Justin Trudeau explains why he isn't giving in to fear and divisiveness

[Tennis]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...e-change-trump

Canada’s prime minister tells the Guardian why, in a world where populism, divisiveness and fear are on the rise, he’s taking the opposite approach




Ordinary people around the world have been failed by globalisation, Justin Trudeau has told the Guardian, as he sought to explain a turbulent year marked by the election of Donald Trump, the Brexit vote and the rise of anti-establishment, nation-first parties around the world.

“What we’re facing right now – in terms of the rise of populism and divisive and fearful narratives around the world – it’s based around the fact that globalisation doesn’t seem to be working for the middle class, for ordinary people,” the Canadian prime minister said in an interview at his oak-panelled office in the country’s parliament. “And this is something that we identified years ago and built an entire platform and agenda for governing on.”

Last year, at a time when Trump was being described as a long shot for president and the threat of Brexit seemed a distant possibility, Trudeau, 44, swept to a majority government on an ambitious platform that included addressing growing inequality and creating real change for the country’s middle class.

If we can show you can have growth that works for everyone … that diffuses a lot of the uncertainty, the anger
Justin Trudeau
One year on, what has emerged is a government that seems to go against the political tide around the world; open to trade, immigration and diversity and led by a social media star whose views on feminism, Syrian refugees and LGBT rights have provoked delight among progressives.

But as he enters his second year in power, Trudeau – a former high school teacher and snowboarding instructor – is under pressure to show the world that his government has found an alternative means of tackling the concerns of those who feel they’ve been left behind.

Trudeau said he is keenly aware that the world is watching. “I think it’s always been understood that Canada is not a country that’s going to stand up and beat its chest on the world stage, but we can be very helpful in modelling solutions that work,” he said. “Quite frankly if we can show – as we are working very hard to demonstrate – that you can have engaged global perspectives and growth that works for everyone … then that diffuses a lot of the uncertainty, the anger, the populism that is surfacing in different pockets of the world.”

In January, Trudeau’s government will face off against its greatest challenge to date: a Trump presidency. When it comes to US relations, few countries have as much at stake as Canada – last year saw nearly three-quarters of Canada’s exports head to the US while some 400,000 people a day cross the shared border.

The prime minister and the president-elect seem to have little in common; Trudeau is a self-described feminist who appointed his country’s first gender-balanced cabinet, while Trump’s campaign saw more than a dozen women come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. Trudeau has sought to champion trade deals such as Ceta, while Trump has threatened to rip up Nafta and bury TPP.

The contrast was captured last December after Trump and Trudeau catapulted into global headlines within days of each other over their response to the Syrian refugee crisis; Trump, who had called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US, suggested that families fleeing war could be Isis infiltrators; Trudeau, in contrast was at the Toronto airport to greet the first wave of the tens of thousands of Syrian refugees airlifted to Canada in the past year.

Trudeau skirted past these differences, instead highlighting the links that bridge both administrations. On Syrian refugees, for example, Trudeau pointed to underlying concerns around security. “Certainly in a world where terrorism is a daily reality in the news, it’s easy for people to be afraid,” he said. “But the fact is that we laid out very clearly – and Canadians get – that it’s actually not a choice between either immigration or security, that of course they go together.”

The two governments are also keen to create policies that address those who feel that globalisation and trade have failed to benefit the middle class and those working to join it, said Trudeau. “There are differences in the policies, the solutions for it, but I know that when we talk about making sure there are good jobs for the middle class, that is a place where we are going to be able to find agreement and alignment on.”

A silver lining for Trudeau may lie in Trump’s pledge to resurrect plans for TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline. When the Obama administration rejected the plan last year, Trudeau said in a statement he was “disappointed” in the decision. When Trudeau called Trump to congratulate him after the election, the two briefly spoke about Keystone, said Trudeau, adding that it remains to be see how the US will move forward with plans for the pipeline.

When people finally realise it’s a tremendous opportunity to lead on climate change, Canada will have a head start

Any reluctance to move forward on climate change south of the border could be a boon for Canadian companies across various sectors, said Trudeau. “I know Canada is well positioned to pick up some of the slack and when people finally realise that it’s a tremendous business opportunity to lead on climate change, Canada will already have a head start.”

But he also cast doubt on Trump’s ability to completely derail US efforts towards combatting climate change. “You know quite frankly at the subnational level in the United States, states, municipalities are already showing that they understand that climate change is real so that the potential for the federal government to ease off on actions is not total,” he said.


The double-barrelled approach, said Trudeau, echoes his government’s broader effort to address the tensions currently wreaking havoc on the political status quo around the world. “People get that we need jobs, we need a protected environment,” he said. “On the other hand, if people have no jobs, if they have no opportunity, they’re not going to worry about protection of the air and water if they can’t feed their kids.”

Amazing exclusive by the Guardian.
Hopefully this can help clear up a lot of misconceptions regarding the Prime Minister

[Revik]

Why does it feel the article is comparing Justin Trudeau as he is now to Trump as he was portrayed in the media 1 year ago?

Trump has changed since then and I don't feel it is a fair comparison especially now that we know that many media sources had a blatant bias against Trump over the past year.

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

Are you gonna make a thread for every time he farts too?

[Tennis]

Are you gonna make a thread for every time he farts too?

Could you please read the article and post constructively. You're just derailing the thread.

