This is a special Canada Letter for the 2019 Canadian election. Sign up for the newsletter here.
Monday night brought the first official debate of this years campaign, an event largely marked by the six leaders talking over one another. After cycling back home well into the evening from the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, home of the debates, I was up before dawn the next morning for a very particular election experience.
On Tuesday, the traveling roadshow that is Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus campaign dropped into Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, for a few hours. Its probably not a tour experience anyone will soon offer the general public.
As the election enters its final phase, polls suggest that neither Mr. Trudeau nor Andrew Scheer, the Conservative leader, have managed to change voters views in any significant ways, at least when it comes to the popular vote. As they were at the beginning, the two parties and their leaders are deadlocked in a tie.
So this has become an every-seat-counts kind of election. (A reminder for non-Canadian readers: Canadians will not vote for a party or prime minister on Oct. 21. They are electing 338 local members of Parliament.) Nunavut, all 2 million square kilometers of it, is just a single electoral district. The Liberals won it in 2015 and clearly hope to repeat that. Tuesday was Mr. Trudeaus third trip to Nunavut in a year.
Not only is the contingent of reporters who follow Mr. Trudeau and the other leaders around considerably smaller than in the past, its now almost entirely made up of journalists from television networks. Mr. Trudeaus staff told me that reporters and columnists from Canadian newspapers have floated in and out. But a reporter for The Canadian Press news service and I were the only representatives of what event organizers now call print and digital media on the Iqaluit outing.
Like any day on the Liberal campaign, journalists, or more precisely their employers, paid 1,000 Canadian dollars to come along.
Mr. Trudeaus campaign planes have attracted unusual attention this election. First a bus carrying reporters unwisely tried to drive under the wing of one of the planes, damaging it. Then, the Conservatives charged that having two planes undermines Mr. Trudeaus climate change agenda. The Liberals shot back by noting that they buy carbon offsets, while the Conservatives do not.
For reasons no one could explain, we flew to Iqaluit on the Boeing 737-200 usually used by Mr. Trudeaus advance team to move around equipment rather than the one with giant red TRUDEAU banners painted on its sides. I was told by other journalists that the decorated plane is quite nice. As for our aircraft, there are good reasons its called the cargo plane, although its lack of storage space was only matched by an extraordinary lack of leg room.
While several of Mr. Trudeaus aides and his children Ella-Grace and Xavier wandered back to where journalists and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police sat, the prime minister didnt budge from his seat until we landed, three hours after taking off in Ottawa. From an overhead bin, he retrieved a special Nunavut campaign parka, which was overkill given the 5-degree-Celsius temperature.
In 2015, the successful Liberal candidate was Hunter Tootoo who was named fisheries minister by Mr. Trudeau. But an alcohol problem and a messy affair, in which Mr. Tootoo was said to have had relationships with a young female staffer and her mother at the same time, led to his removal from the cabinet and the Liberal caucus.
This time around, the Liberal candidate is Megan Pizzo-Lyall, a former Iqaluit city councilor who is now operations manager for an Inuit investment company. She is facing Leona Aglukkaq, the Conservative who held the district for two terms and had several cabinet posts in Stephen Harpers government.
Mr. Trudeaus agenda included events clearly designed to boost Ms. Pizzo-Lyalls campaign, including a visit to an Inuit seniors center where one woman recalled meeting him as a child when he had accompanied his father, the former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, to the community. Two other women, however, continued with their card game.
But the trip also allowed Mr. Trudeau to use the stunning and thats understating it scenery of Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park as a backdrop for cameras as he spoke to a national audience about his governments record on the environment and curbing carbon change in particular. The reporters questions? They were mainly focused on the debate.
Along the way, he worked a small crowd that included a grade 10 high school class and received a plastic bag of dried and smoked fish from a woman for the plane ride home.
In an airplane services building at the airport, the reporters and his staff were fed Arctic char panini, something that in an ideal world would be coming to a restaurant near everyone. Three and a half hours after the cargo plane touched down in Iqaluit, it was airborne for Toronto.
Even the vastness of Canadas Arctic, however, provided no relief from the comparative smallness of the countrys political world. At the Toronto airport, Mr. Trudeaus plane had to taxi up next to Mr. Scheers. And as the two red Liberal buses headed out to a suburban hotel, Mr. Scheers big blue buses were pulling in.
On Oct 17, join Ian Austen and Dan Bilefsky for an election-themed phone conversation about where the parties stand and the issues most important to Canadians. Is this close race at a tipping point? RSVP for the call here, and send your questions to nytcanada@nytimes.com.
A native of Windsor, Ontario, Ian Austen was educated in Toronto, lives in Ottawa and has reported about Canada for The New York Times for the past 16 years. Follow him on Twitter at @ianrausten.
Were eager to have your thoughts about this newsletter and events in Canada in general. Please send them to nytcanada@nytimes.com.
Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here.
