Trudeau's First Resignation

Shortly after the Progressive Conservative party under Joe Clark won a minority government in the 1979 federal election in Canada, Pierre Trudeau announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party.
When the Clark government fell in December of that year, Trudeau rescinded his resignation and stayed on as leader, winning the 1980 election which followed. He stepped down for good in 1984.

[@brycemcneil4404]

5:46 What I find interesting that seldom gets talked about: Turner & MacDonald ultimately didn't run against each other in '80 (Turner declared himself out before Pierre even came back), but they basically did in '88. Turner ends up getting the leadership in '84 and by '88 is vociferously campaigning against Mulroney & free trade. Who headed the Commission that recommended pursuing a unilateral agreement with the U.S. in the first place? Donald MacDonald.

[@PhilipJackson03]

Wow “58 he may be too old” you really never hear that anymore eh.

[@MichaelBrookham]

Interesting thing: They thought Allan McEachen was too old at 58. Jean Chretien was 59 when he became Prime Minister.

[@pendorran]

This was a time when there was still something like class in Parliament and politics. Mutual respect and respect for the House. Both are gone now.

[@MichaelBrookham]

Like father, like son. Justin announced his retirement, as well. And just like his father, Justin was reluctant to take on the role of Prime Minister of Canada.

[@MichaelBrookham]

Imagine saying that Allen Maceachen was too old at 58. Jean Chretien was 59 when he became PM in 1993.

[@junkboxxxxxx]

Joe was a good and decent man, the last of such to lead the Tories.

[@idontcare0953]

OH MY GOSH PETER MANSBRIDGE!!!

[@cwcwful]

This is sad, but true. I wish it was not true, but it is.

[@johnbidochka]

R.I.P. Knowlton Nash.

[@hkygy]

Take it easy guys. Trudeau is a beauty!

[@PollockAndPollockNewsChannel]

Thanks for the charter..

[@MichaelBrookham]

RIP Knowlton Nash (1927 - 2014)

[@leafyutube]

Love the Chretien mug shot at 5:34. Haha!

[@TheSteel14]

Peter Mansbridge had hair!

[@AndrewSmiles]

OH SHIT! It's young Peter Mansbridge!

[@batmanisthebest]

Woah! That's Peter Mansbridge! With HAIR! (He is awesome)

[@franktremb]

My thoughts exactly! Maybe because of the babyboomers most people were under 35 and thought 58 was very old.

[@gcdcjccc]

be careful what you wish for Joe.

[@shelleyharris2850]

A yellow rose.

[@OgallalaKnowhow]

"If he had the ability to turn Canada into a one party state he would have done so." And this is not an ambition of our current PM either? Harper's stated goal is to shift the political dynamic in Canada towards indefinite Conservative dominance. The move to stop public funding of parties that would have destroyed the opposition come the next election is indicative of this. The 2000 efforts by the Conservatives to form a coalition with the Bloc also speaks of a certain hypocrisy.

[@unbreakableunion]

Funny real Funny really!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@dgendvil]

Knowlton Nash was the Walter Cronkite of Canada, too.

[@50young603]

We know what happened. RIP Mr Canada. As to Joe clark, he and broadbent were the best PM we never had. And also Clyde Wells

[@schnuurtchke]

Actually, Clark was PM at the time Trudeau resigned. Broadbent was a decent man but his party wasn't all that good then and it totally sucks now. These were old timer, truly decent parliamentarians, unlike the whack jobs we have now

[@MichaelBrookham]

Robert Stanfield was known as the best PM that Canada never had.

[@mariusrotariu7060]

Be a sample for your son with your resignation

[@Godzilla52]

This should have been his last resignation.

[@kevinKronnack]

Like a Boss

[@anthonyusaajr1]

Peter Mansbridge had hair? Holy shit!!!

[@akmusica]

Why is 58 too old? That's on the young side...

[@bulafritz]

I don't think Clark won that election. Everybody was just fed up with Trudeau. That list of leadership candidates was pathetic. No wonder he came back.

[@Popsfresh]

And the rest is history

[@dudef594]

Drama queen.

[@ArgentPure]

I met Trudeau when I was 8!

[@llcbmk]

You have my sympathies. That must have been a very horrible day for you.

[@hebber1961]

@somewhatlongdong No grudge. he's long dead. My point was to your comment about his "putting Canada on the map" and the truth is that his international fame was due to his playboy lifestyle not anything politicaly positive. he just didn't give a shit about the west and it showed. A truly great prime minister would be loved and/or respected widely across the country and he just isn't. His legacy in the west is liberals have little success in the west to this day.

