International, gemasulawesi – Tensions between Alberta and Canada’s federal government over tax and environmental policies mean there is little to gain for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau among western voters and provincial leaders.
The tension was apparent when Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Trudeau tried and failed at the most fundamental of political quirks: the raised handshake.
During their first official meeting, the Prime Minister seemed certain that a handshake between the two men was imminent.
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Both leaders raised their hands, but at the last moment Smith seemed to have a change of heart, leaving his palms down.
Without flinching, Trudeau took his hand and held it in place, placing his thumb on top of his hand as he smiled at the camera and Smith managed a weak smile.
Smith, in Ottawa with other prime ministers for a big health care funding announcement, has been one of the country’s most vocal critics of Trudeau and his government’s policies, recently channeling his anger against him to win the United Conservative Party leadership race to become prime minister.
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Smith’s government also recently passed a controversial piece of legislation, known as the Alberta Sovereignty Act, that would have given his government the power to order provincial agencies to ignore federal laws.
While Trudeau is no stranger to animosity in the West, he’s also no stranger to an awkward handshake.
Canada’s prime minister was the first to effectively circumvent former President Donald Trump’s forced handshake strategy that has visibly left world leaders and their political rivals perplexed.
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When they met in 2017, Trudeau put a hand on Trump’s shoulder in restraint.
And in 2016, Trudeau attempted to shake hands with former President Barack Obama and Mexican Enrique Peña Nieto, awkwardly crossing his arms and grabbing Peña Nieto’s wrong hand.
In a tweet, Canadian political journalist Jason Markusoff called the last failed handshake an “Alberta thing”, posting a photo of the former premier of Alberta fondly recalling Trudeau’s outstretched hand. (*/site)
Publisher: Muhammad Azmi Mursalim
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