Justin Trudeau, handsome young outdoorsman, steps out of his father's shadow

Ontario: Justin Trudeau, the handsome young outdoorsman, teacher and former bartender, stepped out of his father’s shadow and into his shoes Wednesday to become prime minister of Canada. [caption id=“attachment_2475018” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Canadian Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau with his wife and kids/ AFP[/caption] The first-born son of the late and widely admired premier Pierre Trudeau led the opposition Liberal party to a landslide victory in Canada’s general election on October 19. That victory marked the return of the party, which had governed for most of the last century before being relegated to third-place status in a 2006 ballot that saw the rise to power of Stephen Harper’s Conservatives. The Trudeaus, with their glamorous ways, political talents, and film-star good looks, have often been compared to the Kennedys in the United States. Pierre Trudeau, who died in 2000, was prime minister from 1968 to 1979, and again from 1980 to 1984. In many ways, he is considered the father of modern Canada. He was admired for the force of his intellect and praised for his political acumen in preserving national unity against Quebec separatists. The elder Trudeau established the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, decriminalized homosexuality and pushed for the bilingualism and multiculturalism that have become an integral part of Canadian national identity. Justin’s birth on 25 December, 1971, made front-page news across Canada. His mother Margaret’s partying with the Rolling Stones and her 1984 divorce from Pierre – a sensational political scandal in a country unused to them – was also fodder for tabloids. Late bloomer Justin Trudeau came late to politics. By his own admission, he spent his early years searching for a direction in life, working as a whitewater guide, snowboard instructor, bartender, bouncer, teacher, public speaker and advocate for various causes. His eulogy at his father’s state funeral in 2000 arguably launched his political career. He was approached to run days afterward, but said no: It was too soon. “The battle to convince myself and others that I was my own person had challenged me all through high school and university,” he wrote in a recent memoir. “Why should I negate these efforts by making the one career choice that would guarantee I would be measured according to my father’s achievements?” In 2005, Trudeau married television host Sophie Gregoire and the couple soon had three children: Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien. Trudeau would eventually run for office in a gritty, working-class neighborhood of Montreal. He was elected to the House of Commons in 2008 and re-elected in 2011. Liberals hoped when they made him leader that his youth and famous name would revitalize the party in time to challenge the Conservatives in 2015. In two years, Trudeau helped bring in Can$37 million (US$28 million) to the party and attracted 57,000 volunteers to the campaign, while party membership rose tenfold to 300,000. But he raised eyebrows by admitting to having smoked marijuana at a dinner party with friends since being elected to parliament. During the campaign, Trudeau worked off his energy by boxing once a week with an aide, sparring at any gym they could find, wherever they were. “Boxing’s not about beating up on the other guy,” Trudeau told The Globe and Mail of Toronto. “It’s about sticking to your plan while the other guy takes shots at you.”