Justin Trudeau

Infobox Politician
name = Justin Trudeau


caption = Trudeau at the 2006 Liberal leadership campaign
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birth_date = birth date and age|1971|12|25
birth_place = flagicon|CAN Ottawa, Ontario
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party = Liberal
relations = Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Trudeau
spouse = Sophie Grégoire
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children = Son, Xavier James Trudeau
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occupation = Teacher
alma_mater = McGill University
religion = Roman Catholic


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Justin Trudeau (born December 25, 1971 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is the eldest son of the late former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair Trudeau Kemper. Trudeau is the federal Liberal Party candidate in the Montreal riding of Papineau in the 2008 federal election.

Early life and personal life

Trudeau and his younger brother, Alexandre (Sacha), were both born on December 25. Pierre and Margaret Trudeau separated in 1977, when Justin was 6 years old. Pierre retired as Prime Minister in 1984.

Justin Trudeau was only the second child in Canadian history to be born during a father's term as Prime Minister; he was preceded by John A. Macdonald's youngest daughter Margaret Mary Macdonald.

Pierre Trudeau raised his children in relative privacy in Montreal. Justin studied English literature (BA , McGill University) and Education (B.Ed, University of British Columbia), eventually becoming a social studies and French teacher in Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is currently completing a Master of Arts in Geography at McGill University.At his father's funeral in 2000, Justin delivered a memorable eulogy. [ [http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-69-307-1620-21/unforgettable_moments/life_society/justin_TeenyWeenie_eulogy cbc.ca: Justin Trudeau's eulogy] ]

On May 28, 2005, Justin Trudeau married Sophie Grégoire, a former model and Quebec television host. Trudeau is one of several children of former Prime Ministers who have become Canadian media personalities. The others are Ben Mulroney, Catherine Clark, and Justin's younger brother, Alexandre. Though Pierre Trudeau and Brian Mulroney were longtime foes, this rivalry did not carry over to their sons, as Ben Mulroney was a guest at Justin Trudeau's wedding. In April of 2007, the couple announced they were expecting their first child. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2007/04/10/trudeau-baby.html CBC.ca Arts - Baby on the way for Justin Trudeau and wife ] ] On October 18, 2007, Grégoire-Trudeau gave birth to the couple's son, Xavier James Trudeau, in Montreal, Quebec. [ [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071018/Trudeau_101907/20071018?hub=Entertainment CTV.ca | Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie welcome new son ] ]

Media and political career

Advocacy

Trudeau has used his media footing to offer his opinion or act as an advocate for various issues.
* He has been a campaigner for winter sports safety since the death of his brother Michel in an avalanche on a ski trip in 1998.
* In 2003, he served as a panelist on CBC Radio's "Canada Reads" series, where he championed "The Colony of Unrequited Dreams" by Wayne Johnston.
* On 17 September 2006, Trudeau hosted a rally in Ramsden Park in Toronto, calling for Canadian participation in the Darfur crisis.
* On 25 October 2006, Trudeau appeared on CTV's "Canada AM". Asked about what he thought of Quebecers asking for national recognition, he replied that nationalism today as a general concept is "based on a smallness of thought.” [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061026.wTeenyWeenie1026/BNStory/National/ GlobeandMail.com: Trudeau says Quebec nationalism an ‘old idea'] ] His comments were seen as a criticism of Michael Ignatieff's push to recognize Quebec as a nation.
*Justin was recently the keynote speaker at Burlington's Notre Dame Leadership Conference 2008.

Entrance into political realm

.In January 2007, rumours were getting persistent about Justin Trudeau entering politics, especially after being highly active in the 2006 Liberal convention. [ [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070109/TeenyWeenie_politics_070109/20070109?hub=Canada ctv.ca: Justin Trudeau eyeing federal politics: report] ] It was rumoured that Trudeau was going to run in the Montreal Outremont riding which is a traditional Liberal stronghold, after former Minister of Transport Jean Lapierre resigned from the House of Commons to become a political commentator. [ [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070111/jean_lapierre_070111/20070111?hub=QPeriod ctv.ca: Quebec Liberal MP Jean Lapierre to resign] ]

A nomination vote for the Liberal candidate in Papineau was held on April 29, 2007, which Trudeau handily won. Trudeau received 690 votes, while runners-up Mary Deros received 350 votes and Basilio Giordano received 220. 634 votes were needed to win the nomination. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/04/29/trudeau.html Trudeau wins Montreal riding] ] With his nomination victory, Trudeau will enter the next election against incumbent Bloc Québécois MP Vivian Barbot.

CBC Television announced in April 2007 that Justin Trudeau would appear in the two-part miniseries, The Great War, portraying Talbot Mercer Papineau (1883-1917). Papineau was killed in action in Ypres, Belgium and was among Canada's first Rhodes Scholars. Coincidentally, Trudeau holds the Liberal nomination in the very riding named after Talbot Mercer Papineau's lineage: this includes his great-great-grandfather, seigneur Joseph Papineau (1752-1841) and Talbot's great-grandfather, reformist "Patriote" Louis-Joseph Papineau (1786-1871).

References

External links

* [http://justin.ca Justin Trudeau's website]
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