In front of me was another girl who asked Mr. Trudeau for his autograph, as he passed by. I said, "Well, how about a kiss.... it wouldn't take so long?" He grinned and said, "Yes, how about a kiss?" as he planted one on my cheek. – Claire Sutton Winnipeg, Manitoba

Send your thoughts.

Go to:
Main Index
Remembering the Former PM
Meeting Pierre Trudeau
Messages from Abroad
Poems, Prose and Prayers
From Canadian Immigrants
Love Him or Hate Him
Stories
Thank You, Pierre
Memories
The Post-Trudeau Generation
Waiting at the Gates
One Final Farewell
En Français
The Languages of the Land
Archived Letters

Your responses:

As I sit at my computer writing this, tears are streaming down my face. I have been very affected by Mr Trudeau's death. Why, I ask myself? Perhaps because it seems like the end of an era? Perhaps because as a young immigrant in 1972, I was swept up into the Trudeau ethos and accepted his vision of Canada? Perhaps because I had the opportunity to meet him several times, the last being in 1980, the week before the election which returned him to power and when I was in the final weeks of pregnancy? He was interested in how my pregnancy had gone and wished me well for the delivery. I told him "If we have a boy, we'll name him after you." He laughed and thanked me. Our son is called Austin Pierre Enright.

There are many lasting legacies but I think one of the strongest is our Canadian identity. Wherever I travel around the world, people are so envious of Canada as a place of tolerance and peace. They automatically assume that we all speak both French and English and find this amazing. It is the perception even though not completely true but we certainly have come a long way in our bilingualism from the days of 'Cornflakes' in French!

A light has gone out in Canada. We will not see his like again.

Angela Enright
Victoria, British Columbia

Audrey Gwendoline
Now of Chilliwack

He was an incredible man; blessed with extraordinary intelligence and a vision for Canada which has made a difference to so many. I was truly fortunate to have met him.

Maureen Lyons

I fondly remember the day I met the prime minister. We were invited to a rally in our tiny election headquarters on Redwood Ave. in Winnipeg and Mr. Trudeau was there. All the "teen" workers were invited into the back room for a special meeting. There were about 12 of us, and when Mr. Trudeau entered the room, it was as if an electric current were running through us. I shook his hand and looked into his amazing blue eyes.

After the rally, I stood on the wooden steps of the hall we had been in. In front of me was another girl who asked Mr. Trudeau for his autograph, as he passed by. I said "Well, how about a kiss.... it wouldn't take so long?" He grinned and said "Yes, how about a kiss?" as he planted one on my cheek. I will never forget it. I was only 16. Prime Minister Trudeau made me proud to be a Canadian.

Claire Sutton
Winnipeg

As part of our tour to Ottawa and Quebec we had acquired tickets (standing room only) to attend the second game of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Canadiens and the Boston Bruins and chartered a bus to take us to the Montreal Forum. While waiting to be picked up by our chartered bus by the West Block on Parliament Hill, some of my students noticed a gray limo driving to and stopping at the west exit of Parliament 's Centre Block. Realizing that it was M. Trudeau's vehicle they ran up hoping to meet him. When he did come out he did address our students inquiring as to what school they attended and in what part of Canada. When they indicated that they were students of Isle Madame District High School in Arichat, Nova Scotia, Prime Minister Trudeau quickly pointed out that they were from Cape Breton and were from Allan MacEachen's riding of Cape Breton Highlands-Canso.

While conversing with our students, it became evident that he was anxious to move on and one student suggested that perhaps the Prime Minister was rushing to the airport to catch a flight to Montreal in order to take in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. M. Trudeau conceded that our audacious student was indeed correct. Our fine young man suggested that, since the Prime Minister always sat behind the Canadiens' bench, our group would appreciate his coming out to the lobby immediately behind the Habs' bench at the first intermission so thaty they could have photos taken with him. He indicated that he would and he did. Our students were very impressed and left the Montreal Forum not quite knowing what was the highlight of their visit, Guy Lafleur's winning goal in overtime or meeting a very friendly and accommodating Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, a man that so many referred to as aloof and arrogant. To this day when I meet any of those students, their encounter with M. Trudeau remains one of the great moments of their lives.