[@MichaelBrookham]

You know what is funny. I didn't like Brian Mulroney. I think a lot of people didn't like him after the 1991 GST thing. I read Trudeau's memoirs, and he did say in them that he did like Joe Clark, and would rather have had him as opposition than Mulroney. I wish Clark had stayed on in power to lead the opposition after Trudeau came back in.

[@georgepatton4709]

Great mugshot of Jean Chretein. :-)

[@aManOnaJourney]

Sadly we would not see a report like this on television today. The clip included Trudeau speaking for almost 2 minutes Media today would have given 5 seconds to Trudeau and the rest of the report would have focused on bashing potential candidates In total the report would be 2 minutes. Then the news would quickly proceed to a panel to discuss "Jon & Kate" or Michael Jackson's funeral for 20 minutes. sigh "a basic underlying admiration for each other" "make Canada a strong and united land"

[@ujean56]

This is when news readers were not quite as important to the CBC as journalists. One of their first news readers, Peter Mansbridge, was being tested as a star in what we are now all familiar with as CBC's flagship product - infotainment (the concept of course borrowed form CNN).

[@TheAharris70]

Mansbridge had hair? Who knew? Oh no, wait........ bald is better than that comb-over.

[@MichaelBrookham]

What Trudeau says about the different sides really respecting each other, does that happen in American politics, as well? In reality, do Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton really have a respect for each other?

[@Brytons_Thoughts]

You should honestly be asking the question "does that even come close to happening in our current Parliament?" Shit...

[@WSC9293]

I disagree. I lived through much of this guy's reign and it wasn't pretty.

[@robertbaldwin2383]

Whole heartily agree. The worst years in the Canada I have known.

[@WaiChungBastien]

Whoa! Peter Mansbridge with hair!

[@Davesplash2001cannot]

Punditry #Fail

[@koolaid28]

That's Nolton Nash. He was Canada's Cronkite back in the day.

[@WSC9293]

I'd call it a dead heat.

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

what is that substance on Peter Mansbridge's head? Could it be....hair?!?!

[@akhy1994]

Idk why the Liberal party chooses idiotic leaders now.. Chretien, Iggy and Stephan Dion

[@Amybayme]

@hebber1961 I think our country is much too big in order for everyone in the country to love the Prime Minister. There is lots of diversity within the country too. I really liked Trudeau and I'm from Alberta. Though I'm more of a leftest despite my geographical location. I hesitate to say liberal because I don't want to be associated with Michael Ignatieff because he annoys me. l But can you really think of one Prime Minister that ALL of Canada liked? At least Trudeau had some personality

[@WSC9293]

Well, he's good for being marshal at gay pride parades. Beyond that...?

[@kinneyboy90]

I don't think he meant it that way. I think he meant that Trudeau was like Canada's Bill Clinton. They were very similar.

[@hebber1961]

@Amybayme so YOU"RE the one in alberta last loves Trudeau. i didn't say "everyone" would love even the best PM. but a truly great PM would be at least respected more widely across the country and he's just not. I think people are confusing fame and personal charm with greatness.

[@airdriver]

I think he had just graduated from Grade 12.

[@WSC9293]

Yeah and while he was screwing around with international issues, he ruined Canada internally.

[@therussianspy5882]

@Tetraglot Pretty certain he was asking Peter Mansbridge about Trudeau... "among other things Peter, Trudeau...."

[@tannerfoust1669]

How did you know?

[@dm95422]

@TheSteel14 Or perhaps its a fuddle duddle wig.

[@OgallalaKnowhow]

Look, I have no love for the 'coalition' (if it still exists who knows). What should have been a strong, principled message to the Conservatives followed by constructive dialog turned into an obviously personal and poisonous political drama. This whole 'one party state' is an exaggeration on both sides. My point has nothing to do with conspiracy theories. Rather that Harper wants Conservative hegemony, and also showed through this whole ordeal that he also puts party before national interests.

[@streetcarjay]

@VioletteRose Here Here!!

[@secordman]

Same to you. Very mature debating skills you possess.

[@WSC9293]

Different doesn't necessarily mean good.

[@leafyutube]

The CBC newsroom looked like something out of a banana republic.

[@makinawdandy6699]

Peter Mansbridge used to have hair.

[@hebber1961]

@VioletteRose Booooooooo ( i'm not saying Boo ..urns either...... i'm booing)

[@MapleSyrupPoet]

Don't like the word Progressive ...edging God out ...is what it means ...define Progressive Pierre? ...Progressive, in real terms ...out in the daylight means ...Regressive #realitycheck

[@20PK20]

I seriously doubt that. Where did you read that he was advising Rae? Are you sure your not confusing the story that he's supporting Trudeau? If you've seen him lately, he doesn't really look like he's up to advising anyone.

