One year later, federal Liberals still enjoying honeymoon

Politics in Langley is always interesting. Most people who follow politics are more engaged in local or provincial politics, but in the past 18 months, there has been plenty of interest in the Ottawa political scene as well.

It began in the run-up to the last federal election, which took place on Oct.19, 2015. This was the first federal election ever held on a fixed date. Until then, the timing of an election had solely been at the prerogative of the prime minister. Most tried to use it to their political advantage.

B.C. was the first jurisdiction in Canada to establish the fixed election date system, after Gordon Campbell became premier in 2001. As has become obvious here, fixed-date elections mean there is a longer period of campaigning. This was certainly the case with the federal election.

There was a much longer formal campaign period – almost three months. This was the longest formal campaign since the 1800s.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper of the ruling Conservatives likely hoped that the other two main parties, the Liberals and NDP, would either self-destruct over that period, or run out of funds. All three parties were competitive going into the campaign, and the Conservatives had a financial advantage.

As it turned out, there was some significant shifts in public opinion during the campaign. Early on, it appeared (according to the polls) that the NDP had a decent shot of winning government, which would have been a first in Canadian history.

Towards the end, the Liberals surged dramatically and ended up winning a majority government, to the surprise of many. B.C. voters put them into majority territory by electing 17  Liberals, the most ever.

Some Langley residents are now represented in Ottawa by a Liberal MP – the first Liberal to represent Langley in the House of Commons since 1953. Newcomer John Aldag won the Cloverdale-Langley City seat over Conservative Dean Drysdale, a former Langley Township councillor, by a comfortable margin.

One reason the Liberals were elected was due to the “sunny ways” philosophy of leader (and current prime minister) Justin Trudeau. Another was the basket full of promises that he made on the campaign trail.

How have the Liberals fared in their first year of power?

Generally, they have done pretty well in the view of many Canadians. Their popularity in opinion polls has continued to meet or exceed the 39.5 per cent of the votes they actually received in the election, and Trudeau is personally very popular. This is partly due to his willingness to engage, via media interviews, social media or in person, with almost everyone who approaches him – a stark contrast to his predecessor Harper.

It is also due to a pent-up desire for change, which voters often want badly after a particular leader has served for about a decade in power. In Trudeau’s case, he also represents a generational shift which is very appealing to many people.

On issues, the Liberals have been given a remarkable amount of slack. They promised a lot, but have yet to deliver on most of those promises. One issue they did deal with was assisted dying – something that had been put on Parliament’s plate by the Supreme Court of Canada while the Conservatives were still in power.

They have talked the talk on climate change but are just beginning the walk. A promised carbon tax is being met with significant resistance in some quarters.

They will be boosting Canada Pension Plan contributions and payouts.

The Liberals have avoided dealing with international hot spots such as Syria and in fact have reduced Canada’s commitment to assist in the fight against ISIS. However, they have very generously opened Canada’s borders to a significant number of Syrian refugees, and many Canadians have enthusiastically responded.

They are also just beginning to deal with Trudeau’s promise to change the way MPs are elected. While some people enthusiastically support change in that area, others fiercely resist. A parliamentary committee, which Aldag sits on, is now dealing with the issue. Its recommendations are sure to be controversial.

One thing is certain – the Liberals are much more present, in terms of level of activity on a range of issues, and public profile, than the predecessor Conservative government was.