STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER

September 28, 2000
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Jean Chretien expressed his deep personal sadness today following the news of the death of the Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau:

Chretien Quote: "Pierre Trudeau, the embodiment of the dream of a just society, has left us. He is gone but his unfinished work remains - our country, Canada.

Comment: Such a statement presupposes that Canada was unjust prior to the introduction of Pierre Trudeau's vision into the policy framework of Canada. This is an attack on the moral vision that framed Canada prior to Trudeau, a moral vision largely (though not exclusively) inspired by Christianity.

Chretien Quote: "Above all, the forces of change that he set in motion continue to shape the soul of his people. A people who, thanks to him, in ever greater numbers express themselves in both of our official languages.

Comment: It is unfortunate that Jean Chretien would focus on such a political issue. Establishing Canada as an officially bilingual country was a coercive decision imposed on the people and to this day those who advocate this punitive, top-down approach to implementing bilingualism are unable to demonstrate that such a tactic has popular support in this country.

Chretien Quote: "A people who celebrate the diverse roots of our identity. A compassionate people, who reach out to the less fortunate."

Comment: Real compassion is demonstrated through voluntary behaviour. Liberals define compassion in the context of the civil government spending other people's money that they have extracted from those people coercively by way of taxation. Such a strategy, in fact, reflects fear that Canadians are not compassionate enough and, therefore, cannot be trusted to voluntarily provide sufficient care for each other.

Chretien Quote: A young people, with a profound love of freedom, justice and fairness.

Comment: Freedom, justice and fairness are not universal concepts. Different definitions of these terms exist and, as was pointed out above, Trudeau's definition of justice (and likewise that of Mr. Chretien and the Liberal Party today) is at odds with the definition provided in the Bible.

Chretien Quote: Pierre Trudeau dreamed of a society that afforded all of its citizens an equal opportunity to succeed in life - whatever their background or beliefs; whether rich or poor.

Comment: It is interesting to see the rhetoric of equality of opportunity in light of the fact that Trudeau's and Chretien's liberalism have aggressively eroded the environment of equal opportunity in Canada in favour of the antithetical notion of equality of outcome.

Chretien Quote: He believed that what we had in common was the source of our strength, and that what set us apart enriched all of us. On the international stage, he gave us a profile and stature well beyond our size and power. Wherever we were in the world, he made us feel proud to be Canadians - proud to have the immense privilege of being part of this beautiful and great country.

A political giant, he was also a man, who, in his last days, suffered terribly from the loss of his youngest son, Michel. Today, they are together - at peace.

Pierre, my friend, your dream is more alive than ever. Thank you.

On behalf of all Canadians, Aline joins me in expressing our deepest condolences to his family."