Trudeaumania!!!

No, not exactly. But congratulations are in order for Justin Trudeau, who secured the nomination for his Papineau riding in a first ballot victory. Now I don't claim to know much about Papineau, other than whatever has dribbled out in the national media (working class, ethnically diverse etc), but all seemed to agree that Trudeau was in a tough battle - perhaps even going up against the deep inner fears of the established Liberal rank and file. In any case, he defeated two worthy opponents, and I for one wish him all the best for his future political career.

Sticking with Quebec, PM Harper found himself in La Belle Province giving a speech to a collection of Conservative supporters......and the ADQ.....and Andre Arthur. For the occasion of his highness' birthday, the audience serenaded him to the tune of Gens du Pays (which Arthur described as "the separatist national anthem"). Boy, Steve-O's really come a long way. Wasn't that long ago that the Father of 'Quebecois Nation' was saying the following:

“Outside of Quebec, the total population of francophones, depending on how you measure it, is only three to five per cent of the population. The rest of Canada is English speaking…So it's basically an English-speaking country, just as English-speaking as, I would guess, the northern part of the United States.”
“…The two traditional parties, the Liberals and PCs, are both led by Quebecers who favour concessionary strategies. The Reform party is a bastion of resistance to this tendency.”

My oh my, how times have changed. Maybe the timing is just right for young Mr. Trudeau after all.