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The Truth About Trudeau
Finally, after over 30 years of hagiographies, comes a book that sets the record straight and tells us the truth about Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
In this unprecedented and meticulously researched sweep of the record, Globe and Mail bestselling author Bob Plamondon challenges the conventional wisdom that Trudeau was a great prime minister. With new revelations, fresh insights, and in-depth analysis, Plamondon reveals that the man did not measure up to the myth.
While no one disputes Trudeau's intelligence, toughness, charisma, and the flashes of glamour he brought Canada, in the end the pirouettes were not worth the price.
In this unprecedented and meticulously researched sweep of the record, Globe and Mail bestselling author Bob Plamondon challenges the conventional wisdom that Trudeau was a great prime minister. With new revelations, fresh insights, and in-depth analysis, Plamondon reveals that the man did not measure up to the myth.
While no one disputes Trudeau's intelligence, toughness, charisma, and the flashes of glamour he brought Canada, in the end the pirouettes were not worth the price.
519 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2013
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76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 22, 2018
Canada's current political situation reminds me of one of those horror movies in which the victim is tied up and seriously abused by a madman. Then, just when it appears that there is no hope, the killer goes away on a task...to get gas for his chainsaw perhaps. The victim, through much straining and agony finally struggles free and just as she reaches the door and is on the verge of freedom....TA-DAH! The killer's son appears in the door!
Pierre Trudeau wanted to build a leftist paradise north of the 49th parallel so he made it very easy to thrive in this country with a minimum of effort. Welfare and Unemployment Insurance benefits were increased and Trudeau borrowed money to cover the social programs. The resulting mess took several Prime Ministers of both political persuasions to finally clean up. Then, just as we were settling into a form of economic stability with the Canadian and US dollars on par for once and interest rates about 15 percentage points below Trudeau years, the Canadian people decided they didn't like boring prosperity and ...TA-DAH! The killer's idiot son appeared at the door! Yes, they actually elected the son of the man who almost plunged the country into bankruptcy.
Bob Plamondon has written a really good book here, although it is slightly repetetive in parts. Every claim he makes is backed up by references and illustrated by extensive charts and graphs. Canadians can read this to learn just how close we came to the brink, or they can just go ahead and re-elect some clown because he has nice hair. The book couldn't make me hate Trudeau any more than I already did, but it did give me a new appreciation for Harper and Mulroney and, yes, even Chretien, in spite of the fact he was Liberal. Give the devil his due.
For Canadians, read this and be warned. For everyone else...you are right to laugh at us.
Pierre Trudeau wanted to build a leftist paradise north of the 49th parallel so he made it very easy to thrive in this country with a minimum of effort. Welfare and Unemployment Insurance benefits were increased and Trudeau borrowed money to cover the social programs. The resulting mess took several Prime Ministers of both political persuasions to finally clean up. Then, just as we were settling into a form of economic stability with the Canadian and US dollars on par for once and interest rates about 15 percentage points below Trudeau years, the Canadian people decided they didn't like boring prosperity and ...TA-DAH! The killer's idiot son appeared at the door! Yes, they actually elected the son of the man who almost plunged the country into bankruptcy.
Bob Plamondon has written a really good book here, although it is slightly repetetive in parts. Every claim he makes is backed up by references and illustrated by extensive charts and graphs. Canadians can read this to learn just how close we came to the brink, or they can just go ahead and re-elect some clown because he has nice hair. The book couldn't make me hate Trudeau any more than I already did, but it did give me a new appreciation for Harper and Mulroney and, yes, even Chretien, in spite of the fact he was Liberal. Give the devil his due.
For Canadians, read this and be warned. For everyone else...you are right to laugh at us.
October 11, 2021
Bob Plamondon writes great books about Canadian politics and its principal figures. But, my take on his analysis of the "facts" reported in this book are very different than Mr. Plamondon's.
From the author's/publishers comments about the book above, the title is apt.
