This Happened—December 25: Canada's Future Prime Minister Is Born

Updated Dec. 25 2023 at 12:00 p.m.

Serving since 2015, Justin Trudeau is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. His father was serving in the same job when he was born on Christmas day.

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How did Justin Trudeau get into politics?

He is the eldest son of Pierre Trudeau, Canada’s previous prime minister, and the first to be the child or other relative of a previous holder of the post. He lived at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, the official residence of Canada’s prime minister, from his birth until the federal election on May 22, 1979, in which his father’s government was defeated. After attending McGill University and the University of British Columbia, in 2006, he was appointed as chair of the Liberal Party’s Task Force on Youth Renewal, and in the 2008 federal election, he was elected to represent the riding of Papineau in the House of Commons, jumpstarting his political career.

What are Justin Trudeau’s politics?

Trudeau’s progressive social policy includes strong advocacy for feminism and abortion rights, and introduced the right to medically assisted dying in Canada. His environmental policy is set on making commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% to 45% before 2030, and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

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