Sparkles

The buzz generated by the swearing in of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was reminiscent of the excitement our southern neighbours experienced when Barak Obama became president.

It’s strangely difficult to keep in mind that Trudeau is a middle-aged white man.

Especially difficult when he presented his new cabinet, trumpeted nationally and internationally for looking “like Canada”—notably half of them women, along with first nations ministers, refugee and immigrant ministers and ministers whose ages, religions and ethnicity generally don’t match the old boys’ club we’ve grown accustomed to seeing in office.

This is wonderful. Young people with all sorts of potential who never saw a future for themselves in politics because of who they are might now reconsider. It will pressure other parties and inspire change. Not even those who concern themselves with the blowback from affirmative action can deny this is a good side effect.

But once we’ve gotten over the delirium of this “change,” once the dust has settled and Canadians wipe the sparkles out of their eyes, we must realize these are just politicians, and they will do the job that politicians do.

Trudeau ran his campaign on change. The same way Obama ran his on hope nearly a decade ago. These words were more than platitudes. People latched onto them, had faith in them.

To the best of his ability, Obama tried to deliver. And he did, introducing a better (if flawed) system of healthcare than Americans had ever seen. But, whether they were for him or against him, the American public will find his portfolio lacklustre when he leaves office next year, if they compare it with their expectations.

Similarly, Trudeau has taken on the monumental task of fulfilling Canadians’ expectations for change.

So far, the beginnings of that change are taking place. The new cabinet is an example. The involvement of other parties and the provinces in the Paris climate conference is another.

So are the directives that have been given to various departments. The Department of Defence is finding a way to make room for 25,000 Syrian refugees. The department of Fisheries and Oceans is giving scientists full and unrestricted permission to speak with reporters.

But the result of those first decisions, and the ability to make more change in the future, will depend on a multitude of factors, the most pressing of which is the Canadian budget. The Liberal party ran on a platform that promised investing in Canada—spending money to make money—and while this idea has its merit, it also has its limits.

So for Canadians excited about change: enjoy it. But don’t forget that some of that excitement is sparkles in your eyes. Once those sparkles have cleared, you’ll be looking at a group of politicians. Politicians who might look more like Canada, but still have an uphill battle to create the change they promised to make.

mihal@mihalzada.com