Life, politics and juicy tidbits
THE WHO
Justin Trudeau, leader, Liberal Party of Canada
THE RESUME
• Born Dec. 25, 1971, to Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Margaret (Sinclair) Trudeau
• B.A. in English (1994) From McGill University
• Education degree (1998) from the University of British Columbia
• Taught high school French and math in Vancouver
• Former chairman of the board of directors of Katimavik (2002–06), the national youth volunteer organization established by his father in 1977.
• Elected to the House of Commons in 2008 in the Montreal riding of Papineau, reelected in 2011 and 2015.
• Won the Liberal leadership in 2013.
• Elected prime minister in 2015 after the Liberals landslide win in the federal election (the Liberals won 184 seats)
SOME CONTEXT
Justin Trudeau had a childhood unlike any other Canadian youngster. When he was born, his father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was prime minister. Justin’s first home was 24 Sussex Drive.
Despite this start, the younger Trudeau’s life of privilege was also marked by tragedy and upheaval.
His parents divorced in 1977 when he was just six. He and his two younger brothers spent their time shuttling between their father’s and mother’s houses in Ottawa.
In 1998, tragedy struck when Trudeau’s younger brother, Michel, was killed in an avalanche in British Columbia. Michel was just 23. His body was never found.
In his 2014 memoir, Justin wrote that his father Pierre was never the same man after that.
“The lights began to dim in my father’s soul when Michel died.”
Pierre Elliott Trudeau died two years later.
YOU MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN
On his father’s death, Justin Trudeau inherited $1.2 million.
In February 2013 Global News interview, he acknowledged that while he is financially fortunate, he lives modestly.
“I’ve quietly grown used to people being shocked that I don’t live in a castle,” Trudeau is quoted as saying.
At the time he was living in a semi-detached two-story home in Montreal with a "sizeable" mortgage.
He told Global he agreed to speak about his finances, a subject he had never discussed publicly until then so that people would better understand how he chose to use his money.
“It wasn’t to go off and spend a year in St-Tropez or buy a boat and sail around the world,” he is quoted as saying.
He said the dividends from the family’s holding company were not enough to live off, but the money did allow him to travel, study and take lowerpaying jobs before he became a professional public speaker and, later, an MP.
Trudeau says his father had hoped the family money would allow him and his brother Alexandre (Sacha) to pursue their interests.
“Whatever we wanted to do, we had enough to live a modest but decent life. And that was incredibly lucky.”
A report by the Ottawa Citizen in 2013 noted that dividends from his $1.2 million inheritance had earned Trudeau a maximum of about $20,000 annually.
THE PROMISES HELPING FAMILIES
Much of the Liberal platform in the early weeks of this campaign was overshadowed by a photo of Trudeau in blackface at a 2001 Arabian Nights-themed gala.
But the party has rolled out numerous policies since the writ was dropped, noting on liberal.ca that its top priorities are more money for middle-class families, action on climate change, and stronger gun control.
Among the Liberal promises is a commitment to create more affordable services for before and after-school care for children.
“You shouldn’t have to choose between making ends meet and caring for your kids. That’s why we’re going to make before and after-school care more accessible and affordable,” their policy states.
“We’ve already created thousands of new pre-school childcare spaces and now we’re going to create up to 250,000 more for kids under 10. And if you work overtime, late shifts, or multiple jobs, you’ll also be able to get the help you need because a portion of these new spaces will provide more care around the clock.”
At a campaign stop in
St. John’s, N.L., on Sept. 17, Justin Trudeau offered more detail.
He said his party if re-elected, would work to establish guaranteed paid family leave within the first year of its mandate.
The program would make it so “that parents who don’t qualify for paid leave through employment insurance or don’t get enough, because they’re between jobs, earn little, or haven’t worked enough hours, will receive a guaranteed income during the first year of their child’s life.”
Trudeau also said the Liberals have a plan to make maternity and parental benefits tax-free, and a 15-week leave for adoptive parents to allow them the same benefits as non-adoptive parents.
SENIORS BENEFITS
At their annual policy convention in 2018, the Liberal Party of Canada introduced a resolution to “strongly urge the Government of Canada to create a Minister of Seniors.
“The amalgamation of responsibility for seniors under one dedicated minister would result in a clear vision and coordinated approach to seniors’ needs, systemic and cost efficiencies, and consistency in program development and implementation across the country,” the policy document stated.
So far, during the 2019 election campaign, Trudeau has not made any specific mention or commitment to a ministry of Seniors.
However, he has made some specific commitments regarding financial aid to seniors.
On Sept. 18, the Liberal Party said, if re-elected, it will increase Old Age Security by an extra 10 per cent when a senior turns 75.
It would also boost the Canada Pension Plan survivor’s benefit by 25 per cent.
“Canadians are living longer than ever before, but as they age, they face higher health care costs, and they’re worried about their savings running out,” Trudeau said in a release.
He said these increases would put up to $729 more in the pockets of seniors annually.
The Liberals also committed to “give up to $2,080 in additional benefits, every year, to those who’ve lost a loved one, by increasing the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) survivor’s benefit by 25 per cent.”
"These changes will help lift thousands of seniors out of poverty, and support people after they have lost a loved one," the Liberals said in a statement on Oct. 1, National Seniors Day.
The Liberals did not provide details on the cost of this promise.
BOTTOM-LINE ME
Born the son of a sitting prime minister, Justin Trudeau grew up in a very political household.
Yet the life of privilege was not always happy.
He was just six years old when his parents split and he and his brothers began a life of dividing their time between two houses.
He’s seen tragedy with the loss of his younger brother in a skiing accident.
His career has run the gamut of ordinary every day as a snowboard instructor and teacher, to the extraordinary life and role as prime minister.
The Liberal website does not offer full disclosure of their 2019 platform promises, with costing.
Instead, snippets of information are added to the website each day with official press releases and media reports as Trudeau makes campaign stops around the country.
His road has taken him from privileged heartthrob to PM under fire