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Federal Politics

Chan recruits Trudeau to spread Grit message in Richmond

The federal Liberal party is using all their star power to sway voters in one of the Lower Mainland's most heated ridings.

Justin Trudeau was the latest high-profile Grit - following Bob Rae and Paul Martin - to drum up support for incumbent Richmond MP Raymond Chan, yesterday.

Chan is in for a battle against Conservative candidate Alice Wong, but Trudeau believes Stephen Harper's poor relations with China will ultimately decide the riding's future.

"[The Chinese-Canadian] relationship is at an all-time low," Trudeau, visiting a city with a large Chinese population, told media. "Now we're at the point where the countries are barely talking to each other."

Trudeau, the son of former PM Pierre Trudeau, stressed ties with China are even more important now, with the U.S. economy going south.

Matt Kieltyka reports for Vancouver's 24 hours.

Off the Throne

About The Hook

The British Columbia legislature resumes sitting this week, but not before Premier Christy Clark outlined her spring agenda in an appearance on the Vancouver radio station where she used to work in what was pitched as a replacement for the throne speech. That agenda amounted to staying the course: focus on the economy, no money for teachers or anything else, and no higher taxes.

This from a premier who won the leadership of her party on a "change" platform. Perhaps appropriate then that the government didn't bother with a more formal speech from the throne at a time when polls suggest an increasing number of people are wondering if the premier's going to, as they say, piss or get off the pot.

-- Andrew MacLeod