The charming Mr Justin Trudeau!

Justin Trudeau. A name that surely brings a smile to the face of any Canadian hoping for liberal tendencies to prevail. In fact, his name is enough to bring smiles here in Pakistan as well. In recent times, we have seen news stories making a big deal out of Trudeau’s election as Canada’s new prime minister. The political Mr Darcy of our times!

The man certainly has something to offer.

The new Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, takes forward the legacy of his late father Pierre as he embraces the top position in his country. The younger Trudeau is a family man whose picture-perfect family images have gone viral. He has also captured the Pakistani imagination in recent times when he was seen with a crowd of desi people, dressed in a sherwani!

A former teacher and boxing champion is now being seen as a leading player in world politics. From being very, very politically correct in asserting that public servants are there to help ease the trouble of their constituents, to reaching out to the middle class which is struggling (even in the West), to make ends meet, his policy seems to be about getting directly involved with the ordinary citizen of today and addressing his or her issues. This is something which our and other world leaders lack. How many leaders in the world today dare to think on those terms? Not many. Usually, most are inclined towards filling their pockets, not thinking for a second that they have been chosen to serve the citizenry.

There is still some hope, some idealism left in the world, to be able to believe that it can become a better place to live in, as is being asserted by Trudeau in his speeches. It seems there is some sanity left in humankind, to garner acceptance and hope for a better future for the next generation.

Here’s hoping Canada will be seen as a place where one can breathe freely and hope for a better life. Since this guy clicks with most people, with his boy-next-door appeal, he will surely pave the way for better future prospects for the growing, young Canadian population; that’s something young Pakistanis too, one day, aspire to achieve but first we need a leader we can relate to.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2015.