Trudeaumania

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Trudeaumania was the nickname given in early 1968 to the excitement generated by Pierre Trudeau's entry into the leadership race of the Liberal Party of Canada. Trudeaumania (an eponym derived from Pierre Trudeau's name), continued during the subsequent federal election campaign and during Mr. Trudeau's early years as Prime Minister of Canada.

Many young people in Canada at this time were influenced by the 1960s counterculture and identified with Trudeau, a young, energetic, nonconformist. They were dazzled by Trudeau's charm and good looks, and a large fan base was established throughout the country. He would often be stopped in the streets for his autograph or for a quick photograph. Trudeau had once sympathized with Marxists and had spent time in the democratic socialist Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, and many of his fans were attracted to his socially liberal stances (he legalized homosexuality and created more flexible divorce laws as Justice Minister under Lester B. Pearson. Trudeau was also admired for his laid-back attitude and his celebrity relationships; in that word's prevailing use at the time, describing a modern, hip and happening person, he was described as a swinger.

Trudeaumania began to fizzle after Pierre Trudeau married Margaret Sinclair in 1971, but he is remembered to this day as one of Canada's most polarizing politicians and prime ministers: fondly recalled by many Central and Eastern Canadians while at the same time unpopular in the western provinces and among conservative thinkers and Quebec nationalists. He was named the Canadian Newsmaker of the 20th Century by the Canadian Press at the dawn of the year 2000. When he died later that year, there was an outpouring of public grief, and he was again named Newsmaker of the Year for 2000 itself. In 2004, he was voted the third-Greatest Canadian by CBC viewers, coming behind medicare champion Tommy Douglas and cancer activist Terry Fox.