[@bduhe219]

i am n american who admired pierre trudeau. he along with britia's david lloyd george, william gladstone, as well as my own former presidents such as frankilin and theodore roosevelt, harry truman, john f. kennedy and countless others who view equality, economic freedoms, socil responsability that govenmrent must take up the mantel of fairness and justice for all it's citizens.

[@leafyutube]

Nice Chretien mugshot @ 5:33.

[@20PK20]

4:55 why the heck did we give turner a shot at it before chretien?

[@hebber1961]

@somewhatlongdong i don't think they're "anti" west, they just don't care all that much. it's about votes and seats and unfortunately for us, central Canada has the most so they're always going to be courted & get the goodies. you bet it's irritating but you want your voice heard and liberals don't have the same ideals and the ndp would just give all our money away to special interest groups.

[@mralfredenewman]

@mustangified NOP National oil policy, research it! yet another example of the east building the west. people deserve somthing on their investments.

[@ureallyDunno]

its amazing in 4 short year Trudeau managed to destroy this once great country

[@cheeriosinabowl]

I miss PET. He was the greatest PM in my lifetime.... hope his son Justin becomes PM one day .... and soon.

[@00BillyTorontoBill]

@wh0made One word..."Dolby" or "AC3"

[@WSC9293]

Back up the claim. Is he "badass" (whatever that means) because he did a pirouette behind the Queen?

[@karla.karlaabbott3254]

WSC9293 just very ignorant and making fun of the English !

[@Tetraglot]

3:59 did he just call him Peter Trudeau??

[@Amybayme]

@weshiebert1 Wow! I'm not saying you're wrong, but since you have such a passionate opinion, I'm curious as to where you get your facts from? What useless government programs?

[@MichaelBrookham]

If you have ever read Trudeau's Memoirs, you will see that he originally didn't want to be Prime Minister. He announced his resignation in hopes that a new leader could be chosen. He almost didn't come back, but at the last minute he did. For a man who didn't actually want to be Prime Minister, he did a good job at it. Although he had 16 years in, Sir Wilfrid Laurier had the longest unbroken term as PM (15 years).

[@KennBurch]

Trudeau may not have taken himself seriously(in fact, he seemed to use comedy as part of his political persona a lot of the time)but the man did take his job seriously. Repatrating the Canadian constitution and establishing a Charter of Rights sounds serious to me.

[@OgallalaKnowhow]

Some posters here are intent to thrust our contemporary circus-disaster of a parliament into the past. Can you not simply appreciate the words of two great Canadian politicians that put our current stock of 'leaders' to shame? If Dion or Harper stood down in parliament now, would we expect to hear anything close to respect, or even admiration between the two? bgibb101 - you present Trudeau as a Marxist-Leninist. The hyperbole is unnecessary, he was a communitarian who put Canada first.

[@zaxxoid]

Psh this guy

[@andmaketherain]

Joe who?

[@BayviewFinch]

@lestef23 - Bwa ha ha ha ha ha. He only gave us SOVEREIGNTY. He was the best PM Canada ever had. Period.

[@luegosl]

Pierre Trudeau is a real Canadian Hero...

[@KennBurch]

Wrong. Unlike Clinton, Trudeau actually HAD core principles. Also, unlike the US, Canadians don't waste their time judging politicians on trivial matters pertaining to their personal lives. Canadians know that its issues and policies that matter. We in the US should learn from that.

[@MajBlood]

What did Trudeau do besides patriate the constitution, blingualism, and being awesome?

[@kinneyboy90]

Yeah but just because they had differences doesn't mean anything. Trudeau and Clinton never took their jobs too seriously, even though they were in very high positions of power. And like Clinton, Trudeau was very controversial in his own nation. But he was also very popular.

[@Sweetyfashonista]

These old time graphics text make me laugh!

[@TheKeroseneMan]

@rrk10 I suppose you think Mulroney and Harper are better???? Nothing like having U.S. lapdogs in parliment.

[@Amybayme]

Ahaha!! Haters gonna hate! Wow! I'm sorry but your opinion is really comical to me. It is so hateful. Maybe you should watch some funny videos on KZbin for a while or take anti-depressants. Perhaps that will make your comments will be less hateful. Your arguments are backed up by false pretenses and by swearing/insulting the other commenter just makes you look unintelligent. Just letting you know. Have a good day! :D

[@KennBurch]

@tothatextent So, you can't handle black women receiving university degrees? Can't accept that they could actually have EARNED them? Nice bit of hate speech there, dude.

[@Benjoreally]

That was fucking 1979. WHERE THE FUCK IS COLOUR ALREADY!?

[@KennBurch]

@tothatextent You are offended about being called a racist, when you say "brown bitches" and "you people"? I've met a LOT of Canadians, mainly western Canadians(especially British Columbians)and most of their views are nothing like yours.

[@MajBlood]

Trudeau is God.

[@zaxxoid]

Psh this guy