Dave Forgeron

The last time I saw Mr Trudeau at Torotno 1993, when he came to speek about his book "memoirs", he was a little more older, a little slower, but had the same dynamic leadership command and spirit. After the speech and reception he walked through the crowd, while taking the escalator up I met him at the step, shook hands I told that my wife Gloria and I had just celeberated our 25th wedding anniversary, this was significant since we wewre married the nsame year he was first elected as the Prime Minister in 1968, and when we stared our married life in Toronto. He looked at me and smiled. That look on his eyes had so much love and affection, such deep unconditional love, it was hard to describe in words the electrification and feelings in my heart. I felt like an innocent child looking at the loving eyes of his father. He autographed my book and gave it to me. We travelled up on the escalator standing close to each other no words spoken, but the silence described every thing I am worthy to be standing beside my leader, mentor, brother, friend. Just before stepping out of the elevator he took a glance over his shoulder looked at me and smiled again, then disappeared with security the men, I stood there quite alone tears were rolling off my eyes, it was a good bye and farewell to my dear friend, brother and our great leader. This was truly a great human being who put into practice his spiritual beliefs - respect and equality for all peoples.

Peter Mohanty
Toronto

When we were sixteen, my best friend and I decided to take the train to Ottawa to "see Mr. Trudeau." We wanted to tell him what a great job he was doing. We never got past the security guard outside his office, but we had fun trying. Two years later, in 1980, we got a chance to vote for him. Elections have never been the same since he retired.

A few years ago, I finally got to meet Mr. Trudeau in person. This was in the Co-op in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, a remote Inuit community on Baffin Island, when he came ashore with a group of passengers from the cruise ship on which he was travelling. "He's been here before," my Inuk co-worker told me. "He knows us." And he did: remembering many of the people he had met on a previous visit to Pond many years before, shaking hands and exchanging memories of the fish that got away on during that earlier visit. I was impressed not only by his obvious love for the Arctic and its inhabitants but also by the enormous affection and respect the Tununmiut felt for him. He was so much more than just another qallunaat on a photo op. He was a friend returning after a time away.

We all knew Mr. Trudeau ailing and elderly, but it was still such a shock to lose him. A lot of people over the last few days have tried to "sum up" why he was so important to our nation's history, culture and ethos, how he shaped a generation, or made us what we are today. I can't seem to get all his accomplishments or his legacy into perspective yet. I miss him too much.

I tried to explain to my daughter why I was going to stay home from work this morning to watch a funeral on TV. She was born long after Mr. Trudeau left office and doesn't really understand what a prime minister is, much less the kind of Prime Minister Mr. Trudeau was.

"He was a great man," I told her. "He was a great Canadian. He was my hero."

Helen Ferrigan
Yellowknife, NWT

I was sixteen and my sister was 10. We were among the the big crowd and M. Trudeau was a distance away and my sister wanted to meet him. In French I called out his name and said something to the effect of "come over here." He heard me and did come over and I introduced him to my sister who just stood there in awe. We spoke in French. He asked me what part of Montreal I came from but I told him that I was born and raised in Toronto but that my parents came from Quebec and that French was what we spoke at home. At the end of the conversation he mess up my sister's hair and smiled. I did ask if we could sit up front so we could hear him better and he said yes.

Talking with him was like talking with an uncle, I never once felt uncomfortable. He gave my sister and I his autograph, I don't know where they are now. I will always remeber that day and his smile and the look on sister's face when he came over to talk to us.

Yvonne Penney (nee Robert)
Toronto, Ontario

I was sad to hear of Pierre Trudeau's death. I guess it was because I was one of those "Trudeau-maniacs" back in 1967-68. His presence faded out of my life early in the 70's after I became a wife, mother and an Albertan.

Born and raised in Ottawa, I was no stranger as to how the political wheel worked and how dominant that wheel was in Ottawa. I was 20 years old and wanted to get away from the pompous and political government city scene.

In 1967 that opportunity arose when Yellowknife was named the capital city of the NWT. I worked for the office of the Government of the Northwest Territories in Ottawa at that time and took part in the enormous move from Ottawa to Yellowknife. I felt like a real pioneer and still many years later, look back at that venture as an exciting time of my life that opened many doors for me.

Shortly after Mr. Trudeau's election in 1968 he visited Yellowknife. Many admirers including myself greeted him at the airport. When he spoke, his words portrayed a compassionate, honest man who had a vision of an independent great Canada. He told it like it was. There were no double meanings or an overwhelming urge to find a dictionary to understand his words. How refreshing. He was truly an excellent orator, easily understood, who made me very proud to be a Canadian. I was hooked--Trudeaumania set in. And I was also enamoured that his birthday was in October, like mine. We shared the Libra sign.

After his speech, he was escorted to a private luncheon. His devoted fans left to go home or over to the Yellowknife Hotel to hover around. We hoped to catch another glimpse of the infamous Prime Minister before he left our little northern town.

