Justin Trudeau, leader of Canada’s Liberal Party who was elected Prime Minister on Oct. 19, was introduced to the US as the “sexy” new leader of our neighbor to the north.
Canadian clothing website Shelfies even offers a “dreamy Trudeau” sweater that can be yours for the price of $45.09.
Trudeau, 46– son of a popular PM Pierre Trudeau who triggered a wave of excitement known as Trudeaumania—became a character in Canada before entering politics by delivering an emotional eulogy at his father’s state funeral, boxing with a Conservative senator, and showing off a party trick that involves him falling down the stairs.
Here’s the Party Trick.
But don’t be fooled by the looks and the jokes—Trudeau is an experienced, polished leader who promises to “be the Prime Minister of all Canadians.”
After beating the incumbent PM Stephen Harper, Trudeau began showing his political mettle. He announced that he would launch an inquiry into the nearly 1,200 Aboriginal women who have either been murdered or gone missing since 1980. He also informed the Obama administration that Canada would no longer be a part of the bombing campaign in the Middle East. Furthermore, he stated that he plans to settle 25,000 Syrian refugees by New Year’s.
***Prime Minister Trudeau and the First Lady of Canada after his election win
After a nine year reign, the liberal Trudeau and his cabinet signal a significant progressive change in Canada’s political and social landscape. Parvin, a college student from Alberta believes that “this is a huge shift from high class, austerity- based government to a middle class, growth- based government,” a statement supported by Trudeau’s promise to raise taxes for the country’s wealthiest and to decriminalize marijuana.
***The new first family of Canada
In early November, Trudeau made waves when he announced his Cabinet, which includes an equal number of men and women. When asked why gender equality in his Cabinet was so important to him, Trudeau responded simply with “because it’s 2015.” He also appointed 4 Sikhs, including Harjit Sajjan, the first Sikh-Canadian to command a Canadian army regime. This is quite an improvement from former PM Stephen Harper who frequently discriminated against people of Middle East and South Asia descent, even passing a law that banned Muslim women from wearing the niqab while taking the oath of citizenship.
So, what does this mean for America? Ramina, 21, believes that Trudeau pulling out of the Middle East “shows he’s not blindly following [the US] like Harper.” Canada’s new leader abandoning such a lengthy campaign will surely be a discussion topic in the upcoming election year. Seeing the leader of one of our major allies could be a precursor to change in Middle East- US affairs. Could Trudeau’s other progressive actions regarding marijuana, gender parity, refugees, political representation, and environmental issues trigger a change in world politics? It’s too early to tell, but Trudeau shows us that supporting such actions and opinions is not the end-all be-all. Don’t misled by all the trivial neo-Trudeaumania; Justin Trudeau is the political leader that we all need to take these progressive steps forward.