While there has been a lot of recent excitement over the prospect of Justin Trudeau as potential Liberal party leader, it would not be advisable for him -- at least for now -- to make a move for the seat vacated by Bob Rae. It might be tempting, but it's not a good idea.
It is not because he cannot properly handle the duties, nor is it because he cannot guide his party out of the darkness.
It's because he is still a baby in the political arena who has a long road ahead of him. Before a baby can walk, he must first learn how to crawl.
Trudeau will not receive votes for what he has accomplished. He will receive attention because of who his father was.
This is not healthy for him, nor for the people he will be vowing to serve and protect.
SLIDESHOW: SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT JUSTIN TRUDEAU
A man should stand up on his feet for his own accomplishments in life, for what he has done for the society he lives in and for humanity at large.
A man should not seek leadership because of the language he speaks, his lineage, or how noble his father or mother were.
This unhealthy phenomenon only works in third world countries where people use different techniques to gain power through backdoor dealings.
I do not wish to see this trend in Canada. This is not to disrespect Trudeau or his late father, but a piece of sincere advice which I hope he will take to heart.
Trudeau is certainly an aspiring young politician who has the potential to climb the ladder and lead a successful political life in the years to come.
He needs to build his own legacy right from the start and not use the legacy of his father as something to lean on.
While he should be proud of where he comes from, and should be honoured to be the son of a man who was respected by all Canadians, he should build his own legacy and prove what he can do.
The media is building hype about him and whether he will enter the race for the Liberals' leadership.
The media always try to sensationalize things in order to win viewership. I hope Trudeau would be wise and mature enough to do the right thing and just leave the race alone.
He should only stand up when he has built his own platform to stand upon with pride and humility. He should ask for Canada's trust using his own credentials, not those of someone else.
SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT JUSTIN TRUDEAU
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Surprising Justin Trudeau Facts
With talk of Trudeau making a bid for the Liberal leadership reaching a fever pitch (again), HuffPost takes a look at some surprising facts about Canada's perpetual PM-in-waiting. (CP)
11. Politics On Mother's Side Too
Trudeau's maternal grandfather <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Sinclair_(politician)" target="_hplink">James Sinclair</a> was a Liberal MP and cabinet minister in Louis St.-Laurent's government in the 1950s. (House of Commons)
<em><strong>CORRECTION</strong>: An earlier version of this slide incorrectly said Sinclair was a Progressive Conservative MP.</em>
10. Born In Office
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Trudeau" target="_hplink">Trudeau was only the second child ever to be born while a parent was prime minister</a>. The first was John A. Macdonald's youngest daughter Margaret Mary Macdonald. Trudeau's younger brothers, Alexandre (Sacha) and Michel were the third and fourth. (CP)
9. Educated Enough?
Trudeau has a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill and a Bachelor of Education from UBC. He also studied engineering at the Université de Montréal and environmental geography at McGill, but never finished degrees in those fields.
8. Enemies To Friends
While fathers Brian Mulroney and Pierre Trudeau were rivals, sons Justin and Ben are friends. Mulroney attended Trudeau's wedding to Sophie Grégoire. Grégoire has worked as Quebec correspondent for CTV's eTalk, which is hosted by Mulroney. (CP)
7. Let Them Eat Anything But Cake
Trudeau didn't have cake at his wedding, with <a href="http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20050606_106678_106678" target="_hplink">Sophie arguing that people never eat it anyway</a>. (Shutterstock)
6. Born On Christmas
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Trudeau" target="_hplink">Trudeau entered the world on December 25, 1971</a>.
5. Two Tattoos In One
Trudeau has a large tattoo on his left shoulder. <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/justinpjtrudeau/statuses/179973685136998400" target="_hplink">The planet Earth inside a Haida raven</a>. Trudeau got the globe tattoo when he was 23 and the raven when he turned 40. (Media Ball)
4. Keeping It In The Family
Trudeau and his wife Sophie have two children, Xavier James (4) and Ella-Grace Margaret (3). Both are partially named after family.<a href="http://www.chatelaine.com/en/article/4970--the-littlest-trudeau" target="_hplink"> Xavier James is named after Trudeau's maternal grandfather James Sinclair</a> (the politician) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Gr%C3%A9goire" target="_hplink">Ella-Grace Margaret is named after Trudeau's mother Margaret and Grace Elliot, Trudeau's paternal grandmother</a>. Xavier also happens to share a birthday with Pierre Elliott Trudeau. (CP)
3. Politician And Actor
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0846011/" target="_hplink">Trudeau played Talbot Mercer Papineau</a> in the 2007 CBC miniseries "The Great War."
2. .. And Video Game Star
<a href="http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/09/06/in-deus-ex-justin-trudeau-is-the-pm-and-canada-has-a-problem-with-illegal-immigrants-from-the-u-s/" target="_hplink">Trudeau is prime minister in the dystopian future portrayed in the video game Deus Ex: Human Revolution</a>. (CP)
1. Childhood Sweathearts
Sophie used to visit the Trudeau family home when she was a child. She was a classmate and friend of Trudeau's youngest brother Michel, who died tragically in a B.C. avalanche in 1998. Justin and Sophie made contact again at a fundraiser in 2003 and soon after began dating. <a href="http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20050606_106678_106678" target="_hplink">Trudeau was so smitten</a> that he declared they would spend the rest of their lives together on the very first date. (CP)
No, shopping malls shouldn't install 'multi-faith' chapels...(i.e. Muslim prayer rooms)
No, women should not be allowed to cover their faces in public (Darth Vader masks should be reserved for Halloween, not trips to the bank)
No, Canada should not bring back the death penalty. (It's not a deterrent; it's costly; and, most importantly, since we have wrongful convictions, we need people to be alive when their convictions are overturned)
No, Justin Trudeau is not 'a baby'. He's a forty year old man who has made his own way in the world. Was he encouraged by his famous father? Did he have a front row seat in the world of Canadian politics and a first-rate tutor? Is it possible that some of his charm, intelligence and political abilities are inherited from his political ancestors on both sides of his family? Yes to all.
That is one of the principals of democracy that i hold dear.
Look at how well the two Bushes worked that place to the South.
PS: He boxes very well for an amateur
It's kind of amusing to me to see all of these articles from rank-and-file Conservatives patiently explaining why Trudeau running is such a bad idea. I can't help but think that this should really be counted in the plus column for Trudeau. The Conservatives know that they can beat somebody like Bob Rae. Trudeau is much more of a wild card.
If anything, the most salient argument against Trudeau running, from the progressive side, is that in the process of re-energizing the Liberals, he may do so mostly at the expense of the NDP. If the Liberals and NDP change seats in the House but the Tories maintain their majority, a lot of people would see that as worse than having the Liberals simply continue to deflate and shed their votes to build up the NDP as a viable alternative. The Liberals need to make a play on right-of-center voters if they wish to be competitive.
One thing that Justin Trudeau has not accomplished is the betrayal of his own country to the ravages of corporate greed while knee-capping Canada's democratic traditions, as Harper and the Conservatives have so neatly and arrogantly done.
Justin Trudeau could not possibly do WORSE for Canada and Canadians if he tried.
I see that as a negative, his abuse of expense accounts, he was young(er) at the time, so maybe an excuse