Justin Trudeau is officially sworn in as prime minister today and Canada gets a look at his cabinet. Always a spectacle, this important rite in our democracy will be no different. As a way of doing things differently, not just from the Conservatives but from every government before in modern times, the PM-to-be and his appointees will arrive at Rideau Hall in a bus. The team is expected to debark at the gates to the estate around 9:45 a.m. where a crowd is expected to meet them. Trudeau and his ministers in waiting will then make their way up the tree-lined path to the Governor General’s official residence, where the swearing-in will occur. Just who is in the cabinet will be revealed by who is on the bus. It will a bit like watching for your relatives at the airport.
TALKING TOUGH TO PUTIN
The National Post talks today about what it says will be a big test for Mr. Trudeau — the Putin Test. It is a subject that was on the minds of many sobersided voters. How would a young, inexperienced — not to say superficial — prime minister deal with the slippery boss of Russia? The Post notes that Trudeau has accused Putin of “being dangerous” in eastern Europe, “irresponsible and harmful” in the Middle East, and “unduly provocative” in the Arctic. He has also called Putin a “bully,” and said: “If I have the opportunity in the coming months to meet with Vladimir Putin, I will tell him all this directly to his face because we need to ensure that Canada continues to stand strongly for peace and justice in the world.”
