Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s woes related to the grant of a nearly billion dollar contract to a charity with links to himself and his family, are growing with almost half of Canadians polled in a new survey saying new elections should be held if he were to be found guilty of violating Federal ethics norms.
The scandal over the CA $ 912 million contract to WE Charity has already lead to Trudeau being investigated by the country’s Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, as well as being probed by two Parliamentary panels.
Trudeau has also apologised for not recusing himself from a Cabinet decision for granting the contract to the organisation. The contract was later cancelled after the controversy erupted with revelations that his mother, brother and wife had been paid for appearances by the organisation
It appears, however, that Trudeau’s apology has not cut any ice with Canadians. A new survey from the polling agency Leger in collaboration with the Association for Canadian Studies shows that 49 per cent of Canadians want Trudeau to quit and call fresh elections if he is found guilty of ethics violations. The PM was found of guilty of similar violations twice during his first term.
But that’s not the only data point working against Trudeau: 49 per cent also said their opinion of Trudeau had worsened due to the WE scandal and 42 per cent said their view of his Liberal Party had suffered adversely. The news agency Canadian Press quoted Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque as saying that “these are numbers that will certainly worry or concern the Liberals at this moment.”
Trudeau’s Liberal Party is running a minority government and had enjoyed an upswing in support due to the perception of efficient handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the new controversy has taken a heavy political toll on the ruling party as it has dropped six points in two weeks and it seems to be in a statistical tie with the principal opposition Conservatives at this time.