The death and state funeral of Pierre Trudeau took place in September 2000.
Pierre Trudeau was the 15th
Prime Minister of Canada
The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...
, serving from 1968 to 1984, with a brief interruption in 1979–1980. Trudeau died on September 28, 2000. His casket
lay in state on
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their archit ...
from September 30 to October 1 and the following day at
Montréal City Hall. On October 3, a
state funeral was held at
Notre-Dame Basilica in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
.
Death and tributes
Trudeau died on Thursday, September 28 at 3:00 p.m. at his home in Montréal with his surviving sons,
Justin
Justin may refer to: People
* Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin
* Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire
* Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Rom ...
(who became the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada in
2015) and
Sacha, and his former wife,
Margaret at his side. His death came 20 days before his 81st birthday. He had
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
and
prostate cancer.
Tributes
Flags
A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic desi ...
on the
Peace Tower
The Peace Tower (french: link=no, Tour de la Paix) is a focal bell and clock tower sitting on the central axis of the Centre Block of the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. The present incarnation replaced the Victoria Towe ...
, across Canada, and around the world were ordered flown at half-staff until sunset the day of the funeral. People started to arrive at Trudeau's home and set up a makeshift memorial there. There were tributes from world leaders, including
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
.
The
Centennial Flame
The Centennial Flame (french: Flamme du centenaire) is a monument on Parliament Hill commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. First lit in January 1967, the Flame worked with natural gas and as of 2021 uses biogas, pre ...
on Parliament Hill became the unofficial place to mark Trudeau's death, where people brought messages of condolence and roses, Pierre Trudeau's symbol.
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
paid tribute to her former prime minister and, in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
, Canada's political leaders did the same, beginning with Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien, who, at the time of Trudeau's death, was on his way to Jamaica and immediately returned to Ottawa.
Opposition Leader
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
Stockwell Day,
Progressive Conservative leader
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian statesman, businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980.
Despite his relative inexperience, Clark rose quickly in federal polit ...
(a former prime minister),
New Democratic Party leader
Alexa McDonough, and
Bloc Québécois leader
Gilles Duceppe followed, as did
Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings.
Systems that have such a position include:
* Speaker of ...
Gilbert Parent
Gilbert "Gib" Parent (July 25, 1935 – March 3, 2009) was a Canadian member of Parliament. He is best known in his role as speaker of the House of Commons of Canada between 1994 and 2001.
Parent was born on July 25, 1935, in Mattawa, Ontario, ...
. Members of Parliament paid tribute to Trudeau, many wearing roses, before the house adjourned out of respect.
Cuban President Fidel Castro announced three days of
national mourning
A national day of mourning is a day or days marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by the national government. Such days include those marking the death or funeral of ...
with flags half-masted as a sign of respect.
Parliament Hill events
On September 30, the state funeral events began. Trudeau's casket was flown to Ottawa on a
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Forc ...
jet. On arrival, it was driven by hearse in a simple procession through the nation's capital to Parliament Hill.
As the casket arrived on the Hill, the Peace Tower bell tolled 81 times, one for each year of Trudeau's life (Trudeau died just three weeks short of his 81st birthday).
Lying in state
Trudeau's casket was carried by a
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
guard of honour into the Hall of Honour in Parliament Hill's
Centre Block
The Centre Block (french: Édifice du Centre) is the main building of the Canadian parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing the House of Commons and Senate chambers, as well as the offices of a number of members ...
to
lie in state. His family spent about 15 minutes alone with the casket, away from the press. Governor General
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Louise Clarkson (; ; born February 10, 1939) is a Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served from 1999 to 2005 as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation.
Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 19 ...
and her husband,
John Ralston Saul
John Ralston Saul (born June 19, 1947) is a Canadian writer, political philosopher, and public intellectual. Saul is most widely known for his writings on the nature of individualism, citizenship and the Public good (economics), public good; t ...
, and Chrétien and his wife,
Aline, then paid their respects.
Over the next hour dignitaries, including
senators, Members of Parliament, and the diplomatic corps viewed the casket of the former prime minister.
Public viewing
After the dignitaries paid their respects, the doors of Parliament Hill's Centre Block were opened to citizens waiting outside. A constant stream of people, some waiting as long as seven hours, passed Trudeau's casket as it lay in the Hall of Honour. Many also brought roses—a Trudeau signature—to place around the Centennial Flame at the foot of Centre Block.
About 60,000 people passed Trudeau's casket while it lay in state. Trudeau's ex-wife, Margaret, was one.
Final tributes
The final tributes in Ottawa happened on October 2. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and other dignitaries paid their final respects. A
19-gun salute was fired when Trudeau's casket exited the building. The Canadian Forces Central Band played the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
.
In the cortege were Trudeau's sons, the Prime Minister and his wife, and close friends. The band played "
Auld Lang Syne" as the cortege left Parliament Hill.
Journey to Montreal
Crowds lined the route of the cortege as it made its way to the Ottawa train station, where the casket was placed aboard a
VIA train that would take it from Ottawa to Montreal.
