Prime Minister-Elect Justin Trudeau has responded to Sunshine Coast resident Casandra Fletcher, who wrote an online letter to the new PM that went viral with more than 47,000 shares on Facebook.
Fletcher’s letter spoke about her unease with voting Liberal in the federal election and outlined her top 10 list for Trudeau during his time in office.
“Casandra, I’ve read your letter with great interest and admiration,” Trudeau wrote in a Facebook post on Oct. 23.
“Your honesty and frank words have resonated across the country, and I take them to heart.”
Trudeau went on to thank Fletcher for her vote.
“Since the start of this campaign I’ve pledged that no Canadian’s voice would be taken for granted – and I’m grateful for your support, no matter the reason why you marked your ballot as you did,” Trudeau wrote.
He pointed Fletcher to his website to peruse the Liberal platform where he thought she’d find “answers to many of the questions you’ve asked of me.”
“I’m eager to get working on these commitments, and to tell Canadians about our progress as directly and clearly as possible,” Trudeau wrote.
“Right now, I’m focused on building the Cabinet that will make our plan a reality starting Nov. 4. I hope you’ll stay as engaged as you are now throughout the process – and feel free to send me another Top 10 some time down the road!”
Fletcher heard about Trudeau’s response via a text message while she was out with her son that day.
On Oct. 26 she decided to write one more online letter to Trudeau, noting that the new PM had already addressed number one on her top 10 list: to get real about his win and accept it with humility and modesty.
“You’ve been so gracious, humble, and direct that #1 on my list seems almost unwarranted a week later. Your response was the first time I ever felt heard by my government,” Fletcher wrote.
She said she had a feeling that Trudeau would be getting a lot more letters from constituents in the future.
“Since party platforms are a long list of promises, we’ll be checking in on how you’re doing with those. Have a wonderful week, and enjoy every moment of being sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Canada,” Fletcher wrote.
“Thanks for keeping it real and listening.”
