Justin Trudeau to visit Trail and Nelson within the week
By Kyra Hoggan
Prime ministerial hopeful Justin Trudeau and his family will be in Nelson and Trail for informal meet-and-greets in less than a week, according to Southern Interior Liberal Riding Association president Dan Ashman.
Ashman said Trudeau will be in Lakeside Park in Nelson on Sunday at around 5 p.m. and in Trail’s Gyro Park at 2 p.m. on Monday, staying for about an hour to chat with locals before continuing on his family vacation.
When asked why Trudeau wouldn’t be making a Castlegar stop, Ashman explained that Trudeau designed his itinerary around getting to meet and thank the Search and Rescue workers who helped look for his brother, Michel Trudeau, who died in an avalanche in Kokanee Glacier Park in November, 1998.
“The Rossland and District Search and Rescue Unit and the Nelson and District Search and Rescue Unit looked for him, to save him,” Ashman said, although, sadly, the young man’s body was never found. He said Michel had lived in Rossland for about a year.
“His mother is also from the lower mainland – This area has a very strong attachment with the Trudeaus,” Ashman said.
He said the Trudeaus are on a family holiday.
“He’s a teacher by trade,” Ashman said. “This is an educational trip for the kids.”
He said the location of the informal park gatherings was also designed such that it wouldn’t be an unreasonably long drive for anyone in the region to meet the man who may become our next prime minister.
“This is a very exciting opportunity that we wanted to be accessible to everyone,” he said, adding the format also allows people of all walks of life to participate.
He said it will be a very low-key, casual event without any formal statements – a chance to meet Trudeau in a family setting rather than a political one.
Justin Trudeau is 41-year-old married father of two, son of deceased former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, an MP and leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Ashman said he’s also very charismatic and approachable, so it should be an interesting and informative experience for everyone who attends.
