"Tonight we'll dispense with the formalities. I'd like to toast the future prime minister of Canada: to Justin Pierre Trudeau.”
American President Richard Nixon had that to say in 1972 at a state dinner to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau about his newborn son, Justin.
Fourty-three years later, Justin Pierre Trudeau has become the second-youngest prime minister in Canada. His Liberal Party won a majority in Monday’s national election over the Conservative Party.
Justin Pierre Trudeau came from Canada’s political royalty. He is the son of Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair Trudeau.
His father, Pierre Trudeau, served two terms as Prime Minister between 1968 and 1984. The elder Trudeau was handsome and well-dressed, and he dated famous entertainers like Barbara Streisand.
His mother, Margaret Sinclair Trudeau, came from a well-known family of politicians. She married the 51-year-old prime minister when she was 22. Margaret Trudeau was known for her partying at New York nightclubs with stars like the Rolling Stones.
The couple inspired “Trudeaumania” and was frequently compared to the American Kennedys, another political royal family.
Young Trudeau graduated from McGill University in 1994. He spent his early years as a schoolteacher in Vancouver. He is married to Sophie Grégoire, a former broadcaster. They married in 2007 and have three children.
Justin Pierre Trudeau is promising “real change” in domestic and foreign policy. He told supporters earlier Tuesday that a positive campaign led to the victory.
“This is what positive politics can do,” Trudeau said. “Canadians from across this great country sent a clear message tonight.”
Mr. Trudeau pledges to invest in rebuilding roads and bridges. He also plans to raise taxes on wealthy Canadians.
Like his father before him, the young Trudeau has already received international attention on his election as prime minister. Major American newspapers like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal published his victory on the front pages. News websites from Le Monde of Paris to the Times of London headlined the return of “Trudeaumania” in their coverage.
I’m Anna Matteo.
Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.
Words in This Story
royalty - n. members of a royal family
handsome - adj. good-looking
