OTTAWA – Global News has learned that Liberal MP Justin Trudeau will run for his party’s leadership, but the politician is still being coy about his intentions.
Walking through a sea of media on Parliament Hill, Trudeau said he had nothing to announce on Wednesday morning.
“I have nothing to announce today. Glad to see everyone in a good mood today,” he said before ducking into the Liberal caucus meeting.
Two hours later, leaving the meeting, Trudeau still wasn’t ready to public announce his candidacy.
“I’m pleased to hear all the buzz and the interest in the Liberal Party’s fortunes, but I have nothing to announce today,” he said. “I promise, I will let you know when I have something to announce.”
The leadership intentions of the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s oldest son have had Ottawa in a tizzy for months. His candidacy was among the first to surface as a potential saviour after the devastating election results for the Liberals in May 2011.
Both his legacy as the son of one of Canada’s best-known prime ministers and his own growing reputation and charisma have sparked interest in the 40-year-old as a potential leader.
Earlier this year, Trudeau dismissed questions about a leadership bid, pointing to his desire to spend more time with his two young children.
“The amount of time I already spend away from my kids just being a simple MP is about at the limit, so I’m not going to be running for leadership this time,” said Trudeau in an interview with Global News in May.
But as spring turned to summer and interim Liberal leader Bob Rae took his name out of the ring, Trudeau told reporters people were urging him to reconsider.
Get daily National news
Now sources tell Global News that Trudeau will run for the leadership of the federal party and that he will hold a news conference in his constituency to make the announcement on Tuesday.
At that time, Trudeau is expected to publicly confirm that he’ll be attempting to follow in the footsteps of his father.
Some of Trudeau’s fellow MPs were enthusiastic about the news.
At just 40-years-old, Liberal MP Judy Sgro said Trudeau still has a lot to learn, but she thinks his addition is terrific.
“It think it is great, bring some youth into it and gives us a chance to talk about some great ideas,” she said, adding that she’ll wait to see who is running before endorsing a candidate.
One of those other candidates is widely expected to be Quebec MP Denis Coderre, although he hasn’t made it official.
“The more we are, the better it is,” he said of Trudeau’s bid. “We need to have a real campaign, a real convention this time. It’s not a coronation.”
Coderre said he is confident it will be a hard fought race, even if Trudeau does have name recognition.
“Coderre’s a big name too,” he said.
Other Liberals, like Ralph Goodale, were hesitant to comment on Trudeau.
Goodale said he wouldn’t comment on any particular candidate, but respected anyone who would enter the race at this time.
“This is a very, very tough thing to do when you put yourself on the firing line and pursue this enormous challenge,” he said.
Liberal leader Bob Rae said he doesn’t have any insight into Trudeau’s intentions.
“You’ll have to ask him,” he said.
Rae said is keeping his distance from the leadership race.
“I’m not going to be endorsing candidates, I’m not going to be involved in the leadership race whatsoever except as a very keenly interested observer,” he said.
The next Liberal leader will be elected April 14, 2013, in Ottawa.
GlobalNews.ca reporter Rebecca Lindell was in Ottawa getting reaction from the Liberals after their caucus meeting Wednesday morning. Check out a recap of her live updates below:
And here’s a glimpse at how Canadians are reacting on social media:
Those using Internet Explorer can click here to read if the slideshow cannot be viewed.
With files from The Canadian Press
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.