Who was Pierre Trudeau?
Pierre Trudeau grew up in Montreal, where he was born in 1919. His studies took him to Harvard, Paris and London as well. He then taught law and attacked the conservative government of Quebec in the 1950s. He went to Ottawa in 1965, became justice minister, and in 1968 won the Liberal leadership and the premiership. He held office in two spells, 1968-1979 and 1980-1984. During the 1980 referendum he led the argument against Quebec sovereignty, and in 1982 he saw the constitution brought home from Britain. He died in 2000.
Political views
- As justice minister, said the state had no business in what consenting adults did in private.Source: cbc.ca
- Made multiculturalism, inside a bilingual framework, government policy in 1971.Source: pier21.ca
- Backed official bilingualism, and in 1969 made English and French Canada's two official languages.Source: pier21.ca
- Brought in the War Measures Act in October 1970 after the FLQ kidnappings. It had never been used in peacetime before.Source: cbc.ca
- Patriated the constitution in 1982, with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms now part of it.Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
- Launched the National Energy Program and enlarged state-owned Petro-Canada, in order to give Canadians more control of energy.Source: en.wikipedia.org
- Told MPs in 1971 that no one culture could speak for the whole of Canada.Source: pier21.ca
Legacy
Admirers say Trudeau gave Canada a modern identity built on rights: the Charter, bilingualism and multiculturalism, and Quebec kept in the federation. Quebec nationalists attack the 1982 patriation, as Quebec's government never put its name to it. Civil libertarians condemn the mass arrests made under the War Measures Act. The National Energy Program left lasting bitterness in Western Canada, and economists point to big federal deficits late in his time. He is still one of the most argued-over Canadian leaders. His long contest with Quebec sovereigntist René Lévesque shaped the unity debate of the era.
In their own words
“The view we take is, there's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation. What's done in private between adults doesn't concern the Criminal Code.”