which is as contrary and complicated as the man himself. He will always loom large in Canadian history. I, personally, think his legacy was more good than bad and his charisma was indisputable.
Pierre Elliott Trudeau:
1919-2000
The question of Pierre Trudeau's legacy is a subject so distorted by the paeans of praise from his acolytes and allies, so scorched with vituperation by his political and intellectual enemies, so awash in controversy (which he continually provoked by contradicting his critics as well as himself) that making a balanced assessment -- even when his agile body and his indomitable spirit have finally been stilled -- is a delicate task.
Beyond being highly contested, any assessment of the Trudeau legacy is complicated by how our own views of past events change in response to new developments. Historian Jack Granatstein originally condemned Trudeau's tough action during the October crisis of 1970; now he applauds it. Right wingers who could never bring themselves to vote for such a "socialist" as Trudeau, flocked to support his attack on a distinct society status for Quebec. Those on the left, who excoriated what they saw as his niggardliness toward social policies when he was governing, now wax nostalgic for the golden age of the generous welfare state.
It's beginning to look as though any attempt to identify Pierre Trudeau's legacy is as much about us as it is about him. In our mourning, we may be projecting onto him our grief for the lost opportunity to build that proud and independent Canada which no leader could have managed under the inexorable pressures of Americanization.
more
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/series/trudeau/sclarksonhisjud_sep30.html
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