BBQ circuit reveals leaders' priorities

Here's where Trudeau, Poilievre and Singh went this summer - and what it all means

- RAISA PATEL AND MARK RAMZY

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Goodyear employees after a funding announcement at the plant in Napanee, Ont., on Aug. 12.

An incumbent facing tough questions. A governing partner who exited an alliance with him. And everyone’s firebrand rival.

The stakes are getting higher for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre at the start of this fall’s parliamentary session, as an election campaign could now be triggered any time under a minority Liberal government.

To see where the three leaders’ priorities lay, the Star tracked their daily travel from the time Parliament rose on June 19 until Sept. 13, noting where they went — and why.

Here’s what we learned.

Who went where — and what did they skip?

The leaders’ whereabouts were determined based on their public itineraries for Trudeau and Singh, and in some cases supplemented by social media posts and local news reports.

Those last two sources were used to map out the travel stops for Poilievre, who does not publish itineraries.

It was ultimately the Conservative leader who traversed the country the most, visiting 11 provinces and territories across 19 individual trips.

Singh followed just behind, hitting 10 provinces and territories across 29 separate trips.

Trudeau, as was the case last summer, came last, visiting seven provinces and no territories over the course of 28 trips.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, his wife Anaida, and their two-year-old son Cruz visited Quebec City on June 24.

No leader appeared to go to Saskatchewan, a province where all the ridings are held by the Conservatives.