Justin Trudeau
From Free net encyclopedia
Justin Trudeau (born Christmas Day, 1971 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is the eldest son of the late former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and Trudeau's first wife, Margaret. He and his younger brother, Alexandre (Sasha) , were both born on December 25.
Born while his father was in office, and a Christmas baby to boot, Trudeau immediately became a media sensation. This attention only became greater when Pierre and Margaret Trudeau separated in 1977, making Pierre Trudeau the nation's most famous single father, and continued until Pierre retired as Prime Minister in 1984.
He continued to raise his children in relative privacy in Montreal, and Justin pursued studies in English literature (BA , McGill University) and Education (B.Ed , University of British Columbia), eventually becoming a teacher in British Columbia.
When Pierre Trudeau died in 2000, Justin almost instantly became a media sensation once again when he delivered the eulogy at his father's funeral (see [[1]]).
Some Canadians were impressed by what they perceived to be his good looks and his eloquence, and many in the press immediately began to speculate that a career in politics might soon be ahead of him.
However, Trudeau insisted that he had chosen education because he was passionate about teaching and being a positive role model for youth, and that the political life was not his goal. However, he remained a public figure, both as a campaigner for winter safety after his brother Michel died in an avalanche on a ski trip, and as a panelist on CBC Radio's Canada Reads series in 2003, where he championed The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston.
He was one of several children of former Prime Ministers who became Canadian media personalities between 1998 and 2001. The others were Catherine Clark, Ben Mulroney and Justin's brother Alexandre.
On May 28, 2005, Trudeau married Sophie Grégoire, a former model and Quebec television host. They met at a ball during Montreal's Grand Prix in 2003.
They were married at Sainte-Madeleine d'Outremont church in Montreal, with about 170 guests in attendance, including Ben Mulroney. The younger Trudeau and Mulroney were friends despite their fathers being bitter political enemies over the Meech Lake Accord.
In January, 2006, Trudeau spoke at the press conference for the Canadian Avalanche Awareness Days at Big White Ski Resort, in British Columbia, Canada
As of April, 2006, Trudeau is to head a "youth task force" for the Liberal Party of Canada as they rebuild following their January election defeat. One theme the youth task force is to address why young people are not civically engaged.