Although arrangements for his overnight stay was hush hush, we presumed that he would be put up in the in Yellowknife Hotel as it was the only (respectable) hotel in Yellowknife in 1967. Where else would the government officials put him? But my roommate's suspicious behaviour made me interrogative. She was the secretary to one of the Commissioner's assistants involved in Mr. Trudeau's travel arrangements. So, after much coaxing she spilled the beans about where Mr. Trudeau's real accommodations were going to be. He was to stay in our apartment building, the Franklin House, in the apartment next door to ours.

I remember frequently glancing out my apartment window waiting for him to arrive from his busy afternoon. When he finally did arrive, he dashed from his official car into the building. With camera in hand, I ran out into the hall and with heart pounding waited for him to come up the staircase to the 3rd level. As his footsteps drew louder, I almost chickened out as I was extremely shy in my youth. I was concerned that he might just ignore my presence and fly by me, causing my face to flush bright red which it did so well in those days. When he came around the corner, he looked eager to get away from the limelight for a while. So, I quietly asked him if I could take his picture, half expecting him to say "not now". But, instead, he stopped--nodded a yes and patiently stood still while I nervously focused in on him. Through the lens I noticed a shyness about him I didn't realize existed. It surprised me. Not only were our astrological signs the same, we also shared that annoying personality trait of shyness. I was overwhelmed with great respect for him as I admired how he could get up and speak so fluently in front of hordes of people. He was charismatic indeed.

In the years to follow, although I didn't agree with all of his politics and ways--after all I was living in Lougheed's Conservative land--I did admire his ability to make, act on, and stand by his decisions despite criticism. I don't think he was the type to make a decision without extensive consideration. After all, he was a Libra--and Libra's do not like to make decisions.They always have to look at the pros and cons over and over. But once they make a decision, there is no holding back.

Farewell, Mr. Trudeau. It was a pleasure to meet you!

Linda M. Rickey
Calgary, AB

Several summers ago he joined us at the Dog Park (Percy Walter Park) with Michel's black labrador dog on a beautiful, warm, sunny afternoon. He sat with us all, he was one of us in jeans and shirt-sleeves and we laughed and talked about his dog, commenting on the various canines running around us. He asked me, "and which dog is yours?" and I pointed over to the very stately and aloof afghan hound. "Ahh" he said, and nodded his head in approval, then gave me that wonderful look which said it all. I will always remember that happy occasion.

To the Trudeau family I just want to offer all my heartfelt sympathy to you for your loss and thank you for your generosity, kindness and graciousness in your most very difficult time, for the sharing of the passing of a very great and wonderful man.

Sincerely,
Jacqueline Goldsmith

Au revoir, Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

Jennifer Briscoe

Dennis Barron
Kitchener, Ont.

I'll never forget the emotional feeling I had as a young Canadian, and the experience will never to be forgotten, walking side by side with the Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau. When a reporter from the Toronto Telegram interviewed me, I was so nervous. I was lost for words.

As the years have gone by I have admired him and he has made me proud to be Canadian. We Stand for Thee, Always in our Hearts you will Be.

God will always be with you.
Nicholas Giugias
A proud Canadian

A wonderful buffet was laid out in an adjoining room. Being a vegetarian I filled my plate once with leafy vegetables which did not satisfy my Italian appetite so I went back for more. As I was exiting the buffet room Mr. Trudeau was standing just outside. He looked at me and laughed as he said "back again." I was in shock ! HE spoke to me... my secret fantasy fulfilled with no effort. What is more HE must have noticed me! Oh my god... I could not remember the witty line I had practised in my head all night just in case our paths crossed. What do you say to a living legend?

Awkwardly I replied with a breathless "yes" and basically ran away. After I composed myself I tried not to run over my words as I recounted the historic meeting to my boyfriend at the time (who worked in the same office). In the years since I have met many so-called V.I.P.'s including many politicians. Somehow it never occurs to me to repeat stories of my encounters with them.

For one brief shining moment I, ordinary citizen, held Mr. Trudeau's attention. Until I read the stories from other Canadians I thought I was alone in feeling the afterglow for years to come.

E. Martuccelli
LaSalle, QC

On the night after Pierre Elliott Trudeau's passing I reflect and mourn this great man who has touched my life, like that of many other Canadians, and perhaps single-handedly scuttled the make-up of the society I am so proud of. He was not a father of the country, he was merely a guardian of its destiny like a god-father who would take upon himself to nurture the principles instilled by the parents. I admired his intellect and his convictions and always will.

