Last night Justin Trudeau made a trip to the Toronto Christmas Market with a large red sack in hand. The Canadian prime minister came to donate unwrapped toys in support of the 21st annual Toy Mountain Campaign.
The welcoming sign for the Christmas Market on Mill St. (Chelsea Ward)
The toy drive campaign is headed by the Salvation Army and CTV Toronto. Through their efforts, new gifts are donated to babies, children, and teenagers who are likely to go without this Christmas.
Trudeau said his interest in giving back to such families came from his father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
“My dad, he wasn’t a great shopper, but he’d get all sorts of presents from people for us,” Trudeau explained. “And he really impressed upon us how incredibly lucky we were and that we had to make sure we were doing everything we could to give back.”
To give back to the less fortunate members of the city, multiple donation stations are set up in the GTA. Donations are made at most major malls, Sunnybrook Hospital and Richmond Hill Fire Station 8-6. This year, the Toronto Toy Mountain Campaign wants to reach its goal of 150,000 donations this year.
Trudeau said his wish this holiday season is to see that dream come true.
“We need to give more toys, we need to make sure that we’re supporting, and we need to make sure that Christmas is a happy time for everyone,” he urged the crowd of Torontonians.
Take a look at what citizens of Toronto said about the Prime Minister’s visit last night.