Pierre Elliott Trudeau
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1,763
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28
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16
Books
9
Awards
Pierre Trudeau served as Canada’s 15th Prime Minister for nearly 16 years, from 1968 to 1984. He invoked the War Measures Act during the 1970 October Crisis and played a key role in patriating the Canadian Constitution in 1982. He married Margaret Sinclair in 1971, and they had three sons, including future Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau died of prostate cancer in 2000 at age 80.
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Pierre Trudeau by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Pierre Trudeau — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Pierre Trudeau was born on October 18, 1919, in Montreal, Quebec, to Grace Elliott and Charles Trudeau. His father, a wealthy businessman, died when Pierre was 15, and his mother raised him and his siblings.
He attended Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, a Jesuit school, and later studied law at the Université de Montréal. He also studied at Sciences Po in Paris and the London School of Economics.
In 1968, Trudeau became the 15th Prime Minister of Canada after winning the Liberal Party leadership.
He invoked the War Measures Act in 1970 to address the October Crisis, temporarily suspending civil liberties to combat Quebec separatist terrorism. He also spearheaded the patriation of the Canadian Constitution in 1982, entrenching the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Trudeau was narrowly defeated in 1979 but returned to power in 1980 for his final term. He retired in 1984, handing over to John Turner.
In 1971, Trudeau married Margaret Sinclair, who was nearly 30 years his junior. They had three sons: Justin, Alexandre, and Michel. The couple separated in 1977 and divorced in 1984.
In 1991, Trudeau fathered a daughter, Sarah Coyne, with Deborah Coyne. He also had an eight-year companionship with musician Liona Boyd.
Trudeau’s legacy is embedded in Canadian identity. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms remains a cornerstone of Canadian law. He received the Companion of the Order of Canada and the Albert Einstein Peace Prize.
His funeral in 2000 drew world leaders including Fidel Castro and Jimmy Carter, and over 70,000 people paid their respects. He is remembered for his flamboyant style and for shaping modern Canada.
Browse the complete filmography of Pierre Trudeau — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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Every award, honor, and recognition received by Pierre Trudeau — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Pierre Trudeau's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
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A wall of memorable lines from Pierre Trudeau — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
Just Watch Me.
In 1980, on the Deluge of Canadian Movies Made Under His Government’s Lax Film Production Tax Shelter Laws: It’s Amazing What a Few Tax Shelter Laws Can Do. There Are Now Many Canadian Films. but There Aren’t Too Many Good Ones, Are There?
The State Has No Place in the Bedrooms of the Nation.
Little-known facts about Pierre Trudeau — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
During the 1950s, Trudeau was blacklisted and denied entry to the United States after visiting communist China and attending an economics conference in the Soviet Union.
He served as Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and again from 1980 to 1984.
His daughter Sarah Elizabeth was born to Deborah Coyne.
Trudeau was the companion of Liona Boyd for eight years.
Over 70,000 people visited Trudeau’s body during the three days it lay in state after his death, and his funeral was attended by many ex-Prime Ministers, ex-Presidents, foreign dignitaries, and his personal friend Fidel Castro.
His youngest son, Michel, died in an avalanche in British Columbia, Canada, in November 1998 at the age of 23.
Major political achievements include loosening federal laws against divorce and homosexuality, resolving the most serious terrorist incident in Canadian history by invoking temporary martial law in the October Crisis of 1970, defeating the first referendum on Quebec secession, patriating the Canadian Constitution from Britain, and entrenching the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
He always appeared in public wearing a red rose in his lapel.
His first name was actually Joseph, with five middle names; professionally he went by his third, Pierre, and his fifth, Elliott.
He introduced the catchphrase fuddle duddle to Canada when he was overheard swearing in the House of Commons but claimed he had just said fuddle duddle.
The most flamboyant politician in Canadian history, Trudeau was applauded by some and condemned by others for his behavior both in and out of office.
He had three sons with Margaret Trudeau: Justin, Alexandre, and Michel.
Trudeau was an admirer of Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
In 1978, his government passed liberalized tax-shelter laws that created an unprecedented surge in Canadian film production from 1979 to 1981, with approximately 130 feature films produced, about half receiving distribution.
He was interred in a family mausoleum in St-Remi-de-Napierville, south of Montreal.
His pallbearers included Jimmy Carter, Leonard Cohen, and Fidel Castro.
Fidel Castro, Cuban dictator, came to Canada for Trudeau’s funeral, the first time he had been out of Cuba in over a decade.
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