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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
No sign of Justin yet but there was another candidate seeking the Liberal Party leadership with connections to the Trudeau legacy in Yellowknife this week.

Liberal Party leadership candidate Deborah Coyne visited Yellowknife on Monday to meet with local party supporters. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo

Deborah Coyne, mother of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau's only daughter, stopped in Yellowknife on Monday to test the Northern waters ahead of next year's Liberal Party leadership race where she will compete with Trudeau's eldest son, frontrunner Justin Trudeau.

Coyne, 57, a constitutional lawyer, author and, so far unsuccessful candidate for public office, says she views both of them being leadership candidates as a positive step in the rebuilding of the Liberal Party, which won only 34 seats in last year's federal election.

"Our two families are very separate so we haven't talked that much," Coyne said of Justin Trudeau. "His father was always very careful to keep the two families separate. I think he is a great addition in the race and I don't consider that I am running against him. I believe we are both running for the party."

It's been a long road so far on her quest for the Liberal crown. While Coyne flew to Yellowknife to meet with local Liberals, much of the campaigning has been done out of her car - 8,000 km by herself over the last three weeks, including a drive from Vancouver to Whitehorse. She was planning to drive through major centres in Alberta and Saskatchewan after her visit to Yellowknife.

Coyne's first attempt at securing a place in the House of Commons ended in defeat at the hands of former NDP leader Jack Layton when she attempted a run at his Toronto-Danforth seat in 2006. She tried another run in 2008 but withdrew mid-campaign.

Coyne said she sees federal politics as becoming more polarized between left and right and that Canadians are increasingly disengaged with the national government.

"I don't actually often compare myself to (the other candidates) or look at their weaknesses, but I am running an ideas-based campaign and I am very clear about the need to talk about the Canadian nation," said Coyne.

"I think what makes my approach different is meeting the extreme cynicism that is out there and saying here are specifics. Here is how we can get to national standards in health care, here is how we can get to raising billions in infrastructure money that we are going to need in the long-term. I have thought through a lot of these things with my past experiences and I think that sets me apart in this race."

While in Yellowknife, Coyne sought out Dr. Ewan Affleck, medical director of Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority, to talk about ways the federal government's role in health care can improve. Affleck was interviewed for a recent article in Maclean's magazine where he argued there are regional discrepancies in health care.Affleck said he isn't supporting any candidate for the Liberal leadership but said he appreciated meeting with Coyne.

"She seems like a strong federalist and a very pleasant woman," said Affleck. "I quite enjoyed her, not a big ego. I was struck by how she really seems to care about the country."

The Liberal leadership is to be decided on April 14. Other candidates aside from Trudeau include Martha Hall Findlay, Marc Garneau and Ottawa lawyer David Bertschi.

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