In his victory speech, Trudeau called the win a repudiation of "negative, divisive politics" in favor of "a positive vision that brings Canadians together."
Days after the election, progressive commentators Seth Klein and Shannon Daub wrote that "it feels like a month's worth of catharsis, in the form of profound relief that after almost ten years of policies harmful to the environment, public services, social cohesion and democracy, the mean man and his bullies are gone."
Author Shawn Katz wrote that Trudeau's swearing in "unleash[ed] the rush of a collective catharsis as the weight of a traumatic decade lifted like a sombre fog."
Trudeau, who earlier this month offered a personal welcome to a group of Syrian refugees arriving in Toronto, garnered praise for appointing a diverse cabinet but has also been pushed by campaigners to "walk your talk on climate change" and reject corporate-friendly trade pacts.
Keystone XL Pipeline
After years of people-powered organizing, the Obama administration rejected the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
As Common Dreams previously reported,
"Through years of unprecedented campaigning, ordinary people in the United States and Canada turned what could have been an unremarkable rubber stamping of yet another fossil fuel pipeline into an internationally-watched fight to stop climate change. Since 2011, communities across the United States have staged over 750 direct actions and protests across the country -- from mass sit-ins at the White House to a tens-of-thousands-strong march on the National Mall. Farmers, workers, students, Indigenous peoples, and communities on the frontlines of oil refineries and extreme weather put their bodies and relationships on the line -- risking arrest, talking to their neighbors, and taking to the streets."
Highlighting the achievement, climate group 350.org writes: "When we started fighting this thing, they said it was a done deal. It was a long, hard fight, but it was worth it. Let that be a lesson to all the pipeline builders, coal financiers, and frackers of the world: Don't bet against the climate movement. We're playing for keeps."
Minimum Wage
Among the progressive issues that won on local ballots this fall, November 4th, voters approved every initiative to raise the minimum wage in the five states where they appeared.
The year also saw decisions to have phased-in minimum wage hikes in Los Angeles, Seattle, Oakland, and San Francisco.
And the Huffington Post points to a recent analysis showing that workers in 14 states will see the minimum wage go up.
Contributor Erik Sherman wrote previously at Forbes: "With 28 states now supporting minimum wages higher than the federal level, pressure on Congress will increase, while states with lower figures could find themselves economically uncompetitive for workers and, therefore, businesses."
Marriage Equality
The U.S. Supreme Court issued an historic ruling this year that same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states.
The decision in the Obergefell v. Hodges case, the ACLU noted, was 50 years in the making.
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