Could federal Liberal heart-throb Justin Trudeau run in Vancouver-Kingsway in next election?
That's the delicious rumour just making the rounds today with some Liberal sources, who say Stephane Dion's Vancouver-based leadership campaign manager Mark Marissen is working overtime to convince the eldest son of Pierre Trudeau to take the plunge into politics in the next election.
If it comes to pass Justin Trudeau could be facing off against former Liberal David Emerson, who jumped to the Stephen Harper Conservatives and a cabinet job just hours after the Paul Martin Liberals lost the election in January 2006.
It's hard to believe either Emerson or the New Democratic Party, which once held the riding, could beat the star-power and media frenzy that a Trudeau candidacy would bring.
While the idea of Justin Trudeau running in Vancouver-Kingsway may seem far-fetched on first blush, it shouldn't be dismissed.
Justin Trudeau has lots of BC and Vancouver connections. His mother Margaret Trudeau grew up in Vancouver, the daughter of legendary Liberal cabinet minister Jimmy Sinclair.
Justin obtained his B.Ed. at the University of BC and taught at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in Vancouver.
Justin jumped to public prominence with his eulogy for father Pierre at his October 3, 2000 funeral. Since then he has toyed with Liberals about running and in the federal leadership contest was a strong and prominent supporter of Gerard Kennedy, moving with Kennedy to back Dion when Kennedy dropped out.
Trudeau currently lives in Montreal with his wife, TV personality Sophie Gregoire. He is chair of Katimavik, the national youth service program, and is involved with environmental groups such as the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, as well as Harvest Montreal, the largest food bank in the region.
Justin will be 35 on Christmas day - and what a present his candidacy would be for the Liberals!
I have sent an email to Marissen asking for comment. More if he replies.
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2 comments:
Perhaps not surprisingly, I got this message back in response to emailing Mark Marissen:
Your message could not be delivered.
The recipient's account is temporarily over the maximum allowed mailbox size.
I will try other routes to contact him.
OKay, so let's say you have another Liberal star in Vancouver Kingsway. Another star with no real connection to the riding itself. Be Justin Trudeau, or Christy Clark, or Gary Collins.
Would former BC Premier Glen Clark be willing to enter the race in order to make the highest profile contest anywhere in the nation?
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