Pierre Trudeau

The Right Honourable Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, PC , CC , CH , QC , MA , LL.L , LL.D , FRSC (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 3, 1979, and from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.

Legacy

Many Canadians, particularly in western Canada, disliked Trudeau and his policies. Trudeau's policies were thought by many westerners to favour Ontario and Quebec, at the expense of Alberta and British Columbia. On a visit to Winnipeg, Manitoba, he quipped: "Why should I sell the Canadian farmers' wheat?" (This was actually in the context of a longer comment in which he answered his own question, but is rarely remembered as such.)

Related Topics:
Ontario - Quebec - Alberta - British Columbia - Winnipeg - Manitoba

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One particularly unpopular policy in the West was the National Energy Program. His imposition of the War Measures Act, on the written request of the Premier of Quebec and the Mayor of Montreal, which received general support at the time, is remembered by some, especially in Quebec, as an attack on democracy. Though his popularity had fallen in English Canada at the time of his retirement in 1984, public opinion later became much more sympathetic to him, particularly in comparison to his successor, Brian Mulroney.

Related Topics:
National Energy Program - Brian Mulroney

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Some people consider Trudeau's economic policies to have been a weak point. Inflation and unemployment marred much of his term and, when he left office, the national debt and deficit were at all time high levels. However, these trends were present in most western countries at the time, they continued after he left office, and the role Trudeau played in them is debatable.

Related Topics:
Inflation - Unemployment

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The value of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms continues to be debated in some quarters. The Supreme Court has ruled that the Charter does not apply to common law, although it ruled that the common law must be applied in such a way that it is in the spirit of the Charter, and its notwithstanding clause has occasionally been used (by Quebec for a few years after its enactment) to circumvent its provisions. The Supreme Court has described situations in which charter rights can be superseded and withdrawn. Canadians remain subject to double jeopardy, in the sense that the Crown retains the right to appeal acquittals (a right upheld by the Supreme Court in 1988 as consistent with the Charter), and Canadian libel laws still do not incorporate a presumption of innocence. The Trudeau government did remove the right of courts to substitute a conviction for an acquittal on appeal (the so-called Morgentaler amendment) in 1975, but the Charter does not provide further protections against double jeopardy.

Related Topics:
Charter of Rights and Freedoms - Supreme Court - Common law - Notwithstanding clause - Double jeopardy - Morgentaler

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The Charter and section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 have clarified issues of aboriginal rights. For example, it has been used to establish the previously denied aboriginal rights of Métis. The Charter has also been used to extend the rights of women, gays and lesbians, and minorities. Hundreds of federal and provincial statutes were rewritten in order to comply with the Charter and many others have been struck down as unconstitutional. Most notably the law restricting abortion was struck down in 1989, and, in 2003, Canadian courts ruled that restrictions against same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. There is as much controversy when the courts interpret Charter rights broadly as there is when the courts restrict or qualify them. Overall, the Charter receives wide public support in Canada.

Related Topics:
Section 35 - Constitution Act of 1982 - Métis - Federal - Provincial - Abortion - Same-sex marriage

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Cultural legacy

Few outside the museum community recall the tremendous efforts Trudeau made, in the last years of his tenure, to see to it that the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Civilization finally had proper homes in the National capital. The Trudeau government also implemented programs which helped develop the Canadian film industry.

Related Topics:
National Gallery of Canada - Canadian Museum of Civilization - Film

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Legacy with respect to Quebec

Trudeau's legacy in Quebec is mixed. Nationalist Quebecers have often portrayed his policy of bilingualism not as an exercise in establishing equity, but rather as an exercise in the assimilation of the French into a monolithic anglophone Canada.

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On the other hand, many credit his actions during the October Crisis as crucial in terminating the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) as a force in Quebec, and ensuring that the campaign for Quebec separatism took a democratic and peaceful route. Trudeau is also credited by many for defeat of the 1980 Quebec referendum. In the debates between Trudeau and Levesque, Canadians were treated to a contest between two highly intelligent, articulate and bilingual politicians who, despite being bitterly opposed, were each committed to the democratic process.

