The Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau
- Biographical Information

Born
-   18 October 1919, Montreal, Quebec

Education
-   University of Montreal (Law)
-   Harvard University (Master's Program)
-   Postgraduate studies at École des sciences politiques in Paris and the London School of Economics

Personal Status
-   Married 1971, Margaret Sinclair (b. 1948)
-   Three sons
-   Divorced 1984

Occupation
-   Lawyer (called to the Quebec Bar in 1943, to the Ontario Bar in 1967)
-   1950-1951 Advisor to the Privy Council
-   1950 Co-founder and director, Cité libre
-   1961-1965 Associate Professor of Law, University of Montreal
-   1961-1965 Researcher, Institut de recherches en droit public
-   Author
-   Currently law consultant

Party
-   Liberal
-   1968-1984 Party Leader

Constituencies
-   1965-1984 Mount Royal, Quebec

Other Ministries
-   1967-1968 Justice

Political Record
-   Official Languages Act 1969
-   October Crisis (implementation of War Measures Act) 1970
-   Appointed Muriel McQueen Fergusson first woman Speaker of the Senate 1972
-   Wage and Price Controls 1975
-   Significant role in the victory of the "No" forces in the Quebec Referendum on Sovereignty-Association 1980
-   Appointed Jeanne Sauvé first woman Speaker of the House of Commons 1980
-   Canadian Charter of Human Rights 1982
-   Constitution Act (gave Canada full legal independence from Great Britain) 1982
-   Appointed Jeanne Sauvé Canada's first woman Governor General 1984

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From CBC's The Greatest Canadian

PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU
In October 1970, Pierre Elliott Trudeau defiantly declared "just watch me." The nation complied, transfixed by the man who was prime minister.

Elected to parliament on the freewheeling heels of Expo '67, Trudeau was just the shot of adrenaline Canada needed in radical, changing times. After decades of prim, stuffed-shirt prime ministers, here was a leader who wore ascots and capes, drove a convertible and dated celebrities.

His charisma knew no bounds, and when Trudeau ran for the Liberal leadership in 1968, he became Canada's 15th prime minister. Two months later, he won a majority government in a general election. Now he could start making his mark.

Official Languages Act.
Once he arrived at 24 Sussex Drive, Trudeau stated his aim to create a "just society" in Canada. For a Montreal native and firm believer in federalism, the first item on the agenda was promoting bilingualism. In 1969, Trudeau told Canadians he believed in "two official languages and a pluralist society." To illustrate his point, he created the Official Languages Act, which served the dual purpose of giving civil servants the choice to speak in English or French at work and protecting Francophones' rights to speak French anywhere in Canada.

During his rousing Official Languages Act speech, he emphasized federalism, making the cautionary remark "French Canada can survive not by turning in on itself but by reaching out to claim every aspect of Canadian life."