I know because I lived through Pierre Trudeau's disgusting, repeated tenureship of the highest political office in Canada ...Prime Minister of one of the greatest country's in the world, despite the dreadful political and legal legacy which is confirmed in this book.
The two items of national policy success for which Mr. Plamondon gives Pierre Trudeau credit ...enhancement of individual rights and multiculturalism... are the two I feel continue to be the most destructive of Canada and for Canadians.
Our "Charter of Rights and Freedoms", aka the "Lawyers Guaranteed Employment Act" has turned Canada into a self-centred, individualistic and litigious society. It has done nothing to enhance Canadians' freedom that we previously had under Prime Minister Diefenbaker's earlier "Bill of Right's", our REAL Constitution, the BNA Act, which is still legally in force but often ignored by the Liberal socially-engineering-judges on Canada's Supreme Court, and, most importantly English Common Law and Habeas Corpus.
By giving our Supreme Court the right to overrule Parliament, the "Notwithstanding Clause", despite, Trudeau single-highhandedly giving elitist, non-elected lawyers, like himself on the supreme Court, the power to socially-engineer our country down disastrous roads. The road the judges have put us on over the last 20-odd years, thanks to Trudeau's initial legislative leading, the majority of citizens, by survey, often oppose, i.e., unique "rights" for homosexuals no other Canadian has, education system promotion of perversion, destruction of traditional marriage that protects children and society.
In the case of the entrenchment of multiculturalism, the handmaiden of it's demonic twin, pluralism, Trudeau single-highhandedly condemned traditional Canadian values, which were the strength of our country. His "Deadly Duo" daily promotes the choking worship of heinous, cultural practises like honour killing, misogynism, gay murder, genocide of Christians, plus other evils, are worthy of dishonour and non-respect by justice-loving Canadians.
The widespread, Canadian adoration for Pierre Trudeau, in the face of the truth about the man, is demonically-inspired, in my opinion.
Also, the tripe written by his Catholic, contemporary cronies about his strong Christianity cannot be justified by any extant facts. Attending church regularly does not make one a Follower of Jesus any more than does sitting in a garage once a week for an hour make one a car.
A person "dead to him/herself" (Galatians 2:20 at http://diigo.com/0jggi) and obedient to Jesus' commands (John 13-34-35 at http://diigo.com/0l8po), what the Bible clearly states is the definition of a Jesus Follower, Pierre Trudeau was not ...on the record!
If you’re conservative and support the traditional family ...read this book and be appalled!
GaryFPatton
(2013-10-13 © gfp '42™)
From the author's/publishers comments about the book above, the title is apt.
I know because I lived through Pierre Trudeau's disgusting, repeated tenureship of the highest political office in Canada ...Prime Minister of one of the greatest country's in the world, despite the dreadful political and legal legacy which is confirmed in this book.
The two items of national policy success for which Mr. Plamondon gives Pierre Trudeau credit ...enhancement of individual rights and multiculturalism... are the two I feel continue to be the most destructive of Canada and for Canadians.
Our "Charter of Rights and Freedoms", aka the "Lawyers Guaranteed Employment Act" has turned Canada into a self-centred, individualistic and litigious society. It has done nothing to enhance Canadians' freedom that we previously had under Prime Minister Diefenbaker's earlier "Bill of Right's", our REAL Constitution, the BNA Act, which is still legally in force but often ignored by the Liberal socially-engineering-judges on Canada's Supreme Court, and, most importantly English Common Law and Habeas Corpus.
By giving our Supreme Court the right to overrule Parliament, the "Notwithstanding Clause", despite, Trudeau single-highhandedly giving elitist, non-elected lawyers, like himself on the supreme Court, the power to socially-engineer our country down disastrous roads. The road the judges have put us on over the last 20-odd years, thanks to Trudeau's initial legislative leading, the majority of citizens, by survey, often oppose, i.e., unique "rights" for homosexuals no other Canadian has, education system promotion of perversion, destruction of traditional marriage that protects children and society.
