By Anissa Gardizy 10/22/2019
Justin Trudeau will serve as Canadian Prime Minister for a second term after losing the majority in a competitive and divided national election.
The Liberals now have 157 seats in government, which is 13 less than the number needed to hold a majority. Trudeau and Conservative Andrew Scheer were the top candidates during Monday’s election where over 300 seats in the parliamentary were open.
Trudeau is commonly viewed as a progressive public figure. While in office, he apologized for the way the government treated the LBGTQ and indigenous communities, and he has welcomed refugees. He claims that he is a feminist and has commited to end the gender pay gap.
But several scandals painted Trudeau’s campaign. It was revealed in a picture last week that the 47-year-old wore brownface when he was a teacher at an “Arabian Nights” event. Another picture surfaced showing Trudeau wearing blackface in high school. In July 2018, Trudaeu was accused of groping a female reporter when he was 28 years old.
Trudeau said after his win that he would commit to working for everyone in the divided government and country.
Thank you, Canada, for putting your trust in our team and for having faith in us to move this country in the right direction. Regardless of how you cast your vote, our team will work hard for all Canadians.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 22, 2019