Justin Trudeau was in Chilliwack last week speaking to fans, curious guests and Liberal Party faithful.

The Liberal leadership hopeful was here to honour long-time local party stalwart Hal Singleton, who is facing terminal colon cancer.

Trudeau reiterated his focus on a new kind of politics and changing how democracy works in Ottawa.

He said instead of voting for the representatives voters want, we have reached the point where people vote against the parties they don't want. This causes a swing back and forth between the right and the left and cements an us-versus-them mentality, according to Trudeau.

"Some might be asking, 'What in the world is Justin doing in Chilliwack today?'" he said. "It is because the future of Canada is right here. The future of the Liberal Party is right here.

"There is no our gang or their gang, there are only Canadians and that is something we've allowed ourselves to forget."

During his speech, Trudeau touched on many subjects covered in a Times interview before the visit: the state of the Liberal brand, western alienation and being the son of Pierre Trudeau.

He also touched on the predominantly Conservative nature of Chilliwack.

"If you are a Liberal in Chilliwack it's not because it gets you into the country club," he said.

He said he was travelling the country and getting inspired by individuals like Singleton and others who "dare to call themselves Liberal in Chilliwack."

Singleton's son spoke at the Coast event followed by his father, who reminisced on years past and was jovial with the crowd. He did, however, talk about his health and what he said are flaws in the medical system that saw a highly treatable disease go undetected until, for him, it is too late.

Singleton also talked briefly about the closure of CFB Chilliwack, something he does not look at as the cataclysmic loss many others do.

"Look at what has happened to the base [now]," he said. "We have more stability now than always under the threat of a base closure."

In recent days, Trudeau has been under considerable pressure for controversial comments he made about Alberta during a 2010 TV interview in Quebec.

In the video clip of the 2010 interview, which Sun Media began rebroadcasting Thursday afternoon, Trudeau says, "Canada isn't doing well right now because it's Albertans who control our community and socio-democratic agenda. It doesn't work."

Asked if Canada is better served when there are more Quebecers in power than when there are more Albertans in power, Trudeau replied: "I'm a Liberal so of course I believe that."

He went on to add that the great prime ministers of the 20th century were MPs from Quebec.

"This country, Canada, it belongs to us," he said.

It was during his visit in Chilliwack that those comments started to gain media attention. A Sun Media reporter was at the Coast and during a media scrum Trudeau was asked if what he said in 2010 was taken out of context. He said it had, but he did also apologize for the comments. He has since apologized further.

"I'm sorry I said what I did. I was wrong to relate the area of the country that Mr. (Stephen) Harper is from with the people who live there and with the policies that he has that don't represent the values of most Canadians," said Trudeau the next day in Vancouver.

Earlier, inside the room, there was a fawning, rock star feel to Trudeau's visit.

After taking a photo of Trudeau with his wife Laura, former mayor Clint Hames said he remembered when Justin's father came through Chilliwack in 1968.

Current Mayor Sharon Gaetz had Trudeau sign the Pierre Trudeau page in her copy of the book Great Canadian Speeches.

Before the meet-and-greet event at the Coast Hotel, Trudeau was at a $600-a-head fundraising lunch at Bravo that raised $15,000 for the local Liberal constituency association.

phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com