Pro-sovereignty protesters target Trudeau's campaign launch
Last Updated: Thursday, September 25, 2008 | 10:59 AM ET
The Canadian Press
A crowd of pro-sovereignty protesters demonstrated outside Liberal candidate Justin Trudeau's campaign office in the Montreal riding of Papineau on Wednesday.
Members of Les Jeunes Patriotes du Québec demonstrate outside the office of Justin Trudeau on Wednesday. (Peter McCabe/Canadian Press)Les Jeunes Patriotes du Québec chose the official launch of Trudeau's campaign bid to denounce the eldest son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau and his support for federalism and bilingualism.
"[Justin Trudeau] long refused to recognize Quebec as a nation," said the group's spokesman François Gendron. "We are a people and we are a nation."
Gendron said they targeted Trudeau because of his politics, his father's politics, and his popularity within English Canada.
"We had to chose a candidate and we chose Justin," said Gendron. "If he's going to play rock star he has to deal with the consequences. We're giving his campaign a little colour."
Protester Jacques Fournier said he remembered that the senior Trudeau caused a lot of problems for Quebec over the years.
"We fear his son will follow in the father's footsteps, that's why we came out today," he said. "As a whole, I don't like Liberal candidates, but Justin Trudeau particularly is a symbol of contempt."
Trudeau told the media that he didn't think the protest would affect his campaign but that he was glad to see young people get involved in politics.
"It's not them who will vote in Papineau," he said. "It's not their vote that will elect the next MP in Papineau."
He also responded to the protesters' anger over a comment he made last February calling people who spoke one language "lazy."
"I believe bilingualism is better than unilingualism," Trudeau said. "I think a society that doesn't promote bilingualism can be considered a little lazy. But I never accused anyone of being lazy for not speaking another language."
Meanwhile, Trudeau supporters, who outnumbered the protesters, spilled into the streets at the high-profile launch attended by prominent Liberals like Bob Rae and Denis Coderre.
Rae, introducing Trudeau, joked about the presence of the protesters outside the campaign office. "It makes me feel at home," he said.
Papineau, in central Montreal, is the smallest federal riding in Canada, covering only nine square kilometres.
The Papineau riding is currently held by Bloc Québécois MP Vivian Barbot. She's a former college professor and union leader, and was first elected in the traditionally Liberal riding in 2006.
