Here’s a look at the life of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Personal
Birth date: December 25, 1971
Birth place: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Birth name: Justin Pierre James Trudeau
Father: Pierre Elliot Trudeau, former prime minister of Canada (1968-1979 and 1980-1984)
Mother: Margaret (Sinclair) Trudeau
Marriage: Sophie Grégoire (May 2005-2023, separated)
Children: Hadrien, 2014; Ella-Grace Margaret, 2009; Xavier James, 2007
Education: McGill University, B.A., 1994; University of British Columbia, B.Ed., 1998
Religion: Roman Catholic
Other Facts
Trudeau is the first child of a Canadian prime minister to become prime minister himself.
Has worked as a snowboarding instructor, nightclub bouncer and camp counselor.
Regularly boxes.
While campaigning for prime minister, Trudeau endorsed the legalization of marijuana.
Timeline
April 1972 – During a state visit with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, US President Richard Nixon makes a prediction: “Tonight, we’ll dispense with the formalities,” Nixon says. “I’d like to toast the future prime minister of Canada: to Justin Pierre Trudeau.”
1998 – Trudeau’s brother, Michel Trudeau, is killed in an avalanche while skiing.
1999-2002 – Teaches high school math and French in British Columbia.
2000 – Trudeau’s father dies of prostate cancer.
2002-2006 – Chair of Katimavik, a national volunteer service program for young Canadians.
October 14, 2008 – Elected a member of Parliament, representing the Papineau district of Montreal.
May 2, 2011 – Is reelected to Parliament.
November 17, 2011 – Strips down to his undershirt, while audience members bid on a lunch date with him, at a charity event for the Canadian Liver Foundation. In 2013, the footage is used by the Conservative Party in attack ads.
March 31, 2012 – Participates in a charity boxing match against Patrick Brazeau, a senator from Canada’s Conservative Party. Trudeau is declared the winner.
April 14, 2013 – Is elected leader of the Liberal Party with nearly 78% of the vote.
November 11, 2014 – His memoir, “Common Ground,” is published.
October 19, 2015 – The Liberal Party wins 184 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons.
November 4, 2015 – Is sworn in as Canada’s 23rd prime minister.
March 10, 2016 – US President Barack Obama welcomes Trudeau and his wife as the guests of honor for the first official Canadian White House visit in 19 years.
November 24, 2017 – Trudeau, on behalf of the Canadian government, formally apologizes to indigenous people in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador for the boarding school system, which removed children from their families, culture and religion.
November 28, 2017 – Trudeau, on behalf of the Canadian government, formally apologizes to members of the country’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirit community (LGBTQ2) for systemic discrimination.
June 9, 2018 – During a news conference at the G7 Summit, Trudeau announces that Canada will “move forward with retaliatory measures” on July 1 in response to the US President Donald Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, the European Union and Mexico.
July 6, 2018 – A former newspaper reporter says allegations in an editorial claiming Trudeau groped her at a music festival 18 years ago are true, but she considers the matter closed. Trudeau said a day earlier that he apologized at the time and doesn’t “feel that I acted inappropriately in any way.”
August 14, 2019 – Ethics commissioner Mario Dion releases a report saying that Trudeau violated the Conflict of Interest Act by interfering with a corporate criminal case. In the report, Dion says Trudeau attempted to pressure former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould into abandoning the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, an engineering company.
September 18, 2019 – Trudeau apologizes after three images surface of him in blackface makeup.
September 19, 2019 – Trudeau apologizes again and declines to say definitively whether there could be more pictures. He says that he may not remember because his privilege gave him a blind spot on the issue.
October 21, 2019 – Is reelected prime minister.
December 4, 2019 – Trudeau admits that he and other world leaders were talking about Trump when they were caught on camera during a NATO reception. The video shows Trudeau, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte laughing. None of the leaders explicitly names Trump in the video.
July 6, 2020 – Trudeau declines an invitation from Trump to attend a July 8th ceremony marking the beginning of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in Washington. Although Trudeau is concerned about the health situation and the coronavirus reality that is affecting all three countries, the Prime Minister’s office states, “We wish the United States and Mexico well…while there were recent discussions about the possible participation of Canada, the Prime Minister will be in Ottawa for scheduled Cabinet meetings and the long-planned sitting of Parliament.”
September 6, 2021 – After denouncing protesters as “anti-vaxxer mobs,” Trudeau is pelted with gravel at an election campaign stop in London, Ontario.
January 31, 2022 – Trudeau announces via Twitter that he has tested positive for Covid-19 and will continue to work remotely. He and his family have been isolating after exposure a few days earlier.
June 13, 2022 – Trudeau announces via Twitter that he has tested positive for Covid-19.
August 2, 2023 – Trudeau announces that he and his wife Sophie are separating.