Defining Moment Essay:
Pierre Elliot Trudeau
Carrie Ngo
Ms. Chong
Monday November 3, 2003
Pierre Elliot Trudeau was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada. During his
sixteen years in office, he made a lot of important decisions and contributions for and to
Canada. But did the contributions he made for Canada, make us a better nation? This
essay will prove that Pierre Elliot Trudeau made Canada a better nation with his
contributions, with the examples of the Official Language Act in 1969, the signing of the
Constitution Act in 1982 and the Multicultural Act in 1971.
In 1969, only a year that Trudeau had entered office, he passed the Official
Language Act. This Legislation made French and English the official languages in
Canada and all federal offices had to offer service in both languages. The act that had
been made in 1969, stated that, “the English and the French languages are the official
languages of Canada, for all purposes of the Parliament and Government of Canada and
posses and enjoy equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all
institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada.” 1. This meant that French
and English Canadians could deal with their problems in both languages. Trudeau also
quoted, “All Canadians should capitalize on the advantage of living in a country which
has learned to speck in two great world languages.”2 Therefore, the evidence has proven
that the Official Language Act is one of the prime contributions Trudeau has made during
his reign of Prime Minister.
1
Cruxton, Bradley and Douglas Wilson. Spotlight Canada: Fourth Edition. (Ontario: Oxford University
Press, 2000) 320
2
Craats, Renny. Great Canadian Prime Ministers. (Calgary: Weigl, 2000.) 21.
The Constitution Act was declared in 1982. Trudeau wanted Canadians to have
their own constitution apart from Britain and he also believed that the Constitution would
bring the country together. The Constitution offered many things, for example, “The
provinces can opt out with full financial compensation from any program established by
an amendment that affected educational or cultural matters.”3 This means that, any of
the provinces can take out any of the financial programs that affect their community. It
also, “committed the government to the principal of equalization to ensure that the
provincial governments have sufficient revenue to provide reasonably comparable levels
of public services that reasonably comparably levels of taxation.” 4 This meant that the
federal government has to make sure that all the provinces have the equal or almost equal
amount of taxes and services to provide for their public. During the making of the
constitution, Trudeau once stated, “I believe a constitution can permit the co-existence of
several cultures and ethnic groups with a single state.” 5 The quote meant that Trudeau
wants the constitution to exist or help people in their everyday lives. To conclude this
topic, the evidence has proven Trudeau’s ability to strengthen Canada as an independent
nation.
Pierre Elliot Trudeau proclaimed the Multiculturalism Act in 1971. This made
Canada more diverse, more open to the world and more multicultural, instead of just
being French and English, because the majority of the people in Canada were English and
French Canadians. “It also made Canada the only country in the world with the policy
3
Douglas, Ann. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to “Canada in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. (City of Scarborough:
Prentice Hall of Canada Inc, 1999) 148.
4
Douglas, Ann. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to “Canada in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. (City of Scarborough:
Prentice Hall of Canada Inc, 1999) 148.
5
Craats, Renny. Great Canadian Prime Ministers. (Calgary: Weigl, 2000.) 23.
for preservation and the enhancement of multiculturalism.”6 Thus, meaning that Canada
was the only country in the world to improve their multiculturalism. Trudeau appreciated
other people, places, and ideas, his view of Canada was that Canada would have two
official languages, (English and French) but it would have no official culture. So people,
who immigrated here to Canada, could celebrate and preserve their culture, just like they
did in their old country. Therefore, the topic has proven that with multiculturalism,
Canada had become very multicultural, thanks to the one and only, Pierre Elliot Trudeau.
In conclusion, this essay has proven that Pierre Elliot Trudeau made Canada a
better nation with his contribution, with the examples of the Official Language Act in
1969, the Constitution Act in 1982 and the Multiculturalism in 1971. Also, he may have
made Canada a stronger and sophisticated nation, but his contributions also made him the
best Canadian Prime Minister in Canadian History.
6
Stoffman, Daniel “Some of his Best Friends” MacLean’s Trudeau (Special Commemorative Issue)
122-123
Work Cited List
Books:
Christiano, Kevin J. Pierre Elliot Trudeau: Reason before Passion
Toronto: ECW Press, 1994.
Craates, Renny. Great Canadian Prime Ministers
Calgary: Weigl, 2000
Cruxton, J. Bradley and Wilson, W Douglas: Spotlight Canada (Fourth Edition)
Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2000
Douglas, Ann The Complete Idiots Guide to “Canada in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.
City of Scarborough: Prentice Hall of Canada Inc. 1999
Parker, Janice. Canada through the Decades, The 1980s
Calgary: Weigl, 2000
Shipton, Rosemary. Canada through the Decades, The 1960s
Calgary: Weigl, 2000
Vastel, Michel The Life of Pierre Elliot Trudeau
Quebec: Macmillan of Canada, 1994
Magazines:
Bollins, Carl “Specking for Canada” MacLean’s Trudeau
Special Commemorative Edition, Pg. 81-83
Lewis, Robert “Adieu” MacLean’s Trudeau
Special Commemorative Edition, Pg. 10-15
Sheppeard, Robert “Battles of the Titans” MacLean’s Trudeau
Special Commemorative Edition, Pg. 58-63
Stoffman, Daniel “Some of his Best Friends” MacLean’s Trudeau
Special Commemorative Edition, Pg. 122-123