Pierre Elliott Trudeau - biography.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau - biography. 15th prime minister of Canada Birth October 18, 1919 Death September 28, 2000 Place of Birth Montréal, Québec Constituencies Mount Royal, Québec (1965-1984) Political Party Liberal Terms 1968-1979 1980-1984 Significant Reformed Canadian divorce laws and liberalized laws on abortion and homosexuality Acts Oversaw passage of the Official Languages Act of 1969, making English and French the official languages for all government institutions Officially recognized the People's Republic of China Imposed the War Measures Act in 1970, temporarily instituting martial law, after a French Canadian terrorist group kidnapped a British diplomat and killed a Québec minister Successfully led a 'no' campaign in a 1980 referendum that would have allowed Québec the economic advantages of being part of Canada while technically being independent Oversaw passage of the Constitution Act of 1982, which made Canada independent of Britain and included a Charter of Rights and Freedoms guaranteeing basic democratic rights Career 1949-1951 Served as economic and legal adviser to the Privy Council in Ottawa 1950 Cofounded the influential periodical Cité Libre ('Free City') 1961-1965 Taught law as an associate professor at the Université de Montréal 1965 Won election to the House of Commons 1966 Served as parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Pearson 1967-1968 Served as minister of justice and attorney general April 1968 Became Liberal Party leader and prime minister in a majority government, and retained the office until 1979 February 1980 Again became prime minister in a Liberal majority government June 1984 Resigned as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party 1984 Received the Albert Einstein Peace Prize for his efforts to reduce nuclear weapons and Cold War tensions Did You Know The press referred to Trudeau's extraordinary popularity as 'Trudeaumania.' In 1960 Trudeau tried to paddle a canoe from Florida to Cuba. Trudeau's full name is Joseph Philippe Pierre Ives Elliott Trudeau. Trudeau appointed the first woman speaker of the Senate, speaker of the House of Commons, and governor-general of Canada. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.