OTTAWA - Every town hall begins the same way: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives in a blue or white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, takes the microphone, waxes poetic about the state of the world and acknowledges the challenging years Canadians have recently faced.
The people in the crowd who will have the chance to ask unvetted questions of the prime minister are no stranger to those struggles.
There's the Muslim mother who fears for the safety of her children. Immigrants who worry about their future in Canada. The blue-collar worker who can't afford to eat. People who can't find work or access mental-health supports. Young adults who lose sleep over climate change. Indigenous people who say they feel left behind.
At the 14 hour-long town halls Trudeau has attended in the past 11 weeks, the prime minister has put himself in a position to hear their concerns during the question-and-answer sessions that follow his speeches.
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