While
the Liberal Party is struggling to find its own course in the new
millennium, more and more people in the party would like to go back
to the glorious time of Pierre Elliot Trudeau. However, while many
of them are looking at this name of the past as a source of
inspiration for the future, there is one Liberal MP from
Montréal who, even if very proud of the former
Liberal Prime Minister, would like to put some space between himself
and the charismatic leader. His last name is also Trudeau, but his
first name is Justin. In fact, his website site is just that:
justin.ca
Lately,
I’ve
had many conversation with the federal MP of the Papineau riding of
Montréal
and I’ve
have found a very focused young man working hard in his riding and
steering away from the controversy involving his party. He clearly
is doing it not because of a political calculation but because he
sincerely believes this is the time for him to learn not to teach,
“but,
of course, I’m
always there to help my party.”
In
a phone interview between a visit to the dentist and a visit to his
lawyer, and during a ride in the car (he had the earpiece) and a
walk in the streets of Montréal,
Justin talks about why he decided to enter politics, the legacy of
his father, the reaction of his mother once he entered politics and,
multiculturalism, the policy created by his father and now his
portfolio in the shadow cabinet of Michael
Ignatieff.
When
did you decide to enter politics?
"It
happened gradually, but I believe it was in the spring of 2006 when
Paul Martin stepped down and the leadership was shaping up. I
approached Tom Axworthy and I told him that I wanted to be involved,
not directly, but peripherally, to contribute. He put me in the task
force on youth engagement in politics. That was great because it
helped me contribute without being involved in the leadership race.
Before that, I was never involved close-range, with the Liberal
Party. I had never been at a convention other than in 1984, the
night they had the farewell for my father."
What
was your first impression?
"For
me it was a real eye-opener, how much energy can be generated by a
group of committed Liberals who want to make the world a better
place. There was a tremendous sense of purpose around that
convention that made me think very seriously of the option of going
into politics. Going into politics was something that I've always
been very resistant to all my life. Many people, after my father's
funeral, were telling me, 'Justin, you are going into politics,' and
I knew that I could never go into politics unless I had something to
bring to the table. And, to my mind, when I get older, when I have
something to demonstrate that Justin Trudeau brings something other
than his last name. There was no way I could go into politics unless
I could do that."
How
heavy is your last name on your shoulders?
"Well,
what led me to go into politics now as a young person was the
realization that there was a way for me to demonstrate my capacity
as an individual, and going into politics young. That's why I worked
hard to win the nomination against two strong local Liberal
opponents, and then to win a difficult riding defeating a very
strong Bloc Québécois
candidate. That demonstrated to me and the people around me that I
wasn't just running on a name, but running on what it is that I
brought to the table. So, going back to the good side and the bad
one, I said at the beginning that for many the expectation will be
so high, and that would be unrealistic, for others it would be so
incredibly low. And that would disappoint anyone because I wouldn't
meet the high expectations or the low one. So the best thing for me
is to be myself. Of course, there are advantages as well as
disadvantages. I have a last name I'm very proud of, but the Justin
part is important to me just as the Trudeau part, and people are
beginning to understand that."
Did
your family, including your father and your mother, encourage or
discourage you to enter politics?
"My
mother actively discouraged me."
And
the reason?
"Well,
because, it's not a big surprise, it was incredibly difficult on her
personally, and she knows how important family is to me. She was
worried about my capacity to have a good family life and go into
politics at the same time. Also she was saying that I was too
sensitive for politics. I'm trying not to."
Is
she supporting you now?
"She
is extremely supportive. Once I've made my decision she is nothing
but supportive. She is a good mom and she worries about me."
What
about your father?
"My
father just wanted his son to make a difference in the world. And he
was extremely proud of me when I became a teacher, and proud of
Alexandre working with international human rights, a documentary
filmmaker, a philosopher, and a journalist. All of that together was
what my father wanted from his sons. Going into actual politics, I
think my father suspected it. I had a conversation with him late in
his life about the fact that I was probably going to end up going
into politics.
"But
it was never a big deal or a big thing for him. Thinking back to
that, I believe that the only thing he was afraid of was that I
would go into politics for the wrong reasons, for example, because
it was the family business. I think he would be very pleased to see
me doing it my way, a local constituency MP working very hard on the
ground, approaching it as a teacher. That's the way I see it."
