Get to know the party leaders

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This article was published 15/08/2021 (1229 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As campaigning officially begins for a fall federal election, the Star’s Ottawa Bureau has profiled the leaders of each party to reflect on their lives before politics, standouts during their tenures thus far and what to expect as they vie for the top seat in government.

Annamie Paul, Green Party leader

Last fall, the newly-minted leader failed to claim a seat in the byelection for her Toronto Centre riding, which went to the Liberal Party’s Marci Ien. But Annamie Paul was able to draw the race closer than expected in the Liberal stronghold. She came in second place with 32.7 per cent of the vote, while the Liberals managed 15 per cent fewer votes than in 2019.

Her healthy entry has fallen ill in recent months, as internal party turmoil and her own stories of facing racism and sexism have taken up residence in headlines.

And yet, the streets have not been nearly as hostile, according to Darcy Higgins who is handling community outreach for Paul’s current Toronto Centre run.

There’s more to the 48-year-old lawyer than the bullet points on her resume, and supporters are hoping a federal campaign will give her a chance to reclaim her story — and the public’s trust.

This article details what members of her team say she’s up against, the new ideas that helped propel her to leadership in the first place, and what sort of campaign Canadians can expect from her this election.

Read Green Party Leader Annamie Paul’s full profile here.

Jagmeet Singh, NDP leader

Evidenced by a few life-saving brushes with fate, Singh says, “Maybe the universe makes this happen when you’re good at something.”

Whether it’s the tools to save someone from drowning, surviving a tough childhood or keeping his family afloat, the lawyer has a strong desire to help people. And it’s influenced his entry to politics from the start.

But after ascending first as an Ontario MPP and then cruising to NDP leadership in 2017, his momentum stalled.

Still, Singh’s genuine presence has maintained his popularity — the party has more than twice as much money to spend, better polling results, and higher hopes it can recover seats lost since the “orange wave” of 2011.

It’s not enough to defend the territory anymore. Singh needs to expand it.

Here’s more of what to expect for his race, the serendipitous moments that have driven him and how Singh’s view of leadership is informed by the Sikh traditions his mother taught him and meditation.

Read NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s full profile here.

Erin O’Toole, Conservative Party leader

Erin O’Toole’s old classmates at military college remember him as a less than likely candidate for prime minister. The one-time truant with an affinity for his bed over school later shaped up for a long military service, which later inspired his political career.

O’Toole won leadership of the Conservative Party in 2020 with a “true blue” campaign. Unlike his previous, quieter attempts, last year he was an ideological fire-breather, threatening to defund the CBC, take on China’s growing influence, and cancel “cancel culture.”

Still, the true blue line he walked in the leadership race is becoming more challenging as he now walks towards a general election.

Just 25 per cent of a recent Angus Reid survey think he’d make a good prime minister and the pandemic has made the process of getting known as the new face of a party more challenging than typical years.

But there are more than one reason why some are not counting O’Toole and the Conservatives out this time around.

Read Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole’s full profile here.

Justin Trudeau, Liberal leader

An optimistic Justin Trudeau has helmed Parliament for two mandates now, but circumstances around both have proved cloudier than his hopeful “sunny ways.”

Donald Trump in the seat of U.S. President upended Canada’s most important relationship during Trudeau’s first term. And just as the Liberal leader squeaked by with a minority mandate in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic tore through the globe.

A lot changed between 2015 and 2021; not just in the world, but in Trudeau’s leadership style as well — call it, if you like Trudeau 1.0 and Trudeau 2.0.

He’s gone from lofty promises and a decline of scandals (SNC-Lavalin and brown face) to becoming a more grounded leader steering Canada through a pandemic.

This time around, can Trudeau still be a symbol of hope and change while also being the battle-hardened veteran of some truly extraordinary times in the life of this country?

Read Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s full profile here.

Angelyn Francis is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering equity and inequality. Reach her via email: afrancis@thestar.ca