Trudeau scion expected to be Canada premier
The son of a former prime minister is the nation’s next leader, vote projections show.
TORONTO — Justin Trudeau, the son of one of Canada’s most charismatic politicians, will be the country’s next prime minister, according to election projections Monday by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
The projection, made before the final polls had closed in western Canada, came as early vote tallies indicated a resounding victory for Trudeau’s Liberal Party over the Conservative Party led by Stephen Harper, the prime minister for almost a decade.
If the results are confirmed, they would signal a sharp change in Canada’s politics. Trudeau marks a return to Canada’s liberal tradition, with its emphasis on social welfare — and one that Harper was intent on changing.
Canada has shifted to the center-right under Harper, who has lowered sales and corporate taxes, avoided climate change legislation and clashed with the Obama administration over the Keystone XL pipeline.
Trudeau, a 43-year-old former schoolteacher and member of Parliament since 2008, is the son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. He would become the second youngest prime minister in Canadian history.
“A sea of change here. We are used to high tides in Atlantic Canada. This is not what we hoped for,” said Peter MacKay, a former senior Conservative Cabinet minister, shortly after polls closed in Atlantic Canada.
MacKay helped unite the right in Canada and previously served as defense and foreign minister under Harper before stepping down this year. He made the remarks to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
Trudeau, who has reenergized the Liberal Party since its devastating electoral losses four years ago, promises to raise taxes on the rich and run deficits for three years to boost government spending.
His late father, who took office in 1968 and led Canada for most of the next 16 years, is a storied name in Canadian history, responsible for the country’s version of the Bill of Rights.