I was only 10 years old when he first was elected to power, much too young to understand the issues of the time or how much of an impact he and his philosophy would have on my life. Like many other young "Québéquois" I was often lost between passion and reason, lacking life experience and maturity to rationalise the issues of the 70's. At 42 years old, living in British Columbia for the past 20 years, I now fully understand and respect the vision he worked so hard to instil in my generation.

I briefly met Mr. Trudeau on the slopes of Whistler Mountain few years ago in a line up at the T-Bar. I was skiing alone, like I often enjoy doing, when I was asked by a ski instructor if I minded taking a young child with me to ride up. A quick confusion led the poor child to lose his footing and fall down in the line up. I bent down to help him get back on his skis and a gentleman graciously picked up the youngster's ski pole. I turned around to thank the gentleman but the words wouldn't come out as I realised it was Pierre Elliott Trudeau standing there offering me a ski pole.

I was surprised and mesmerised. I wanted to say ... "Thank you" but for much more than just the gracious gesture.

Everyday of my life I get reminded how fortunate I am to live in an era that has been influenced by such a great man. Eleven years ago, I married a wonderful English speaking lady from BC who learnt French out of pure desire to do what she thought was the important thing to do. We have two beautiful children being educated in a French program in BC to whom my wife and I have made a commitment to raise them in a bilingual family environment. And to top it all up, I'm living a bilingual life at the foothills of the breathtaking mountains of Whistler ... "I hope you will understand why I had such a hard time expressing my gratitude."

You will never be forgotten
Thank you
Serge Côté

Seven years before, in the Trudeaumania summer of 1968, before leaving for graduate studies in Spain, I'd seen Mr. Trudeau, absolutely mobbed by an adoring public, in Toronto campaigning at a wild rally at Nathan Philips Square. For me it was a heady experience because I'd been an avid supporter of his for the leadership of the party and I was now finally old enough to vote. My first vote in a federal election would be cast for him. A few weeks after the election, elated that Mr. Trudeau was now in charge of Canada, I left for Spain to pursue my studies at the University of Madrid. Everywhere I went, the first word out of people's mouth's after I said I was Canadian was "Trudeau." Prime Minister Trudeau had put Canada on the map and made me proud to be a Canadian. Singlehandedly, he had given Canada international status and stature.

Now, seven years later in May of 1975, in the former British colony of Guyana, I was about to cross paths with my political hero again. In order to stay an extra week in Guyana to meet with Mr. Trudeau, we had to undergo an intensive interview with a Guyanese government official, who insisted on being called Mistress Brown throughout the interview. We survived her scrutiny and were allowed to renew our visas until the day after the reception for our Prime Minister.

The day of Trudeau's arrival the streets were lined with schoolchildren waving placards bearing his picture. He was driven to a park in the centre of the city where there was a public rally celebrating the status of Georgetown and Ottawa as twin cities, a fact which was news to me and probably to Mr. Trudeau as well. There he was, looking dapper and handsome as ever, in a tan safari jacket the official dress of the Guyanese politicos. Tanned and healthy, Trudeau seemed out of place in the company of the dour "Comrade Prime Minister" Forbes Burnam of Guyana and his entourage of henchmen. The fact that Forbes Burnam was called Comrade Prime Minister in the state-sanctioned media gave us a pretty good idea of what his politcs were. Mr. Trudeau handled his introduction as Comrade Prime Minister Trudeau with real political savvy, by ignoring it completely. The Canadian press core, could barely suppress their laughter when Forbes Burnam committed that undeniably foolish political faux pas, but Prime Minister Trudeau shot them such a withering look that they quieted down immediately. At least he knew that Guyana, although weak by international standards, was a powerful voice in the world of Carribean politics and not to be toyed with. After the speeches, the park was quickly cleared by the Guyanese military police who waved us all away with guns in hand. I wondered at that point if we would get through the security later that night for the reception at the Canadian High Commissioner's private residence.

Finally, at 8 p.m. that night it was time for the reception for Mr. Trudeau. We were driven to the fete by Bill, the owner of "Bill's Guesthouse" where we had been staying while in Georgetown. Bill was so thrilled for us he had polished his car and sported a chauffeur's cap in our honour so we would feel special. We were under no illusions as to why we'd been invited. There were so few Canadians in Guyana other than a couple of bankers, geologists and bauxite miners that as tourists we were there to fill the ranks. We made it through the the security guarding the gates surrounding the compound where most of the foreign embassy residences were located, and clutching our invitations we breezed through the reception line shaking hands with the High Commissioner and some other nameless officials. Inside, there were very few guests other than a very noisy and somewhat inebriated press core huddled around the makeshift bar set up in the living room. A cameraman, in ripped blue jeans and a grease-stained shirt came over to hit on us. He was all of 19, and totally unaware of what and where Guyana was. "I'm only here to take pictures," he told us. In stark contrast to the rumpled press core, the guests were all dressed to the nines. My friend and I had managed to pull together a slightly more respectable look than the media guys but we were not what one would call dressed up, after all, we'd been on the road for almost a year and our clothes showed it.

