Pierre Trudeau

Pierre Trudeau web (I made it!)

Pierre Elliot Trudeau was born on October 18, 1919 in Montreal, Quebec. His Mother was Grace Elliot of Scottish descent and knew how to speak French very well. His father was Charles-Emile Trudeau, a Québécois and French businessman. Pierre had a younger brother named Charles Jr. and an older sister named Suzette. Pierre Elliot Trudeau was very close to both of his siblings. By the time Pierre was in his teenage years, he and family had become a very wealthy family. This was mostly because Charles-Emile Trudeau (Pierre’s father) had sold his prosperous gas station business to Imperial Oil. Later in Pierre Trudeau’s life he attended the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf (a private French Jesuit school). This is where Pierre learned about Quebec Nationalism. He also attended Université de Montréal and later earned a law degree from it. Pierre’s family was devastated when Pierre’s father (Charles-Emile Trudeau) died. Pierre was very sad about his father’s death, but he had to move on. Pierre stayed very close to his mother for the rest of her life.

Portrait of Pierre Trudeau (I made it!)

Pierre Trudeau worked mostly in Montreal from the late 1940s to the mid-1960. He was an active supporter of the workers during the Asbestos Strike. In 1956 he edited a very important book called La Grève de l'Amiante. Throughout the 1950s Pierre was a leading figure in the opposition to the repressive rule of the Premier of Quebec, Duplessis. Pierre Trudeau worked briefly in Ottawa, for the Privy Council office of the Liberal Prime Minister Louis St. Laurant. In the 1960s Pierre joined federal politics and decided to join the Liberal party instead of the CCF (now the New Democratic Party (NDP).

This is Pierre Trudeau when he gets elected! (I made it!)

Pierre Trudeau was appointed to Minister of Justice in 1967. So when the time came he was responsible for introducing the Criminal Law Amendment. Prime Minister Pearson announced his intention to step down at the end of Canada’s centennial year in 1967. So Pierre Elliot Trudeau was appointed head of the Liberals. Trudeau made a energetic campaign which attracted the attention of news media, not to mention it inspired many youths. The only problem was he had just joined the liberals in 1965, and many considered him an outsider. Nevertheless Pierre Eliot Trudeau( Nicknamed P.E.T. ) was elected president on June 25, 1968.

After the election President Trudeau worked extremely hard to defend the new Universal Health Care and regional development programs. In the 1974 October Crisis the FLQ (Front de Liberation du Quebec) kidnapped a British Trade consul James Cross on the fifth of October. Pierre Laporte was also kidnapped five days later. He was murdered on October seventeenth. President Trudeau responded by introducing the War Measures Act. Five of the FLQ terrorists were flown to Cuba in 1970 as part of the deal and exchange for James Cross’s life. Eventually all of the FLQ were arrested and the five flown to Cuba were arrested and jailed once they came back to Canada many years later. Pierre Elliot Trudeau retired from politic on June 30th 1984. He died on September 28th 2000.