{"id":6644,"date":"2012-10-03T17:00:53","date_gmt":"2012-10-03T21:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/?p=6644"},"modified":"2012-10-03T15:54:19","modified_gmt":"2012-10-03T19:54:19","slug":"justin-trudeau-launches-leadership-quest-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/2012\/10\/03\/justin-trudeau-launches-leadership-quest-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"Justin Trudeau launches leadership quest in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s an concept of history and leadership out there, called “the great man<\/a>” theory. You know, really charismatic or forceful personalities can shape events – even change history. For good for ill. (Think Washington – or Hitler.) It’s not a new concept. Nor does everyone ascribe to it.<\/p>\n

A political candidate may – or may not – actually be a great man or woman. But the power of popularity does play into the outcome.<\/p>\n

While most attention today is focused on the first presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, this post is actually about a possible “great man” moment in Canada.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Justin Trudeau. Photo Jean-Marc Carisse via Wikipedia Commons. CC some rights reserved.<\/p><\/div>\n

After a lot of encouragement, speculation (and a whole summer of mulling it over) last night Justin Trudeau announced he’ll run<\/a> for the leadership of the federal Liberal Party here.<\/p>\n

Barrels of ink are being spilled about this in Canada. As one might expect, opinions are all over the map.<\/p>\n

In Box readers surely know Justin’s father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau<\/a>, was a Liberal Prime Minister in Canada for two separate “terms” (That’s not the right word, but it’ll have to do for this purpose.)<\/p>\n

Trudeau the father was a sensation, generating something called “Trudeau-mania”. (Think Beatle mania, on a scaled-back level.)<\/p>\n

Pierre Trudeau had detractors too – especially out west where an unpopular federal energy policy<\/a> generated a bumper sticker that read \u00a0“Let\u00a0the eastern bastards\u00a0freeze in the dark!”<\/p>\n

Is Justin Trudeau just a pretty face with a famous name?<\/p>\n

OK, he’s spent five years as MP<\/a> for the Montreal riding of Papineauis. He can box<\/a>. But (some say) he’s still young and untried.<\/p>\n

Is he up for the heavy lifting of revitalizing a party in serious disarray? If successful, could he actually carry an election and lead the country?<\/p>\n

Getting back to the party level of this question, is the Liberal Party only lacking a dynamic leader? Or does the party need a deeper overhaul<\/a> than that – as the Globe and Mail’s John Ibbitson argues?<\/p>\n

Post-Media columnist Stephen Maher writes that this Trudeau enters the scene as a very famous wild card<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If Canada’s Liberals do bounce back, will that just leave the Conservatives in power, because center and left-leaning voters in Canada would then split between the Liberals and the NDP?<\/p>\n

Some observers say parties on the liberal\/left in Canada must unite to win. But Trudeau says he’s not considering mergers.<\/p>\n

It’s early days to know any answers to those questions. Announcing a run for party leadership also requires actually winning the job (That’s set to be decided<\/a> in April of 2013 at a party convention in Ottawa.)<\/p>\n

But, after years as a “maybe”, Justin Trudeau is now an official player on Canada’s national political landscape.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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