Suddenly, HE was there, sweeping into the room through the reception line, sans Margaret. She'd been scheduled to come but as we learned later, had stayed behind in Jamaica because of complications caused by her pregnancy. The room went quiet and all eyes were focused on him. Mr. Trudeau looked so relaxed and so coolly casual in his white safari jacket and wide smile, that my friend Cheryl and I breathed a collective sigh of relief and waited to see what would happen next. He chatted for a few seconds with some people on the other side of the room when he caught sight of us staring at him. Before we knew it, he looked us square in the eyes, strode across the room directly over to us and said, "You're a long way from home. How long have you been in Guyana?" That was the beginning of the most incredible conversation of my entire trip. He listened so intently to our stories about our travels around South America, that we felt as if we were the only people in the room. We spoke both French and English to let him know that we were proud to be bilingual Canadians. At one point in the conversation he peppered us with questions about where we'd been in Canada and seemed pleased that we'd been "a mare usque ad mare" as my friend Cheryl so aptly put it. Behind him, I could see a number of official-looking dignitaries looking at their watches, pursing their lips, and shooting us dirty looks. Anxiously, I told Mr. Trudeau about them. He just smiled and said that he was enjoying his chat with us and that was all that mattered at the moment. Five minutes later someone tugged gently at his sleeve. Again, Mr. Trudeau just smiled and shrugged him away. It was then that I realized that he was truly the people's prime minister because it was more important to him at that moment, to talk to us, a couple of young wandering Canadians, than it was to be rushed off to do something else. He chatted with us about his own travels as a young man and before bidding us farewell about 30 minutes later he issued us an invitation to visit him and Margaret at 24 Sussex when we returned to Canada. Cheryl, my friend, chuckled as if to hint that she didn't really think it was a sincere gesture. Mr Trudeau, turned back to look at us as he was leaving and said, "I'm serious, come and see us when you get home. I want to know how the adventure ends." Our greatest regret is that we never took him up on it.

Now, 25 years later, overwhelmed with grief, I'm sitting here at my computer at 2:30 A.M. listening to CBC Newsworld relate stories about people who've come from all parts of Canada to Parliament Hill to pass by his flag-draped coffin to pay their respects and I'm haunted by the fact that none of us, especially those of us who loved and respected him will ever have the chance to experience his greatness again. We have lost Canada's conscience and soul. "Goodbye sweet prince whilst flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." You were a stateman, a father, and a true patriot who gave us a reason to believe that "with all its sham and drudgery its still a beautiful world."

Elisabeth Munsterhjelm
Windsor, Ontario

I was very young when he entered the scene in the late 60's by the late 70's I had joined the Canadian Armed Forces and was serving in Ottawa, when on numerous vonlunteered occasions met Mr. Trudeau. On one such occasion I was one of many volunteers serving tea & coffee to incoming dignitaries from all over the world.

One the dignitaries bumped into one of the vonlunteers and she spilt hot coffee all over him. He became very angry and started to curse, arms flying all over the place. The young lady kept apologizing and the dignitary wouldn't stop screaming at her. The Prime Minister was there in a flash, having witness this mishap. He then informed the gentleman to appologize as it was inappropriate and unrequired behaviour in this country. Humbled, the dignitary apologized and was attended by his spouse. The Prime Minister turned to the distraught young lady and smiled, he asked if she was O.K. He also mentionned that she had performed very well in the situation.

Instantly Mr. Trudeau became my hero! The situation was handled in less than two minutes and things resumed to normal. He was a great man for many obvious reasons, he commanded respect because he respected others. We, as a country will miss him dearly, but his memory will never die.

May he rest in peace.
Diane Cotton

As a former McGill grad student, I have fond memories of my daily walks from my apartment at the bottom of Cote des Neiges to Beatty Hall, where I studied to become a Speech-Language Pathologist during the mid-1990's. In an effort to get to class on time, I often cut through the "dog park" on Penfield and jogged up the infamous 6 flights of stairs to Pine Avenue, trying to catch my breath as I passed Mr. Trudeau's residence, which was just steps away from Beatty Hall.

