Justin Trudeau aims to show steak, as well as sizzle, in leadership launch

OTTAWA – Justin Trudeau is launching his leadership campaign with an evening rally Tuesday designed to demonstrate he’s got the steak, as well as the sizzle, needed to resuscitate the once-mighty Liberal party.

As many as 500 supporters are expected to attend the launch in Trudeau’s Montreal riding of Papineau, showcasing his undisputed talent for drawing a crowd and creating a media frenzy.

But insiders say the speech Trudeau intends to deliver will be aimed at disproving critics who carp that the 40-year-old is little more than a celebrity MP with a pretty face and famous lineage.

It’s designed to show he’s got a “mature and thoughtful” perspective on the country.

It’s also expected to offer a blunt diagnosis of why the Liberal party is in such dire straits: it’s lost touch with middle-class Canadians who used to be the party’s bulwark.

Trudeau is the eldest son of former prime minister and Liberal icon Pierre Trudeau.