Train ride
The rail lines that had brought Trudeau to Ottawa 35 years earlier as a politician now took his body back home to Montreal. Prime Minister Chrétien and his wife watched a special
Via Rail
Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...
passenger train as it departed the
Ottawa Train Station with Trudeau's casket placed in the lower lounge of the observation car ''Yoho Park''. Onlookers applauded, sang the national anthem or both.
Trudeau's sons asked that the train be slowed along its route through the towns and farmlands of eastern Ontario so that citizens would have the opportunity to pay their respects.
Montreal
On arrival in Montreal, Trudeau's casket was taken to City Hall, where about 15,000 people paid their respects.
State funeral
The official state funeral was held at
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
's Notre-Dame Basilica on October 3, 2000.
The day began at City Hall. Trudeau's family spent some moments alone with his casket before it was removed and driven to the Basilica, surrounded by an escort of ten RCMP officers. Along the route, some clapped, while others wept, waved Canadian flags or simply stood silently as Trudeau made his final journey through his native Montreal.
Funeral service
![Trudeau family mausoleum in Saint-Remi-de-Napierville](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Trudeau_family_mausoleum_in_Saint-Remi-de-Napierville.jpg)
About 3,000 people gathered inside the Basilica for the service, including
the Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was D ...
, then-
Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Louise Clarkson (; ; born February 10, 1939) is a Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served from 1999 to 2005 as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation.
Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 19 ...
, then-
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Jean Chrétien, and other Canadian leaders (including Trudeau's one-time rival
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian statesman, businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980.
Despite his relative inexperience, Clark rose quickly in federal polit ...
). Former Prime Ministers
John Turner
John Napier Wyndham Turner (June 7, 1929September 19, 2020) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Canada from June to September 1984. He served as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and leader of t ...
and
Brian Mulroney also attended.
Foreign dignitaries included
*: Cuban President
Fidel Castro,
*: former
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
*:
Greek President
The president of Greece, officially the President of the Hellenic Republic ( el, Πρόεδρος της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Próedros tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), commonly referred to in Greek as the President of the Rep ...
Konstantinos Stephanopoulos
Konstantinos "Kostis" Stephanopoulos ( el, Κωνσταντίνος (Κωστής) Στεφανόπουλος, 15 August 1926 – 20 November 2016) was a Greek conservative politician who served two consecutive terms as the president of Gree ...
Jimmy Carter, Fidel Castro, and the
Aga Khan, were honorary pallbearers together with
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...
and Trudeau's cabinet colleague
Marc Lalonde
Marc Lalonde (; born July 26, 1929) is a retired Canadian politician and cabinet minister.
Life and career
Lalonde was born in Île Perrot, Quebec, and obtained a Master of Laws degree from the Université de Montréal, a master's degree from ...
. Several thousand people congregated outside the Basilica to watch the funeral on giant screens.
As the casket entered the basilica, the choir sang
J.S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...
's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Then the Archbishop of Montreal,
Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, gave the invocation.
Sacha Trudeau gave a reading followed by
Gounod
Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...
's "Ave Maria".
After the readings, eulogies were delivered by Trudeau's friends
Roy Heenan
Roy Lacaud Heenan, (September 28, 1935 – February 3, 2017) was a Canadian labour lawyer, academic and art collector. He was a founding partner of the Canadian law firm Heenan Blaikie.
Early life and education
He was born in Mexico City to ...
and former Senator
Jacques Hébert; and then, memorably, by Trudeau's eldest son
Justin
Justin may refer to: People
* Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin
* Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire
* Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Rom ...
, whose moving tribute to his father reduced many listeners to tears. Justin's eulogy, in English and French, concluded with the words, "Je t'aime, papa ("I love you, dad"), followed by spontaneous applause from the audience before he laid his head on his father's casket and wept.
After the service, which concluded with the singing of the national anthem, the casket was brought out of the Basilica and placed in the hearse for the trip to the St-Remi-de-Napierville Cemetery for burial in the Trudeau family plot. Only Trudeau's immediate family was present for the
interment
Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
.
Newsmaker of the Year
The overwhelming reaction to Trudeau's death was on the minds of many Canadian newspaper editors and it named Trudeau "
Newsmaker of the Year" in the year 2000. It was the 10th time he received the honour by the Canadian news agency,
Canadian Press (CP), surpassing his predecessor,
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian scholar, statesman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968.
Born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of ...
.
Like their father after he was named "Newsmaker of the 20th Century" a year earlier, the Trudeau sons declined to give interviews with the CP, but they said that they were "very honoured" by the choice.
References
* "Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1919–2000," a video by the
CBC
External links
Justin Trudeau delivers eulogy for his father PierreCBC Coverage of the Passing of Pierre Trudeau
{{Pierre Trudeau
2000 in Canada
Pierre Trudeau
Trudeau, Pierre
Trudeau, Pierre
Trudeau, Pierre
fr:Pierre Elliott Trudeau#Mort