How much has Trudeau changed Canada?

When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected in 2015, he promised sunny ways and "a real change." 

Over the last nine years, there's no doubt his government has focused on fighting climate change, advancing Indigenous reconciliation and lifting some Canadians out of poverty. 

But critics argue the Trudeau government has damaged Canada's international reputation and the consensus around immigration.

As Trudeau prepares to step down, CBC's The House spoke to experts and analysts about the legacy he leaves behind — and whether Trudeau's transformation of Canada will outlast his government.

Shortly after Trudeau and his Liberals won the 2015 election, they passed a "middle-class" tax cut and then rolled out the Canada Child Benefit, the latter of which contributed to a sharp decline in child poverty in the years after the benefit was doled out.

But the Trudeau government also never balanced its budget. According to the latest economic update, tabled in December last year, the federal deficit has ballooned to $61.9 billion.

Sahir Khan, vice president of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa, said the Trudeau government "changed the nature of government to the extent that it's bigger."

There was "significant poverty alleviation" for children, seniors and Indigenous Canadians, Khan said, but he added it came at the cost of economic policy that pushed for competitiveness.

"I think the Trudeau government, probably pushed along by the NDP, just chose an emphasis that focused on wealth redistribution and social policy. And that's probably going to be his legacy," Khan said.

"But if you're at the other end of this, and you're worried about competitiveness and how we're prepared for a Trump administration and an increasingly difficult geopolitical environment…. He probably didn't put the same level of emphasis on that," Khan added.

When asked if Trudeau's social programs could be rolled back by future governments, Khan said "a lot of these entitlement programs get a little bit hard coded."

"As much as people might object to say, the average level of spending of this government…. You still get attached to the programs if you're a recipient," Khan said. "[It's] a lot harder for governments to roll that back later."

When Trudeau announced his plan to step down on Monday, he said his government fought over the years to "advance reconciliation" with Indigenous communities in Canada.

Perry Bellegarde, former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said the prime minister did "really embrace reconciliation" while adding there's still work to be done on the file.