While the last few years have seen an increase in threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the phenomenon is not new, as new documents obtained by The Canadian Press reveal that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were concerned for the safety of his father, Pierre Trudeau, when the former prime minister left office.
Pierre Trudeau led the Canadian government from 1968 to 1984, except for a short period in 1979-1980.
As he was about to leave power, the security services had received no threats against him, but they feared that his record could incite some people to attack him.
The RCMP then recommended increasing security around Mr. Trudeau.
“It is fair to say that Mr. Trudeau’s tenure as prime minister was often marked by controversy,” reads a report labeled “secret” dated April 25, 1984.
“His personality perceived as distant, his provocative political style and his positions on many national and international issues have aroused strong emotional reactions from Canadians from all political backgrounds,” it added.
“The Prime Minister has passed laws, implemented government policies and spoken out on many issues. It has exacerbated, embittered and irritated many sections of the Canadian population. »
The 1982 Constitution, the old National Energy Program, bilingualism and the decision to allow the US government to conduct cruise missile tests on Canadian territory are all subjects that were likely to stir up some people’s discontent, according to the documents.
The independence movement in Quebec and Mr. Trudeau’s use of the War Measures Act in 1970 are also mentioned in the documents.
Perpetual protection
The 1984 assessment, which was first released to a requester under the Access to Information Act and then obtained by The Canadian Pressstresses that it is normal for the record of a prime minister to be judged, but that “the public’s reaction to Mr. Trudeau’s positions on several issues […] ranges from outright rejection to unconditional approval”.
For Steve Hewitt, who is a professor at the University of Birmingham, these documents symbolized the arrival of a new era of security in Canada, one where former prime ministers had to – and always must – be protected even after their passage in politics. .
That’s why a year before Mr. Trudeau even announced his intention to leave office, the former director of his security force wrote a letter to the then Commissioner of the RCMP asking that the Prime Minister enjoys a security deployment after his departure.
“This would be a first, as prime ministers before him have never enjoyed close personal security after leaving office,” the letter reads.
Ultimately, then-RCMP Commissioner Robert Simmonds recommended to Canada’s top civil servant that, although the police had no knowledge of a direct threat against Mr. Trudeau, “a reasonable level of security should be maintained for some time”.
“There are those who will praise him for everything he has done and, unfortunately, those who will blame him for almost anything that hasn’t gone their way,” Simmonds said in his recommendation.
In his letter, Mr. Simmonds specified that his plan called for Mr. Trudeau and his children to benefit from 24-hour security surveillance at their Montreal residence and escorts for “all their movements”.
The assessment, prepared two years later, concluded that “the greatest threat to the prime minister’s future security would likely come from a mentally ill individual”, while the risks associated with “far left and extreme right” were minimal.
However, in February 1985, Mr. Trudeau’s security service in Montreal determined that he and his children no longer needed permanent close custody.
different era
Thirty years after the departure of his father, Justin Trudeau in turn became prime minister, at a time when social networks are omnipresent in daily life.
In the opinion of several experts, their appearance only amplified the anger against politicians, including the Prime Minister.
The Trudeau government saw their important role during the pandemic, when protesters began following the Liberal campaign bus in 2021.
The anger of some groups came to a head in January 2022, when thousands of protesters took to the streets around Parliament Hill in Ottawa to denounce health measures during the pandemic.
Historian and author Robert Bothwell has seen similarities in the way the two Trudeaus became the target of the anger — and sometimes hatred — of certain citizens.
But father and son have “very different personalities,” he recalls.
“Pierre would never have supported the freedom convoy”, according to him.