Trudeau’s first challenge is to manage a nation’s high hopes: Editorial

After pulling off one of the great triumphs of Canadian political history Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau might welcome a chance to catch his breath. Good luck with that. Predictably, the stunning Liberal victory has unleashed a whirlwind of pent-up expectations.

Bring in those Syrian refugees, now. Appoint more women to cabinet. Strengthen Canada’s pension system. Solve planetary warming. Fix the Anti-Terrorism Act. Make nice with Barack Obama. Deliver that middle-class tax cut. Get our kids jobs. Reform the voting system.

In the minds of Canadians who have chafed under the Conservatives, Trudeau’s to-do list is a long and urgent one. But as he prepares to be sworn in as prime minister he should not be buffeted by the sheer force of public expectations. His first task will be to manage those demands. He may not have the leisure to make haste slowly, as the old bromide goes. But he can and should make haste carefully.

Trudeau candidly acknowledged the nation’s post-election sense that “everything is possible,” at a Liberal rally in Ottawa on Tuesday. “The work has only just begun,” he said.

Later, speaking to the media, Trudeau announced plans to form a government on Nov. 4, appoint a gender-balanced cabinet, and treat all MPs with respect. He promised to send a clear signal that Canada will pull its weight on climate change. And he vowed not to let relations with the United States founder over the Keystone XL pipeline, or his decision to pull Canada’s warplanes from Iraq.

But as Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has reminded us, Trudeau cannot be expected to deliver on each and every Liberal campaign promise, yesterday. She isn’t pounding on Trudeau’s door with a long list of demands, nor should she. After years of Conservative misgovernance it’s more important to get things right than to get things done all in a rush.

Happily for Trudeau, his landslide victory will give his government time to find its feet.

In Parliament, the opposition Conservatives will be consumed for months by a leadership race to replace Stephen Harper, and to redefine the party’s direction. Tom Mulcair’s battered New Democrats have soul-searching of their own to do.

Trudeau’s first priority is to draw on the Liberal party’s deep pool of capable MPs to build a progressive-minded cabinet. The Greater Toronto Area has plenty of talent to offer, including the likes of Chrystia Freeland, Bill Morneau, Omar Alghabra, Mark Holland, Adam Vaughan, Carolyn Bennett, John McCallum and others.

When Parliament resumes, Trudeau should follow through on setting a new, respectful tone after so years of Conservative arrogance and contempt for the role of the opposition. He should re-empower officers of Parliament and committee chairs, so that government is more transparent, accountable and responsive.

Then the Liberals must get a handle on the federal finances, reassess the nation’s economic prospects and craft a stimulative budget that delivers the middle-class tax cuts, family benefits and job-creating infrastructure investment the party promised.

Some issues can’t wait. Trudeau must marshal federal resources to bring in Syrian refugees, as promised. But he can afford to take a measured approach toward rolling back obtuse Conservative legislation including draconian anti-terror laws and overly punitive crime bills, assessing the Pacific trade deal and making good on his pledge to legalize marijuana.

And while Trudeau aims to strike a better working relationship with Wynne and the other premiers, that’s a long-term project. There’s no fast track to getting provincial buy-in on contentious issues such as pension reform or curbing greenhouse gases.

Canadians are understandably anxious to see the Trudeau team take the country in a better direction. Clearly, he’s more than ready. But the first and most urgent part of that job is done. The rest can be tackled in due season.