Prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau has responded to an open letter from a British Columbia woman that went viral on Facebook earlier this week.
In the letter posted on her Facebook page, Casandra Fletcher introduces herself as “an average West Coast, middle class mom voter” who voted strategically for the Liberal Party on Monday.
She wrote that she cast her ballot with “a pit in my stomach” and felt like she was “gambling my life away.”
Fletcher made a “top ten” list for Trudeau, saying she hopes he can “do a few things” as prime minister after she and “millions of other Canadians” cast their ballot “against the alternative” and “out of pure rage and fear.”
Her list included requests that Trudeau change Canada’s electoral system, rebuild Canada’s name on the world stage, protect the country’s natural resources, and support science.
Hey Justin. I’m Casandra, and I’m an average west coast, middle class mom voter. You and I are the same age. I have so...
Posted by Casandra Effe on Monday, October 19, 2015
Since it appeared on Facebook Tuesday, Fletcher’s letter was shared more than 35,800 times and got more than 41,000 likes.
On his own Facebook page Friday, Trudeau shared Fletcher’s post and responded to her concerns.
“Casandra, I've read your letter with great interest and admiration,” he wrote. “Your honesty and frank words have resonated across the country, and I take them to heart.”
Trudeau thanked Fletcher for her vote, “no matter the reason why you marked your ballot as you did,” and said he’s focused on building a Liberal cabinet that will be unveiled on Nov. 4. He also encouraged Effe to send him “another Top 10 sometime down the road.”
