Joseph Planta's Commentary - thecommentary.ca

Thursday, 24 March 2005

Knowing Pierre Trudeau

By Joseph Planta

VANCOUVER - Yesterday, on the interview segment I host here at THECOMMENTARY.CA, I spoke with the author and journalist Nancy Southam. She's just edited a new book called Pierre: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew (McClelland and Stewart, 2005), where over 100 people of varying degrees of fame and infamy share their reminiscences of the former prime minister.

It's easy to think this is another hagiography, or better yet another gossipy tome about the life of Trudeau, who for a man who's been out of political life nearly over 21 years now, and dead for four and a half, has inspired much literature-good or bad, never indifferent. There was a book edited by Andrew Cohen and J.L. Granatstein on Trudeau and his legacy called Trudeau's Shadow (Random House, 1999). This book was interesting for two essays I've always remembered, one by Linda Griffiths about dancing with Trudeau, and a melancholy piece by B.W. Powe (who's also in Pierre) about the lion in winter, Trudeau in retirement. Sure, there were political dissections and the sort, but the personal side of Trudeau has always been fascinating, whether you agreed with him or not.

Southam has done a remarkable job in culling together such thoughtful, heartfelt and honest remembrances of Trudeau. She focuses on the last sort of third of Trudeau's life if for no other reason than she knew him best in the last 20 years or so; as well as people from Trudeau's childhood are few and far between. There's enough in this book to satisfy the gossipmongers amongst us. What was Trudeau like as a boyfriend? Read Margot Kidder's surprisingly honest and frank piece about knowing Trudeau up close and oh so personal. Or the pieces from broads like Barbra Streisand, Gale Zoë Garnett, Jennifer Rae, and Kristin Bennett. (Southam told Rafe Mair that she had wanted to call this chapter 'Broads' instead of 'Women' which was eventually settled on.)

What was Trudeau like with his sons? Read the half a dozen or so essays from people who saw Trudeau the father behind the scenes-women like nannies, as well as friends of the Trudeau boys who tell about the unvarnished and deep love of a father towards his sons. For his exploits as an outdoorsman, there's a section of pieces from frequent canoe buddies. Terry Mosher also known as Aislin, the famous cartoonist, provides some remembrances from his wicked pencil.

Southam is perhaps one of the few people who actually would call Trudeau up, when he was in office and when he was out, and ask him out to go to mass. Their friendship was forged in a similar quest for understanding religion. Trudeau's faith, which was deep, abiding and private, sustained him throughout his life. Southam does away with the misconception that Trudeau had died an earlier death so broken from the fact that his son Michel had predeceased. Southam, who recently completed a Master's degree in theology with Jesuits in Cambridge, Massachusetts, had some remarkable discussions with Trudeau about faith and about the meaning of life. As I told Southam during our interview, the chapter with contributions from others such as Allan J. MacEachen, Robert Manning, Michael Higgins, and Laurence Freeman, is so insightful and personal, even satisfying spiritually. Very often, we understand the totality of life and the significance of who we are, through the experiences and existential convulsions of others. As a lapsed Catholic myself, it probably helped me in understanding my faith.

The book is also full of remarkable insights of Trudeau as prime minister. Aides and colleagues fill the pages with their thoughts on the man; people like Marc Lalonde, Joyce Fairbairn, Patrick Gossage, Tim Porteous, Jerry Grafstein, Jean Chrétien and Jacques Hébert provide their testimony about what they thought of the man who retained them. That's a very curious way of putting it, but that's the sense one gets. Few were really friends with Trudeau; most who were close to him would properly be termed retainers. As well, the book provides a differing view of Trudeau, from such individuals like Conrad Black and Joe Clark.

The book neither canonises nor decries Trudeau. It provides a view of the man, who he was (if at all possible to define), and what he meant to so many people. I made mention of one photograph in the book, of the author's mother, Jean MacMillan Southam. Mrs. Southam, the daughter of H.R. MacMillan and wife of a newspaper Southam, is pictured gazing googly-eyed at Trudeau. It's such a priceless photograph because with the accompanying contribution by Mrs. Southam, you get the real sense of how charismatic this man was, how charming and fascinating he must have been in person, let alone from afar, which is how many Canadians viewed him in his years at the fore of Canadian consciousness. And he was that, even for people who didn't agree with his political views.

When he died in 2000, the nation mourned like never before, and possibly like never again. His passing not only marked the end of an era, but the end of the life of a man who truly was larger than life. Pierre: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew edited by Nancy Southam sheds a bit more light into who he was, and signals again, what he meant to Canadians. And quite possibly, the book allows Trudeau to dance again, if only in the memories of this book's contributors.

Pierre: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew (ISBN: 0771081650), edited by Nancy Southam, is published by McClelland and Stewart and is $37.99 CDN ($28.95 USD).

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The Metro Theatre at 1370 SW Marine Drive will be featuring, beginning this Saturday, 26 March through to Saturday, 23 April 2005, a production of Guys and Dolls. A story and characters by Damon Runyon provide the backdrop for a show made more melodic by the words and music of Frank Loesser. It's one of those landmarks in musical theatre thanks to such classics as "Luck Be a Lady," Fugue for Tinhorns," and "The Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York." Three favourites are in this show: "I'll Know," "I've Never Been in Love Before," and "My Time of Day," which is probably the anthem of insomniacs the world over. Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays, and tickets are $21.00 and $18.00. Call the box office for details: 604.266.7191.

Nancy Southam talked with The Commentary's Joseph Planta in an interview that can be found here: http://www.thecommentary.ca/ontheline/20050323a.html

Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Pierre: Colleagues and Friends Talk about the Trudeau They Knew

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Questions and comments may be sent to: editor@thecommentary.ca

An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE.