# Eulogy For The Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau



## Michael Dorosh (29 Sep 2000)

Anyone?  Anyone at all?


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## the patriot (30 Sep 2000)

He did more to preserve this country, than those that have come after him with respect to the Prime Minister‘s Office.

He had the guts do what was right for the country as a whole, rather than follow what was popular.

He gave this nation an identity when it was still desperately searching for one.

Above all, he did the common duty uncommonly well.


-the patriot-


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## Brad Sallows (2 Oct 2000)

I believe when I die it shall be knowing he was our greatest Prime Minister of my own lifetime.  He had genuine, extraordinary, timely vision.  His contribution to Canada will surpass his own mortality if reflection upon his life imparts a nobler sense of purpose to the extant leadership on the possible threshold of a federal election.

(Forgive me now for mangling the words of great men, including his, to further express my own thoughts.)

He surpassed a highly esteemed predecessor and contemporary, John F Kennedy; he brought us to ask what Canada could do for the world.

He was figuratively large in life, and I believe will be even more so in death.  Just watch him.


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## Michael Dorosh (3 Oct 2000)

Personally, I hope he stays in the public memory a long time too.  Better people should remember the decisions he inflicted on Canada, so as to avoid similar mistakes in the future.  Unification, bilingualism, the NEP stand out, but of course I don‘t live in Toronto.  National Energy what, you ask?

He was a man who loved his country so much he refused to volunteer for overseas service when men his age were dying at the hands of two criminal empires.  (I would like to know where Byfield got the idea that he rode around Montreal wearing a swastika during the early 40‘s - I hope that was not simple pique on Byfield‘s part).

Later, with the Cold War being waged against the 20th Century‘s third great evil empire, he set about dismantling Canada‘s Army, causing it such damage that the effects are still felt (and it goes waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond cosmetics like the CF Green bus driver suit).   Deficit spending was another wonderful idea.  The Constitution that doesn‘t protect individual property rights is another lulu.

But at least he stood by his decisions, unlike the milquetoasts who have come in his wake.  If nothing else, PET pissed standing up.  It‘s just too bad he chose to do his pissing all over both the west and the Forces.

And that is MY pissing bout for the week!  

RIP.


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## Brad Sallows (3 Oct 2000)

Seen through a strictly military lens, I suppose he does not shine.  However, I have come to learn that there is more to Canada than an army.


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## Mud Crawler (3 Oct 2000)

I dont really agree with his ideas but, i think he opened alot of doors for quebec in the rest of canada and i think he put Canada on the world map.He was a very good man, honest and non-hypocrit.I salute the man


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## bossi (3 Oct 2000)

Personally, I‘m not sure he led us in the right direction, but at least he was a real leader, and had the gonads to deal forcefully with the FLQ 30 years ago (unlike The Little Thug From Shawinigan, and the other vacillating worms who infest Parliament as we speak).

Here is a more articulate viewpoint from a friend of mine, titled:  Let‘s get this straight, OK?

It is sad that Canadians do not remember the real Trudeau, and choose instead to accept the filtered nonsense that is fed to them by the CBC and the Liberal senate.  Of course, since the CBC is governed by appointees of the Liberal Party, it should not be a surprise to any intelligent Canadian that an interesting and sanitized version of his life is inflicted on us on an hourly basis.

He was a profoundly intelligent Canadian, and had perhaps one of the most lasting impacts of any Prime Minister of this century.  Most recently, when reconciliation with Quebec was at hand at Meech Lake and again at Charlottetown, he stepped in, ever so jealous that he was not on centre stage, and did his level and arrogant best to spoil the agreement, and our chances of finally developing as a nation.  It is astonishing that Canadians even after witnessing him express his views on this allow this to be glossed over by the media and the Liberals, but then that is part of our political culture.  Be stupid and forget.

Particularly disgusting was his penchant for wearing a swaztika in the streets of Montreal after the Second World War was over.  Thousands of families across Canada were mourning the loss of their sons and daughters who over six years had travelled far away from home, had sacrificed their hopes and dreams, and given their lives to fight and defeat Hitler and his regime.  Yet Trudeau had encouraged Quebecers to refuse to participate, calling it a war for the British Empire.  This was the beginning of his practice of revisionism to suit his needs, a skill which he would hone for later uses.  For years later his efforts would embitter the veterans who had fought to save Western Europe and Canada from tyranny, and would prove to be a profoundly divisive issue between Quebec and the rest of Canada.  That he could be so insensitve to 6,000,000 jews who had been murdered is monstrous, but hardly surprising, for he had no moral issue with ignoring other people‘s misery.


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## bossi (3 Oct 2000)

Here is the text of the eulogy given by Justin Trudeau for his father:

"Friends, Romans, countrymen . . . 

I was about six years old when I went on my first official trip. I was going with my father and my grandpa Sinclair up to the North Pole. 

It was a very glamorous destination. But the best thing about it is that I was going to be spending lots of time with my dad because in Ottawa he just worked so hard. 

One day, we were in Alert, Canada‘s northernmost point, a scientific military installation that seemed to consist entirely of low shed-like buildings and warehouses. 

Let‘s be honest. I was six. There were no brothers around to play with and I was getting a little bored because dad still somehow had a lot of work to do. 

I remember a frozen, windswept Arctic afternoon when I was bundled up into a Jeep and hustled out on a special top-secret mission. I figured I was finally going to be let in on the reason of this high-security Arctic base. 

I was exactly right. 

We drove slowly through and past the buildings, all of them very grey and windy. We rounded a corner and came upon a red one. We stopped. I got out of the Jeep and started to crunch across towards the front door. I was told, no, to the window. 

So I clamboured over the snowbank, was boosted up to the window, rubbed my sleeve against the frosty glass to see inside and as my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I saw a figure, hunched over one of many worktables that seemed very cluttered. He was wearing a red suit with that furry white trim. 

And that‘s when I understood just how powerful and wonderful my father was. 

Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The very words convey so many things to so many people. Statesman, intellectual, professor, adversary, outdoorsman, lawyer, journalist, author, prime minister. 

But more than anything, to me, he was dad. 

And what a dad. He loved us with the passion and the devotion that encompassed his life. He taught us to believe in ourselves, to stand up for ourselves, to know ourselves and to accept responsibility for ourselves. 

We knew we were the luckiest kids in the world. And we had done nothing to actually deserve it.  

It was instead something that we would have to spend the rest of our lives to work very hard to live up to. 

He gave us a lot of tools. We were taught to take nothing for granted. He doted on us but didn‘t indulge. 

Many people say he didn‘t suffer fools gladly, but I‘ll have you know he had infinite patience with us. 

He encouraged us to push ourselves, to test limits, to challenge anyone and anything. 

There were certain basic principles that could never be compromised. 

As I guess it is for most kids, in Grade 3, it was always a real treat to visit my dad at work. 

As on previous visits this particular occasion included a lunch at the parliamentary restaurant which always seemed to be terribly important and full of serious people that I didn‘t recognize. 

But at eight, I was becoming politically aware. And I recognized one whom I knew to be one of my father‘s chief rivals. 

Thinking of pleasing my father, I told a joke about him -- a generic, silly little grade school thing. 

My father looked at me sternly with that look I would learn to know so well, and said: `Justin, Never attack the individual. We can be in total disagreement with someone without denigrating them as a consequence.‘ 

Saying that, he stood up and took me by the hand and brought me over to introduce me to this man. He was a nice man who was eating there with his daughter, a nice-looking blond girl a little younger than I was. 

He spoke to me in a friendly manner for a bit and it was at that point that I understood that having opinions that are different from those of another does not preclude one being deserving of respect as an individual. 

This simple tolerance and (recognition of) the real and profound dimensions of each human being, regardless of beliefs, origins, or values â€” that‘s what he expected of his children and that‘s what he expected of our country. 

He demanded this with love, love of his sons, love of his country, and it‘s for this that we so love the letters, the flowers, the dignity of the crowds, and we say to him, farewell. 

All that to thank him for having loved us so much. 

My father‘s fundamental belief never came from a textbook. It stemmed from his deep love for and faith in all Canadians and over the past few days, with every card, every rose, every tear, every wave and every pirouette, you returned his love. 

It means the world to Sacha and me. 

Thank you. 

