Trudeau holds on

Canada’s electorate has given a not-so-clear mandate. The ruling Liberal Party’s victory in the general election is anything but impressive, but it has managed to buck anti-incumbency and keep the resurgent Conservatives out of power. The Liberals won 157 seats out of 338, way ahead of the main opposition party (121), even though with a lesser vote share (33.1 per cent) than that of the Conservatives (34.4 per cent). It’s back to the drawing board for the Tories, who couldn’t prevent a major split of the anti-Liberal vote.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has his work cut out as he prepares to form a minority government with the ‘issue-based’ support of left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Jagmeet Singh. It was a below-par performance by the NDP as well, which got 24 seats, 20 less than its tally in the 2015 polls. However, the party’s Punjab-origin leader is now in a position to keep the ruling party on its toes. Jagmeet is expected to press Trudeau to do a lot more to tackle climate change and global warming, besides seeking a significant increase in the housing and healthcare budget as well as the taxes imposed on the ultra-rich.

Even as Jagmeet is set to play the role of ‘the opposition within the government’, the poll results have shown that the identity politics pursued by him has failed to turn the tide for the NDP. His sympathies for Sikh separatists in the Maple Country have made him a controversial figure in India too. Trudeau’s first innings was marked by an uneasy relationship with India as his dispensation was perceived to be lenient towards Canada-based activists and groups that were trying to revive the Khalistan movement. Earlier this year, New Delhi had asked Ottawa to address its concerns in this regard. With Canada now boasting of more Sikh MPs than India, the minority community will continue to have an important bearing on the state of affairs. How the Trudeau-Jagmeet team tackles the ticklish K-issue will determine the course of bilateral ties.