“It was the night before Christmas . . .
,” Well not quite. It was a warm summer day in Cranbrook more than a decade before Christmas 2024 when young Justin Trudeau came to town with his then-fiancé Sophie Gregoire before she became Canada’s First Lady and was later demoted. The scene was before a large crowd in downtown Rotary Park and Trudeau, with his dark tousled hair and blue jeans ripped below his knee, was dazzling the crowd.
Standing on the stage under the curved roof of the gazebo, the then-boyish future PM wowed the crowd like a gorgeous fashion model giving the spectators what they wanted, namely his scintillating charisma to rub off on them. Some Sam Steele Sweethearts, who had joined him on the stage, looked giddy and overwhelmed in those halcyon days when Sam Steele Days was still Cranbrook’s biggest annual festival and the “Spirit of the Rockies” was just a hairbrained idea waiting to be born. But I digress.
If you could have seen Trudeau back then, I think you would have been impressed too. He was more than just a pretty face. He was smart, articulate, and verbally fast on the draw, all talents of a budding politician.
And having a father who was Prime Minister for 15 years didn’t hurt either. Still, it was a big surprise when Justin won the 2015 election, a year when the Liberals started behind in the polls to – believe it or not – the NDP. And now the only reason he remains Prime Minister is through a devil’s agreement he signed with th.
