Trudeau takes time for restaurant stop

SASKATOON — People grabbing breakfast at a Saskatoon restaurant Friday morning also got the chance to catch a glimpse of the prime minister.

Justin Trudeau stopped at the Hometown Diner, where he shook hands, chatted with people and paused for a selfie with the cook who makes the doughnuts.

The Prime Minister’s Office says Trudeau was in the city for private meetings.

Trudeau’s appearance at the restaurant was a surprise for many, including Laura Crawford, who works at Thrive Juice Co. across the street. Crawford works in the back of the store, but was alerted to the prime minister’s appearance by a friend who works up front.

“I ran out without my coat and came over to see what the excitement was about. He made time to walk right up and shake my hand,” Crawford told CKOM radio. “I’m meeting Jann Arden next Tuesday, but this was, like, amazing.”

Trudeau attended a rally in North Battleford, Sask., on Thursday night to support the Liberal candidate in the Battlefords-Lloydminster byelection. About 900 people attended. Voters go to the polls in the byelection on Monday.

In Saskatoon, Trudeau admitted rural Saskatchewan has been a challenge for the Liberals. He said he used his visit to North Battleford to highlight things his government is doing.

“Making sure the canola farmers have continued market access to China. Making sure we’re increasing beef opportunities as well. We’ve moved forward on delivering pipelines while showing leadership on the environment,” he said during the stop at the diner. “These are the kinds of things that matter to people in Saskatchewan and it was great to show people that we take their concerns very seriously.”