Trudeau “Just Society”

Biography  Pierre Elliott Trudeau – born into wealth and privilege in 1919  Has always fought for social justice Political Activism – beginnings  Spoke out against conscription during WWII  Supported mine workers in town of Asbestos  Campaigned against Duplessis’s Union Nationale – insisting the Quebec’s political elite must change  1960 – criticized federal government for accepting nuclear weapons and for giving the provinces too much power

Trudeau Bio cont.  1965 – Trudeau joins the Liberal Party Pearson recognizes the Liberals need for strong support in Quebec believed that the best way to change the political system was to work within it  1965 – elected MP for Mount Royal in Montreal  Federalist

Trudeau - Politics  1967 – Trudeau Minister of Justice – introduces radical changes in sensitive legal areas  Committed to federalism: Canada’s federal government must maintain central authority over the provinces  1967 – Pearson retires. Trudeau - leader of the Liberal Party 1.Liberalized divorce laws. Added physical and mental cruelty, as well as adultery, as reasonable grounds for divorce 2. Criminal Code: legalized abortion and prostitution 3. Decriminalized homosexuality “The state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation”

Trudeau - Politics 1968 Election Campaign  Trudeaumania  Witty, Charismatic, spontaneous, rich, single, and youngish (40’s)  Drove a sports car, fashionable, danced in public – tailor made for TV  Popularity tied directly into social undercurrents of the late 1960’s – Change was in the air

Trudeau - Politics  Trudeaumania swept the nation.  Trudeau’s liberals won the 1968 election Canada’s first majority in over a decade

Trudeau – The Just Society  “Just Society” – to strike a balance between individual liberty and social justice  Worked to create a federal system in with all provinces were equal – aimed at helping all Canadians feel Canada was their home as well as their province  Introduced the Official Languages Act 1969  Protected the rights of minorities

The Just Society - Multiculturalism  1971 – “Policy of multiculturalism within a bilingual framework”  Multicultural Policy was meant to allow ethnic groups to preserve their cultural heritage  Question remained: How could the government support a diversity of cultures and also foster Canadian identity? Diversity = Canadian Identity???

Trudeau – The Just Society Immigration  Canada built on immigration  Canadians rejected the American policy of the “melting pot”. Canadians opted for the idea of a “cultural mosaic”  Point system introduced to immigration law – to make the process “colour blind”  1970s birthrates declined and we became more dependant on immigration

Trudeau – The Just Society Women Royal Commission on the Status of Women Commission explored such topics as the economy, education, the family, child care, poverty, immigration and the law 1971 – Made 167 recommendations

Other considerations - Women  Limitations placed on women due to their fertility  Pregnancy  Child-care responsibilities  Women have fought to have more control of their fertility  Birth Control  Abortion\ Video – Peoples History

Women – R C on S of W Recommendations  Addressed the rights of women in areas of the workforce, education, law  Also include such things as maternity leave, publicly supported daycare and pay equity “equal pay for equal work” Song – I am woman by Helen ReddyI am woman  1982 Women won equality rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Outcome  Despite recommendations being put into law women still: Are more likely to live below the poverty line limited to the “Pink Ghetto” – clerical, retail, and caring professions – tend to be lower paying Tend not to get the promotion because they continue to have ‘home’ responsibilities as well as workplace responsibilities  Women continue to be the victimized by violence

First Nations  Originally helped Europeans settle  Trade partners  Military allies

First Nations continued  Europeans set out to conquer First Nations peoples  Took their land  Religious conversion  Reservations and reserves  Policy of Assimilation Denied cultural celebrations – Sundance, Potlatch… Residential school  Denied their language  Separated from their families  Abused  Taught menial tasks  ………  Past governments attempted to limit and control the First Nations population

The White Paper of 1969  Goal: to enable First Nations to achieve integration and equality with other Canadians  Proposed to eliminate Indian status, traditional rights and treaty rights  Was issued with any consultation with First Nations  First Nations were out-raged and organized politically  Government withdrew its ‘White Paper”

Canada’s Indian Act  1876 – First Indian Act – defined “Indian” in a legal sense Outlined the rights and regulations under which Canada’s Aboriginal population was required to live Attempt to assimilate Aboriginal people  1951 – New Indian Act, amended in Registered (status) or non-status Indians Indian Act – give equal status to all as guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms