LILLEY: Trudeau smiles and waves; O’Toole beat up over vaccinations

Justin Trudeau couldn’t help but smile as he addressed the assembled Liberal caucus at their first meeting since the election.

Not only did Trudeau get to give a speech where he reiterated his campaign talking points and claimed voters had given him a bold mandate, he knew his opponent was about to be punched like a pinata a short time later.

The public appearances for Trudeau and Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole were just an hour apart on Parliament Hill and couldn’t have been more different.

Trudeau was poised and confident, using his best drama teacher skills to sell his message while O’Toole was on his back foot, trying to explain away the latest comments from an MP who seems determined to torpedo her leader and party.

“In terms of the risk, people that got polio, many of them died and many of them were crippled, and that is not the same frequency of risk that we see with COVID-19,” Gladu said.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Public Health Agency of Canada has recorded 29,132 COVID-related deaths. While most people recover, the virus can be deadly among the elderly and immune-compromised people.

Gladu’s comments gave Trudeau the opening he needed to pick up the COVID stick and start beating the Conservatives with it once again, just as he did all through the election.

“Even as Canadians are continuing to get vaccinated at record rates, the Conservatives are actually moving backward. More and more Conservatives are now stepping up to stand against vaccinations, to stand against science,” Trudeau said.