Tonight, Justin Trudeau pulled off a major upset and unseated Steven Harper to become the next Prime Minister of Canada. He is the second youngest man to be elected to this post and the second Trudeau, following in the footsteps of his father Pierre, who was my first Prime Minister.
In a campaign straight out of Obama's playbook, Trudeau appealed to our better angels while his chief rival Mr. Harper attempted to appeal to our worst devils.
The victory is all the more stunning because Harper and the Conservatives had held power for nearly a decade while Trudeau's Liberal Party had been banished to the woods.
My own country's politics put this victory into even greater perspective because candidates of all parties flee from the label of liberal, which is viewed as political suicide. However, the Trudeau victory reminds us that ideas and principles matter. Government's job is to help those who cannot help themselves rather than to get out of the way of the rich who merely seek to enrich themselves.
So, let's raise a glass to Mr. Trudeau and to Canucks everywhere who made the choice that was best for their country. Labels be damned.
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