When you compare Justin Trudeau to his father, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, it becomes apparent that while times have changed since Pierre was in power, there are many similarities between Pierre and his son, Justin. Yet, there are differences too. Their professions before becoming Prime Minister were different. Their views on major issues, like abortion, differ. However, their interaction with supporters and potential voters mirror each other in some way, especially with the affect both Trudeaus have had on their female voters.
Before becoming Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, taught as an associate professor in Quebec. After teaching, he entered politics becoming Lester Pearson’s Parliamentary Secretary. He spent a lot of his time travelling abroad to be at international meetings for Canada. He was then appointed to Pearson’s cabinet as Minister of Justice. After being Minister of Justice for less than a year, Pierre entered the race to become leader of the Liberal party when Pearson stepped down.
Justin Trudeau has always been in the political spotlight. People in Canada believed that he would always go into politics because it was in his blood. However, Justin has a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature and then got his Bachelor of Education. After that, he went on to teach French and Math. Before becoming leader of the Liberal party, Justin had very little experience in politics.
One thing about politics is there are a lot of laws involved. Different people have different views and that does not change when it comes to Pierre and Justin.
The laws surrounding abortion have changed throughout the years. When Pierre Trudeau was Justice Minister in the 1960s, he introduced a bill which included a section of the Criminal Code. That stated abortions would only be provided for women whose health was in danger.
Fast forward 40 plus years and Justin Trudeau is now Prime Minister of Canada. Justin has stated numerous times that he wants to form a party that is pro-choice. He went as far as to say that any Liberal candidates for the 2015 election who were anti-abortion would not be participating. This shows Justin’s dedication to making sure women could make sure their own choices.
The term “like father like son” applies a great deal when you are comparing how Pierre interacted with voters and supporters to how Justin interacts with his supporters and other voters. Pierre Trudeau, like his son, was known for having a wide female audience. Youth voters and women were influenced by Pierre’s ‘good looks’ and the era known as ‘Trudeaumania’ was a term that many people knew and identified with. It mainly focused on voters who identified with Pierre. He was known to be a charismatic leader, which may explain why he was in office for 15 years.
Over 30 years later, people are calling Justin Trudeau’s run as Prime Minister, “Trudeaumania 2.0.” Justin has shown numerous times that he cares about his supporters and wants people who have never voted to start. He spends a great deal of time getting voter support. On top of getting youth voting, Justin has also been known to have a wide supporter turnout from women. He has been said to be an attractive Prime Minister, which may be why he is so popular with female voters. Besides his looks, Justin is, like his father, charismatic. Identifying with the younger voting population helped him along in the 2015 election.
While their popularity with voters and the female voting population is similar, Pierre Elliot Trudeau and Justin Trudeau’s views on issues, like abortion, are different. Their careers before entering the political spotlight are much different, as well. While they may share the same blood, that’s where their similarities end.