We have gathered from coast to coast to coast, from one ocean to another, united in our grief, to say goodbye. 

But this is not the end. He left politics in ‘84. But he came back for Meech. He came back for Charlottetown. He came back to remind us of who we are and what we‘re all capable of. 

But he won‘t be coming back anymore. It‘s all up to us, all of us, now. 

The woods are lovely, dark and deep. He has kept his promises and earned his sleep. 

Je t‘aime Papa."


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## Brad Sallows (3 Oct 2000)

What exactly are we supposed to get straight?

Trudeau single-handledly sabotaged Meech and Charlottetown out of spite?  (Odd behaviour to attribute to so rational a man who had done so much to deflate separatism; perhaps (gasp!) he actually had considered reasons for opposing the initiatives.)

I would be interested in seeing some proof of allegations that he paraded around displaying a swastika; even given that to be true, the context in which it was displayed would be useful.  Bear in mind the Nazis had practiced cultural appropriation of a symbol held in high regard originally.

Canada‘s participation early in WWII was blatantly a rally round the Empire.  That may have changed over years as the nature of the enemy became more apparent, but I don‘t fault French-Canadians for their beliefs and attitudes.  Les Habitants have never held any particularly high regard for either our British or French imperial forebears.

And again, after all is said and done, the army perspective is a narrow lens.


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## Mud Crawler (4 Oct 2000)

It‘s true Trudeau didnt help with meetch, but i wouldnt say he sabotaged it, in the end, its the fault of that tribe leader who didnt understand shit about what was happening and refused the rpoposal.If he had accepted, there would probably be no talk about a referendum today.
personnaly, i never heard he wore a swastika in the streets of montéal and im sure he was sensible to the deaths of the jews, who wasnt?
Though i agree with one thing, Chrétien is a dumb-ass ans i can‘t wait till he gets out of the parliamment.


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## Mud Crawler (4 Oct 2000)

And could anyone answer my desperate call for help? its in the general menu. PLEASE! Thanks in advance


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## Michael Dorosh (4 Oct 2000)

Mudcrawler, your knowledge of Canadian history is appalling. You want to know who was insensitive to the murder of 6 million Jews?

THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT!!!!  We only allowed a handful of Jewish refugees into Canada during WW II - Mackenzie King and his cabinet were almost as anti-semetic as Julius Streicher himself!


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## the patriot (4 Oct 2000)

Hello,

I find this odd that a eulogy would end up insulting and defiling a man within 2 days of his burial. I find this particulary revolting, considering there are many coloured minorities in the military today that would not be here if it had not been for Trudeau‘s government allowing the relaxation of immigration policy to let their parents into this country. 

In regards to other issues mentioned in the previous threads.
The swastika is a Hindu religious symbol which was perversely misused by Adolf Hitler and his cronies. For those who are not up to speed on this, I suggest you do some personal research at your local Asian Studies department in your city‘s university.
As for the anti-semetic remarks, this can‘t be possible when Mr. Trudeau was serving in the COTC at the time of the war.  Furthermore, it was under Trudeau‘s administration that the Canadian Airborne Regiment was created.  The Black Wotch lives on as 2RCR (and still exists in Montreal; and by the way, Trudeau is half scottish).  At the time each regular infantry regiment had 2 battalions.  What happened after 1968 was that there were now three regiments with 3 battalions respectively on the reg force order of battle.  As for other commentary such as that referring to the defense cuts of the day.  Blame the generals that implemented unification and the death of the regiments from the army in 1968.  The Minister of Defense in 1968 made his decisions on the basis of the advice given to him from the generals, admirals, and air marshalls.  As you can see there was probably quite a bit of inter-branch politics that was quite ugly, that we probably will never know anything about.

-the patriot-


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## Michael Dorosh (4 Oct 2000)

Patriot;

The Calgary Herald regularly used swastikas (identical to the "Nazi" hakenkruez) in the 1920s and 1930s as border art for a column on dogs, so I am familiar with its other uses.

