Why it's time we all stopped idolising Justin Trudeau

Humans have long looked for icons, saints and cult heroes, to worship. It continues apace today, in the form of admiration for Justin Trudeau. Adulation and adoration seems to meet Canada’s PM wherever he goes, widely unchallenged from both the public and media alike. Social media posts by well-known publications declare an inability for “hearts to cope.” A quick Google search reveals listicles on why the world has fallen in love with Trudeau. And why not? Sweeping in a gender-neutral cabinet, cutting tax for middle income earners and ratifying a free trade deal with the EU tick boxes for the majority of Canada’s electorate.

But it’s time the fawning over Trudeau stopped. Journalists beyond Canada’s syrupy shores have chosen unabashed praise, but withholding scrutiny does no one any favours. And the maple-tinted glasses have allowed commentators to neglect key injustices, perpetrated on the world’s most impoverished by the Trudeau administration.

Vested interests in economic projects with Saudi Arabia, questionable policy on fossil fuels and cosy, uncritical relationships with foreign powers lie at the root of Donald “America First” Trump’s appeal. But, in differing ways, Trudeau commits these same sins.

An arms deal between Saudi Arabia and Canada is the first call for concern. Reportedly agreed at a fee between $12-15bn in 2014 by the previous Conservative government, Liberals ushered the deal to the end. Former Liberal leader and Trudeau’s then foreign affairs minister Stephane Dion—now special envoy to Germany—sealed the deal in April 2016 backed by Liberals claiming the deal could not be broken off. He later admitted the contract, which created 3000 jobs in Canada, was never a done deal. That the Trudeau government was willing to continue this Conservative project with aplomb suggests worrying things about its ability to assess potential dangers regarding where military equipment ends up and how it is used.

The world’s largest humanitarian crisis now lies in Yemen thanks to Saudi involvement in a protracted, violent civil war originating in the 2011 Arab Spring. Ten thousand people have been here killed since February 2014 and three million refugees have fled their homes. Has Saudi Arabia used Canada’s light armoured vehicles (LAVs) against civilians in the country? No official humanitarian body has yet provided an answer, but activists and critics have alleged the use of LAVs to quell protests in Bahrain. Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail claims its video analysis suggests Saudi authorities used armoured vehicles on civilians from the Kingdom’s eastern province. Use of armoured vehicles on civilians would flout Canada’s export rules.

Whatever the truth of the matter, by choosing the preservation of business in the Middle East over an assessment of the risks arms play in a war described by the UN as violating human rights, the conscience of the “world’s most progressive government” cannot be clear. We shouldn’t pretend that taking in Syrian refugees, laudable as it is, absolves Canada’s potentially destructive footnote in Yemen.

Trudeau's silence over illegal Israeli settlements is a second, damning, foreign stance at odds with his inclusive, tolerant policy at home. Canada’s close relationship with Israel continues in a cosy, criticism-free manner—despite Trudeau saying in a March 2016 town hall meet hosted by the Huffington Post that he wouldn’t hesitate to criticise the state, in truth, he has picked up the baton from his predecessor Stephen Harper.

His government has issued just one statement, in February 2017, denouncing illegal settlements, placing it at odds with the United Nations and allies such as America, France and Germany. Of course, a statement alone wouldn’t be conclusive: Trudeau cannot solve the 20 per cent poverty rate Palestinians suffer or broker a peace deal singularly. But statements do reveal intentions—their words providing confidence on a workable diplomatic solution and recognition for the Palestinian population. It may have been that Trudeau was simply keeping this policy area out of the spotlight, but Canada’s record in the UN General Assembly speaks for itself. In the first 13 months after Trudeau took to power, Canada voted against sixteen motions critical of Israel—including illegal settlements irking Obama in his final days as US President.

Lastly, charity starts at home. Despite signing the historic Paris Climate Change accord last year, Trudeau ignores the rights of those fighting on the environmental frontline: First Nation Canadians, the largest of Canada’s aboriginal groups. Promises of reconciliation, in light of Canada’s violent past against indigenous people, on the 2015 campaign trail ring hollow in light of his support for the Keystone XL pipeline, a controversial project pumping crude oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, slicing through indigenous lands. Fossil fuel megaprojects involve the mismanagement of resources—and nearly always constitute and irreparable damage—in contrast to native people’s belief in preserving land in its pure, natural form. First Nation activists in Northern Alberta have begun a fightback as they look to sue the federal government for failure to consult on 15 years’ worth of oil development—two years after Trudeau promised First Nation peoples the right of veto on land development issues.

Everyone’s favourite internationalist belies the image of a hero championing multiculturalism and diversity. Last week, he sported rainbow coloured socks celebrating both LGBT Pride and the Islamic festival of Eid. In ignoring vulnerable groups—Yemenis, Palestinians, First Nation Canadians and Native Americans—Trudeau’s actions show that, when it is inconvenient, his government’s policy does not match his progressive ideals. Treading on the world’s disenfranchised, even in snazzy celebratory socks, is not a good look.