Superstars such as Wayne Gretzky, Alex Trebek, and Justin Bieber are all proudly Canadian. Since becoming the Prime Minister of Canada in 2015, Justin Trudeau has captured the attention of the entire world. This leader of America’s neighbor to the north is a fascinating figure, as you’ll learn from these interesting facts about Justin Trudeau.
He’s the first second-generation Prime Minister of Canada.
Most Canadian PMs escape stateside relevance. Names such as Paul Martin, Jean Chretien, and Lester Pearson came and went without making much of a cultural impact outside Canada itself. But before Trudeau, there was Trudeau—Pierre Trudeau, that is, Justin’s dad, who led Canada from 1968 to 1979 and again from 1980 to 1984. As he began his career, Trudeau père kicked off a worldwide craze called “Trudeaumania,” in which the whole world took note of the young and charismatic newcomer to Canadian politics ushering in a new era of a progressive and fashionable Canada. In his second term as PM, Pierre Trudeau used his popularity in his native Québec to turn public opinion against secession from Canada in time for the 1980 referendum on Québec sovereignty, which failed. As a bilingual PM representing Montréal, Trudeau fils inherits the tradition of bridging Canada’s “two solitudes” and launching a “Trudeaumania” of his own.
He has more fun with socks than any other head of government.
Spot Justin Trudeau sitting down to meet with domestic or foreign leaders, and you’re likely to notice something unusual to world leaders: he’s wearing quirky socks. From Maple Leaf prints to Star Wars droids, there’s no telling who or what will turn up on the Prime Minister’s hosiery. If you want to add flair to your outfits but have trepidation about unorthodox socks, it’s time to go for it—if the leader of a G7 nation can wear rubber ducky socks, so can you.
He’s a former snowboard instructor.
In between growing up around the Canadian Parliament and one day leading that Parliament, Justin Trudeau needed to find himself in adulthood. To get out of the estimable shadow of his father, Justin left his native Montréal for the West Coast, where he taught high school drama in Vancouver and snowboarding in Whistler. Who could have guessed he’d go from keeping his balance on a board to balancing budgets?
He was born on Christmas Day.
One of the most interesting facts about Justin Trudeau is that he belongs to a disparate but unique club: famous people born on the 25th of December. He was born on Christmas Day 1971, early in his father’s ministry. Other famous Christmas births include Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox, Golden Age star Humphrey Bogart, and no less a pivotal figure than Sir Isaac Newton.
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