MASSTOWN, N.S. — He arrived late but for the crowd of supporters waiting at the Masstown Market for Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, it didn’t matter.
Trudeau made a quick photo-op stop in Masstown after arriving more than an hour late from Amherst where he also stopped briefly to shake hands with and sign autographs for supporters.
The Liberal leader started his day in Fredericton before moving on to greet supporters in the Cumberland-Colchester riding. From there he was scheduled to make a quick stop in New Glasgow before attending an evening rally with supporters and fellow Liberal candidates in Halifax.
“I thought he was down to earth and real,” said Karen Mombourquette of Bible Hill, after having her picture taken with Trudeau. “He’s a fine young man and his platform is a good one.”
Evan Price of Valley, who was wearing a bright, red Liberal baseball cap, said he felt Trudeau’s decision to campaign in the area so late in the race was a solid, strategic move.
“It shows that we are in play. It shows that the people here still haven’t made up their minds and they’re willing to give us a shot,” the Valley resident said. “We don’t often see the prime minister in the last week of the campaign.”
Price used the results of the 2016 presidential race in the United States to bolster his argument, because of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s failure to campaign in some areas during that race.
“Talk to Hillary’s supporters about Philadelphia and the rust belt and all of those things,” he said. “If you don’t go to the places where you want people to vote for you than they don’t believe that you want their attention.”
By visiting the area so late in the race, however, should show area residents that Trudeau is paying attention to their concerns and is willing to listen to them, he said.
Price said the reason he is voting Liberal in this election is to support local candidate Lenore Zann, who resigned her seat as an NDP MLA to run for the Cumberland-Colchester seat vacated by longtime MP Bill Casey.
So, Lenore has proven in Truro that she has done hard work for 10 years and kept getting back in and back in and she’s earned the chance to do the same hard work in Ottawa,” he said.
During the stop in Masstown, Trudeau signed autographs, high-fived with young children and took selfies with numerous supporters before getting back on his tour bus and heading down the road.
