Editorial: Ambitions meet reality in Trudeau's first six months

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On what basis should we judge the first six months of the Justin Trudeau era? Like the Conservatives who preceded him, Trudeau won a majority of seats, but not a majority of the popular vote. Unlike the Tories, however, he is running an activist government, creating much bigger public expectations than Stephen Harper ever did.

So be it. Trudeau has explicitly raised the bar on what the Liberals can and should do. Setting aside our own nervousness about big government, then, let’s review where he is, using his own standards.

First, The Liberals have turned some early, high-profile pledges into reality. The Canada Child Benefit comes into effect July 1, and Grits can stamp “promise kept” on tax cuts to the middle class.

Second, they’ve differentiated themselves from their predecessors: announcing the reopening of closed Veterans Affairs Offices, for example; restoring 65 as the eligibility age for Old Age Security; and rejuvenating the long-form census. They’ve dumped the Office of Religious Freedom and brought back the court challenges program. They’ve also started encouraging public servants to actually speak to the public, a first sliver of transparency.

Third, they’ve met their initial targets (if not their self-imposed deadline) for bringing Syrian refugees to Canada. They’ve reshaped the mission against ISIL (though few would have predicted that this would involve deeper military involvement on the ground than Harper committed to). And we barely need mention the 50-50 cabinet gender split; in Canada – to Trudeau’s credit – that’s so 2015.

There have been significant trip-ups: The promise to return to balanced budgets has evaporated. Financial transparency has been found wanting. The approval of selling light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia has shaken Liberal credibility on human rights.

Yet the hard work of this activist government has only begun, as a humble but cheerful Trudeau made clear during a rally-the-troops caucus speech Wednesday. In it, he emphasized “diversity” and “collaboration” – and for good reason: He will need help from many quarters as the files grow more and more complex.

The deadline for assisted dying legislation is a month away. And it needs approval from a Senate whose mechanisms for passing anything remain a muddle. Meanwhile, the government wants to move on the marijuana file sooner rather than later. And if it intends electoral reform – something Trudeau reiterated during a (welcome) press briefing Wednesday – he needs support from the opposition.

Then there are greenhouse gas targets, a health accord and resolving the accumulating crises of indigenous communities. All require provincial buy-in. And have we mentioned infrastructure? Pipelines? Procurement?

Only three-and-a-half years left, Liberals. The clock is ticking.