Related Topics:
October Crisis - Front de libération du Québec - 1980 Quebec referendum

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Bilingualism

Official bilingualism has been integrated into all levels of the federal government and the civil service to the extent that virtually all government services are provided in both official languages, anywhere in the country. However, the only officially bilingual provincial government is New Brunswick, due to its large Acadian community. The difference in proportion between French and English Canadians in all other provinces is too large to warrant official bilingualism.

Related Topics:
Official bilingualism - New Brunswick - Acadian

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While official bilingualism has settled some of the grievances francophones had towards the federal government, many francophones had hoped that Canadians would be able to function in the official language of their choice no matter where in the country they were.

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Bilingualism did not bring about the fully bilingual and bicultural nation desired by many. Nor has the original target that half of all high school graduates be bilingual been met. However, Trudeau's ambitions in this arena have been overstated; Trudeau once said that he regretted the use of the term "bilingualism", because it appeared to demand that all Canadians speak two languages. In fact, Trudeau's vision was to see Canada as a bilingual confederation in which all cultures would have a place. This is described in the following way in his epitaph:

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:... Never wavering from his vision of Canada as a strong united federation with equality among provinces and guaranteed rights for individuals, Trudeau was determined to secure a full and equal place for all Canadians in a bilingual, multicultural Canada.

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This was not the vision of Quebec separatists nor even many moderate Quebec nationalists (as noted above). Bilingualism was also opposed by some English-Canadians, particularly in western Canada, who saw it as either a waste of money or as "French being rammed down throats" and a threat to their rights. The Reform Party of Canada initially reflected this sentiment with its opposition to bilingualism. However, anti-bilingual feelings have faded as the fears of opponents have failed to be realized and the Reform Party's successors have reconciled themselves to the policy.

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Despite the opposition to the policy, the number of bilingual Canadians has increased in the past thirty years and federal government language services vastly improved across the country. As well, one can receive English or French language radio and television almost anywhere in Canada, something that was not the case prior to official bilingualism. Moreover, Canada is now one of the most multicultural countries in the world—and this is as true in large urban centres in Quebec as elsewhere across the country.

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Constitutional legacy

Trudeau's most enduring legacy is the 1982 Canadian constitution. Many hail his creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the 1982 constitution as having had a profoundly positive effect on the nation. It is seen as advancing civil rights and liberties and, notwithstanding clause aside, has become for many Canadians a deeply respected institution.

Related Topics:
Canadian constitution - 1982 - Civil rights

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Nevertheless, the patriation of the constitution was referred to as the Night of the Long Knives in Quebec, and created a strong feeling (Trudeau would call it a myth) of Quebec being left out of Confederation. This grievance was exacerbated by the failures of the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords which Trudeau, though no longer in office, helped to defeat. The failure of the two accords revived long-dormant support for separatism in Quebec, eventually leading to the extremely close 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty, nearly bringing about the very result that Trudeau had so passionately opposed.

Related Topics:
Patriation - Night of the Long Knives - Meech Lake - Charlottetown Accords - 1995 Quebec referendum

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Overview

While Pierre Trudeau had no viable political opposition in Quebec at the federal level in his time (for instance, his Liberal party captured 74 out of 75 Quebec seats in the 1980 federal election), Quebecers characteristically hedged their bets by twice electing the diametrically opposed, pro-sovereignty Parti Québécois at the provincial level. (At the time, there was no pro-sovereignty federal party like today's Bloc Québécois.) His legacy within Quebec is somewhat mixed, and he is seen by many Quebecers, particularly in the media, academic and political establishments as a vendu (sellout). While his reputation has grown in English Canada since his retirement in 1984, it has not improved in Quebec.

Related Topics:
Seat - 1980 federal election - Parti Québécois - Bloc Québécois

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Trudeau remains well regarded by many Canadians. The passage of time has softened some of the strong antipathy he inspired among his opponents, although the naming of the airport after him still generated some controversy.

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Trudeau is seen by many as embodying the spirit of his age: youth, ambition, and anti-conformism. His energy, charisma, and confidence as prime minister are often cited as reasons for his popularity even though a large number of Canadians disapproved of his policies.

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