Suffice to say that by 1939, it was a symbol widely associated with Nazi Germany.  One American infantry division changed its insignia during WW II because it contained that symbol.  The Herald, not surprisingly, stopped using it as border art.  I kind of wonder what would possess anyone to display it in 1940; the dearly departed was known for making waves.  Your explaining away the true origins of the swastika symbol, while accurate, comes across as lame apologia indeed.  If you are aware of some East Indian cultural cause the dearly departed was sponsoring while wearing this symbol, perhaps you could enlighten us now; otherwise I fear you are merely muddying the waters to no purpose.  But your point is taken.

I am not completely up on my history of the late 1960s, but I was under the impression we had the RCR, PPCLI, Van Doos, Black Watch, Queen‘s Own Rifles, Canadian Guards and Airborne Regiments.  At 2 battalions apiece (1 for the Airborne), that is 13 battalions.   With 3 each of RCR, PPCLI, and Van Doos, plus the airborne, that is 10.  Am I missing something?

The point here also is that the Guards and the Black Watch represented very strongly our ties to Britain; something the freshly deceased was in favour of stomping out.  I am all for having our own traditions, and I suspect ties to the monarchy may indeed be destined for eventual extinction, but any army based on the regimental system has to have SOME form of traditions and heritage to call its own.  Unification was a giant vacuum into which many, many of our traditions and sources of pride got sucked away never to return.


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## Mud Crawler (5 Oct 2000)

To Dorosh,
why diminish me by sayin my knoledge of canadian history is so appaling?I just expressed my point of view and if it offends you, well, thats just too bad for you.
I‘ll reply to you that, a jewish Ontario officer, i dont remember his name, after the end of WWII, participated in the jewish effort to retake to palestinians their homeland. He lead many jewish into battle and participated in the rebuilding of the jewish state. Hepersonnaly knew the last 3 or 4 presidents of Israel.So much for canadian history.
As for Trudeau, his image for doing waves comes from teh fact that he went in china before teh americans to open doors for trade, and Cuba as well.On the other hand(or end, i dont know how to write it), when Chekoslovakians opposed the communist regime, at the moment they fled because russians had taken it back, we became home for the majority of teh 27 000 refugees fleeing the the then communist gov.
It is true that Trudeau called on the law on war mesures during the October crisis, personnaly i think he coulda restrained the zeal of cops who arrest close to 200 ppl who did have anything to do with the FLQ but, i dont believe posing bombs and murdering ppl is teh way to get things going, even tho im a quebecer, I think he did right.


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## Michael Dorosh (5 Oct 2000)

If we are having a discussion of the Canadian government‘s role in helping Jewish refugees in WW II, what does the actions of an individual who moved to Israel have to do with it?  Was he sanctioned or subsidized by the Canadian government?  Seems rather irrelevant to me.

I agree with you re: Trudeau‘s use of the Army in regards to the FLQ.  I wonder, though, if the FLQ crisis hadn‘t happened, if the Army might have been cut back even further than it already was.  Perhaps, looking through our narrow military lens, we should thank the FLQ - sort of the same way the Royal Navy should thank Argentina, for if it wasn‘t for the Falklands/Malvinas war, they would have suffered dire cutbacks themselves.


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## Brad Sallows (5 Oct 2000)

>something the freshly deceased was in favour of stomping out. I am all for having our own traditions, and I suspect ties to the monarchy may indeed be destined for eventual extinction

Actually, the evidence seems to indicate the deceased had no agenda to stomp anything cultural out unless there was a greater purpose to be served.  If you get a chance to view McKenna‘s documentary, listen to what Trudeau said about our ties to monarchy.  In essence, he didn‘t think it was broken, so he had no intention of wasting any time or energy trying to fix it.


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## Brad Sallows (5 Oct 2000)

I also think patriot makes an important point.  We are fond of blaming various political figures and governments for a perceived lessening of the military, but we really don‘t know how many of our problems have resulted from turf wars between guys wearing a uniform.


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## Mud Crawler (6 Oct 2000)

Dorosh
My explaining of that guys actions was jus to demonstrate i have a knowledge of canadian history, but were loosing the essence of why that post was put on, it was to honour a man, not his politics and wasnt at all intended to start a fight over some political opinions. So show you‘re a mature man and stop fighting over some petty opinions.

Trudeau once said, regarding to the FLQ‘s action, that he was for a rationnal talk over separatisimn, not armed conflic.In the same path, lets keep friction to a minimun


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