Forty-one years ago on February 28, 1984, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, father of current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, took his famous ‘walk in the snow’ in Ottawa and announced to the world that he was retiring from politics.
Pierre Trudeau became an instant domineering politician on the Canadian landscape during a crisis around national unity in the late 60’s. Quebec was considering leaving Canada, Indigenous people were feeling disenfranchised, and Canadians were feeling disillusioned over social issues such as gender, ethnicity and sexuality.
Fast forward to 2025, has anything really changed?
Pierre Trudeau was characterized as charismatic and intellectual, resolute and moody, a trailblazer and gunslinger. In 1968, Canada had never experienced a leader with such flair and directness. He served his country for 15 years and 164 days. He was a difficult leader during difficult times.
When Trudeau senior decided to retire, his decision was carefully contemplated and not a spur-of-the moment decision made during a typical cold, wintry Ottawa day during the Parliamentary winter break.
Justin Trudeau seems to have taken a page out of his father’s playbook and he too spent the recent Christmas holiday and break from Parliament to spend time with his family, consult his close advisors and friends, and ultimately discuss the decision to resign with his children the night before taking his own ‘walk in the snow’ on January 6, 2025. Trudeau will stay on as Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada until the party holds a competitive leadership race and a new leader emerges to replace him. After this, a federal election will no doubt be called, and a new Prime Minister will be elected.
Trudeau has asked the Governor General to prorogue Parliament until March 24th, 2025 a little shy of three months from now. Like his father before him, Pierre Trudeau served four more months after announcing his resignation, Justin will serve almost three.
The history books will characterize the first child of Pierre Trudeau and Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister as charismatic, yet impulsive, a passionate fighter, but perhaps immature, a self-defined feminist, yet bully to some females. Justin will have served his country for 9 years and 150 or so days when he leaves office and managed one of the longest serving minority governments in Canadian history.
Many pundits, liberal colleagues and opposition members have expressed that Justin should have taken this ‘walk in the snow’ a while ago. Similar to his father, who also delayed his leave from politics when he realized that history would judge him as disappointing. Unfortunately, history may repeat itself for the current Trudeau.