Justin in the North: Passion and Personal Commitment

January 15, 2015

This week, Northerners were thrilled to welcome Liberal Party of Canada Leader, Justin Trudeau, back to the Northwest Territories, and to Yellowknife. Justin is an old friend of the NWT, having been here many times before, visiting our communities, supporting local businesses, and exploring both our vast land and waters.

I was pleased to introduce Justin at a local meet and greet at the Explorer Hotel on Sunday. I reminded the packed room that Justin has been to Nahanni Butte, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Inuvik, and, of course, here in Yellowknife.

And this was not the first time that Justin has been with us at community gatherings – he has even learned to play hand games.

I reflected back to a trip where Justin paddled himself and his good friend, Gerry Butts, down the Nahanni River. Yes, unlike other political party leaders who have merely shown up for a walk around at Virginia Falls, or were guided by others down the Nahanni River, Justin, because of his great bush skills, paddled himself and helped others travel down the Nahanni River. Justin impressed me on this trip because of his great split-second decision-making that helped prevent a member of the group from getting into big trouble with a grizzly bear.

The other important thing for those of us in the North to remember about Justin is his passion and personal commitment to helping young people become engaged in politics, both here in our region and on a national level.

In 2007, Justin contributed his time and effort to a landmark water conference in Fort Smith, organized by grassroots youth to highlight the importance of water to Northerners and what is needed to manage it. He also held many interesting meetings with members of the Dene Youth alliance. Moreover, he brought Katimavik back to the North, and to Yellowknife, and ensured that Board of Directors meetings were also held here.

At all of Justin’s events in Yellowknife, those present were thanked for coming out and welcomed to ask him any questions that they had.

Justin’s recent trip here reminded me of a conversation I had with him here in Yellowknife many years ago, where he mapped out the future of politics in Canada and the North. I am struck by the fact that many of the things Justin predicted at the time have, indeed, come true. Thus, you can imagine how excited I was to hear Justin again on the future of the North and Canada.

On a both a personal and professional level, I know that Justin and his growing team have what it takes to be a strong voice for the North in Ottawa. I am excited for the future of the North, as led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.