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Pierre Trudeau Facts & Worksheets

Pierre Trudeau was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada. He was a part of the Liberal Party of Canada and served as Prime Minister from 1968-1984.

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Pierre Trudeau was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada. He was a part of the Liberal Party of Canada and served as Prime Minister from 1968-1984.

See the fact file below for more information on the Pierre Trudeau or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Pierre Trudeau worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BACKGROUND

  • Pierre Trudeau is known for his slogan “Reason before passion.”
  • He played a critical role in the Quebec sovereignty movement and was known for appeasing the people of Quebec by enacting laws to protect the history of the French language and culture in Quebec and the rest of Canada.
  • Pierre Trudeau is known for enacting many important laws including national bilingualism, the patriation from the constitution, and Bill C-150.
  • Pierre’s oldest child Justin became the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada in 2015. He is currently the Prime Minister of Canada (2021).

EARLY LIFE, EDUCATION, AND EARLY POLITICS

  • Pierre Trudeau was born on October 18, 1919 in Montreal, Canada.
  • He was the son of Charles-Émile “Charley” Trudeau (1887–1935) and Grace Elliott.
  • Pierre had two siblings. He had an older sister named Suzanne and a younger brother named Charles Jr.
  • Growing up Pierre attended a private catholic school called “Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf.” There he became inspired by Quebec Nationalism.
  • The Trudeau family is originally from France and are able to trace their ancestors back to the 16th century. The first Trudeau to arrive in Canada was Étienne Trudeau in 1659 CE.
  • In 1940 Pierre Trudeau was studying law at the University in Montreal. When World War II broke out, Trudeau dismissed it and continued with his studies. Later on he admitted he had not known about the Holocaust at that time and he regretted his decision not to enlist in the military.
  • After graduating in 1943 he went on to enter a Masters program at Harvard University. After leaving Harvard, Pierre went on to study in Paris at the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris.
  • In 1948 he embarked on a backpacking journey to Europe. After his journey to Europe and many years of studying he returned back to Canada in 1949.
  • Upon his return he became a civil servant in the Canadian government. He worked as a civil servant until 1951.
  • Pierre also worked as an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Montreal. He worked in this role from 1961 until 1965.
  • In 1965 Trudeau joined the Liberal Party of Canada. That same year he ran for office and won in the district of Mount Royal, Western Montreal. He continued to hold this seat until he retired from politics in 1984.
  • Trudeau was then appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary of Canada. This position required him to travel around the world representing Canada in various political meetings including the United Nations.

PRIME MINISTER (1968-1984)

  • On April 20, 1968, just three years after joining the Liberal Party of Canada, Pierre Trudeau became the 15th Prime Minister of Canada.
  • During his election campaign Pierre became popular among the youth in Canada and sparked a movement called “Trudeaumania.”
  • One of the first things Pierre did upon becoming Prime Minister was create a law called Bill C-150 (1969). This law decriminalized homosexuality and allowed for abortion under certain circumstances.
  • Prime Minister Pierre pushed through a bill called the “Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism.” This act recognized both French and English as the official languages of Canada.
  • On October 10, 1970 the Labour Minister of Quebec at the time, Pierre Laporte, was kidnapped by a radical group in Quebec called the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ). This event became known as “The October Crisis.” Pierre enacted the “War Measures Act” which enabled the government to arrest the kidnappers immediately and without a trial.
  • The Labour Minister was found dead in the trunk of a car on October 17, 1970. Many of the kidnappers fled to Cuba and avoided arrest. They eventually returned to Canada and spent time in prison.
  • 1971 Pierre created an additional language law called the “”Multiculturalism Policy.” This bill added that although French and English are the official languages of Canada, there are also multiple languages and cultures which exist and need to be recognized.
  • In 1979 Pierre ran for Prime Minister for a second time and won re-election.
  • In his second term as Prime Minister Pierre sought out to patriate Canada from Britain.
  • In 1982 Pierre had the Queen of England sign an amendment to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The signing of this document meant that Canada removed the British Parliament’s power to change or amend Canada’s laws and constitution.

LATER LIFE

  • On June 30, 1984 Pierre stepped down from his position as the Prime Minister of Canada. He officially retired from politics at the same time.
  • In 1985 Trudeau was recognized by the honorary Canadian group called Companion of the Order of Canada. This group recognized him for his lifetime dedication bettering the lives of his community and his nation.
  • While visiting the Queen of England on May 7, 1997 Pierre is captured in a photo as he dances behind her. This image caused controversy over whether or not Pierre was mocking the Queen and the monarchy.

THE TRUDEAU LEGACY

  • Pierre married Margaret Sinclair on May 4, 1971. The couple were married in a secret ceremony. Margaret was 22 and Pierre was 30 at the time of their marriage.
  • Together Pierre and Margaret had three children; Justin, Michel, and Alexandre.
  • Margaret and Pierre officially divorced in 1984. After the divorce Pierre became the single father to their three sons.
  • Pierre went on to have another child named Sarah in 1991 with a woman named Deborah Coyne. The couple were never officially married.
  • Pierre’s youngest son Michel was killed by an avalanche in British Columbia in 1998. He was only 23 years old at the time of his death.
  • Shortly after the passing of his son Michel, on September 28, 2000, Pierre passed away. He passed away in Montreal at the age of 80.
  • Pierre’s oldest son Justin went on to join the Liberal Party of Canada and become Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister.
  • Justin becoming the Prime Minister is the first time in Canada that a Prime Minister has been a direct descendant or child of a former Prime Minister.
  • The same Trudeaumania which had occurred when Pierre first became Prime Minister in the 60’s also emerged when Justin ran for Prime Minister in 2015.

Pierre Trudeau Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Pierre Trudeau across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Pierre Trudeau worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Pierre Trudeau who was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada. He was a part of the Liberal Party of Canada and served as Prime Minister from 1968-1984.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Pierre Trudeau, Facts
  • Opinion Piece
  • The Truly Trudeau Wordsearch
  • Trudeau Timeline
  • Fill in the Blank
  • An Interview with Pierre Trudeau
  • Design a Stamp
  • Trudeau Terminology
  • Word Scramble
  • See, Think, Wonder
  • Pierre Acrostic

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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