Joe Issa, executive chairman of Cool Group of companies congratulates Canada’s Prime Minister-designate, Justin Trudeau, whom he took jet skiing and dined with several times on one of his many visits to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. He became that country’s 42nd leader, following the General Elections held on October 19, 2015 according to Radio Jamaica news.
“I am happy for the opportunity to congratulate Justin, who loves Ocho Rios and admires Jamaica and Jamaicans…he is full of energy and wants to see Jamaica be the success it ought to be… he always has a great time here and makes many positive remarks about the Nation’s soul…he loves the service, beaches and feels comfortable being here,” says Issa.
Issa, in an interview stated that Justin’s passion for politics was always a part of him: “Quite frankly, I am not surprised he has won the general elections, as he spoke quite passionately about building on Canada’s previous leaders’ successes such as his father, Pierre Trudeau, as well as another visitor to Ocho Rios, whom I also had the pleasure of hosting, former Canadian Prime Minister, Jean Chretien.”
According to Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_federal_election,_2015, “the 2015 Canadian federal election (formally the 42nd Canadian general election) was held on October 19, 2015 to elect members to the House of Commons of the 42nd Canadian Parliament.”
It said Justin’s Liberal Party, of which he became leader on April 14, 2013, won 184 of the 338-seat House of Commons, exceeding the 170-seat majority needed to form the government, following one of Canada’s longest general elections campaign spanning 78 days.
The Liberal Party, which came into the general elections as the third party with just 36 seats, increased its tally by 148 and captured 39.5% of the popular vote, with 31.9% going to the Conservative Party of incumbent Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, who made an official visit to Jamaica just a few years ago. Having lost 60 of the 159 seats his party held before the elections, Harper has since resigned as leader.
Meanwhile, Tom Mulcair, who became leader of the New Democratic Party on March 24, 2012 and came into the elections as the second party with 95 seats, lost 51 seats and has been relegated to the third-party position, with 19.7% of the popular vote.
Born in Ottawa, Ontario on Christmas Day to Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Trudeau (nee Sinclair), Justine Pierre James Trudeau, who will be 44 years old this year, “is the second child in Canadian history to be born when one of his parents was prime minister; the first was John A. Macdonald‘s youngest daughter, Margaret Mary Macdonald.”
Justin married Sophie Gregoire in 2005. He has three children, Xavier, Hadrien and Ella-Grace; two brothers, Alexandre and Michael and one half-brother, Kale Kemper; and two half-sisters, Sarah Coyne and Alicia Kemper. He resides in Montreal and his alma mater is McGill University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia.
A French and Mathematics teacher, Justin went back to McGill University in 2008 to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Environmental Geography but suspended his programme to seek public office.
Issa, who, like Justin Trudeau is a December-born and a Roman Catholic says, “From what I know of Justin and how he felt about Jamaica when he was last here, he should be a great ally of the country. I’m looking forward to the new policies which he will initiate as Prime Minister and the benefits these will bring to Jamaica; it will also be nice to host him again in his new capacity.”
