CBC Digital Archives

The House: Trudeau, the UN, and questions for the NDP

CBC Radio's The House keeps tabs on the nation's business from Parliament Hill. Launched in 1977, this hour-long Saturday morning program examines public policy and the politics of governing. It remains one of CBC Radio's flagship current affairs programs. The CBC Digital Archives highlights programs from the 1984 season — the year Canada had three prime ministers. It was a year that saw the last days of Pierre Trudeau in Ottawa, John Turner's brief moment of glory, and the rise of Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative juggernaut.

After months of sinking poll numbers, it's a new year and Pierre Trudeau's Liberal Party is rebounding somewhat thanks to the prime minister's new Cold War peace initiative. But for all the speeches and meetings, what insiders really want to know is this: Will Trudeau retire before he even puts his plan to the Soviets? Also in this episode of The House: different views of the UN, prostitution in Vancouver and an internal NDP report that puts tough questions to the party about its policies.
• Pierre Trudeau's plan for disarmament did not outlast his days as prime minister, nor did he become a "roving ambassador for peace" after his retirement (as suggested in this clip.)

• In the segment of this episode looking at what to do about prostitution in Vancouver, The House talks to Mike Harcourt, the mayor of Vancouver. Harcourt would go on to become the leader of the province's NDP and the 30th premier of British Columbia, governing from 1991 to 1996.

• Membership in the UN gradually increased from the core group of 50 nations that signed the United Nations Charter in San Francisco on June 26, 1946 to 192 member states in 2007. Between 1964 and 1984, membership in the UN grew from 115 to 159 member states.

• The U.S. formally withdrew from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1984. Britain and Singapore followed its lead and withdrew in 1985. In September 2002, President George W. Bush announced that the U.S. would rejoin UNESCO, citing reforms in its management and values. Britain had returned to the UNESCO fold in 1997.
Medium: Radio
Program: The House
Broadcast Date: Jan. 14, 1984
Guest(s): William Barton, Terry Bland, Mae Brown, Gerald Caplan, Simon de Jong, Ian Deans, Paul Fraser, Mike Harcourt, Céline Hervieux-Payette, John Holmes, William Lyon Mackenzie King, Allan MacEachen, Mark MacGuigan, Pat Munroe, Lorne Nystrom, Bob Rae, Doug Roche, Joe Sills, Ray Skelly, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Reg Whittaker
Host: Jeannette Matthey
Reporter: Paul Griffin, Brian Kelleher
Duration: 48:43

Last updated: March 21, 2012

Page consulted on August 21, 2012

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