I don't read the newspapers, I don't watch the news. I figure, if something important happens, someone will tell me.
My idea of freedom is that we should protect the rights of people to believe what their conscience dictates, but fight equally hard to protect people from having the beliefs of others imposed upon them.
Fear is a dangerous thing. Once it is sanctioned by the state there is no telling where it might lead. It is always a short path to walk from being suspicious of our fellow citizens to taking actions to restrict their liberty.
You can't run a government from one single person. What instead matters is that leadership be about gathering around extraordinary individuals and getting the best out of them.
Excluding citizens' voices from politics leads down a very bad path.
Ultimately, being open and respectful towards each other is much more powerful as a way to diffuse hatred and anger than, you know, layering on, you know, big walls and oppressive policies.
I was a snowboard instructor, I was a bouncer in a nightclub, I was a whitewater river guide for many years. I worked as a teacher. I make no apologies for a very varied set of life experiences.
People think that boxing is all about how hard you can hit your opponent. It's not. Boxing is about how hard a hit you can take and keep going.
One of the most important things in any leader or in any successful approach is to focus on connecting with people and really listening to them. We shouldn't just be saying, oh yes, the people are protesting. We need to ask them why they are protesting and try and figure out if there is something we can do to bring them in and respond to those concerns. That's not populism - that's being thoughtfully open to the fact that our citizens are allowed to have, and are even justified in having, very real concerns and questions for the people responsible for serving them.
I think there was something started under my father that I appreciate that it's time to end, and I like the symmetry of me being the person who actually turns the clock back so that we can have a Prime Minister's Office and, indeed, a democracy, that actually respects what voters say and is open and transparent. Because, not only does it matter to gain people's trust, but it matters for quality public policy and governance, and that's why we're committed to open and transparent government.
I have made it clear that future candidates need to be completely understanding that they will be expected to vote pro-choice on any bills.
Let's try and bring out the best in all of us and a positive vision of working together to solve big problems, to recognize that, yes, all is not right, things need to be fixed. We're better off solving things by working together than by pointing fingers at other people.
The way to build a strong future is by both protecting the environment and creating good jobs.
Connecting with Canadians isn't about what you say, it's about what you're listening to. It's about what you understand.
You cannot let yourself be defined by the hopes that you will fulfill the darkest wishes of your opponents.
Every time, every time a tourist or an immigrant or a refugee shows up in another country there's a security risk.
The big frustration for me is that people are growing so cynical about politics that you see them basically shrug and say, "Oh, yeah. Who cares that Harper is shutting down debate? Who cares that he's building prisons, and everything? All the politicians are the same so why should we be outraged about one rather than the other?" And my point is Canadians need to wake up. This is not the Canada they'd recognize if they looked closely.
I'm a high school teacher. I'm someone who stumbles my way through, leads with my chin in some cases, leads with my heart in all cases.
I look at what I have as a challenge and I could list a whole bunch of different challenges. And I choose not to be daunted by any of them.
You can't be Canadian without being aware of at least one other country, the United States, 'cause it's so important to us. I think we sometimes like to think that, you know, Americans will pay attention to us from time to time, too.
There's a lotta countries that do very well at dropping bombs. There are other things that Canada actually does better than most other countries. And one of them is training people on the ground.
I've always been a youth advocate. I mean, that's been my brand, reaching out to young people. All my life, when I've dealt with youth I'd be thinking back to my own experience. Now I look at my kids and think forward.
Canada must be progressive, and Canada must be a just society.
I want my Canada back!
I'm actually not in favour of decriminalizing cannabis - I'm in favour of legalizing it. Tax and regulate. It's one of the only ways to keep it out of the hands of our kids because the current war on drugs, the current model isn't working.
