Regina – The team in western Canada that helped elect Justin Trudeau believes he will be the leader that will turn the tide of the party’s fortunes.
“He has an amazing ability to rally people around a new vision of the potential that this country has,” said Wascana MP Ralph Goodale, the only Liberal MP in Saskatchewan.
Goodale says Trudeau gives his party a fresh start, and will be able to reach out to areas of the country where Liberals have traditionally struggled.
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“For example, saying that western Canadian resources should never be used as a tool to try to buy votes in eastern Canada,” added Goodale. “That’s obviously a very sensitive point in Saskatchewan.”
It may also be the point that proves to be Trudeau’s Achilles heel in the west.
“The legacy of the Trudeau name is not a terribly positive one in large parts of western Canada,” said Dr. Tom McIntosh, the head of the University of Regina’s Political Science department.
Trudeau’s father Pierre put the national energy program in place in the early 1980s, a program that was wildly unpopular in the west. It’s a legacy that will be difficult to overcome, but according to McIntosh, it is possible if Trudeau can connect with younger voters.
“They hear these things about (Pierre), but I’m not sure that that necessarily either positively or negatively impacts on how they’re going to view Justin.”
Time will tell if he can take the excitement from his leadership campaign, and turn it into Saskatchewan seats.
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