The bloom is off the rose for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It was inevitable that even the sunniest of ways would give way to clouds.
Disillusionment with Trudeau鈥檚 government has been growing, but a recent poll by Ipsos Global Affairs for Global News quantified the sentiment. For the first time, it suggested the Conservatives were ahead of the Liberals.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and his party would win 38 per cent of the votes, and Trudeau鈥檚 Liberals would receive 33 per cent, the poll suggested.
The tipping point, in perception if not in fact, was likely the prime minister鈥檚 trip to India, which recalled the foreign-travel woes of former prime minister Joe Clark 鈥� but with more colourful clothes. The Trudeau family鈥檚 frequent costume changes made a more indelible mark on the Canadian consciousness than the scandal over the government鈥檚 invitation to a convicted attempted murderer.
But the embarrassment of the trip was just a slapstick cap to more serious issues.
Trudeau鈥檚 electoral opponents were unlikely to be persuaded to support him, but he has managed to alienate a significant chunk of his supporters by failing to deliver on promises. Abandoning his pledge for electoral reform spread anger across the country. In sa国际传媒, his government鈥檚 approval of the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion left many feeling betrayed.
Much of the government鈥檚 success hung on Trudeau鈥檚 own popularity. When that faded, it dragged everything down with it. If Trudeau hopes to turn things around, he has a lot of work to do.
