Then, there was an unintentional outburst at the parliament. Lower house members were getting ready to take a vote over the issue of assisted dying. This is a thorny issue that has vexing medical, technical, and moral aspects. In the face of a deadline, Trudeau’s Liberal government employed a variety of legislative procedures to speed up the process of voting.
The house was getting ready to approve the bill. The voting would begin when it was clear that the Conservative as well as Liberal party whips had taken their seats. But it was the Conservative whip who was blocked by force, but not intentionally, in his place by a number of members of the New Democratic Party milling about between the opposition and government benches.
Trudeau was observing the obstruction in his way and wishing to move on to vote, walked through the Commons, taking the whip with his arm, and pulled through the hordes of MPs blocking the way. While doing so, the MP slapped a New Democratic member in the chest, which caused what appeared to be a significant amount of discomfort. The incident is currently being called ” elbowgate.”
Initially, Liberal MPs cheered the prime minister’s decision. This was another action by a tense and athletic politician. When it became apparent that Trudeau was hurting another politician and causing a commotion, the whole world went into chaos.
Rough and tumble
Trudeau’s behavior was unacceptable and inexplicably. Trudeau regrets his actions and has since apologized. The thing that makes this incident more important is that it is a suitable metaphor for his general handling of the legislature. In the face of deadlines for legislation that are both self-imposed and legally mandated, Trudeau and his parliamentary leadership have started to drastically restrict the rights of opposition parties to challenge and discuss laws.
In addition, he is willing to alter the whole electoral process, likely to the advantage of his party and without the need for a referendum – and people are beginning to think the man he is compared to the former premier Stephen Harper, a man who is willing to bend the rules to suit his preferences.
The Canadian Parliament is indeed a spooky space, one that is controlled by a variety of conventions and rules. Certain of these customs and customs are merely a matter of practice. For instance, the reason that the Conservative whip didn’t stroll around the group of MPs that were blocking him taking the side of the aisle that is on the government is probably due to the fact that practice requires that he walks on the opposing side.
These rules do not reflect the larger principles of conventions that allow enough time for discussion and review to allow for the consensus establishment of calendars, as well as for occasional debates led by opposition. Prime Minister Trump appears quite willing to manipulate the conventions, too.
Family bonds
These incidents do not reflect positively on Trudeau. At least, for a small portion of us, do the wife’s recent rants about the fact that she’s not capable of handling every request and correspondence she gets (a fact that I don’t doubt).
Trudeau was initially thought of as just one part of a charming couple. He and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, are equally captivating. Both appeared to have the grace and charm that other people who are through the rigors of juggling careers and young children would only wish for. This is beginning to sound hollow.
The Trudeaus are busy that are unimaginably busy. It is not fair to judge them for the support they receive because of Justin Trudeau’s role. However, voters deserve to consider that he devoted a large portion of the campaign, reminding voters that people who earn the same amount as Trudeau’s (already rich) family members are in the least need of assistance from the government to provide childcare. It is also fair to be disappointed by his apparent inability to issue the cheques for child care assistance that the government gave his family and the rest of the families that share it.
The Trump factor
I am skeptical that these events could hurt Trudeau, at the very least. At a minimum.
Two aspects of modern politics are relevant to this. The first is that politics has become increasingly about character, and people are drawn to those who turn to traditional authority and to the mainstream. Plato noted this a long time ago, and we can witness it today with Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and in Trudeau.