Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by Pierre Trudeau (Canadian Statesman)

Pierre Trudeau (1919–2000,) fully Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, was a Canadian political leader. A Liberal politician, he served as prime minister of Canada 1968–79 and 1980–84. Noted for his commitment to federalism, Trudeau made English and French the Canadian government’s official languages (1969) and presided over the transfer of residual constitutional powers from Britain to Canada (1982.) He was the father of Justin Trudeau, the current prime minister of Canada, and Margaret Trudeau’s husband.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Trudeau was called to the Quebec Bar in 1944. One of the founders in 1950 of Cite Libre, a magazine opposed to the policies of Maurice Duplessis, then premier of Quebec, Trudeau began to practice law in Montreal in 1951. He urged the reform of the educational and electoral systems and the separation of church and state in Quebec. In 1956, he was active in the short-lived Rassemblement, a group of left-wing opponents of Duplessis.

Trudeau was an associate professor of law at the University of Montreal 1961–65. In 1965, having rejected the New Democratic Party for the Liberal Party, he was elected to the House of Commons. In 1966, he was appointed parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, and, in 1967, as Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, he opposed the separation of Quebec from the rest of Canada.

In 1968, Trudeau succeeded Lester Pearson as the federal leader of the Liberal Party and prime minister. Trudeau then called a general election at which his party secured an overall majority. His government was defeated in 1979 but returned to power in 1980. The establishment of diplomatic relations with China (1970) and improved relationships with France, the defeat of the French separatist movement, constitutional independence from the British Parliament, and the formation of a new Canadian constitution with the crucial additions of a bill of rights and an amending formula marked his terms in office.

Trudeau retired from active politics in 1984 and published his Memoirs (1993.) His other publications include La Fédéralisme et la société Canadienne-Française (1967; Federalism and the French Canadians, 1968,) Les Cheminements de la politique (1970; Approaches to Politics,) and Conversations with Canadians (1972.)

More: Wikipedia READ: Works by Pierre Trudeau

A man who tries to please all men by weakening his position or compromising his beliefs, in the end has neither position nor beliefs. A man must say what he believes clearly, without dogma, and without guile.
Pierre Trudeau

The essential ingredient in politics is timing.
Pierre Trudeau
Topics: Politics, Politicians

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