The chastening of Justin Trudeau

摘要

ON THE MORNING after election day, Justin Trudeau appeared at a metro station in his Montreal constituency of Papineau to offer hugs, kisses and selfies to commuters. Perhaps he was in need of an ego boost. Although he survived as prime minister, his Liberal Party lost its parliamentary majority and received fewer votes than the opposition Conservatives (see chart). The election exposed deep regional divisions and will compel him to seek support for his programme from rival parties. "Canadians rejected division and negativity," he declared after his victory. In fact, those principles were the basis on which many voted.