Election and chill?
With news that Canada elected a new Liberal Prime Minister two days ago, many were quick to read up on Justin Trudeau’s party’s policies and its future direction for Canada.
Just kidding.
Everyone was of course focused on how incredibly attractive the 43-year-old father of three is.
But there’s so much more to this new PM than meets the eye (though we don’t want to take away from the many things that DO meet the eye).
Here are just a few surprising facts about the young leader who took over from Prime Minister Stephen Harper after a nine year reign.
1. Richard Nixon predicted his Prime Ministership when he was a baby.
CBC News reported that when Trudeau was four months old, President Nixon visited Canada’s then Prime Minister/Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau.
It was then that he announced at a gala buffet, “Tonight we’ll dispense with the formalities. I’d like to toast the future prime minister of Canada: to Justin Pierre Trudeau.”
And considering the enormous success of Nixon, we would definitely want him in our corner!
….
Moving on.
2. He can hold babies with one hand.
Enough said.
3. He’s a feminist.
According to The Star, when asked if he was a feminist he replied, “Yes, Yes. I am a feminist. Proud to be a feminist. My mom raised me to be a feminist. My father raised me, he was a different generation but he raised me to respect and defend everyone’s rights, and I deeply grounded my own identity in that, and I am proud to say that I am a feminist.”
4. He makes a great meme.
Reliably, as news of his election broke, the Internet got their thinking hats on and produced these wonderful memes.
Justin Trudeau The Meme.
5. He’s got a few fall-back careers lined up in case this whole Prime Minister thing doesn’t work out.
A former maths and french teacher, Trudeau also came out ahead in a charity boxing in 2012 against then-senator from Canada’s Conservative Party Patrick Brazeau.
He’s also appeared as an actor in a miniseries for CBC in 2007 (we think he’s the one holding the dog):
6. He actually has some fairly awesome policies.
According to CNN, Trudeau has vowed to:
• “Make Canada’s government more accessible and transparent, including further opening up Parliament and not interfering with “watchdog” groups
• Make “taxes more fair” with a middle-class tax cut and introducing a Canada Child Benefit aimed at helping single-parent and low-income families
• Invest more in public transit and “green infrastructure”
• “Reopen Canada’s doors” to immigrants, particularly those with family living in the country and welcoming more refugees from Syria
• Maintain military spending, cutting spending for an F-35 stealth bomber jet and ending the combat mission in Iraq while scaling up Canada’s involvement in international peacekeeping
• Bolster gun control measures
• Legalise, regulate and restrict access to marijuana”
We’re convinced.
Justin Trudeau for Prime Minister of the world.