70 Year Magazine Archive

Canada after Trudeau

by Donald Coxe

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For a year he had reveled in his role as centerpiece of the national guessing game. When he finally announced his retirement as Liberal leader it was on February 29, ensuring that Canadians could only celebrate its anniversary quadrennially.

When Pierre Trudeau burst onto the national scene in 1968, it was as a popular figure who could unify the nation. Fifteen years and numerous disappointments later, he was a reverse force for national unity, hated from sea to sea. A Canadian entering a gathering anywhere in the country could count on establishing instant contact with strangers by making an anti-Trudeau remark. Canadian unity is a fragile thing, and Trudeauphobia has recently been its glue.

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