Obama Endorses Trudeau Ahead of Closely Fought Canadian Election

(Bloomberg) -- Former U.S. President Barack Obama endorsed Justin Trudeau in his re-election bid, with polls showing the Canadian prime minister locked in a tight race with his Conservative rival.

“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,” Obama tweeted on Wednesday. “The world needs his progressive leadership now, and I hope our neighbors to the north support him for another term.”

Trudeau is seeking a second term for his Liberal government in Monday’s election. Most opinion surveys show the Liberals tied with the opposition Conservatives, led by Andrew Scheer, though one pollster says Trudeau has an inside track to win more seats. The election appears set to produce a minority parliament, meaning that either Trudeau or Scheer will need support from lawmakers in smaller parties to pass laws.

Obama found common cause with Trudeau on climate change before leaving office. He welcomed the Canadian leader to the White House for a state visit in March 2016.

To contact the reporter on this story: Josh Wingrove in Washington at jwingrove4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Theophilos Argitis at targitis@bloomberg.net, Stephen Wicary

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