Last October, Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party ran one of the most effective campaigns in Canadian history, defeating incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper to land a majority government. A year later, it’s important that Canadians reflect on how far we have come since that election.

Trudeau has transformed Canada’s reputation in the international world.

The Liberals ran on an ambitious platform: they wanted to create change for as many Canadians as possible by addressing everything from taxes, health care, infrastructure to environmental policy and reconciliation. Trudeau’s emphasis on the middle class has had an enormously positive effect on a substantial portion of Canadians.

In their first year, the Liberals made Canadian history by appointing a cabinet with gender parity. They lowered income tax for the middle class and increased taxes for those earning more than $200,000 and created a new Canada child benefit, a policy focused on decreasing child poverty and providing assistance for struggling families.

Moreover, they created an advisory board for senate appointments in an effort to create a more transparent and accountable process, a stark contrast to that of the previous government.

They launched a national inquiry on missing and murdered indigenous women and devoted $8.4 billion to “Aboriginal education, water systems, family and child services and other programs.”

The list is extensive, but the takeaway is that our Liberal government is focused on policies that will directly affect the quality of living for every Canadian. These policies are based on inclusionary values and have effectively taken steps towards restoring Canada’s reputation as a progressive country that puts people first.

As a man the Conservatives laughably deemed “just not ready,” Trudeau has become one of the most famous political leaders of modern history. His popularity stems from more than his famous name, but from his optimism.

His leadership style has single-handedly changed the tone of Canadian politics. We were used to a combative government, one that dismissed opposition and pushed through policy by fear mongering.

Today we have a Prime Minister who listens, who welcomes outside counsel and is a team player who encourages collaboration — a stark contrast to the previous leader who ran one of the most unaccountable and secretive governments in Canadian history.

Even in the face of his accomplishments, Trudeau’s opposition and critics are hell-bent on painting the Liberal government as fiscally irresponsible, pointing to the projected deficit of $18 billion for the next fiscal year.

What Conservative Members of Parliament have conveniently forgotten is that from the time Stephen Harper came into office in 2006 to his defeat in 2015, the federal debt increased by more than $150 billion dollars. That’s right — $150 billion dollars.

Suddenly a deficit of $18 billion dollars doesn’t seem so bad anymore. What is more important than the projected deficit, though, is the policies being funded by it. Conservative thinkers are quick to equate a deficit to a loss, but in reality, deficits are often a sign of investment.

Trudeau promised to help to help the middle class and that requires investment. Nobody can promise that investment will guarantee an increased economy, but failing to invest sure hasn’t worked to spur things on.

A Trudeau-led Canada is vastly different than the Harper-led Canada from a year ago and I think it is for the better. Politics are more than a balanced budget or a to-do list. Although campaign promises are important, what’s more important is having an accountable government — one that’s willing to take action and invest in a better future for Canadians.

For too long we had a government unwilling to spend money on social programs, collaborate or co-operate with outside groups. The Trudeau government has shown that Canada is among the best in the world when it comes to how it treats its citizens — and those outside its borders — and that is more important to me than anything.

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Geneva Houlden

Photo: batmoo / Flickr