Trudeau to face Harper for first time Monday as leader of Federal Liberals

After a convincing win at the Federal Liberal leadership convention Sunday, Justin Trudeau will have to hit the ground running Monday.

Trudeau will face off against the highly experienced Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a question session at the House of Commons, the first time he’ll do so as leader of the Liberal party.

After winning the leadership, Trudeau said he intends to end the infighting among party members.

“I don’t care if you thought my father was great or arrogant, it doesn’t matter to me whether you were a Chretien Liberal, or a Martin Liberal, or any other kind of Liberal,” Trudeau proclaimed. “The era of hyphenated-Liberals ends right here, right now, tonight.”

The Prime Minister’s office, meanwhile, issued a statement congratulating the young Trudeau only moments after he was elected Sunday.

The message, however, added that while Trudeau may have a famous name, he doesn’t have the judgment or experience to be prime minister.

Trudeau warned that the Conservative tactic would be to do so, hitting him with attack ads in the days ahead.

“So the Conservative party will now do what it does, it will try to spread fear, it will sell cynicism,” Trudeau said.

“The steady barrage of negativity that you and I both know is coming soon to TV screens right across the country,” he added.

Trudeau said he would not respond with malicious attack ads, instead focusing on what he says Canadians are looking for.

“Canadians are looking to us, my friends, they’re giving us a chance, hoping that the party of Wilfrid Laurier can rediscover his sunny ways,” Trudeau said.