It’s time for Justin Trudeau’s “haters” to give him some credit.

Ever since the news first emerged nearly three months ago of COVID-19, Trudeau has come under constant attack from vocal critics, especially those on social media and Conservative politicians for his handling of the health crisis.

In their view, Trudeau has done nothing right. To them, he didn’t act fast enough; he didn’t do enough when he did act; he didn’t speak forcefully enough; he didn’t question the World Health Organization enough; he didn’t question his own public health experts enough; he didn’t co-operate with provincial premiers enough.

Suddenly, everybody’s an expert on how best to tackle an epidemic, eh?

If you listen to Andrew Scheer, the lame duck Tory leader, Trudeau is to blame for almost everything bad that’s happened because of COVID-19.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shut down our economy. But who’s ultimately to blame?” Scheer said earlier this week on Twitter. “It’s not the market or Canadians. The reality is Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have been slow to react during this crisis and their failures have cost Canadians.”

Actually, the reality is that Trudeau is performing exceedingly well.

He’s been reassuring and calm in the midst of the global crisis. And he has overseen the coordination of a massive federal relief effect in which assistance programs were developed in extremely fast fashion and billions of dollars in aid were sent out the door quickly to millions of affected Canadians.

I made a similar assessment of Ontario Premier Doug Ford in mid-March. Although I’ve been one of his harshest critics, I wrote that Ford was decisive, compassionate and looked to be in charge in how he has handling his government’s response to the coronavirus crisis.

Now many Ontarians have a revised opinion of Ford, albeit not all of them.

In Trudeau’s case, many Conservatives and right-of-centre voters, especially those in parts of Western Canada, just can't stand him. Part of that is the leftover animosity toward his father, the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, whom they hated for a slew of reasons, including his intelligence, arrogance, ideology, flashy lifestyle and more.

The Conservatives under Stephen Harper exploited this lingering anti-Trudeau sentiment by demonizing Justin Trudeau — “Trudeau’s carbon tax,” Trudeau “the drama teacher,” Trudeau “the trust-fund baby.” These personalized attacks were a Republican Party tactic that Stephen Harper imported from the U.S.

At the same time, many newspaper columnists and commentators on radio and television relentlessly and shamelessly attacked Trudeau, furthering cementing the image of a callow, self-absorbed leader.

Trudeau’s own weaknesses — black face, procrastinating before turfing Jody Wilson-Raybould from cabinet, travelling to his cottage during the pandemic when ordinary citizens couldn’t — have not helped his image.

Still, Trudeau’s grasp of policy has always been solid. More crucially, he has come through on COVID-19.

He’s had the genius and confidence to let Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, take charge of this file. He stood by Tam when her critics, notably Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, trotted out racist code language suggesting she was favouring China over Canada’s own infectious disease experts.

He’s held daily briefing and has encouraged his top ministers, notably deputy PM Chrystia Freeland and Public Services Minister Anita Anand, to take leading roles in co-ordinating the federal response.

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He’s overseen the development of the federal package of support for workers, families and businesses that may well top $250 billion. There’s also aid for students, farmers, charitable organizations, northern communities and more. In March, he committed Ottawa to spending $2 billion to buy personal protection equipment. Experts now estimate the federal deficit this year could hit $200 billion.

Unprecedented, for sure. Canada has seen nothing like it since the end of the Second World War — and it has been put together in amazingly short time.

Recent polls suggest more than 70 per cent of Canadians like how Trudeau has been handling the crisis. Those numbers won’t likely remain that high, but for now they’re a sign most Canadians have confidence in the prime minister — despite all the Trudeau-bashing by the “haters.”

Bob Hepburn is a Star politics columnist and based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: is a Star politics columnist and based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @BobHepburn

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