Gallery: Manitoba memories of Trudeau’s political journey By: Free Press staff Posted: Last Modified:

Manitoba was a frequent destination for Justin Trudeau as part of his 12-year journey as federal Liberal leader.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/01/2025 (633 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba was a frequent destination for Justin Trudeau as part of his 12-year journey as federal Liberal leader.

It was a province that delivered seven seats for him en route to his breakthrough 2015 election, which made him prime minister with a healthy majority.

It was where he was frequently treated as a rock star during a prolonged honeymoon with voters — and where he was forced to respond to stumbles that damaged his brand, such as the controversy over yearbook images of him in “brownface” during the 2019 campaign.

Trudeau, then an MP, visits with Ami Hassan at the Falafel Place restaurant during a breakfast meeting in 2009. (Wayne Glowacki / Free Press files)
Trudeau, then an MP, visits with Ami Hassan at the Falafel Place restaurant during a breakfast meeting in 2009. (Wayne Glowacki / Free Press files)

It was where he performed a wide range of ceremonial duties, such as the opening of the 2017 Canada Summer Games and speaking at the funeral of Murray Sinclair in 2024.

Those campaign stops, town halls and photo-ops are all part of the record that saw Trudeau go from the top of the political charts to a drag on party fortunes and the electoral chances of the four remaining Grit ridings in Manitoba.

Trudeau working out with Pan Am Boxing Club owner Harry Black ahead of a leadership candidate debate in Winnipeg in 2013. (Joe Bryksa / Free Press files)
Trudeau working out with Pan Am Boxing Club owner Harry Black ahead of a leadership candidate debate in Winnipeg in 2013. (Joe Bryksa / Free Press files)
Trudeau waves to supporters as he walks down McDermot Avenue with Free Press editor Paul Samyn before an event at the Free Press News Cafe in 2016. (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files)
Trudeau waves to supporters as he walks down McDermot Avenue with Free Press editor Paul Samyn before an event at the Free Press News Cafe in 2016. (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files)
Trudeau plays Simon Says with students at Robert H. Smith School in Winnipeg in 2017. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files)
Trudeau plays Simon Says with students at Robert H. Smith School in Winnipeg in 2017. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files)
Trudeau speaks at a town hall gathering in the Duckworth Centre at the University of Winnipeg in 2017. (Mike Deal / Free Press files)
Trudeau speaks at a town hall gathering in the Duckworth Centre at the University of Winnipeg in 2017. (Mike Deal / Free Press files)
Four sacred fire torches come together to create one flame, and the torch is passed to Trudeau by four Indigenous youth at the opening ceremony for the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg in 2017. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files)
Four sacred fire torches come together to create one flame, and the torch is passed to Trudeau by four Indigenous youth at the opening ceremony for the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg in 2017. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files)
A security officer looks on as Trudeau and then-Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister say their goodbyes after meeting in Winnipeg in 2017. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files)
A security officer looks on as Trudeau and then-Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister say their goodbyes after meeting in Winnipeg in 2017. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files)
Canada Goose employee Seolhee Lee greets Trudeau during a brief tour of a new 700-employee Canada Goose manufacturing facility in Winnipeg in 2018. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files)
Canada Goose employee Seolhee Lee greets Trudeau during a brief tour of a new 700-employee Canada Goose manufacturing facility in Winnipeg in 2018. (John Woods / The Canadian Press files)
Trudeau talks to a crowd in Old Market Square in September 2019 about 2001 photos that were unearthed of him in brownface. (Mike Deal / Free Press files)
Trudeau talks to a crowd in Old Market Square in September 2019 about 2001 photos that were unearthed of him in brownface. (Mike Deal / Free Press files)
Southern Chiefs’ Organization Grand Chief, Jerry Daniels gives a beaded medallion to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a 2022 ceremony in Winnipeg's downtown Hudson's Bay Co. building. (Mike Deal / Free Press files)
Southern Chiefs’ Organization Grand Chief, Jerry Daniels gives a beaded medallion to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a 2022 ceremony in Winnipeg's downtown Hudson's Bay Co. building. (Mike Deal / Free Press files)
Trudeau gives a thumbs-up to MP Terry Duguid (left) while chatting with engineering students about an electric-powered race car being built at the University of Manitoba in 2023. (Mike Deal / Free Press files)
Trudeau gives a thumbs-up to MP Terry Duguid (left) while chatting with engineering students about an electric-powered race car being built at the University of Manitoba in 2023. (Mike Deal / Free Press files)
Trudeau speaks during a commemorative service for Murray Sinclair in November 2024. (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files)
Trudeau speaks during a commemorative service for Murray Sinclair in November 2024. (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files)

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