Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, Quebec’s national holiday, took place on Wednesday, though it might not have looked like anyone was celebrating anything at all. Ordinarily, the streets would have been crammed for lively parades and raging parties, each event packed with people sporting blue. This year, though, the excitement was a little more subdued in light of our present health crisis.
But celebration always finds a way, and so it did on Wednesday. Millions of French-speaking Canadians still found safe opportunities to participate in the holiday without breaking the rules. Even Justin Trudeau went out for some fun, and took his six-year-old son, Hadrien, to a little shop in Gatineau to pick up some desserts — wearing their masks, of course.
“Even though we’re not able to celebrate Fete nationale du Quebec and Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day like we usually do, I hope you’re finding new ways to celebrate,” the Canadian prime minister tweeted. “Hadrien and I stopped by @ChocoFavoris in Gatineau today to pick up some treats for the family!”
Apparently, Hadrien was so excited in the shop that he was jumping up and down. He decided on a vanilla cone with a cookie topping, while his dad went with a classic vanilla, dipped in chocolate. Then, they both slipped out onto the patio outside, removed their masks and enjoyed their treats together.
It might be the first family outing Trudeau has had in a long time. When the pandemic hit back in March, the prime minister was working from home just like everyone else. And when his wife, Sophie, got sick, he was tasked both with running the country, overseeing its response to COVID-19, and... well… everything from breakfast to bedtime stories.
Since there were no caregivers or political staff at Trudeau’s home, he had to make sure everything was in order with his three kids. And he did have a couple of challenges: Per a report from Politico, he was late for an evening phone meeting with staff after being delayed by Hadrien’s bath time, back in March, and the sounds of yelling and laughing children often rang out during phone conversations about “pretty serious stuff.”
So yes, Trudeau has been busy juggling both domestic and national duties. But at least on this holiday he could enjoy a little downtime with his youngest son.