Justin Trudeau

Early Life & Education

Justin Pierre James Trudeau, born December 25, 1971, is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Papineau from 2008 until 2025.

Political Career

Trudeau supported the Liberal Party from a young age, offering his support to party leader John Turner in the 1988 federal election. 1995: Two years later, he defended Canadian federalism at a student event at the college, which he attended. 1996.

Following his father's death, Trudeau became more involved with the Liberal Party throughout the 2000s. Along with Olympian Charmaine Crooks, he co-hosted a tribute to outgoing prime minister Jean Chrétien at the party's 2003 leadership convention and was appointed to chair a task force on youth renewal after the party's defeat in the 2006 federal election.

Year:

2008: Prime Minister Stephen Harper called an election for October 14, 2008, by which time Trudeau had been campaigning for a year in Papineau. On Election Day, Trudeau narrowly defeated Bloc Québécois incumbent Vivian Barbot. Following his election win, Edward Greenspon, editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail, noted that Trudeau would "be viewed as few other rookie MPs are—as a potential future prime minister and scrutinized through that lens."

2012: On September 26, 2012, multiple media outlets started reporting that Trudeau would launch his leadership bid the following week. While Trudeau was seen as a frontrunner for the leadership of the Liberal Party.

2013: In 2013, Trudeau chose to give up his seat at the funeral of Nelson Mandela, in deference to Irwin Cotler as representative of the Liberal Party of Canada, because of Cotler's work for and with Nelson Mandela in fighting apartheid.

2015: On October 19, 2015, after the longest official campaign in over a century, Trudeau led the Liberals to a decisive victory in the federal election. The Liberals won 184 of the 338 seats, with 39.5% of the popular vote, for a strong majority government, a gain of 150 seats compared to the 2011 federal election. 

In April 2025, Trudeau made his first public engagement following his resignation, campaigning for Liberal candidate Marjorie Michel in his former riding of Papineau. He was also present for the 2025 Speech from the Throne in May, along with former prime ministers Stephen Harper and Kim Campbell. In January 2026, he attended the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland