OTTAWA -- Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau ended the first day of Canada's pandemic election being mobbed by fans on a street in his Montreal riding of Papineau, which was a scene more reminiscent of a normal campaign than might have been expected during a fourth wave of COVID-19.
Trudeau chose to launch his campaign in Quebec for the first time, after starting both his 2015 and 2019 campaigns in British Columbia, signalling his path back to a majority government will run heavily through Quebec.
At his first stop in Blainville, a North Shore suburb of Montreal, a small but enthusiastic, mostly physically distanced crowd greeted him at a coffee shop. The elbow bumps and face masks suggested a more muted, quiet campaign than normal.
But then Trudeau and his family headed to Papineau, a diverse, dense riding in central Montreal, which Trudeau has represented in Parliament since 2008. There, his loyal fans came out in full force.
Trudeau and his family and staff had masks on, but most of the public did not, as they crowded around them for selfies and a quick chat, while the Benkadi de Montreal band delivered an impromptu and unexpected tour song: "Jus-Tin-Tru-Deau, Lib-er-al, Lib-er-al," they sang to the rhythm of their Djembe drums.
In Ottawa earlier in the day, after a visit to Gov. Gen. Mary Simon led to the election call, Trudeau was defending his decision to call an election as a fourth wave of COVID-19 begins to emerge across Canada.
"This is a really important moment in Canada's history," he said, comparing it to the post-Second World War period, and insisting it is time for Canadians to have a say in how best to recover from the pandemic.
In Papineau, any worries that an election during the pandemic is a bad idea were nowhere to be seen, as people flocked to the Liberal leader.
"Thank you for the CERB," one woman gushed, emotional as she spoke about the pandemic emergency response benefit the Liberals provided.
Earlier in the day in Blainville, where Trudeau is hoping to win back two seats the Liberals lost to the Bloc Quebecois in 2019, Liberal supporter Judy Didonato made her husband stop the car when she saw the Liberal tour bus, and ran across the street to get a picture.
"I think he's picked a good time to have an election for himself because the other candidates are not offering anything that I particularly care for," she said. "I think he's done a good job during the pandemic. He's watched out for Canadians."
Fifteen-year-old Maik Bessette, brought to the event by his mother, took the distinction as Trudeau's first selfie of the campaign show.
"It's pretty fun," he said, moments after the pair posed.
The Liberals fell to 35 seats in Quebec in 2019, after winning 40 there in 2015, and likely need to win some of them back if they are to get the majority government Trudeau covets.
Trudeau sidestepped suggestions there's anything to read into launching his campaign in Quebec, saying he wants to hear from all Canadians and will do so over the course of the campaign.
"I started the last campaign in my home in British Columbia. Now I am going to my home in Montreal," he said. "I'm at home everywhere in this country."
Still he has been trying to pile up the points in Quebec for months.
That includes an update to the Official Languages Act that declared French the official language of Quebec and $6 billion in cash announced Aug. 5 to help the province pay for and expand its affordable child-care program.
The language legislation didn't pass before Parliament was dissolved, but the child-care agreement was signed with Quebec Premier Francois Legault following the promise of $30 billion over the next five years to cut fees to an average of $10 a day across the country.
The Papineau scene was more crowded than the Liberals had planned for, with the pandemic restrictions on the campaign laid out in several documents. The Liberals have committed to following local public guidance on the size of crowds, but will never have more than 100 people at an outdoor event even if local rules would allow more.
Most events will be held outdoors, and the Liberals are requiring every candidate and anyone on their tour, including staff and media, to be fully vaccinated, and show a negative rapid test every morning.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2021.