On one particular quiet, dark, and cold winter night, I was returning home from an evening of research, and I found myself making the decision as to whether to continue down the well-lit Pine Avenue to the well-traveled Cote des Neiges or to take the quicker route which involved walking down the stairs to the park. The stairs were dark, full of shadows, and hidden by trees. In a moment of poor judgement, I turned and walked down the stairs. As I reached the half-way mark, a tall man, wearing a hat and a cape, seemed to appear our of nowhere. He seemed to be effortlessly travelling up the stairs toward me, at a moderate pace. My heart started to race, as I thought of my vulnerability in this potentially dangerous situation. Seconds later, this man tipped his hat and, in a gentle voice, said, "Good evening". I was so overcome with relief that I completely took for granted that I had just experienced my first encounter with Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

Our second meeting was far less traumatic, as he wished me a good morning on my way to write an early morning exam. On both occasions, I was somewhat overcome by his seemingly paradoxical qualities of being both worldly and approachable at the same time. In retrospect, I sometimes regret that I didn't have something more profound or complimentary to say to him during those brief encounters, as I sensed that he would have had the patience to listen. However, I also think that Mr. Trudeau, in all his worldliness, appreciated that he could walk out his front door and receive occasional greetings and silent respect from his various neighbours and the many students who crossed his path.

Yours sincerely,
Jennifer Poulin Newman
Windsor, Ontario

I had just finished a live show with a friend of mine and we were higher than kites because the show was so successful. We were walking down the hallway (at the Yonge and Eglinton location of TVOntario) there are restaurants, shops and a movie theatre located here. We were laughing and quite full of ourselves when my friend stopped in her tracks and said, "Lynda... Look!"

Coming up a flight of stairs was a lovely little girl walking along with with a gentleman in tow. I smiled at the child then looked up straight into the mischievous twinkling eyes of Pierre. I couldn't breathe. This was my hero. In person.

He had stopped half way up the stairs and we were half way down. My beautiful friend and I were grinning from ear to ear... it was contagious... he stopped and was grinning right back at us.... she put out her hand and said "It's an honour to meet you , sir." He shook her hand and turned to me and took my hand. I blurted out a few nonsense syllables and then said "I'm so excited! I've wanted to meet you all my life!" With a typical Trudeau shrug, he opened up both his arms and said "Well... Here I am." We all laughed. (I thought I might faint! Talk about a crush!) Then he said "And this is my little girl" This was her cue to pull on his hand and say "Let's go Daddy." He looked up at us and smiled and said "We're going to the movie." The last thing we saw, on this bright sunny afternoon, was a totally unescorted free man, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, hand-in-hand with his beautiful little daughter walking into a movie theatre that was playing "Barney."

God, I loved that man. I always will.

Lynda Pogue
Hillsburgh, Ontario

In 1970, I hitchhiked across Canada, going back to my roots in Ottawa. On a visit to Parliment Hill I came across a small group of people just outside the main entrance, they appeared to be waiting for something, cameras in hand. They were mostly woman and all gusseyed up in their best summer dresses. Me in my jeans, totting a Nelson Trapper on my back stood back to see what was happening.

Then he appeared, the woman squealed with delite and began to clap, Mr. Trudeau strode over to them and greeted everyone of them, I stood my distance watching the spectacle. He looked over and saw me standing there and left the group and came over to greet me, his security people scurried ahead of him to quickly check me out, he had a warm smile on his face and exstended his hand to me asking, "How far have you come?"
"Vancouver, BC," I said, shaking his hand.
"You're a long way from home."
"Not really," I said, "I was born in Ottawa."
"And where are you headed next?" he said.
"PEI," I said.
"Ahh yes, have a safe journey."

With that he thanked everyone and headed for his waiting car, his security people in tow. A small bit of time in my life, but it has stuck with me like glue. I know there are probably thousands of simaler occurances, but he made you feel like you were the most important one.

My condolences to Sacha, Justin and Margaret.

Yours,
Rod Gillis
Victoria, BC

When my father, Genzo Kitagawa, was invested with the Order of Canada in October of 1976, I accompanied him and mother to Ottawa. As my mother was confined to a wheelchair, I was given special permission to attend the investiture and the dinner reception after the ceremony. Lined up to enter the dining room I noticed Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau right behind us. I bent down to apply the brakes on the wheel chair to avoid bumping into the person in front of us. As I bent down, my pearl necklace caught the handle of the wheelchair and the pearls scattered all over the floor. Naturally, I was embarrassed and tried to retrieve the pearls. Mr. Trudeau without a moment's hesitation, went down on his knees to help me retrieve the pearls that had scattered in every direction. He recovered most of the pearls for me. He wore a beautiful cream coloured suit and looked very handsome. I was very thrilled and thankful for his help and realized that he was a very kind considerate, obliging and unpretentious person.

