OTTAWA–The issue of Western alienation will loom large over the Prime Minister’s Office Tuesday as Justin Trudeau holds meetings with Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. Trudeau and Scheer are scheduled to meet for the first time since October’s federal election, which returned Trudeau’s Liberals to power with a minority government. Moe, a key voice for the anger and frustration felt by Western Canadians, will meet the prime minister after the two federal politicians speak. Despite voters having humbled Trudeau’s Liberals, it’s Scheer who is fighting for his political life. The Conservative leader has faced vocal criticism from within his own party after his campaign lost ground in both Ontario and Quebec. And with Moe visiting the capital on the same day as Scheer meets with the prime minister, it will be more difficult for the Conservative leader to position himself as the champion of Western Canadian anger. Scheer survived his first meeting with the Conservative caucus last week, but MPs and party activists are still angry with his campaign’s perceived failings — everything from lacklustre organization in identifying and mobilizing supporters to Scheer’s inability to clearly answer questions about his socially conservative beliefs. Trudeau, meanwhile, must reckon not only with a diminished mandate but with the very real anger directed at him from Alberta and Saskatchewan. As Trudeau goes about assembling a new cabinet to be unveiled on Nov. 20, he’s faced with the issue of having no Liberal MPs elected in either of those provinces. How both leaders navigate the anger in Alberta and Saskatchewan could have far-reaching consequences. “Our approach is to be open-minded and work together on issues that matter to people right across the country, and we are committed to making Parliament work for Canadians,” Trudeau spokesperson Cameron Ahmad said in a written ...
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