By David Ljunggren and Randall Palmer
Ottawa: Having gone from third place in the polls to front runner just days before Canada's election, Justin Trudeau's centre-left Liberals are bracing for what would be a hectic and painful transition from the political wilderness to government.
Liberal sources, who asked not to be identified, said the transition team included close Trudeau aides Gerry Butts, Katie Telford, Cyrus Reporter and Mike McNair – though official talk of any preparation for the prime minister's office is forbidden.
Canadian Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau receives a traditional Hindu "bindi" decoration on his forehead as a welcoming gesture at the Sanatan Mandir Cultural Centre in Markham, Ontario, on Friday. Canadians will go to the polls in the federal election on Monday.Credit: The Canadian Press/ AP
"We have to stay focused and any hint of arrogance or entitlement will be avoided," a senior party member said.
Voted out of office almost 10 years ago and holding just 36 of 308 seats in Parliament heading into the election, the Liberals would have little more than two weeks to transition to government if they manage to oust Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives on Monday.
A young girl lies on the ground as Canadian Conservative leader Stephen Harper addresses the crowd at a campaign event in Quebec City on Friday. Credit: The Canadian Press/AP
"This sets the trajectory of a government. If you get it wrong, it's difficult to recover," David Zussman, a former Liberal official who took part in the transitions after the 1993 and 1997 elections, said.
Mr Trudeau, the 43-year old telegenic son of former Liberal prime minister Pierre Trudeau, took over the party in 2013 when it was in a shambles and quickly turned it into a serious contender.
According to an email from the Liberal campaign's co-chairman leaked to the Canadian press, the transition team must find cabinet ministers – while trimming the roster from almost 40 to about 25 – and appoint officials to key political posts.
Mr Zussman, who wrote a book on transitions and who has talked to the Liberals and the opposition New Democrats this year, said Mr Trudeau's aides should have started preparatory work many months ago and by now would have a thick binder.
Canadian Conservative leader Stephen Harper.Credit: The Canadian Press/AP
"There are a huge number of issues that have to be dealt with quickly and so clearly the more planning you've done, the faster you can work through it," he said in a interview.
Other likely members of the transition team, the Liberal sources said, are former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge, former top finance ministry bureaucrat Scott Clark and Matthew Mendelsohn, of the Mowat Centre, an independent public policy think tank.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau shows a traditional Hindu greeting during a Hindu welcoming ceremony in Markham, Ontario.Credit: The Canadian Press/ AP
Mr Dodge said he was not on the team, Mr Clark said he had no idea who the members were while Mr Mendelsohn did not respond to a request for comment.
Michael Robinson, who chaired the transition team when Paul Martin succeeded Jean Chretien as Liberal prime minister in 2003, said the cabinet appointments were a big job.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe speaks with supporters during a campaign stop in Gatineau, Quebec, on Friday.Credit: The Canadian Press/AP
"It takes 10 days to a couple of weeks to vet those people so if you want to swear in your cabinet in two or three weeks, you need to get going right away," he said.
Once the cabinet is sworn in, the new government will focus on the so-called Speech from the Throne, a list of priorities that is read out to a new session of Parliament.
"It's relatively simple in this case because you have an election platform, which is [the basis for] your speech from the throne," Mr Robinson said.
Reuters