Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has returned from his winter holidays with a fresh beard. After a photo of the prime minister was released by his official photographer, he joined a growing list of politicians whose facial hair has sparked fascination.
In the image released of Mr Trudeau, he stares seriously into the middle distance, showing off a jaw line and chin covered with salt-and-pepper hair.
It is not the first time the Canadian politician has accessorised with a set of whiskers.
Before he became the Liberal leader and prime minister, he grew a memorable moustache and goatee combo for the Movember prostate cancer charity.
Facial hair is a look rare enough in modern politics that people take notice when a political leader decides to grow a beard.
In some parts of the world, facial hair can signify a lot more than personal style. The politics around beards have been fraught in Egypt in recent years – in a nation with long-standing, secular traditions, beards have been viewed as a symbol of Islamist hardliners.
In the US, beards have been perceived as a political turn-off for voters for decades and the refuge of the defeated candidate.
Former US presidential candidate Al Gore made headlines after he re-emerged in 2001 from his bitter election defeat with a full beard. Dubbed an “exile beard”, it was subject to intense analysis.
Now they seem to be having a moment.
When former US House Speaker Paul Ryan unveiled fresh stubble on Instagram in 2015, he noted that he was the first speaker to have a beard in almost 100 years, and his decision to abandon his clean-shaven look caused a stir.
Republican US Senator Ted Cruz’s beard, which made its first appearance in 2018, fascinated the internet for weeks.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known for his distinctive white beard, and the country’s media took note when 18 of his 58 ministers inaugurated into his new Cabinet last summer had beards.
In the UK, when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister, her dislike of facial hair led to accusations of “pogonophobia” – defined as an extreme dislike of beards.
But more recently, the outgoing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was the first bearded man to head a British political party since 1908.
In Canada, the last three leaders of the country’s left-leaning federal New Democrats have had facial hair, including current leader Jagmeet Singh, an observant Sikh who wears both a turban and a beard as part of his faith.
Still, Mr Singh’s predecessor, Thomas Mulcair, faced calls to shave his trademark full beard when he took over the party’s leadership, as reported by the Globe and Mail.
The last Canadian prime minister to wear facial hair was the moustachioed Sir Robert Borden, in the early 20th Century.
It is not clear if Mr Trudeau’s beard will become a permanent fixture or if he will shave before MPs return to Ottawa in late January.
Temporary or not, the post-holiday beard “is more of a mature look, especially with the gray coming through,” Lynne Mackay, with consulting firm Mackay Byrne Group, told the BBC.
“It’s an established look,” said the image consultant who has worked with numerous Canadian politicians, though not Mr Trudeau.
“There is a certain level of maturity that he’s projecting with this beard, there’s no doubt about it.”
The 48-year-old prime minister first came to power in 2015 as a fresh face in Canadian federal politics and on the world stage.
Always an image conscious politician, the photo of the bearded Mr Trudeau released by his team contrasts his youthful political brand.
Following a series of political crises and scandals, he faced a recent tough re-election battle that saw him retain power but fall short of a majority seat count in the House of Commons.
“He doesn’t look so young with this [beard],” said Ms Mackay. “He certainly does look more of a seasoned statesman.”
She noted that facial hair is something that falls in and out of vogue and has seen a revival in recent years.
As a consultant in the business world in the 1980s, she said the clean-shaven look was seen to project openness and integrity.
“Things have come so far since that time,” she said. “Beards are very acceptable in business so I think it’s a natural transition to see it move into politics.”
It is also one of the few ways for men to express themselves with their style “and show a little bit of individualism”, she said.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
