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Grit superstar expected to draw them in

Trudeau machine comes to city

By: Mia Rabson and Bruce Owen

Posted: 10/16/2012 9:22 AM | Comments: 0

Justin Trudeau hugs his mother, Margaret Trudeau, at a rally in Richmond, B.C. (JONATHAN HAYWARD/ THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES)

In his words

What: Justin Trudeau makes a speech in Winnipeg

Where: Punjab Banquet Hall, 94 Mandalay Dr.

When: Saturday Time: 3 p.m. (Trudeau to speak at 3:30 p.m.)

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OTTAWA — Call it the battle of the Justins — right down to the hair.

Teenage heartthrob Justin Bieber kicks things off Thursday when he and his famous blond mop play the MTS Centre to a packed house of screaming girls.

Political It Boy Justin Trudeau and his much-envied locks get their turn Saturday when he brings his Liberal leadership campaign tour to Manitoba for the first time.

The audience won’t be as large or as young, but Kevin Lamoureux, the sole Liberal MP from Manitoba, said Trudeau has an uncanny ability to pull in a crowd. "People hover around him. It amazes me."

Trudeau will be in Winnipeg Saturday afternoon for a rally and a speech.

Lamoureux said the criticism against Trudeau that he is all style and no substance is not fair. "Justin’s insights have been very beneficial to me," he said.

Trudeau’s strengths, Lamoureux acknowledged, are in the area of social policy, and he said he will be getting advice from some great minds on the economics side.

The leadership campaign doesn’t officially begin until Nov. 14 and many Manitoba Liberals are holding their cards close for the time being.

Lamoureux has stepped up as Trudeau’s Manitoba campaign organizer. Provincial Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard threw his support behind Trudeau Monday. "I just believe that Justin is the person who’s got that ability to reach out to young people to create a new interest in politics across the country, and to provide a very different and very forward-looking vision for Canada as opposed to what we have at the moment under (Prime Minister Stephen) Harper," Gerrard said.

So far, the list isn’t much longer than that.

Former Liberal candidate Terry Duguid said he’s sitting this one out. Former MP Anita Neville said she isn’t ready to say who she is supporting. Neither is Sen. Maria Chaput. Sen. Rod Zimmer didn’t return calls.

Winnipegger Jeremiah Kopp, president of the Young Liberals of Canada, said he is staying neutral for the time being but is a fan of Trudeau’s and is helping to organize Saturday’s event. He said he has never seen the kind of interest from young people in politics as he has since Trudeau announced his leadership bid.

"It’s pretty extraordinary," he said.

Neville said it’s undeniable Trudeau has lit a fire under Liberals everywhere, including in Manitoba.

"I’m certainly talking to people who are all very curious," she said. "There is a buzz. People are giddy."

The polls might explain some of that excitement. Nanos Research released a poll Monday showing since Trudeau announced his candidacy Oct. 2, the Liberals have jumped more than five points nationally and into second position. The party has support from 30.1 per cent of decided voters, just behind the Conservatives at 33.3 per cent, and just ahead of the NDP at 27.9 per cent.

However, Liberal support in the Prairie provinces fell two points in the last month to 20.4 per cent. The Conservatives still dominate with support from nearly half of Prairie voters. The NDP is second with 28.9 per cent.

Most of the Liberals’ improvement came from B.C., where they jumped nearly 20 points in one month, and Ontario, where they were up 10 points. The Liberals now lead all parties in both B.C. and Ontario. They trail the NDP in Quebec and the Conservatives and the NDP in Atlantic Canada.

The leadership convention takes place April 14. Also running are Ottawa lawyers Deborah Coyne and David Bertschi and B.C. Crown attorney Alex Burton.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca

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