Trudeau to seek Liberal top job, reports say
Move would end months of speculation
Justin Trudeau will announce in Montreal next Tuesday that he will be running for leadership of the federal Liberals, several media reports are saying.
Trudeau refused to answer questions on Parliament Hill on Wednesday morning, saying he had nothing to announce before disappearing into a Liberal caucus meeting.
The reports could not be immediately verified, but if correct, the move will generate a massive amount of excitement and interest in the upcoming leadership race — at a time when the party needs it the most.
The 40-year-old son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau has been under immense pressure from Liberals across the country to throw his hat in the ring.
But there have also been fears that if he does so, other potential candidates will opt not to challenge him, and that the race will become little more than a coronation.
Trudeau had initially said earlier this year that he was not interested in the leaders’ job, but that position began to soften after he defeated a Conservative senator in a charity boxing match in March.
Then when interim Liberal leader Bob Rae announced in June that he would not be seeking the permanent leaders’ position, Trudeau publicly acknowledged he was considering a run.
But Trudeau, who has spoken in the past about the devastating impact politics had on his parents’ marriage and how it affected him as a boy, has cited his young family when explaining why he is hesitant to throw his hat in the ring.
The Liberal leadership campaign officially begins on Nov. 13, with the next leader to be revealed during an event in Ottawa on April 13.
Candidates must pay the party a $75,000, non-refundable entry fee to run.
Trudeau has been MP for the Montreal riding of Papineau after working hard to defeat a Bloc Quebecois heavyweight in the October 2008 federal election.
Charismatic and wellspoken, he is already a major draw at Liberal events and fundraisers — and many party members are hoping that will translate into a national excitement for the third-place party.
But there are also questions about his policies and whether he is largely all flash and no substance.