My lunch with Justin Trudeau

In July 2013, my brother-in-law Doug Hamilton, won a 'lunch with Justin' contest by joining the Liberal party during a promotion. He took me, my wife, sister-in-law, and son. Lunch was in the backyard of a supporter's house on the Vancouver west-side.  Doug brought a salmon he had caught and he and Justin cooked it on the BBQ.  Just the six of us, all miked up with the camera crew hovering. We were probably all on best behaviour, but no more so than Sunday dinner at the in-laws.

Justin was gracious, forthright, ordinary, genuine. He was a willing student as Doug coached him on how to cook the salmon.  Justin sat at the head of the table on the outdoor patio and graciously played host, passing the salmon, jumping up to fetch more beer from the house, working the mike check seamlessly into the conversation.  He talked about how he initially said no to being Liberal leader, but then realized he had his own reasons and that he couldn't honestly turn down the opportunity.

He connected with us all. With Doug about fishing on the west coast, my wife about the neighbouring summer camps they attended, my son with their shared experience at Jericho sailing clubs. He listened intently as I voiced my pet peeve about Mr. Harper (that Mr. Harper doesn't think I'm a good Canadian because I'm not in the 'big blue tent' and he doesn't understand that even though I didn't vote for him, he still represents me in the world). I like to think that I can hear my feedback in some of Justin's comments now.   

At one point we were all telling stories about spending time with our families and being outdoors. After a few of us had weighed in, Justin told us about canoeing with his father. We all nodded, same as we had for the other stories, but then it hit me: he's talking about Pierre. And the funny thing was, that didn't put him above us, it seemed to bring us all closer. It genuinely seemed as if he was happy to be able to contribute a normal parent/son outdoor experience the same way the rest of us had. 

Ian Brown, in his recent article in the Globe and Mail, talks of a similar incident, where Justin spontaneously remembers a poem. Mr Brown goes on to say that he wondered if it may have been staged to impress. This was not the case with our experience. It didn't make the video. Justin told us the same story about seeking his father's advice that he told Mr. Brown. So, when Justin's wife Sophie says to Mr. Brown that they don't disassociate between life and the campaign, maybe it's true, this is the real thing.

It's interesting to watch Justin in the debates and press conferences, and compare that more public Justin with the person who sat opposite me at lunch. It's the same guy. His enthusiasm and general good will that was evident then is still there, but now seems more focused and targeted. He has listened for two years, in situations like our lunch, taken it all in, and the codification of all that input is now coming out.

As campaign co-chair Katie Telford says in Mr. Brown's article, 'If we could introduce him to every Canadian, we'd have this thing in the bag'. I had the opportunity to meet him, and I agree. This election I'll be supporting Justin Trudeau and the Liberals.
 
Relevant links:
http://www.liberal.ca/winner-bbq-dinner-contest/?fb_action_ids=10152409434552662&fb_action_types=og.likes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCAFGaL1v8k