Manitoba was a frequent destination for Justin Trudeau as part of his 12-year journey as federal Liberal leader.
It was a province that delivered seven seats for him en route to his breakthrough 2015 election, which made him prime minister with a healthy majority.
It was where he was frequently treated as a rock star during a prolonged honeymoon with voters — and where he was forced to respond to stumbles that damaged his brand, such as the controversy over yearbook images of him in “brownface” during the 2019 campaign.
It was where he performed a wide range of ceremonial duties, such as the opening of the 2017 Canada Summer Games and speaking at the funeral of Murray Sinclair in 2024.
Those campaign stops, town halls and photo-ops are all part of the record that saw Trudeau go from the top of the political charts to a drag on party fortunes and the electoral chances of the four remaining Grit ridings in Manitoba.