Pierre Trudeau

From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change

Pierre Elliot Trudeau (born October 18, 1919 in Montreal, Canada – 2000) was the 15th Canadian Prime Minister during the 1970s (1968 - 1979), and then again from 1980 - 1984. He is thought by many Canadian citizens today as having been the greatest Canadian Prime Minister ever.

[change] As Prime Minister

He had many challenges during the 1970s, including the October Crisis, when he held the country together by defeating the referendum on Quebec sovereignty (the province of Quebec wanted to leave Canada and become its own country), and keeping Quebec a member of the Canadian state. Another popular event associated with Pierre Trudeau is Trudeaumania, which referred to how much he was liked by the Canadian people. As a relatively young man, he was very close to the youth of the time, as well as funny, and he appealed to everyone by being so understanding and just like a normal person. This kind of Prime Minister had never been seen before, and it made people feel like he was a good, friendly person.

[change] Retirement and death

He retired from being the Prime Minister in 1984, after which time he didn't speak to the public very much. He died in 2000. After he died, his son, Justin Trudeau, spoke at his funeral, which was shown all over the country. He said je t'aime (French for "I love you") and cried on his coffin. After this moving eulogy (a speech at a funeral about the dead person), many Canadian people thought Justin would have a future in politics; although, he has yet to run for elected office, at any level. Currently, there is no place for Trudeau-era federalism within the Liberal Party of Canada.