In the case of the entrenchment of multiculturalism, the handmaiden of it's demonic twin, pluralism, Trudeau single-highhandedly condemned traditional Canadian values, which were the strength of our country. His "Deadly Duo" daily promotes the choking worship of heinous, cultural practises like honour killing, misogynism, gay murder, genocide of Christians, plus other evils, are worthy of dishonour and non-respect by justice-loving Canadians.
The widespread, Canadian adoration for Pierre Trudeau, in the face of the truth about the man, is demonically-inspired, in my opinion.
Also, the tripe written by his Catholic, contemporary cronies about his strong Christianity cannot be justified by any extant facts. Attending church regularly does not make one a Follower of Jesus any more than does sitting in a garage once a week for an hour make one a car.
A person "dead to him/herself" (Galatians 2:20 at http://diigo.com/0jggi) and obedient to Jesus' commands (John 13-34-35 at http://diigo.com/0l8po), what the Bible clearly states is the definition of a Jesus Follower, Pierre Trudeau was not ...on the record!
If you’re conservative and support the traditional family ...read this book and be appalled!
GaryFPatton
(2013-10-13 © gfp '42™)
October 11, 2015
Three stars, mainly because the conclusion I came to (see below) is actually pretty fun to get at.
I'm something of a Trudeau aficionado. He's a very compelling figure, perhaps the most compelling figure in Canadian history. Even Macdonald's famous boozing can't compete with the womanizing, pirouetting, obscene, defiant Trudeau. But I've no illusions about his record as Prime Minister. His economic policies could be wasteful and draconian. His foreign policy -- much better described in "Pirouette" by Granatstein and Bothwell than in Plamondon's book -- was, despite all his talk and gestures, incoherent and largely ineffective. The invocation of the War Measures Act during the October crisis was and is controversial. Ditto for the repatriation of the Constitution.
So "The Truth about Trudeau" didn't tell me much that I didn't already know. And I could tell as much from reading the Preface, which is a dense litany of Trudeau's failings as PM. The rest of the book is, as it turns out, a dense litany of Trudeau's failings as PM. I'll not go into details. Plamondon occasionally throws a conciliatory bone to Trudeau, acknowledging some minor positive point, but these are always hotly followed by damning criticism. One is left with the feeling that, in Plamondon's eyes, Trudeau never did a thing right. In the face of such incompetence, how did he ever get elected? Four times? (Seriously, Plamondon has an entire chapter devoted to Trudeau's ineffectiveness as an electioneer. The argument is that PET only ever won a federal election because he could consistently win big in Quebec. As though strong nationwide mandates have otherwise been the rule in Canadian elections. In politics, winning is winning, Bob. That's how you win.)
Plamondon makes many legitimate criticisms of Trudeau. But he spends an inordinate amount of time making fussy little judgements, and in doing so, he tips his hand.
PET's pirouette behind the Queen, his profanity (both digital and oral), and his arrogance all come under repeated fire. Plamondon is especially disgusted by Trudeau's relationships with his contemporaries, such as Nixon, Reagan, and Thatcher. (All three famously couldn't stand Trudeau, and the feeling was more than mutual.) But he cannot produce any non-speculative instance where the nature of these relationships actually harmed Canada. If it was so damaging that the senile Reagan didn't get along with Pierre, why was Mulroney able to so swiftly negotiate a free trade agreement with the US on taking office? Where are the concrete harms to Canada created by the irritation that Trudeau provoked in one of the most churlish political bullies in recent memory, Margaret Thatcher? And, honestly, if I knew for a fact that Nixon had ever called me an asshole, I would include that in my CV.
"The Truth" sports a resounding "Finally!" on its cover, courtesy of conservative mouthpiece David Frum. I suppose Atilla the Hun wasn't available for comment. But when Plamondon starts using Conrad Black -- Conrad Black! -- as a source of credible opinion, I realized that he could only have done so because he was too lazy to unearth Goebbels and von Ribbentrop to get some quotes.
