“Sunny ways, my friends. Sunny ways. This is what positive politics can do,” said Justin Trudeau, during his election victory speech on October 19, before a packed crowd of cheering Liberal Party supporters in Montreal. Trudeau’s remarks were a direct nod to Sir Wilfrid Laurier, a former prime minister known for his pleasant demeanor and ability to forge compromises over divisive identity politics. It was a speech that again underscored just how different Trudeau’s tone would be from his conservative predecessor Stephen Harper, who historian Robert Bothwell said “probably was the most cynical prime minister in Canadian history.”

Differences are already being felt. After a divisive campaign where identity issues featured prominently, Trudeau’s …show more content…
But the Liberal government has yet to offer any new climate reduction targets besides what Stephen Harper has already pledged. It’s worth remembering that a prior Liberal government under [person] ratified the Kyoto Protocol, but did little to implement the binding reduction targets (the Harper government withdrew from Kyoto altogether in 2011). And in [month], Trudeau’s campaign co-chair Dan Gagnier [was forced to?] resign after it was made public that he was advising oil firms about how best to lobby a new Liberal government. Although we’ll have to wait and see—these are not reassuring first …show more content…
He’ll also restore relations with Iran after the Stephen Harper [insert] closed the Canadian embassy in Tehran in 2012 and expelled Iranian diplomats from Ottawa. All signs indicate that these promises will likely be fulfilled, pushing the country toward multilateralism—a source of pride for Canadians even if, in many respects, the historical record is decidedly more mixed (of which Trudeau senior was a notable exception). But Canada’s role in the combat mission is limited in any case, and a major policy shift toward the Middle East, remains