Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
Former U.S. president Barack Obama has waded into the Canadian election, offering an unusual cross-border endorsement of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.
“I was proud to work with Justin Trudeau as President. He’s a hard-working, effective leader who takes on big issues like climate change. The world needs his progressive leadership now, and I hope our neighbors to the north support him for another term,” said Obama In a tweet sent Wednesday
I was proud to work with Justin Trudeau as President. He's a hard-working, effective leader who takes on big issues like climate change. The world needs his progressive leadership now, and I hope our neighbors to the north support him for another term.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 16, 2019
Trudeau and Obama had a strong working relationship when Obama was president, and the pair have remained friendly, publicizing their social outings in recent years.
With photos emerging in this campaign of Trudeau wearing blackface and brownface, the Liberal Leader’s reputation as a progressive leader on the world stage has taken a hit.
This backing from a major international figure will likely be seen by the Liberals as a welcome message that will reach progressive voters in Canada, a key bloc Trudeau is still pushing to lock down amid an NDP surge in the polls.
Minutes after it was posted, a spokesperson for U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign called it “foreign election interference,” but according to Elections Canada this tweet would not be considered foreign interference under the current elections laws, so long as it was not paid for or the person making it did not receive any form of payment.
Source: CTVNews Canada
