Justin Trudeau elected Liberal leader in a landslide
Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau in Ottawa on April 14, 2013 to announce the result of the Liberal leadership vote. -- (Dave Chan/The Globe and Mail)
Justin Trudeau is the new leader of the Liberal Party, winning as expected on the first ballot with more than 80 per cent of the vote.
He beat the five other opponents – and no one was even close. His biggest test comes Monday as he will face Prime Minister Stephen Harper and NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair in the House of Commons. He also must try to continue the momentum built over the campaign into a federal campaign expected in 2015.
He begins his tenure as the leader of the third party in the House of Commons with about a $1-million in the Grit’s war chest that he was able to amass during the six-month campaign.
He also signed up thousands of new supporters to the party. Early tracking Sunday in the Atlantic showed that Mr. Trudeau was attracting at least 80 per cent of the vote in most of the ridings.
More than 100,000 Liberal supporters cast their ballots by phone or online over a week of voting. It began just after the candidates made their final speeches in Toronto last Saturday at their so-called National Showcase.
This was a new way to elect the leader as the party decided against a delegated convention.
There were 127,000 registered voters and 82 per cent turned out to vote. That is a better percentage than those who cast ballots for the NDP leadership last year that saw Mr. Mulcair take over.
Former prime minister Jean Chretien, who spoke just before the results were announced, called this the “beginning of the end of the Conservative government.”
Mr. Chretien had served in Mr. Trudeau’s father’s cabinet. In his speech, Mr. Chretien looked at past Liberal glories, listing the fact that a Liberal government brought in a new Canadian flag, the Kyoto protocol, balanced budgets, the Clarity Act and said “no” to the war in Iraq.
Mr. Trudeau, 41, launched his campaign on Oct. 2 in the riding of Papineau, Que., on the day that his late brother Michel would have turned 37.
Mr. Trudeau was accompanied on the stage that day by wife Sophie GrÉgoire and their two children, and he has received backroom help during the race from his other brother, Alexandre.
Mr. Trudeau has laid out little policy during the race, focussing on the values and the high-level priorities that he would embrace as prime minister, with a clear emphasis on education.
The decision to hold off on policies was heavily criticized by his leadership rivals, but Mr. Trudeau explained during the race that he wants the party’s grassroots to play a role in developing the next election platform. In addition, his team felt it would be premature to unveil major initiatives with two years to go before the next election.
Mr. Trudeau has not relied on endorsements from Liberal veterans during the race, trying instead to create a younger and modern movement fuelled by volunteers and newcomers to the world of politics.
Mr. Trudeau’s first major test as leader will come on May 13 when a by-election is held in the riding of Labrador. He is expected to travel to the riding before voting day, and his party is the favourite to take back the seat that was in Conservative hands until the recent resignation of MP and intergovernmental affairs minister Peter Penashue.
