pierre elliott trudeau, trudeau, pierre trudeau, trudeaumania, flower children, politician, man, father, love, canada, red butto traute klein, biogardener

Pierre Elliot Trudeau was admired as a politician around the world, but in Canada, he was loved as a man and father. His passing leaves a void in many hearts. The Charisma of Personality It was Canada's 101st birthday, July 1, 1968. My sister and I were spending it on the lawn in front of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, the capital city of the country, along with thousands of other loyal citizens and just as many foreign tourists. First thing that morning, I had spied one of my favorite entertainers in the crowd, Red Buttons. He graciously signed my map of Ottawa and posed for my camera with his arm around my sister. It promised to be a memorable day. All of a sudden a hush fell over the crowd. A car had arrived, a convertible, and out stepped a man of apparent small stature whose personality loomed large over an expectant crowd. All eyes focussed on him. No one made a sound. The magnetism of his personality held us all spellbound. I recognized his face as that of our newly elected prime minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau. A Politician with Ideas of His Own Trudeau was a shy man. He was a lawyer and law professor with a dream of being a journalist. Politics was not in his plan, but he felt strongly about issues and about his public responsibilities. When his friends refused to run for office unless he joined them, he reluctantly entered the political arena. He believed in cooperation and strove for concensus rather than domination. That policy soon gave him the unreserved support of his party. He also believed in the sovereignty of Canada. He brought home the constitution of Canada from Britain, and he did not allow the United States to dictate his policies. During his time in office, Canadian universities were flooded with US draft dodgers from the Vietnam war who have been teaching here for the rest of their careers. He did not see eye to eye with US presidents as most Canadian prime ministers do. He was, in fact, condemned for being communist, because he had travelled widely and respected different cultures and beliefs. The USSR was among the countries he had visited, and he maintained personal and diplomatic relations with Fidel Castro and his Cuba. American politicians never forgave him or Canada for that. The Icon of an Era I encountered Trudeau once more during his term in office when he addressed the students of the University of Manitoba in the largest facility on campus. It was packed to capacity. As always, the crowd was noisy, but as soon as Trudeau stepped into the gymn, a hush fell over the gymnasium. Pierre Elliot Trudeau symbolized an era. He loved the vast wilderness of this beloved country of ours. As late as last year, at age 80, he spent time in the rugged outdoors. He was always physically fit, a great swimmer, an avid outdoorsman, a world traveler. The flower children of the sixties flocked to him. Young women pursued him. He was the most eligible bachelor in the country. A reporter who had covered "Beatlemania" in Britain invented a new word for the phenomenon which swept the country, "Trudeaumania," and the term stuck. Pierre married one of the flower children. The wedding was a dream. I remember the young Margaret, 30 years Pierre's junior, walking down the aisle with live flowers in her hair. The task of being the prime minister's wife proved too taxing for the young woman, but the marriage produced three sons, and they became the focus of Trudeau's life. When faced with the task of being a single parent, he became an exemplary father. Even while in politics, he spent his evenings at home, because his boys meant more to him than his job. When they entered their teen years, he totally stepped back from politics and devoted himself to the task of raising his family. The Admiration of a Country In 1998, an avalanche swept Michel, the middle boy, into a deep mountain lake in British Columbia while he was skiing. The lake became his final resting place. (I know that lake well, as it lies on one of my family's favorite mountaineering trips.) The whole country mourned with the man who had been admired as a politician and who was loved as a man. In the summer of 2000, Justin, the oldest son, announced publicly that his father was very sick, and to everyone's amazement, the media respected the family's privacy and refrained from hounding them. Pierre died peacefully in his Montreal home in September 2000, with his sons Justin and Sacha and their mother Margaret by his side. Canada is in mourning. For two days and nights, Canadians from coast to coast filed past Trudeau's coffin in the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa to pay their respects. Many of them brought their children to teach them citizenship by telling them the story of a great Canadian. The scene was repeated at the City Hall in Montreal for another day, and one of the people who filed past his coffin there was his friend, Fidel Castro. He also sat in the front row of Notre Dame Cathedral when Trudeau's life was celebrated in his native Montreal on the day of the publication of this article. He was later buried in a private ceremony, in a grave next to his mother in a country cemetary south of Montreal, and the media respected the family's wishes for privacy as they have done throughout the end of the man's life and death. Respect for All What impressed me most about the funeral was a little story which the oldest son told during the eulogy. At age 8, Justin was showing off by making fun of one of his father's political opponents. Trudeau reprimanded his son sternly, teaching him never to disrespect a person, no matter whether he agreed with him or not. He then practiced what he taught by introducing Justin to the man. That little story explains why Trudeau was admired by people around the world, regardless of their political persuasion. It is a lesson worth repeating. The Spiritual Trudeau Trudeau was a devoutly spiritual man whose Christian faith guided his life. In matters of faith he showed the same tolerance and respect as he did in bringing up his boys and in guiding his cabinet. Even though he was a Catholic, he did not hesitate to appear on a Pentecostal TV talk show in which he stressed the importance of faith roots in the life of Canada as a nation. Inspiring People Poll Who inspired you more than any other person? Who set the example which you follow? My mother My father Another relative or friend A teacher, professor, minister, rabbi, etc. A religious leader, e.g. Jesus, Mohammed See results of this poll Links Related to Trudeau and His Canada Justin's Eulogy of His Father Justin spoke in English and in French. Unfortunately, the translation in this all English version is not the best. Trudeau's words to his son sound stilted in the translation. They were quite natural in the original French. Lucien Bouchard, Illusionist Trudeau in the Montreal Gazette, February 8, 1996. His public attack of Lucien Bouchard's betrayal of democracy and twisting of the truth to promote his goal of separating Quebec from the rest of Canada Canada Mourns: the Death of Pierre Elliott Trudeau Trudeau biography by a Canadian Suite101 editor, Mary Alward Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1919-2000 Trudeau biography by a Canadian teenage Suite101 editor, David Newman The Night a Tear Fell for a Stranger I Knew but Never Met A Canadian teenager, an editor of Suite101, experiences the death of Trudeau and memories of his life Man or Politician A man, a friend, turns into a politician when he realises his dream of high public office. He no longer knows his friends. O Canada, our home and native land? An immigrant teenager attempts to become a loyal Canadian while cherishing her native German heritage. This is my personal story, but similar stories happen in Canada hundreds of times every year. Roadside Icons of Manitoba A two-part article about the roadside icons of my province and what they signify to the people who live in the towns.

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