faces. The video showed his arms and legs covered in makeup as well.