Barack Obama urges Canadians to vote for Justin Trudeau

Oct 16 2019, 6:39 pm

Former US president Barack Obama is urging Canadians to re-elect Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.

On Twitter, Obama says the world needs progressive leadership and he hopes Canadians will give Trudeau another term as prime minister.

Obama says that while he was president he was proud to work with Trudeau and calls him a hard-working, effective leader who has taken on major issues like climate change.

The former president’s message lands with just days left in Canada’s federal election campaign.

Trudeau and Obama quickly developed a close friendship after the Liberals won the 2015 election — and they appear to have maintained their bond even after the end of Obama’s second presidential term in January 2017.

They had dinner together last spring at an Ottawa-area restaurant while Obama was in the capital to headline a speaking event in front of more than 11,000 attendees.

Minutes after Obama’s tweet, Trudeau received another endorsement from a prominent American: Bruce Heyman, a former US ambassador to Canada.

Heyman, who was appointed envoy by Obama, wrote that he and the former president got to work directly with Trudeau. He said they saw “his dedication and effectiveness” as a leader.

“Canada has been very well served with (Justin Trudeau) as their Prime Minister,” Heyman wrote.

The Canadian PressThe Canadian Press

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