Across the six time zones of Canada, preliminary calculations are being made of how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau might survive his greatest political test by adding support from one of the minor political parties conducting spirited campaigns across the country. “That means that on each issue the prime minister must consult with his coalition partners,” said Geoff Norquay, a senior advisor to former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and director of communications for Stephen Harper when he was the leader of the opposition before becoming prime minister in 2006. In many ways, the endorsement of Trudeau by Barack Obama on Thursday underlined the prime minister’s challenges, for no earlier prime minister thought he needed, or wanted, the public approbation of an American leader. John F. Kennedy, who openly disdained Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, provided covert assistance to his Liberal rival Pearson in 1963 but stopped short of issuing an endorsement. Both Trudeau and Scheer are calling for Quebeckers to reject the Bloc Québécois, self-proclaimed guardians of French language and culture.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 19, 2019 16:52 UTC