Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Vojtěch Ulrich Pierre Elliott Trudeau and His Influence on Canadian Politics Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: Mgr. Kateřina Prajznerová, Ph.D. 2010 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Author’s signature 2 I would like to thank Mgr. Kateřina Prajznerová, Ph.D. for her kind help and valuable suggestions throughout the writing of this thesis. 3 Table of Contents 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..5 2. Trudeau’s Personality and Public Image...................................................................7 2.1. Trudeau‟s Public Appeal………………………………………………………….7 2.2. Events Which Influenced Trudeau‟s Popularity……………………………….....9 2.3. Trudeaumania…………………………………………………………………...10 2.4. Problems with Inappropriate Behaviour………………………………………...12 3. Trudeau and Quebec……………………………………………………………….15 3.1. Nationalism in Quebec………………………………………………………….15 3.2. Language Issues…………….…………………………………………………...17 3.3. October Crisis…………………………………………………………………...19 3.4. Democratic Attempts at Separation……………………………………………..22 3.5. Constitutional Reform…………………………………………………………..24 4. Trudeau and Canada’s Foreign Relations………………………………………...26 4.1. Trudeau‟s Early Life and Its Impact on His Views on International Politics…...26 4.2. Trudeau‟s Approach to International Politics and Canada as a Middle Power….28 4.3. International Summits…………………………………………………………...30 4.4. Trudeau Doctrine and the Reassessment of Canada‟s Foreign Relations……….32 4.5. Canada‟s Relations with the United States……………………………………...35 4.6. French Support of Quebec‟s Separatist Efforts…………………………………38 4.7. Peace Initiative………………………………………………………………….40 5. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………..43 6. Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………45 7. English Résumé……………………..………………………………………………50 8. Czech Résumé………………………………………………………………………51 4 1. Introduction Pierre Elliott Trudeau was the Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and again from 1980 to 1984. During that time, he had profound impact on the entire Canadian country and he became one of the most important political figures in Canadian history. Through his political actions, as well as through his personality, he aroused a great deal of emotions, both positive and negative, among the Canadian public, and this made him a very memorable figure. He also introduced important political initiatives, which strongly influenced many aspects of Canadian political and private life. His significance is still recognized by Canadians at present, which is illustrated by the fact that in 2004, he was chosen as the third greatest Canadian of all times (CBC Digital Archives). The aim of this thesis is to explore what made him such an important political figure and discuss the influence he had on Canada. The first area I will explore is Trudeau‟s personality. For a Canadian politician, Trudeau‟s character was highly unusual and it helped him achieve great popularity very early in his career. He attracted a great deal of attention of the media and received great support of the public. He led many young people to become interested in politics, which also had impact on Canada. His immense popularity was something Canada had never seen before and the public interest in politics was one of the areas Trudeau had a significant impact on. Secondly, I will discuss Trudeau‟s influence on the relationship between the province of Quebec and the rest of the Canadian federation. This relationship had always been a complicated issue and during Trudeau‟s time in office, it became the area of domestic politics which he had the most profound impact on. He had to deal with growing Quebec nationalism as well as with the threat of terrorism. He championed the cause for Canadian unity and greatly contributed to the fact that Canada withstood the 5 attempts, both democratic and terrorist, at Quebec‟s separation from the rest of the federation. Lastly, I will discuss Trudeau‟s effect on Canadian external relations. Trudeau introduced an unconventional approach, which led to a reassessment of Canadian foreign policies and a change in Canada‟s position in the world. He was a very cosmopolitan figure, with deep knowledge of the world, which made him very respectable among world leaders and it influenced Canada‟s image in international politics. Trudeau also launched several important international initiatives and under his government, Canada often took a leading role in dealing with important international issues. All of these aspects will illustrate what significant impact Trudeau had in the sphere of international politics. To support my arguments, I will draw on a variety of sources. Among them, there will be a number of books about Trudeau‟s time in office, including several anthologies of essays focusing on specific issues of his tenure, as well as books that study Canadian politics in general. In order to discuss Trudeau‟s own views on politics, I will also use a collection of his own essays. To illustrate certain important events of Trudeau‟s career, I will use news reports of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Another important source of information will be Trudeau‟s television memoirs, where his entire career is mapped. Lastly, I will use several essays from an internet database, which will provide additional perspective on some of the issues discussed. 