Are
the people who were around your father, helping you now?
"There
were so many wise and loving friends of my father who have been
helpful to me. But, in terms of a strategy and advice, I have to
admit, and I have a little argument with my wife on this, I don't
call on them as much as I could and maybe I should. I'd prefer to do
it making my own mistakes, my own way. Of course, I'll have lunch
and check in on some of them, and, you know, the names, but there is
no one from that era who is actively guiding my political career."
Your
father is also known as the "Father of Multiculturalism." How do you
believe he would adapt that policy to the new dynamics?
"I
don't know the answer. There are a lot of people who are experts on
my father, in his political theories, in his philosophy. I knew him
as a dad. All I have to run on is on the values he gave me and the
priorities and the logic he taught me to think with."
So,
let me rephrase the question: how do you see multiculturalism?
"Forty
years ago I wasn't even around. I'm not the one who can compare what
was the need back then with what is needed now. All I know is what
it is needed now and what multiculturalism should be now."
So,
how do you see multiculturalism now?
"It
needs to be based on values, Canadian values. Canada is a country
whose identity resides in the shared values of openness, of respect
for each other, for religions, human rights, and a sense of true
passion we have in this country, a sense of responsibility toward
each other, to work hard with the knowledge that we have to be there
for others facing tough times. To me multiculturalism needs, first
of all, to understand that this country is strong, not despite of
this, but because of this. We need to encourage diversity to come to
Canada, to participate in this great project."
How
far do we have to accept diversity?
"In
terms of accepting a different custom or habit or culture or way of
dress, I believe that we have to be very open to that. But one thing
we shouldn't be open to, is anything that goes against any values
that define us as Canadians. A simple thing: the right of freedom of
expression, freedom of religion, the right of equality of men and
women. These issues are not negotiable. So, yes, we are more than
welcoming to someone coming from other parts of the world, and
practice their religion, set up their temples and their mosque and
practise the way they want, as long as they are abiding by our
common values and principles around equality between men and women,
respect about other people's beliefs and religion.
"There
is a classic line that is my freedom to swing my arm about, ends
where your nose begins. There is a set core of values that anyone
who comes to this country needs to respect and abide to. And it has
nothing to do with your religion, creed, colour of your skin, or the
way you look. It has everything to do with the kind of values you
live by."
After
a couple years of direct involvement in politics, what have you
learned? Are you disappointed?
"Obviously
there are things I was pleased to learn. I didn't expect to have as
much of an impact on the ground in my riding. The work of a
constituency MP is not something that I'd seen an awful a lot of in
my father who, during my entire life, was Prime Minister. I'm
discovering just how much of a difference a hardworking constituency
MP can make in his riding, both with immigration and EI cases, but
also at bringing people together like municipal councillors,
provincial MNAs with people who are making a difference in community
organizations. A federal MP has a capacity to bring people together
and that can be very powerful and very satisfying. The time I spend
in my riding is extraordinarily fulfilling."
So
it's not completely true, as someone said, that MPs are nobody 100
yards away from Parliament.
"No,
in fact in your riding you are very much a somebody. Of course, if
you choose to be. I believe that my success or failure as a
politician depends on how much I'll learn from the people I'm
representing. How much I truly represent their concerns, their hopes
and dreams in Ottawa. And MPs forget about this, I think. Some
believe that they represent the federal government in their riding.
Wrong. We are in the Parliament of Canada to represent your riding."
How
do you see Quebec in Canada?
"I
think that one of the dynamics we have to get away from is trying to
give enough to Quebec, so that Quebecers will feel valued by Canada.
That's the dynamic that the Bloc Québécois
and the PQ are very good at, demanding always more for Quebec all
the time. I think that the more interesting path to really show how
much Canadians value us Quebecers, is to start calling on Quebecers
to share more of the solution with Canada. There are things that we
do here in terms of the environment, social programs, law and order,
for example, our crime rates are lower than anywhere else around
t72he country.
Our
criminal justice is a lot more focused on socialization,
rehabilitation rather than incarceration. And it is effective here.
Anytime Canada has been a big player on the world stage, Quebec has
been at the centre of it. The challenge the Quebecers have now is
that they look at the present Conservative government in Ottawa and
they do not feel that it responds to their values on any real
level."
