A familiar name is about to cross Canadians’ lips, as the 40-year old MP for Papineau in the Montreal area is expected to announce his intentions to run for the federal Liberal Party leadership.
But Justin Trudeau played his cards close to the vest during a visit to Seaforth on Thursday night.
Organizers avoided giving rainchecks after Justin Trudeau’s flight to London Airport experienced difficulties.
The MP for the Montreal riding of Papineau had his arrival at a Huron-Bruce riding fundraiser delayed, but Trudeau didn’t disappoint 300 ticket holders at the Seaforth Arena.
The MP challenged the partisan crowd to realize Liberals won’t just wake up from a bad dream and find themselves in power.
He spoke of the need to demonstrate a new hard working attitude to the many in Canada his party had too long taken for granted.
Justin Trudeau says the Tories and NDP are parties of the extremes.
He deplores wedge-issue tactics and says the Liberals’ challenge is to celebrate diversity.
Following his speech the soon-to-be-leadership-contender fielded questions on mandatory voting, the cancellation of the Katimavik youth program, Canada’s role in the world and the importance of agriculture.
Trudeau says he’s been dealing with comparisons between himself and his late father, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau all his life and doesn’t expect that will stop anytime soon.
He maintains he proved himself as his own man by winning in the east-end Montreal riding of Papineau — where he overcame his name.
Justin Trudeau says the Liberals can’t find their way back to government by ignoring rural Canada.
He agrees with former Prime Minister John Turner’s comments made in St. Joseph in August 2011, that the Liberals need to engage youth in order to grow.
Trudeau notes the Liberals are the only opposition party that have a youth critic– and it’s him.
It is expected Justin Trudeau will announce his bid for the federal Liberal Party leadership October 2nd in Montreal.