Every citizen of the country will be saddened by his passing and will be forever indebted to him for the legacy he has left us.

Mabel S. Tamaki
Regina, SK

It was that sudden change in his plans to stay longer amongst the immigrants that I will remember for ever. I will also remember the hundreds of cameras flashing with Trudeau standing by these people very much like Bishops do after people are confirmed. I am sure that each one of those family which took pictures that evening have taken them out and, as I have, placed them in a most prominent place on display in their home for their families and friends to see.

I believe what most people like that most about Trudeau was that he spoke directly to the people with words that people could understood with a fervor which encouraged us to practice our Canadianism, to get involved in making this country a better place it live in. People felt that they mattered. The right of democracy was alive and well in those days. Today, I feel a sense of rekindling of my senses that tells me to wake up again and make this country a place that works for the people again. A sense which, for the last many years, I have lost with nowadays the power of the financial institutions and the mega organizations dictating the essence of what this country should be. Two years ago I sent Trudeau a greeting card with red rose on it and thanked him for his commitment to the people of Canada. Now that he has gone from this land, I feel fulfilled that I had performed my role as a citizen remembering his sacrifice of one leader who gave it all he had and touched so many of us.

Thanks
Danny Bellissimo, Toronto

Anthony and Luanna Chernushenko

On a holiday to Nova Scotia some years later, my wife and I saw a public notice to come and meet PC candidate Mr. Mulroney at a coffee party in someone's house. We waited, with about 50 others on a hot August day, shorts and T-shirt the attire as holidayers. Mr. Mulroney went around the house, shaking everyone's hand, offering a friendly comment to all. When he got to me, he cooly said, "How did you get in here?" and carried right on. I wasn't dirty or sloppy but the contrast between what had been a Prime Minister's interest, and a future Prime Minister's disdain, when meeting one of the ordinary folk always stuck with me. The media's "arrogant Trudeau" and "blarney Mulroney" will forever make me skeptical of what we are shown.

The ensuing years have been a blur, but Mr. Trudeau's passing has refocussed my attention on how few leaders we have with a passion for people. All to frequent now is a face on camera trying to fashion power.

Denis Fagnan
Bonnyville, Alberta

I was visiting one of the hangers at the Ottawa Airport with an old friend of the family. In the hanger was a beautiful helicopter which had been recently painted red and white. The seating area in the helicopter was padded with red velvet. I climbed into the helicopter and was just sitting in it, possibly imagining that I was the pilot. From out of nowhere, a man came up to the helicopter. He popped his head inside and said "pretty nice isn't it?" Feeling a little frightened as I new I probably should not have been sitting in the helicopter, I replied yes.

The man asked me my name and I told him. He held out his hand and introduced himself as Pierre. I shook his hand in return. Then he asked if I minded if he was to join me. Into the cockpit he climbed and just sat there. After a few minutes, he took in a large breath, turned towards me, thanked me for letting him sit with me, shook my hand once again and left. When I returned to the person that brought me to visit the hanger, I told him what had happened. I told him the man said that his name was Pierre. My friend then told me that the man was Pierre Trudeau and it was his helicopter that I was sitting in. I asked him why he had a helicopter and he replied, "because he is the Prime Minister."

I will never forget that experience. I can see it all now as clear as if it had just happened. Pierre Trudeau had a very special and private side of him. One that most Canadians never saw. I feel very honored to have personally been a part of that side. Even if it was only for a few minutes and I really didn't know who he was at the time. I will miss him. Canada will miss him.

Robert Gallant
Ottawa, Ontario

The second time was as a Mountie providing him with personal security on his travels to the west, and he hadn't changed much, still full of drive and still providing us with his ideas of what Canada should be. I shared these memories with my staff at work today and with my oldest child who wanted to know more. We spoke at length. She thought it was important. She thought he must have had a big influence on how Canada has developed over the years. She was right.

He polarized Canadians I believe and confronted us to do something about our identity and we did. We have lost a great leader of our time and I believe we are a richer and more tolerant country due in part to his tenure as Prime Minister.

Ken Chambers
Edmonton, Alberta

To his family and the people of Canada I express my deep sympathy and sense of loss.

James C. Seeley
Dryden Ontario

He made me proud to be a bilingual Canadien! Merci, Mr Trudeau for everything you did for Canada. There will never be another like you!

Sylvia DiIorio

We as a family are realizing how Trudeau influenced our lives and our communities. My grandmother, Senator Margaret Norrie, was appointed to the Senate by Pierre Trudeau in 1972. This appointment gave Margaret the opportunity to influence improvement and growth in our community in Truro, Nova Scotia and in Atlantic Canada.

