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40 years later, there will be no landmark walk in the snow for this Trudeau

No snow in Ottawa and little chance Justin follows dad’s footsteps, despite the parallels
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes an announcement in Membertou First Nation on Cape Breton Island, N.S., Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. Forty years ago, his father Pierre Trudeau announced he would step down as prime minister. Liberals say there’s no way the younger Trudeau has plans to follow suit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

The famous “walk in the snow” that purportedly spurred Pierre Trudeau’s departure as prime minister 40 years ago has taken on such mythical proportions in Canadian politics that it even has its own Wikipedia entry.

“Noun. (Canada, chiefly politics, idiomatic). An occasion when a momentous career decision is made, especially a decision to resign or retire.”

Some consider it an apocryphal story: Trudeau, confronted with the reality of a resurgent Conservative party, made up his mind to step down while strolling through a blizzard on Feb.

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