At some point in my reading, I realized that "The Truth about Trudeau" doesn't reveal any truths about PET that I didn't already know. But it tells me a lot about Bob Plamondon. Relentlessly political, dogmatically doctrinaire, his appraisal of events invariably coloured by his ideological biases. He is a pure hack, very far from being a journalist and the direct opposite of a historian.
As I said at the outset, getting to this realization is a bit of fun. Plamondon is so blinded by his own agenda that he has no clue how anyone could regard Trudeau as Canada's greatest PM. (He is especially perplexed by PET's ranking at #3 in the "Greatest Canadian" poll of 2004. Hilariously, he takes this poll seriously, despite the fact that hockey racist Don Cherry comes in at #7, a full three spots ahead of hockey god Wayne Gretzky. What is the point of getting upset about such an exercise? I guess you need to be a political zealot to know the answer to that.) In the long run, we don't judge our politicians by the number of free trade agreements they sign. We value them for their verve, for their notoriety, for their commitment to the nation. And in these respects, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, takes a back seat to no one.
I'm something of a Trudeau aficionado. He's a very compelling figure, perhaps the most compelling figure in Canadian history. Even Macdonald's famous boozing can't compete with the womanizing, pirouetting, obscene, defiant Trudeau. But I've no illusions about his record as Prime Minister. His economic policies could be wasteful and draconian. His foreign policy -- much better described in "Pirouette" by Granatstein and Bothwell than in Plamondon's book -- was, despite all his talk and gestures, incoherent and largely ineffective. The invocation of the War Measures Act during the October crisis was and is controversial. Ditto for the repatriation of the Constitution.
So "The Truth about Trudeau" didn't tell me much that I didn't already know. And I could tell as much from reading the Preface, which is a dense litany of Trudeau's failings as PM. The rest of the book is, as it turns out, a dense litany of Trudeau's failings as PM. I'll not go into details. Plamondon occasionally throws a conciliatory bone to Trudeau, acknowledging some minor positive point, but these are always hotly followed by damning criticism. One is left with the feeling that, in Plamondon's eyes, Trudeau never did a thing right. In the face of such incompetence, how did he ever get elected? Four times? (Seriously, Plamondon has an entire chapter devoted to Trudeau's ineffectiveness as an electioneer. The argument is that PET only ever won a federal election because he could consistently win big in Quebec. As though strong nationwide mandates have otherwise been the rule in Canadian elections. In politics, winning is winning, Bob. That's how you win.)
Plamondon makes many legitimate criticisms of Trudeau. But he spends an inordinate amount of time making fussy little judgements, and in doing so, he tips his hand.
PET's pirouette behind the Queen, his profanity (both digital and oral), and his arrogance all come under repeated fire. Plamondon is especially disgusted by Trudeau's relationships with his contemporaries, such as Nixon, Reagan, and Thatcher. (All three famously couldn't stand Trudeau, and the feeling was more than mutual.) But he cannot produce any non-speculative instance where the nature of these relationships actually harmed Canada. If it was so damaging that the senile Reagan didn't get along with Pierre, why was Mulroney able to so swiftly negotiate a free trade agreement with the US on taking office? Where are the concrete harms to Canada created by the irritation that Trudeau provoked in one of the most churlish political bullies in recent memory, Margaret Thatcher? And, honestly, if I knew for a fact that Nixon had ever called me an asshole, I would include that in my CV.
"The Truth" sports a resounding "Finally!" on its cover, courtesy of conservative mouthpiece David Frum. I suppose Atilla the Hun wasn't available for comment. But when Plamondon starts using Conrad Black -- Conrad Black! -- as a source of credible opinion, I realized that he could only have done so because he was too lazy to unearth Goebbels and von Ribbentrop to get some quotes.
At some point in my reading, I realized that "The Truth about Trudeau" doesn't reveal any truths about PET that I didn't already know. But it tells me a lot about Bob Plamondon. Relentlessly political, dogmatically doctrinaire, his appraisal of events invariably coloured by his ideological biases. He is a pure hack, very far from being a journalist and the direct opposite of a historian.
