On Monday, as criticism of his hands-off approach mounted, Trudeau finally took forceful action against the truckers and other protesters who have laid siege to parts of Ottawa, the capital, for more than two weeks.
“Many will cheer the Trudeau government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act,” the Star said.
The protests have been depicted in some international news coverage as a dramatic rupture of norms in a country viewed as peaceable and polite.
From 1963 through 1970, separatist militants in Quebec carried out scores of robberies and bombings in a campaign culminating with the kidnapping and murder of a provincial minister in October 1970.
“His father knew what to do to, and Justin doesn’t,” said Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto.
Often branded a “liberal elitist” by his critics, Trudeau refused to meet with the protesters, some of whom called for his government to be overthrown.
Trudeau is still remembered for evoking the prospect of “sunny ways” when he took office in 2015 at age 43, the second-youngest Canadian prime minister ever.
In theory, Trudeau could run again when the next election is held within the next few years.
Even as Trudeau’s approval ratings dipped, however, polls show that most Canadians have supported the pandemic restrictions.
The truckers’ so-called Freedom Convoy has been cheered on by right-wing figures in the United States, including Fox News personalities, former President Donald Trump and Texas Sen.