[derpkitteh]

trudeau, while ok on some aspects, is too weak in other aspects.

i just can't respect him. he projects weakness. you can't throw out reality in favor of your blind naivety. the reality is that blindly trusting refugees is just stupid. the reality is that the gender of your cabinet doesn't mean shit, their qualifications for the jobs does. if they're all qualified, good job you weren't an idiot, but their gender was meaningless. then some of the shit he's said about other things.

it's just weakness to me.

you need a leader with common sense and strength. the US needs a leader with common sense. that only wants the most qualified people for a position and understands the inherent danger of religion in general. a benevolent dictator that will take care of the people, and not allow the whims and desires of the rest of the world to effect them. someone not weak enough to bow to saudi arabia's plans to instill islamist leadership throughout the middle east.

[Tennis]

trudeau, while ok on some aspects, is too weak in other aspects.

i just can't respect him. he projects weakness. you can't throw out reality in favor of your blind naivety. the reality is that blindly trusting refugees is just stupid. the reality is that the gender of your cabinet doesn't mean shit, their qualifications for the jobs does. if they're all qualified, good job you weren't an idiot, but their gender was meaningless. then some of the shit he's said about other things.

it's just weakness to me.

you need a leader with common sense and strength. the US needs a leader with common sense. that only wants the most qualified people for a position and understands the inherent danger of religion in general. a benevolent dictator that will take care of the people, and not allow the whims and desires of the rest of the world to effect them. someone not weak enough to bow to saudi arabia's plans to instill islamist leadership throughout the middle east.

Weakness? How many World Leaders don't give in to populism and actually make a stand for what they believe in? That is strength. Mr. Trudeau didn't just do what would give him the most votes like other world leaders.

[Noogai131]

Weakness? How many World Leaders don't give in to populism and actually make a stand for what they believe in? That is strength. Mr. Trudeau didn't just do what would give him the most votes like other world leaders.

Does he pay you to shine his boots, or do you do it for free?

[derpkitteh]

Weakness? How many World Leaders don't give in to populism and actually make a stand for what they believe in? That is strength. Mr. Trudeau didn't just do what would give him the most votes like other world leaders.

it's not strength to not listen to populism. populism is populism because it's popular among a lot of the populace of your country. if you don't listen to populism, you're ignoring your people's wishes for some reason. i don't believe it moral integrity and strength with a politician, they have no moral fiber. no, it's fear of their doners, fear of the corporations that won't take his cock cage off if he's not a good boy. fear of the saudi wahabist dogs that want total islamist extremist domination of the middle east or will cut off their business ties.

no, he's not strong in any way. he's a weak little man, and the west deserves better.

[Jotaux]

Weakness? How many World Leaders don't give in to populism and actually make a stand for what they believe in? That is strength. Mr. Trudeau didn't just do what would give him the most votes like other world leaders.

He allows his party to accept payment for face time with him. I would say that shows just how weak morally he is.

[Ethris]

Let me put this in terms your regressive mind will understand:

Trudeau is literally less qualified for his position than Donald Trump is for the Presidency.

[Tennis]

He allows his party to accept payment for face time with him. I would say that shows just how weak morally he is.

I never said he was perfect but politics is choosing the least worst alternative.

[Jotaux]

I never said he was perfect but politics is choosing the least worst alternative.

The topic wasn't perfection, it was weakness.

[Tennis]

The topic wasn't perfection, it was weakness.

Context matters. When you look at the leaders that are being elected throughout most of the world, you can't help but be relieved that we have Mr. Trudeau as our PM.

[monkmastaeq]

Trudeau preparing his massive bottle of lube for trump. Won on a false narrative just like trump. He is just a puppet with little experience that is accepting donations for access. See how bad he screws the middle class especially albertans.

His refugee policy is a huge middle finger to all the struggling first nations out there , way to ignore a real problem to attempt to look good on the "world stage"

[Gatsbybutters]

I never said he was perfect but politics is choosing the least worst alternative.

Because that's how it works. /facepalm.
Translation so you can read it:

[Ethris]

I never said he was perfect but politics is choosing the least worst alternative.

And with that attitude, it always will be.

[micwini]

Could you please read the article and post constructively. You're just derailing the thread.

Nice words from the mouth of the biggest troll on this website. Nevertheless, reported once more for posting an article just to start a flamewar.

[Kalis]

The Guardian comments section is savage:

"So he agrees that globalisation isn't working for everybody while pushing through one of the most illiberal and undemocratic trade agreements in history and trying to revive the environmentally destructive Keystone XL pipeline project which is only profitable for the companies involved because they're not obliged to pay for the real underlying costs to the communities affected or to the environment? Hypocrite."

"How any politician can push for a deal like CETA and then express concern for ordinary people is beyond me.

Oh wait, I get it - he's simply another NeoCon patsy spouting crap to try to win votes."

"Who is our Justin?

We desperately need one."

"It was Blair. And look how that turned out."

And my personal favourite...

"Was he really a boxer or does he just have an incredibly punchable face?"

[Kraenen]

Populism and divisiveness are mutually exclusive...

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Weakness? How many World Leaders don't give in to populism and actually make a stand for what they believe in? That is strength. Mr. Trudeau didn't just do what would give him the most votes like other world leaders.

All he did was play up to left-wing populism and naivety.

[Tradewind]

He allows his party to accept payment for face time with him. I would say that shows just how weak morally he is.

You're going to be even more upset. Those "tickets" are also costing tax payers because the people buying them as a donation to the LPC, get a tax credit up to $650 per person.