As I said at the outset, getting to this realization is a bit of fun. Plamondon is so blinded by his own agenda that he has no clue how anyone could regard Trudeau as Canada's greatest PM. (He is especially perplexed by PET's ranking at #3 in the "Greatest Canadian" poll of 2004. Hilariously, he takes this poll seriously, despite the fact that hockey racist Don Cherry comes in at #7, a full three spots ahead of hockey god Wayne Gretzky. What is the point of getting upset about such an exercise? I guess you need to be a political zealot to know the answer to that.) In the long run, we don't judge our politicians by the number of free trade agreements they sign. We value them for their verve, for their notoriety, for their commitment to the nation. And in these respects, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, takes a back seat to no one.
January 16, 2019
It is sad to hear of a death. But to watch someone die bit by bit is so much more painful. I have always known that the Canada I grew up in is gone. But through Bob Plamondon I have now lived the death piece by piece. I do not call PET a murderer, but his arrogant recklessness is the root cause of my country’s death. This book brings together many of the news reports I remember and more besides. Reading how Canada was destroyed as a free enterprise country, then rebuilt to socialist specifications led me first to anger but ultimately to extreme depression. Sad for the lost potential, the opportunities denied, the lives destroyed. Sad for what could have been if only this destroyer had never ruled Canada.
While I had lived through these events no one honestly reported what was going on at the time. Like today, the media was fully in Trudeau’s corner. They created the narrative of the times. The hagiographers who help Trudeau write his own history have told us that PET incarnated the zeitgeist of his era. But his belief that the state was the solution to every problem was his own ideological insertion. In reality it was his millionaire playboy arrogance that caused his willing blindness to the damage he inflicted on our country.
Trudeau has left a deep scar on Canada’s psyche that has not yet healed! Quebec was deeply wounded by patriation without a mandate or acceptance from them. The West was betrayed by PET’s hatred of American Oil companies and his jealousy of its prosperity and freedom. The Atlantic has collapsed into the economic dependence trap. The small businessman was crushed by central planning rules and regulations that destroyed their international competitiveness. The middle class lost decades of gains in living standards by an obsessive, ideological drive for social engineering. Canada marched steadily backward while the rest of the G7 countries were getting wealthier. “Of all the prime ministers of Canada only Trudeau accomplished the trifecta of damaging national security, eroding federal finances and rupturing national unity with his self described “putsch””.
This is not a dry history book. This is not a political screed. This is a balanced assessment of Pierre Trudeau and we now have a clear picture of both the man and the times. This is a story that will show you how our country got here, and it will open the question of what you can do to change it back.
While I had lived through these events no one honestly reported what was going on at the time. Like today, the media was fully in Trudeau’s corner. They created the narrative of the times. The hagiographers who help Trudeau write his own history have told us that PET incarnated the zeitgeist of his era. But his belief that the state was the solution to every problem was his own ideological insertion. In reality it was his millionaire playboy arrogance that caused his willing blindness to the damage he inflicted on our country.
Trudeau has left a deep scar on Canada’s psyche that has not yet healed! Quebec was deeply wounded by patriation without a mandate or acceptance from them. The West was betrayed by PET’s hatred of American Oil companies and his jealousy of its prosperity and freedom. The Atlantic has collapsed into the economic dependence trap. The small businessman was crushed by central planning rules and regulations that destroyed their international competitiveness. The middle class lost decades of gains in living standards by an obsessive, ideological drive for social engineering. Canada marched steadily backward while the rest of the G7 countries were getting wealthier. “Of all the prime ministers of Canada only Trudeau accomplished the trifecta of damaging national security, eroding federal finances and rupturing national unity with his self described “putsch””.
This is not a dry history book. This is not a political screed. This is a balanced assessment of Pierre Trudeau and we now have a clear picture of both the man and the times. This is a story that will show you how our country got here, and it will open the question of what you can do to change it back.
November 2, 2019
This book is the extreme opposite of an hagiography.
