28 / Canadian Government Executive // Summer 2023 THE LAST WORD In a recent opinion poll conducted for The Globe and Mail, it was clear that respondents were not terribly excited about their political choices. Fifty-three percent hope that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is replaced as Liberal leader before the next election, while 51% felt the same about Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. The leaders find themselves in similar positions but for different reasons. Prime Minister Trudeau has three problems that contribute to his current popularity – or lack thereof. First, there is a palpable sense of voter fatigue among voters for the Liberal government. Of course there is. The government is almost eight years old and Prime Minister Trudeau has been leader of the party for over ten years. No one has unlimited political capital and, inevitably, voters will get itchy when governments have had multiple years (and electoral mandates) to implement their agendas. Second, there an affordability/ cost of living crisis that contributes to the sense that the country is not moving in the right direction – always a dangerous sentiment for incumbents. Third, the government has been widely criticized for its handling of important, high publicity files, including the foreign interference situation and the current impasse with Google and Meta over the Online News Act. There are a few things that Prime Minister Trudeau can do to try to turn this around. For example, he is rumoured to be planning a major cabinet shuffle. Such a move could help to put a fresh face on government and could help with issues management by handing files to new, energetic ministers. But there is reason to wonder whether the government can really show up differently if the leader stays the same. There used to be speculation that Trudeau would be replaced before the next election but that seems to have quietened over the past months. Trudeau has been emphatic that he is running again. THE LAST WORD BY LORI TURNBULL Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, watched by Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre, delivers remarks on the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada September 15, 2022. Photo: Blair Gable
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