Time for Trudeau?

             This could be an interesting time in Canadian politics.

            If the polls hold any water, a former drama teacher could be our new prime minister.  Not that there’s anything wrong with a teacher being prime minister.  Lyndon Johnson was a teacher, and he managed as president of the United States for six years.  It’s just different.  We’re so used to lawyers, businessmen, and, well, economists.

            Trudeau’s training in drama certainly helped him this campaign to invigorate the left.  Unlike Mulcair, he speaks clearly and passionately, and slow enough for the average Canadian to understand what he’s saying.  This may seem trivial, but in politics, messaging matters.  Throughout the campaign, Mulcair was hard-pressed to get a good video clip on the news because his Liberal rival delivered that clear one-liner that hit home with many Canadians.

            Trudeau has proven he can campaign, and proved he can handle a debate.  While we never had a televised debate on the major TV networks (thanks to Harper and Mulcair), the four debates that were held gave his rivals every opportunity to keep Trudeau in third place.  His impassioned arguments and quick thinking, however, defied expectations.

            In person, Trudeau is a charmer who attracts large crowds.  He has the personal touch, which has helped him re-gain that star power he lost over the last six months.  He certainly knows how to woo a crowd, unlike Mulcair and Harper, and never gets tired of taking selfies.

He built his campaign on a platform to galvanize left-of-centre voters.  By promising greater spending without the tax increases, he whetted Canadians’ appetite for a free lunch.  He threw out fiscal restraint for some “good debt,” the same low-interest debt Canadians are so addicted to.  So long as the housing bubble doesn’t pop or interest rates skyrocket, Canadians will support this kind of government policy.

            Most Canadians want a leader who inspires, and Trudeau does have an Obama-like presence.  But just like Obama’s shortcomings quickly became apparent once he was president, Trudeau may also stumble out of the gate.

            Governing is different than campaigning.  Priorities and hard decisions will need to be made.  If you’re not on your game 24/7, things can go awry quickly.  Especially with a minority government, which it appears he will win.

            He will face some immediate challenges, like dealing with the provinces on the issue of climate change.  Getting the premiers to work together on this will be like herding cats.  In many ways, it’s one of those issues that can’t be won except by the most politically astute.

            Harper could avoid it by pretending climate change didn’t exist.  Trudeau, as the new leader of the left, doesn’t have such luxury.

            Perhaps even more important is how he will deal with Mulcair, who will have no choice but to begrudgingly support the new Liberal government.  Mulcair has been called the “Grizzly” for a reason, and Trudeau will have to continually keep an eye on this temporary ally, to be careful to not poke the bear, so to speak.

            If he does win, I’d like to believe Trudeau will learn on the job and become as astute a prime minister as he was a campaigner.  He certainly has the energy and ambition.  Some of the questionable quotes and decisions he's made in the past I'll chock up to rookie mistakes.

            Politics is, after all, all about defying expectations.