I prefer to read a biography from a writer that has a point
of view, but does not have contempt nor adoration for the subject.
I prefer to read a biography from a writer that has a point
of view, but does not have contempt nor adoration for the subject.
September 15, 2021
Where to begin? Bob Plamondon in excruciating detail lays out the myths and realities of Pierre Elliott Trudeau (PET) that could be viewed as painful. Yet, this book is the most revealing exposure of the truth about a session of Canadian history that I have read, beyond Conrad Black's trilogy. The author gives credit where due, and does not shy away from laying out the facts dropping like bricks on tile shattering any illusions on the actual track record of PET. Most of the revelations are direct quotes from PET in relation to the many misadventures and catastrophic enterprises he subjected Canada.
This analysis is based upon real data, PET's own writing, comments, policies, and actions, alongside his colleague's views as well as his adversaries. The tally is one-sided and for good reason, the entire narrative surrounding PET is a collection of hagiographies. This book is the polar opposite, providing an objective view of facts, not fantasies or myths which completely undermines PET's autobiography and the many idolatry narratives that followed.
It would be remiss to recount all PET's failures in this review and compromise a reader's experience beforehand. However, it is prudent to describe PET as his idolaters do as charismatic, articulate, smart, and fearless. These characteristics did indeed serve PET well, in particular staring down the terrorists during the FLQ crisis. However, even this attribute is voided under the weight of evidence that PET drove deeper wedges into Canadian unity than any other Prime Minister.
Quoting the author an excellent summary of PET's real legacy:
"The truth about Trudeau is not what Canadians have been led to believe. Far from being one of our best prime ministers, he was one of the worst. Despite the fact that he boldly confronted Quebec separatists, Trudeau left deep divisions and scars that remain to be healed. Any progress Canada made on bilingualism, the protection of individual rights, and the promotion of a multicultural society was dwarfed by a legacy of economic destruction, regional alienation, military emasculation, and international isolation. Trudeau may have brought Canada moments of glamour, but in the end his pirouettes were not worth the price." unquote.
I quote here another reader (Jim) review that brings us to the present:
"Canada's current political situation reminds me of one of those horror movies in which the victim is tied up and seriously abused by a madman. Then, just when it appears that there is no hope, the killer goes away on a task...to get gas for his chainsaw perhaps. The victim, through much straining and agony finally struggles free and just as she reaches the door and is on the verge of freedom....TA-DAH! The killer's son appears in the door!" unquote.
Bob Plamondon published this book 2 years before Justin Trudeau came into the Prime Ministers Office. If this book was required reading for citizens he would never have been elected.
I cannot emphasize enough the uncanny parallel universe that we now live. Everything that occurred in PET's tenure has been repeated on steroids since 2015. Justin Trudeau has followed precisely the PET recipe of social disruption, identity politics, socialism, economic regressive policies, division & disunity, alienating regions, de-militarization, cronyism, conflict of interest, and unethical behaviour.
Highly recommend reading this book for those looking to history, a truthful history that is, where events and people can be linked to contemporary times. Your journey will be shocking, and enlightening that yes, history does repeat itself and the apple does not fall far from the tree.
This analysis is based upon real data, PET's own writing, comments, policies, and actions, alongside his colleague's views as well as his adversaries. The tally is one-sided and for good reason, the entire narrative surrounding PET is a collection of hagiographies. This book is the polar opposite, providing an objective view of facts, not fantasies or myths which completely undermines PET's autobiography and the many idolatry narratives that followed.
It would be remiss to recount all PET's failures in this review and compromise a reader's experience beforehand. However, it is prudent to describe PET as his idolaters do as charismatic, articulate, smart, and fearless. These characteristics did indeed serve PET well, in particular staring down the terrorists during the FLQ crisis. However, even this attribute is voided under the weight of evidence that PET drove deeper wedges into Canadian unity than any other Prime Minister.
