EDITORIAL: Trudeau praises Trudeau’s legacy

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Sunday marked 10th anniversary of the election of Justin Trudeau's Liberal government in 2015, raising questions about how Canadians remember his nearly decade in power.

Trudeau made it clear how he thinks we should remember it.

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He tweeted on X that his victory on Oct. 19, 2015, marked the day “Canadians chose a more hopeful path.

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“I will never forget that night in 2015,” he continued.

“Energy, optimism and belief that together we can build a better future.

“Ten years later, we have lifted hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty, strengthened and grown the middle class, built a $10-a-day child care system, led the fight against climate change, advanced reconciliation, and made Canada more inclusive and fair for everyone.

“I am deeply grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey and believed that the best is always possible.”

We're not surprised that this is how Trudeau remembers his years in office, since he was never shy about calling himself symbol of all that is good in Canada.

Shortly after his election, he boasted that it was a sign that Canada was becoming “the first post-national state” in the world, with “no core identity or mainstream.”

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HERITAGE IN QUESTION

On the other hand, many Canadians disagree with Trudeau's assessment of himself and his years in power as they consider the fundamental question of any political legacy.

That is: “Are you better now than then?”

Considering that under Trudeau Canada's worst economic growth ever any federal government, starting with the government of R.B. Bennett during the Great Depression, their answer is no.

A sure sign of this is that a global survey conducted earlier this year by the Pew Research Center found that only 16% of Canadian adults believe children in Canada will be better off financially than their parents, ranking second among 36 countries with Japan. (France came in last place with 14%).

Even Mark Carney, Trudeau's Liberal successor, noted that Trudeau's rampant immigration policiesand an increase in federal government operating costs of about 9% per year meant that Canada was in poor economic shape long before US President Donald Trump began his tariff war against us.

This is also part of Trudeau's legacy.

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