Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 7, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba THREE years before Justin Trudeau beat down the incumbent Conservatives in the 2015 general election — launching a more than nine-year period as prime minister — Dan Vandal stepped into the ring with the Liberal leader to trade blows in downtown Winnipeg. Vandal, then a Winnipeg city council- lor, had just met Trudeau, who attended an event at Université de Saint-Boniface while seeking party leadership. That evening, they went to the Pan Am-Box- ing Club in the Exchange District to get to know each other and work out with trainer and club president Harry Black. It’s a moment that has stuck with the Liberal MP in the years since and one he returned to Monday, as he and others reflected on their relationship with the prime minister, who tendered his resig- nation. “I held the hand pads for him for a couple of rounds. I gave him some point- ers on his technique,” Vandal, a former professional boxer, said. “(He) and Harry then went through a gruelling 12-minute round where Harry showed him the ropes. The prime minis- ter certainly was very fit. Harry put him through an excellent workout that day.” Afterward, Vandal showed Trudeau — who was elected leader of the federal Liberals about two months later — some of the sights in downtown Winnipeg. Vandal joined him in the House of Commons two years later, when he won the seat of Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, and Trudeau won his first term as prime minister in the 2015 general election. Trudeau enjoyed a surge in popularity in Manitoba ahead of that first election, according to data from Free Press-Probe Research polls. At the time, the Liberals had the support of 45 per cent of decided and leaning Manitobans who were sur- veyed, compared with 35 per cent for the Stephen Harper-led Conservatives. MP Kevin Lamoureux witnessed that rise first-hand, becoming fast friends with Trudeau when he was still a fledg- ling politician. The pair first met in 2010, when Tru- deau joined Lamoureux at a campaign rally. Lamoureux was running for the Liberals in a Winnipeg North byelection that he went on to win. About 300 people were in attendance at a banquet hall on Mandalay Drive in The Maples. Many were focused on Tru- deau, who was already a political rock star, and many people were queuing to speak to or pose for a photo with him, Lamoureux said. “It was a like a love-in atmosphere, where all the attention was on (Tru- deau),” he said. From there, Lamoureux said he and Trudeau formed a close relationship in which they discussed family and other things outside of politics. Over the years, Trudeau has joined Lamoureux at events in Winnipeg North, including some of his weekly visits to a McDonald’s restaurant on Keewatin Street, where he invites constituents to chat or express concerns. “He didn’t have to do these types of things,” Lamoureux said. The day after Scott Gillingham be- came Winnipeg’s 44th mayor in 2022, he was having dinner with his wife at The Keg Steakhouse and Bar on Por- tage Avenue when his phone rang and he stepped out on the patio. “I was told I was going to get a phone call from the prime minister’s office,” he said. “That will always be memorable because it was a bit of a surreal moment to receive a call from a prime minister congratulating me.” It was the beginning of a “good work- ing relationship” with the federal gov- ernment, Gillingham said. Trudeau has been a political stalwart for young Canadians such as Victoria Romero, 22, who has known no other prime minister during their adult life. The University of Manitoba student, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, has met Trudeau on several occasions. Romero first spoke to him at 14, when he hosted a town hall event at the Univer- sity of Winnipeg. “It was a very exciting time to be a young person opening their eyes to pol- itics,” Romero said. “At that time, the outlook was very dif- ferent in terms of what the Liberal party was pushing for, as opposed to now. It signified a lot of great change for our country. There was a lot of interest from young people, from women.” Romero said one of the prime min- ister’s best qualities as leader has been his ability to defend party values off the cuff, referencing an impromptu debate Trudeau had with a student regard- ing abortion in 2023. Video clips of the interaction went viral online, showing Trudeau defending a woman’s right to access such medical care. “That was a great moment that shows while the policy of the Liberal party has been lacklustre at times … it is reassur- ing to at least have someone who is will- ing to say those things,” Romero said. Romero said they hope the PM’s de- parture will open the door for voters to think “outside the box” and consider parties other than the Liberals and Con- servatives. tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca M ANITOBA’S four Liberal mem- bers of Parliament had mixed emotions after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation Monday, with none ready to publicly declare their support for a potential replace- ment as party leader. The group, including Winnipeg South Centre MP Ben Carr, the province’s only government MP to publicly call on Trudeau to step down, hailed the three- term prime minister as preparations for a leadership contest and a federal election later this year began to ramp up. “The first thing I was thinking — and that I’m still feeling — is an enormous amount of respect for him and grati- tude toward him,” Carr told the Free Press after watching Trudeau’s tele- vised announcement. Carr said his decision to call for Tru- deau’s resignation in a letter last Friday was “incredibly difficult,” but he felt it was the right one following conver- sations with constituents, supporters, friends and mentors. “I wrestled with it for a long time,” he said. “It brought no satisfaction.” While those conversations elicited continued support for progressive policies and values, they also raised feelings of fatigue and alienation from Liberal leadership, Carr said. He concluded change was necessary for the party to be in the best position to face Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in the next election. Opinion polls suggest the Tories hold a wide lead in Manitoba. Carr, who spoke to media for the first time since his resignation call, said the majority of feedback from his constitu- ents was supportive. He has not had any contact with the prime minister. Winnipeg North MP Kevin Lamou- reux, the longest-serving of Manitoba’s sitting Liberal MPs, preached a mes- sage of party unity after Trudeau re- signed. “We