Justin Trudeau

No one can argue that a lot has been written about Justin Trudeau since his surprise win over Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau in a charity boxing match last year. When he announced his desire to run for Liberal leadership in September all hell broke loose and journalists from every corner of the country sought to get a piece of him. Apart from being Liberal and the son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, however, I found myself knowing surprisingly little about him so I did some light research and came up with some interesting facts. Now that he has been officially named Liberal leader I hope he earns the trust of the country back and proves that he is more than just a pretty face with a name!

Ten Random facts about Justin Trudeau:

10. Parents: Father was 15th Prime Minister of Canada for 15 years while his mother was 30 years younger and suffered from Bipolar Disease, publishing "Changing My Mind" in 2011.

9. Born on Christmas Day, 1971 in Ottawa while his dad was Prime Minister.

8. Youngest brother, Michel, died in an avalanche accident in 1998 at age 23.

7. Married Sophie Gregoire, a model and former television host in Quebec in 2005.

6. Invited Brian Mulroney to his wedding who also supports his bid for leadership. 

5. Holds a B.A. in Literature from McGill and a B.Ed from UBC.

4. Taught social studies and French for five years at high schools in Vancouver.

3. Running against the mother of his half-sister Deborah Coyne for Liberal leadership.

2. He is an astounding speaker and perfectly bilingual in English and French.

1. Called Environmental Minister Peter Kent* a "piece of shit" in the House of Commons.

Check out his campaign website: Justin for Liberal Leader 

The final results: Liberal Leadership

Here he is speaking passionately about Education and the state of our Environment:

*For more on what makes Peter Kent so questionable, read my October 14th post.