Pierre Trudeau and Margaret
A Love Story
In 1967, Pierre Elliot Trudeau took Canada by storm. With a background in law and politics and a charisma that few could resist. This popularity became known as Trudeaumania. His fans ranged from senior citizens to children. Girls screamed and shouted when he appeared on stage, like he was a rock star.
Elected Prime Minister of Canada in 1968, he led the country until 1984, except for a nine-month period when Joe Clark, after defeating Trudeau in the election, came to power. Clark's government was defeated on a motion of non-confidence. and Trudeau regained leadership.
In 1967, while vacationing in Tahiti, Trudeau met Margaret Sinclair. She barely remembered the encounter, but she had caught the eye of the future Prime Minister and he began his courtship.
Pierre Trudeau was born in 1919, Margaret Sinclair in 1948. Despite the almost 30 year age difference, the two became very close. This was perhaps due to their political backgrounds. Margaret Sinclair was the daughter of James Sinclair, a former Liberal Member of Parliament and former Minister of Fisheries.
Trudeau was elected Prime Minister in 1968, and three years later, he and Margaret married in a private ceremony, breaking the hearts, I'm sure, of many young girls. The marriage seemed smooth, at least on the surface. On December 25, 1971, their son, Justin was born. Two years later, again on December 25, Margaret gave birth to their second son, Alexander (Sasha) and on November 13, 1998, The third son, Michel, was born.
But beneath the smooth public surface of the marriage, dangerous undercurrents were pulling the couple apart. Pierre, busy running the country, left Margaret alone to raise the boys. Feeling lonely and neglected, Margaret rebelled.
She disrupted political functions with her mode of dress and inappropriate remarks. Rumors flew about her her close relationship with Fidel Castro, and possible affairs with Ted Kennedy and Geraldo Rivera. She was also rumored to have had an affair with Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones.
The marriage went rapidly downhill, and in 1984, the thirteen-year-old marriage ended in divorce.
A short time later, Margaret Trudeau married an Ottawa real-estate developer, Fried Kemper. That marriage, too, ended in divorce in 2000.
Despite the divorce, Margaret and Pierre remained close when it came to the boys. Their youngest son, Michel, was an outdoorsman. In 1998, he was swept away and killed in an avalanche in Kokanee Glacier Park, B.C. Margaret was at Pierre's side during the funeral.
On September 6, 2000, another death rocked the nation. Pierre Elliot Trudeau, at the age of 80 died from prostate cancer. He also suffered from Parkinson's disease.
Margaret Trudeau Kemper attended the funeral and stood with her sons, Justin and Sasha, as her former husband was laid to rest.
What do you think about this article?
More in History
Latest Articles