Pierre:: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew

Pierre: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew

It has been more than three decades since the heady days of Trudeaumania, and yet Pierre Elliott Trudeau is still a subject of intense public fascination. When Trudeau died in 2000, the outpouring of emotion was extraordinary. Thousands of people across Canada – and all over the world – mourned the loss of one of our greatest prime ministers, a man who touched the hearts and challenged the minds of a nation.

As Trudeau’s close friend, Nancy Southam has gathered more than one hundred and fifty reminiscences and anecdotal narratives about him from all over the globe. Included in this astonishing collection are stories from people who worked for Trudeau in the PMO, long-time friends, journalists, former world leaders, politicians who battled and debated him, his sons’ friends, RCMP bodyguards, girlfriends, canoeing buddies, the household staff at the prime ministerial residences, and those who glimpsed his religious life. With the blessing of his sons, Justin and Sacha, Southam has put together a remarkably transparent account of an intensely private man that is funny, affectionate, moving, startling, and emotional.

Among the contributors are Monique Bégin, Conrad Black, Jimmy Carter, Jean Chrétien, Joe Clark, Leonard Cohen, Jim Coutts, Joyce Fairbairn, John Kenneth Galbraith, Ivan Head, Jacques Hébert, Margot Kidder, Toni Onley, Christopher Plummer, Karen Kain, Marc Lalonde, Harrison McCain, Gordon Pinsent, Roy Romanow, Ed Schreyer, and Barbra Streisand. These pieces are accompanied by over a hundred photographs and illustrations – some published here for the first time.

Honest, illuminating, and heartfelt, this collection adds greatly to the historical record of Trudeau, and sheds fresh light on the private man.

Journalist and author Nancy Southam has worked for a variety of Canadian newspapers and magazines. She has previously edited a book entitled Remembering Richard: An Informal Portrait of Richard Hatfield. Southam was a neighbour, travelling companion, and close friend of Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s in Montreal.