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Pierre Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 - September 28, 2000) was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 3, 1979 and from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Pierre Trudeau was flamboyant, charismatic, controversial, and an intellect. A political giant, he led Canada through some of its most tumultuous times. A sharp, energetic figure, he wore sandals to Parliament, dated celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Margot Kidder, flashed an obscene hand gesture to protesters, and once did a pirouette behind the back of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

As Minister of Justice under Lester B. Pearson, he was responsible for removing homosexuality from the Criminal Code of Canada, famously remarking, "The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation." As Prime Minister, he patriated the Canadian Constitution from the British Parliament to Canada and gave his country the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

As Prime Minister, he used the War Measures Act in 1970 to deal with the October Crisis when terrorist cells in Quebec from the Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ) kidnapped James Cross, the British High Commissioner, then kidnapped and murdered Quebec Cabinet Minister, Pierre Laporte.

He was a long-time member of the Club of Rome.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau died on September 28, 2000 and is buried in the Trudeau family crypt, St-Remi-de-Napierville Cemetery, Saint-Remi, Quebec.

A plan to rename Mount Logan, Canada's tallest mountain, for Mr. Trudeau was considered, but ultimately rejected. However, a great many institutions, streets, and the like in Canada are named for Mr. Trudeau.

External Link

• http://www.canadahistory.com/pierre.htm