After many years, Margaret left a legacy of community leaders in our family. Margaret's daughter, Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain became the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, and Margaret's daughter-in-law, my mother, Eleanor Norrie, became a Cabinet Minister for Nova Scotia, the Minister responsible to bringing Natural Gas on shore in Nova Scotia.

It is tremendous the influence Trudeau has had on our family and the communities we live in. Trudeau opened the political door for our family which led to career and business success for our family and our community.

That influence opened doors for us as we were growing up. Without that, I would likely not find myself representing the 3rd largest sporting event in the world, The Edmonton 2001 8th IAAF World Championships in Athletics today.

Ask yourself, would you be in a different place in your life without Pierre Trudeau's influence on Canada? Just think how many other families in Canada and the world were influenced by Trudeau in a similar way.

Here is a webpage recognizing Senator Margaret Norrie.

Jackie Norrie
Edmonton

Monsieur Trudeau, I wear a red rose on my lapel for you today.

Chris J. Côté

He had style as well as substance, charisma, passion, morality and the great mind. He could also be tough. Just look at the newsreels of the FLQ crisis. That list of characteristics for one man is just not found in present day polititions, anywhere in the world. The last one I guess would have been Churchill. I met Trudeau once (well I shook his hand along with many, many, others) at the Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, U of A campus, where he got a very long standing ovation. This in the west where he was supposed to be enemy number one. I just remember thinking at the time, as now, that he was larger than life and a great man.

He will me missed.

Wayne Gill

Nancy Malek

Pierre Rochon
Vars, Ont.

I was 8 years old and our Grade 4 class was visiting Ottawa. We were given a tour of the Parliament buildings as part of our trip and our tour guide was the Honourable Donald MacDonald. One of my classmates was the late Roland Michener's granddaughter so we had this tour arranged for us as well as lunch at the Governor General's residence.

Mr. Trudeau came walking by us and stopped to chat with us. I asked him if he remembered my grandfather the now late Eric Arthur who wrote the book Toronto No Mean City amongst other books, and who spoke very highly of Mr. Trudeau. My grandfather had been to Ottawa on several occasions to meet Mr. Trudeau. Mr. Trudeau was gracious, kind and warm and told me of course he remembered my grandfather and remembered when he had won the Order Of Canada three years previous. He then gave me his rose from his lapel and told me "Tell your Grandfather hello from Pierre and tell him to write me." I was stunned and in awe!

I will miss him greatly as will all of Canada!

Sincerely,
Cally Specht nee Arthur
Toronto

I remember travelling by train from Calgary to Ottawa in 1968, thinking of this new PM running for election, and that he was single and many thought the PM should really be a married family man. He was certainly an energetic and entertaining person, and Canada needed someone new and different.

I met PM Trudeau, just after the wage controls were imposed, and he and Sacha had been surveying the new proposed Kluane National Park. One of us had to go out and say hello, and he said "I didn't think you would want to talk to me now, refering the wage controls. No problem, to say hi to him was important anytime!

For humour, I gave Sacha a pair of red goggles used to get our eyes used to the dark for night weather observations. When Sacha went out to the helicopter wearing those, stumbling along, Pierre thought that was a most humorous vision to behold.

I am quite bereved, as I am sure most Canadians are today. No one in my memory has had such a favourable international presence, or at home, than the one who coined the phrase "Just watch me!"

Brian A. Balderson
Professional Radio Operator

Trudeau lived life with a passion that has not been equaled since. Canada became known worldwide because of this man's charisma and strong beliefs.

Thank you Mr. Trudeau. You will remain forever in the minds and hearts of Candians that had the opportunity to live during your reign.

Lorraine Beauchamp

I am saddened to hear we have lost a true visionary of Canada.

Eduardo Pabustan

It is a sad day in Canada. Thank you for your dignified coverage of Mr. Trudeau's death.

I am but 30, and yet I can very clearly remember the day I shook Mr. Trudeau's hand. I was 4. My grandfather was a city counsellor in Niagara Falls, and with him, I was in a receiving line when Mr. Trudeau visited Niagara during the campaign.

I have always remembered that day as special.

I saw him again at a rally, again in Niagara Falls, in 1980, just from the audience. That day too remains clear in my memory.

I never got to vote for the Liberal party led by Mr. Trudeau, but I would like to think I would have had he still been in office when I came of age.

Godspeed to a great Canadian.

Robert Pearson
Mississauga, Ontario

Serge Watso
Chateauguay, QC