Quoting the author an excellent summary of PET's real legacy:
"The truth about Trudeau is not what Canadians have been led to believe. Far from being one of our best prime ministers, he was one of the worst. Despite the fact that he boldly confronted Quebec separatists, Trudeau left deep divisions and scars that remain to be healed. Any progress Canada made on bilingualism, the protection of individual rights, and the promotion of a multicultural society was dwarfed by a legacy of economic destruction, regional alienation, military emasculation, and international isolation. Trudeau may have brought Canada moments of glamour, but in the end his pirouettes were not worth the price." unquote.
I quote here another reader (Jim) review that brings us to the present:
"Canada's current political situation reminds me of one of those horror movies in which the victim is tied up and seriously abused by a madman. Then, just when it appears that there is no hope, the killer goes away on a task...to get gas for his chainsaw perhaps. The victim, through much straining and agony finally struggles free and just as she reaches the door and is on the verge of freedom....TA-DAH! The killer's son appears in the door!" unquote.
Bob Plamondon published this book 2 years before Justin Trudeau came into the Prime Ministers Office. If this book was required reading for citizens he would never have been elected.
I cannot emphasize enough the uncanny parallel universe that we now live. Everything that occurred in PET's tenure has been repeated on steroids since 2015. Justin Trudeau has followed precisely the PET recipe of social disruption, identity politics, socialism, economic regressive policies, division & disunity, alienating regions, de-militarization, cronyism, conflict of interest, and unethical behaviour.
Highly recommend reading this book for those looking to history, a truthful history that is, where events and people can be linked to contemporary times. Your journey will be shocking, and enlightening that yes, history does repeat itself and the apple does not fall far from the tree.
June 19, 2023
It’s hard to believe that one person (self-important) asshole could cause the damage to our country that he did in short order. We lived through the horror of the depression he caused…. Losing our home while bringing up three children. Hard to tell your children that nothing we could do to save our home because the jobs were gone!!!
September 6, 2019
Truly revealing!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2020
This is the best history of Pierre Trudeau’s performance as Canadian prime minister I’ve read.
December 12, 2021
a great book that helped me to understand a lot of what is happening in politics even today
May 5, 2016
Very good review of the terrible, terrible trouble Pierre brought to his country.
Thankfully his son is solely concerned with public appearance and letting relatively competent managers take his place.
The final two sentences of the book are hauntingly accurate.
"Any progress Canada made on bilingualism, the protection of individual rights, and the promotion of a multicultural society was dwarfed by a legacy of economic destruction, regional alienation, military emasculation, and international isolation. Trudeau may have brought Canada moments of glamour, but in the end his pirouettes were not worth the price."
Thankfully his son is solely concerned with public appearance and letting relatively competent managers take his place.
The final two sentences of the book are hauntingly accurate.
"Any progress Canada made on bilingualism, the protection of individual rights, and the promotion of a multicultural society was dwarfed by a legacy of economic destruction, regional alienation, military emasculation, and international isolation. Trudeau may have brought Canada moments of glamour, but in the end his pirouettes were not worth the price."
November 27, 2013
I always love Plamondon's writing - he has a great eye for historical analysis and provides a great narrative voice. Sadly, I found that voice lacking is this book - it was more a point by point of what Trudeau had done wrong while in office and the long lasting consequences of his actions. A really interesting read but I missed Plamondon's usual writing style.
July 23, 2013
Plamondon makes a strong case that Trudeau was one of Canada's worst prime minister's ever. Very strong on PET's greatest weakness -- his disastrous economic management. Plamondon needed a better editor for this to be a great book.
Read
November 11, 2013What a revealing insight into the actual damage Trudeau did to Canada as Prime Minister. Some of the things he did were totally unacceptable. Indeed it only serves to let him go down in history as one of Canada's worst Prime Ministers.
December 13, 2017
A review of the period Canada was governed by the arrogant and intellectual Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Eliot Trudeau. What a shame his son inherited the former but not very much of the latter. Both sure know how to spend the taxpayers dollars though!
October 5, 2013
The author piled it on a bit thick at times, but overall, he got it right and looked at Trudeau's record objectively.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews