Justin Trudeau was sworn in as Canada's 23rd prime minister Wednesday before a packed, flag-waving crowd, almost 50 years after his father took on the job. The 43-year old former French teacher overcame campaign attack ads claiming he was "just not ready" to win the October 19 election by a landslide, bringing an end to nine years of Tory rule under Stephen Harper.
With his dark mop of curly hair, a confident swagger and hints of his father's speech, the younger Trudeau stood tall, smiled and mouthed "Thank you" as applause erupted after he took the oath in the ballroom of the governor general's mansion. Stepping out on the world stage, he confronts a diverse set of challenges: cutting carbon emissions, ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership, legalising marijuana, drafting legislation permitting medically-assisted suicide, and plotting a return to the multilateralism sometimes shunned by his predecessor.