Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in the Liberal convention in Ottawa on Thursday, May 4, 2023. Federal Liberals are billing their party convention this week as a chance to contrast what they say is their more positive and optimistic vision for Canada with the "politics of anger" being stoked by their chief opponents. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Federal Liberals are billing their party convention this week as a chance to contrast what they say is their more positive vision for Canada with the “politics of anger” being stoked by their chief opponents.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived to kick off the three-day convention in downtown Ottawa with short speeches to the party’s Indigenous and youth wings mid-afternoon before he delivers a keynote address later tonight.
He says the conversations the party will have are “essential” to the message it will convey to Canadians ahead of the next election.
The party has struggled somewhat in recent national polls as the Liberal government is hounded by allegations it is mishandling foreign interference and failing to truly understand the struggles of average Canadians in a high-inflation era.
Trudeau says Liberals need to show fellow Canadians who would never join a political party or attend a convention why the party’s optimistic pitch to address climate change and inequality is the one to back.
Trudeau continues to say there will be “two years” until another federal election, but the timing depends largely on how long the minority Liberals and NDP maintain their supply-and-confidence agreement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2023.
