On October 21, Canada will elect its next prime minister. Current PM Justin Trudeau is nearing the end of his first term, and this election will determine whether he will continue for a second.
Trudeau, from the Liberal party, is up against Conservative nominee Andrew Scheer. Political analysts are speculating that social issues will take the spotlight as the race intensifies. While both Scheer and Trudeau have relatively progressive social views, hot-topic issues like recreational marijiuana are highly contested.
While Trudeau has had quite a long honeymoon period since his election in 2013, Canadians are looking at this election to hold him to task on his promises.
Some key pillars of his campaign were centered around building better social welfare and legalizing recreational cannabis, both of which have been achieved since he’s taken office. However, some other large promises have seemed to have fallen through. For example, the federal budget has not been balanced, and the promised overhaul of the Canadian electoral system has not been achieved.
Scheer faces his fair share of challenges going into the election as well. While both he and Trudeau have identified as feminists in the past, Scheer has come under recent scrutiny on his views on same-sex marriage and reproductive rights.
In 2005, Scheer voted against legislation legalizing gay marriage, vocally expressing his personal and political opposition to heterosexual union. However, in 2016, he has supported more progressive legislation, like one protecting gender expression under the Human Rights Act. Additionally, Scheer has come under fire for his conflicting statements on abortion and reproductive rights. He has been vocal about his personal opposition, but has promised in the past to keep current policies in place. In 2017, however, a clip emerged of him promising “a free vote” on the abortion issue if he takes office.
In May, Scheer addressed his followers at a rally, emphasizing his goal to bring the Conservative party together: “we all know what it looks like when Conservatives are divided, we will not let that happen again. We win when we are united.”