6 2. Trudeau’s Personality and Public Image Trudeau‟s great popularity and the fact that he is such an interesting figure in Canadian politics, are largely due to his personality and image. He was a very unusual politician with remarkable personal characteristics and his public image created an unprecedented wave of popularity among Canadian public. In this chapter, I will discuss the characteristics which helped him achieve that popularity. I will also focus on two events from the beginning of his career which contributed to his popular image. Then, I will discuss what is known as Trudeaumania – the extraordinary excitement around Trudeau from the time when he was entering the top levels of politics. I will conclude with the problematic issues around his behaviour and the more questionable aspects of his personality. All of these points will illustrate what a remarkable figure Trudeau was and how this made him into one of the most memorable politicians in the Canadian history. They will also show what significant influence he had on Canadian public. 2.1. Trudeau’s Public Appeal The aspects of Trudeau‟s personality that helped him the most to become popular among Canadians were the ones that made him stand out from most other politicians. He was very energetic and determined as well as courageous and tough in dealing with difficult issues. At the beginning of his career, he was also quite young and tended to make a lot of jokes, which helped his image among young Canadians who saw him as a representation of a new generation in politics (Mulhallen 98). These traits, combined with his charisma, made Trudeau an extraordinary character in Canadian politics, which can be seen in the words of Michel Vastel, 7 The country had finally found its Kennedy: a man with a brilliant mind, often surrounded by pretty women, with an athletic air even though he was on the verge of turning fifty. A very different man from the unfathomable Mackenzie King, the plodding Louis St. Laurent, the cantankerous John Diefenbaker, or the austere Lester Pearson. (1-2) This shows that Trudeau was perceived as a bringer of fresh air to Canadians who were ready for a change from what Stuebing, Marshall and Oakes described as “stodgy, careful, middle-of-the-road” politicians of Canada‟s past (3). Trudeau also became popular thanks to his unusual views on politics. These were very unorthodox, and as such, they also supported the notion that Trudeau was bringing new style to Canadian politics (Bothwell, Drummond and English 421). Trudeau himself commented on his political views in this way, The only constant factor to be found in my thinking over the years has been opposition to accepted opinions. Had I applied this principle to the stock market, I might have made a fortune. I chose to apply it to politics, and it led me to power – a result I had not really desired, or even expected. (xix) This shows Trudeau‟s opposition to established ideas, which is something that can also be seen in one of the topics Trudeau felt very strongly about – the issue of nationalism in Quebec. Trudeau himself came from Quebec and spoke French fluently, but he was strongly opposed to French nationalism and any form of special status for that province (Vastel 122). This also greatly contributed to Trudeau‟s public appeal, since he was seen as someone who could effectively deal with the problematic situation in that province (Bothwell, Drummond and English 363). 8 2.2. Events Which Influenced Trudeau’s Popularity Before Trudeau was elected Prime Minister, two events occurred which significantly improved his public image and showcased his daring personality. The first one was Trudeau‟s introduction of the Criminal Law Amendment Act in 1967. As described by Lorraine Weinrib, it restricted the ownership of firearms, legalized therapeutic abortion and decriminalized most sexual practices, mainly homosexuality, which were all “forbidden” issues most politicians did not want to deal with (264). Trudeau, however, felt the need to modernize these laws and famously defended this act by saying, “There‟s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation” (CBC Digital Archives). Christina McCall and Stephen Clarkson commented on Trudeau‟s famous sentence, Delivered by a minister of the Crown wearing a leather coat and sporting a Caesar haircut, it had an electrifying effect on the public imagination. It expressed a widely felt need to bring Canada up to date in a way that everybody could understand. Here was a man who was willing to declare himself in opposition to the established order. (107) This account shows the significant impact the reform had on Trudeau‟s public image and how much it helped him in the later elections.