Gay rights, opioids, voting reform: 3 ways politics touched Canadians this week
OTTAWA — The desperate search for reason and direction in the wake of a Donald Trump victory swamped everything else in Ottawa this week, with politicos by turns both panicked and puzzled about what could possibly happen next.
With the gradual acceptance that business as usual is not an option, both the Liberals and the Conservatives ramped up their study of the U.S. tea leaves and began to recalibrate their approaches accordingly.
The Conservatives seem to be taking on a renewed tone of populism, but — not to be confused with Trump — they are more adamantly pro-free trade than ever. The Liberals hope to appear calm, playing down their differences with Trump and stressing the common ground while gently carving out policies that will not change regardless of what the United States does.
Still, there were some domestic political developments that were purely Canadian: a reinforcement of gay rights, a vigorous discussion about opioids and jockeying for position on electoral reform.