On Nov, 8, 1965, Pierre Trudeau won his first seat in the House of Commons as Liberal MP for Mount Royal. Trudeau was one of 131 Liberals to win seats in the election, which returned Lester Pearson to power.
Trudeau was named Pearson’s parliamentary secretary, and later Minister of Justice. At the 1968 leadership convention, Trudeau was elected as the leader and sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada on April 20 and called an election for June 25.
A strong advocate of public health care, bilingualism, and multiculturalism, he led Canada from 1968 to 1979, and again from 1980 to 1984. During his time in power he faced the FLQ crisis and the Quebec referendum.
In 1984, Trudeau announced he would step down as leader.
Trudeau died on Sept. 28, 2000.
Shortly after his death, Trudeau was honoured with a postage stamp. The selvage of the souvenir sheet shows Trudeau with a rose in his hand, one of this symbols during his leadership and election campaigns.
Trudeau comes to power
A four-stamp sheet commemorating the life of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau was issued by Canada Post on Canada Day in 2001.
