A commentary by a 2015 Liberal candidate in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke who ran for the Greens in the 2019 federal election.

Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, so this is a good time to look back at the good, the bad and the ugly of his legacy.

Trudeau’s biggest personal accomplishment was to lead “Team Trudeau” to victory over Stephen Harper’s cynical, tired government in 2015. I was a Liberal candidate in that election and originally thought that Trudeau was merely posing as a progressive and could not connect with Canadian voters.

I was wrong. Trudeau’s energetic campaign performances, particularly his outstanding leadership debate performances, were essential to the Liberals rising from third place in the polls to victory.

Campaigning on middle-class tax cuts, electoral reform, the legalization of marijuana, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, and moderate “short term” budget deficits, the Liberals won a big majority.

Trudeau then named Canada’s first gender-balanced cabinet, including Chrystia Freeland, Jane Philpott, and Jody Wilson-Raybould.

The single greatest domestic success of his government’s first term was the implementation of the Canada Child Benefit, a massive increase in funding for families that lifted hundreds of thousands of Canadian children out of poverty.

His government’s greatest international success was the effective management of Team Trump’s bullying. Team Trudeau listened to and worked closely........

© Times Colonist