Obama endorses Trudeau for reelection ahead of Canada vote

Former President Barack Obama endorsed Justin Trudeau’s reelection as prime minister on Wednesday, potentially giving him a lift just days before Canadians go to the polls in closely fought elections.

“I was proud to work with Justin Trudeau as President,” Obama wrote on Twitter. “He’s a hard-working, effective leader who takes on big issues like climate change. The world needs his progressive leadership now, and I hope our neighbours to the north support him for another term.”

The approbation of Obama, who was very popular in Canada during his presidency, could buttress Trudeau at home, where his image as a liberal world leader — welcoming immigrants, defending the rights of women and indigenous people, and fighting climate change and racism — has suffered repeated blows over the last year.

In September, he faced revelations that he dressed in brownface and blackface two decades ago. In August, Trudeau was also found to have violated an ethics law in his handling of a corporate criminal case, by improperly pressuring his attorney general to seek a civil penalty against a company accused of corruption rather than a criminal conviction.

Trudeau apologised for wearing blackface and brownface, and said he took responsibility for mistakes made in the ethics case.

Gérard Bouchard, an eminent historian and sociologist with the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi, said Obama’s backing would reinforce Trudeau’s stature on the global stage. “President Obama is hugely respected on the international stage and in Canada and this endorsement could help elevate Mr. Trudeau,” Bouchard said. “It gives him authority and credibility at a time when he has lost that.”

Whatever his challenges domestically, Trudeau has won points both at home and abroad for standing up to an often-adversarial President Donald Trump, including by hammering out a sweeping trade deal among Canada, Mexico and the United States.

During Obama’s presidency, the Canadian and American leaders formed a close bromance, united by progressive policies on issues such as climate change and women’s rights. Both also had telegenic families.

Like Obama, Trudeau swept to power by fashioning himself as a transformational leader, who would bring change to Canada. And both men were first elected after nearly a decade of conservative rule.

In 2016, Obama served smoked duck poutine canapés to Trudeau at the White House, underlining the kinship between the two world leaders by serving him a dish inspired by his native province, Quebec.

In that same year, Obama addressed the Canadian Parliament, praising Trudeau for “the new energy and hope” his “leadership” had brought to Canada and to the alliance between Canada and the United States.

In 2017, the two men enjoyed a candlelit dinner at a hip restaurant in Montreal, where Trudeau grew up, ending the meal with a warm embrace.

Obama has rarely spoken out explicitly about political leaders, in the United States or abroad, since he left office in 2017. He has so far declined to make an endorsement in the Democratic primary campaign, in which his vice president, Joe Biden, is a candidate. However, he did endorse Emmanuel Macron of France for president in 2017, praising him for standing up for liberal values.

At a time when there have been concerns about foreign interference in the election, some critics lashed out at Obama for what they said amounted to interfering in Canada’s domestic affairs.

“Canadians would appreciate if you did not interfere in our democratic process,” a self-described Conservative man from Toronto wrote on Twitter.

© 2019 New York Times News Service