See original here:
Justin Trudeau Heads North, Fighting for Every Seat in a Tight Race - The New York Times
- Hang onto your hats--More Redheads RFL Shopping 🙂 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Why I Relay -- from Daaneth Kivioq - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Two Upcoming Events! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- We had fun AND ... - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Why I Relay -- from Edith Halderman & Envy Watts - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Toga! Toga! We had fun and raised 5k for RFL! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "Duel of the DJ's" --THIS Sunday, April 19 at 1pm - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Dressing for Relay Events... Lag in Style! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- "Duel of the DJ's" -- TODAY Sun, April 19 at 1pm - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Relay Shopping Made Easy! Our Very Own Store! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- We have a winner! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Not to Miss! Frogg & Jaycatt Saturday at 1pm SLT - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Thank You Frogg, Jaycatt, Lomgren and Luskwood! GO RELAY! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Upcoming Events in Redhead-land - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- In Memory of ... Lachlan Campbell - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- More Goodies in Our RFL Store - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The BIG Blowout Event! 12-3pm SLT Tomorrow! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- ONE WORLD, ONE HOPE! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- We miss you Fimi! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Redheads Know How To Partay!!! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- We had a BALL! And the SILENT AUCTION continues... - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- RenFaire! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Rocking With Yahshvah Shinja - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- WOW! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What a weekend that was! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- 2010 Blog! - April 4th, 2010 [April 4th, 2010]
- Brian Scalabrine - The World's Greatest - Video - March 29th, 2012 [March 29th, 2012]
- Red strength hint in caution notice - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Emma Roberts turns heads at Coachella - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Cartoon of the Day: Chelsea's battered bus leaves Terry behind and heads for Munich after rolling over Barcelona - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Kaskade Heads Out On 'Freaks Of Nature' Tour, Gives Us Full-Body Chills (VIDEO) - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Red shirts divided over Prem meet - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Snobby Mr. Douchey - Ep: 6 - Video - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Ep. 3 MALLSCAPADE: Squaresville (A new free web show about growing up bored in the suburbs) - Video - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- My Sisters: Problematic to Practically Perfect - Ep: 2 - Video - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Backstage Girls- Episode 2: Bobby Brown's Every Little Step - Video - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Red Heads for Red Heads with Cornelia Frances for The Orangutan Project - Video - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- More Theatre of Life: Gay Witchcraft - Video - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Asian Red Head - Video - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Red Devils baseball team wins play-in game vs. North Sevier, heads to 2A tourney - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Ask Nick: Is something wrong with Gonzalez? - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Red Bluff Lady Spartans blast Lassen 13-0 - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Camelot heads 2,000 Guineas field - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Tech baseball heads to College Station for final time - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Joe Stortini heads list of local all-state basketball players - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- 'White Rabbit, Red Rabbit' review: never the same - May 7th, 2012 [May 7th, 2012]
- Red sea of Clippers fans lifts team to win - May 7th, 2012 [May 7th, 2012]
- Reynolds and Hammel carry Orioles past Red Sox 8-2 - May 7th, 2012 [May 7th, 2012]
- Gillard, Abbott promote Red Cross - May 7th, 2012 [May 7th, 2012]
- The Duchess of Cambridge turns heads with glamorous cream dress - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- Royals 4, Red Sox 3: Two out of three is bad - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- The power of a sign - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- Met Ball 2012 Red Carpet: Stars Shine In Metallic Frocks - May 10th, 2012 [May 10th, 2012]
- Morning Mail: Red Sox fan wears bag on head, starts social media storm - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]
- 'Food Truck Wars' heads for Monmouth Park - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]
- Obama to talk mortgages in Reno, Romney heads to North Carolina, plus more to watch for this weekend in politics - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]
- Losing heads while salmon fishing - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]
- West Ottawa boys track & field wins stunning relay at OK Red meet - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]
- Sexy Redheads - Video - May 13th, 2012 [May 13th, 2012]
- Red Sox Look to Build Momentum Against Mariners: Fan Preview - May 16th, 2012 [May 16th, 2012]
- Red-cockaded woodpecker gets care and protection in Alabama (with video and gallery) - May 16th, 2012 [May 16th, 2012]
- Beckett takes Red Sox from Fenway to Bushwood - May 16th, 2012 [May 16th, 2012]
- Greek uncertainty leaves US stocks in red - May 16th, 2012 [May 16th, 2012]
- Greece Heads Toward New Elections - May 16th, 2012 [May 16th, 2012]
- On Soccer: Red Bulls rise to top of Eastern Conference with help from trio of young American defenders - May 16th, 2012 [May 16th, 2012]
- Frankel heads Lockinge confirmations - May 16th, 2012 [May 16th, 2012]
- Kevin Spacey heads to South Africa for movie project premiere - May 16th, 2012 [May 16th, 2012]
- Red Poppy brings new voices to art scene - May 16th, 2012 [May 16th, 2012]
- Gold Heads Into The Red In 2012 - May 17th, 2012 [May 17th, 2012]
- Betty White heads to Washington to see the animals - May 17th, 2012 [May 17th, 2012]
- Outdoors: Losing your heads against fishing rules - May 17th, 2012 [May 17th, 2012]
- Betty White heads to nation's capital to see National Zoo, indulge passion for animal watching - May 17th, 2012 [May 17th, 2012]
- Canadian wave heads to Cannes Film Festival - May 17th, 2012 [May 17th, 2012]
- Pippa Middleton Wears Sexy Red Dress at Scottish Wedding - May 20th, 2012 [May 20th, 2012]
- Touchdowns for a cure - May 20th, 2012 [May 20th, 2012]
- TSX heads higher; Facebook shares rise after delayed start of trading - May 20th, 2012 [May 20th, 2012]
- Woman heads to Uganda to bring cheer to children - May 20th, 2012 [May 20th, 2012]
- World Premiere of Disney•Pixar’s “Brave” Heads to Hollywood for Grand Opening of the Dolby Theatre - May 20th, 2012 [May 20th, 2012]
- Toronto stock market heads higher amid cautious buying at end of bruising week - May 20th, 2012 [May 20th, 2012]
- Red Bluff brings home 11th section title; McColpin throws shutout vs. Wolves - May 20th, 2012 [May 20th, 2012]