Federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, who has been riding high in polls and is expected to give PM Stephen Harper his first real challenge for the PM’s job in the upcoming election, was everywhere in the lower mainland this week, attending a flurry of events including handing out Women Entrepreneur Awards in Surrey as well as attending a packed Indo-Canadian community fronted party fundraiser at Surrey’s Garand Taj Banquet hall Wednesday night. The cream of the crop of the Indo-Canadian community including businessmen Tony Singh of Fruiticana, Daljit Thind of Thind Properties, Perminder Chouhan of DeJardin Financial and numerous others mingled with the likes of fundraising chair Dr. Gulzar Cheema and party veterans like Sukh Dhaliwal, who’s running again, and Prem Vinning as well newcomers like Harjit Singh Sajjan, who will be giving Conservative MP Wai Young a run for her money in Vancouver-South seat. Trudeau also met with members of the South Asian media at an event Thursday afternoon to say despite his opponents and media’s propaganda that he’s too young to and not ready to be a PM, he is his own man and not living in the shadow of his famous father, former PM Pierre Elliot Trudeau. “I have won nominations, elections and then the party leadership by a wide majority, so I know what it takes to lead and win. Let my opponents focus on me while I focus on Canadians,” Trudeau told the South Asian media roundtable. See more fundraising highlights on page 4 and 5.
****By R. Paul Dhillon