have to come together and get behind (the next) leader,” said Lamou- reux, who was first elected in 2010. Lamoureux, who acknowledged there was a “mood for change” within the party, got his election signs ready a couple months ago. He is designing campaign literature ahead of the next election, which must be held on or be- fore Oct. 20. “We’re full steam ahead,” he said. Lamoureux, Saint Boniface —Saint Vital MP Dan Vandal — who is not seeking re-election — and Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid, who Trudeau appointed sports minister last month, described the resignation as a “sad” day for Canada. “I think history will look very posi- tive on Justin Trudeau and all the initia- tives we accomplished,” Vandal said. “It’s been a great run. It’s a sad day, but a new beginning.” Manitoba’s Liberal MPs cited Tru- deau’s initiatives to help middle-class Canadians, improve health care, foster reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and combat climate change as some of his accomplishments. Duguid said Trudeau led Canada through the “worst health and econom- ic crisis” — the COVID-19 pandemic. Some decisions, such as the carbon tax, weren’t so popular, Lamoureux noted. “He’s a very proud, family oriented, strong Canadian who has progressive values,” Lamoureux said. “He has made a significant difference. He’s done so much for Canada.” Looking forward, the MPs expect a robust process to select a new Liberal leader. Duguid expects the contest to bring renewal and excitement to the party. The MPs supported Trudeau’s de- cision to prorogue Parliament until March 24. The decision came amid the threat of a confidence vote in the House of Commons. “We’re doing it because we’re in tran- sition,” Vandal said. Carr said a “reset” is needed, follow- ing filibustering by the Conservatives. Duguid, who is also running again, is not in favour of an early election. “There will be a throne speech to introduce a new session, and it is cer- tainly my hope we can find some com- mon ground with other parties … to continue working on the priorities of Canadians,” he said. There are “big challenges” on the horizon, including U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs, Du- guid noted. NDP MP Niki Ashton said the Lib- erals’ decision to prorogue Parliament prevents MPs from other parties from holding the government to account. “It was pretty clear to me Justin Tru- deau had to go,” said Ashton (Church- ill—Keewatinook Aski). “Fundamental- ly, it’s time for this Liberal government to go.” She said she expects an election be- fore October, and expressed concerns about the potential for a Poilievre gov- ernment. “Manitobans know Conservatives are very good at cutting,” she said. Ashton defended her party’s sup- ply-and-confidence agreement with the Liberals. She said it was built on “deliverables,” and the NDP delivered on policies such as pharmacare legislation and a nation- al dental-care program. The Conservatives did not make any of their seven Manitoba MPs available for an interview. A party spokesman referred the Free Press to a statement from Poilievre. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew thanked Trudeau for his service and sacrifices, including time lost with family. Kinew said the pair still have work to do on Canada’s trade relation- ship with the U.S. before Trudeau steps down. “Of course, we will be prepared to work with whoever is next. That is, of course, a comment about who the next leader of this current government is, but also we know that a federal election is coming up,” Kinew told reporters. “Who Canadians choose to select as your next prime minister, we will be happy to work with them on behalf of you, the great people of Manitoba.” Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham thanked Trudeau and said he looks for- ward to working with the next prime minister. “No matter who the prime minister of Canada is, the priorities for Winni- peg will be the same,” Gillingham said. “The priorities we have in the City of Winnipeg, I believe, are and remain priorities for the federal government as well.” Gillingham cited housing, crime reduction and the North End sewage treatment plant upgrade as his primary concerns. Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand thanked Trudeau for his leadership and contributions to rec- onciliation. In November, the federal government and MMF signed a new treaty that rec- ognizes the MMF as the government for the Red River Métis. “Clearly, Justin Trudeau has been the most visionary Canadian prime minis- ter we have ever experienced, in terms of reconciliation,” Chartrand said in a statement. Christopher Adams, an adjunct pro- fessor in political studies at the Uni- versity of Manitoba, pointed to a re- cent Free Press-Probe Research poll that put Poilievre 33 percentage points ahead of Trudeau. The poll suggested some Liberal seats in Winnipeg could be at risk of turning blue in the next election. “They’ll hope this leadership contest will rejuvenate the party,” Adams said of Manitoba’s Liberal MPs. He said the Liberals will be ramping up local election campaign “machines” in the wake of Trudeau’s announce- ment, but it will be a challenge to ener- gize them when support is low in the polls. — with files from Tyler Searle chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca TOP NEWS A3 TUESDAY JANUARY 7, 2025 ● ASSOCIATE EDITOR, NEWS: STACEY THIDRICKSON 204-697-7292 ● CITY.DESK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM SEAN KILPATRICK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leaves a news conference after announcing his resignation as Liberal leader. ‘A sad day, but a new beginning’ CHRIS KITCHING Manitoba’s Liberal MPs focus on Trudeau-led government’s achievements (JOE BRYKSA / FREE PRESS FILES Trudeau was put through his paces at Pan Am Boxing Club in Winnipeg by owner Harry Black ahead of a Liberal leadership candidate debate in February 2013. Memorable moments in Manitoba TYLER SEARLE AND CHRIS KITCHING From political rock star on rise to opening young voters’ eyes, Trudeau made mark on many during visits here SUPPLIED Victoria Romero, who first spoke to Trudeau at the age of 14, has known no other prime minister in their adult life. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Kevin Lamoureux, Winnipeg North MP MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Terry Duguid, Winnipeg South MP SEAN KILPATRICK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Ben Carr, Winnipeg South Centre MP MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Dan Vandal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital MP ● MORE TRUDEAU IN MANITOBA / A4 ;