by
      Jim-Beau
      Lieyeah
     
    
   
   
    
     
      IT
      Is
      Now
      3:23AM.
      THIS
      WAS
      WRIT-
     
     
      TEN
      LESS
      THAN
      ONE
      HOUR
      AGO...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sept.
      29th,
      2:00AM.
      It
      is
      a
     
     
      clear,
      cool
      night
      at
      1418
      Pine
     
     
      Avenue,
      near
      the
      corner
      of
      Cedar
     
     
      Avenue,
      in
      Montreal,
      Quebec.
      I
      am
     
     
      sitting
      on
      the
      steps
      of
      the
      “Redpath
     
     
      Crescent”
      stairway
      about
      equal
     
     
      height
      to
      the
      second
      story
      of
      the
     
     
      home
      of
      the
      Right
      Honorable
     
     
      Pierre
      Elliott
      Trudeau.
     
    

    
     
      I
      heard
      of
      his
      passing
      on
      the
     
     
      401,
      just
      east
      of
      the
      Quebec
      border,
     
     
      compliments
      of
      CHOM
      FM
      radio.
     
     
      The
      first
      thought
      I
      had,
      aside
      from
     
     
      my
      profound
      sense
      of
      loss,
      was
     
     
      how
      appropriate
      it
      was
      to
      hear
      of
     
     
      this
      news
      here.
      Central
      Canada
     
     
      (Quebec
      and
      Ontario)
      accounted
     
     
      for
      most
      of
      the
      electoral
      support
     
     
      Trudeau
      needed
      for
      victories
      in
     
     
      1968,
      1972,
      1974,
      and
      1980.
     
    

    
     
      But
      then
      I
      started
      thinking
     
     
      of
      his
      legacy.
      So
      in
      my
      opinion,
      as
     
     
      I
      pay
      my
      own
      personal
      homage
      to
     
     
      PET
      in
      front
      of
      his
      home,
      here
      we
     
     
      go
      on
      “welcome”
      paper
      table
      sheet,
     
     
      compliments
      of
      Mister
      Falafel
     
     
      (home
      of
      a
      kick
      ass
      Shish
      Taouk).
     
    

    
     
      Trudeau
      was
      a_
      visionary.
     
     
      He
      also
      accomplished
      noble
      goals
     
     
      that
      he
      set
      which
      must
      be
      appreci-
     
     
      ated
      in
      these
      times.
      He
      saw
      a
      bilin-
     
     
      gual
      country,
      which
      he
      tried
      to
     
     
      maintain
      and
      build
      in
      one
      way
      by
     
    
   
   
    
     
      1919-2000
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      maintaining
      a
      bilingual
      public
     
     
      service.
     
    

    
     
      In
      one
      fellow
      swoop,
      he
     
     
      extended
      the
      countries
      linguistic
     
     
      tentacles
      into
      every
      community
      it
     
     
      maintained
      a
      presence
      in.
      That
      is
     
     
      no
      small
      feat
      in
      a
      country
      as
      big
      as
     
     
      ours
      and
      helped
      to
      produce
      a
      valu-
     
     
      able
      national
      thread.
      Many
      argue
     
     
      against
      the
      merits
      of
      this
      slant.
      That
     
     
      is
      there
      right.
      To
      me,
      how
      can
     
     
      knowing
      another
      language
      do
      any-
     
     
      thing
      but
      help
      a
      person
      become
     
     
      better?
     
    

    
     
      And
      this
      leads
      well
      into
     
     
      Trudeau’s
      own
      personal
      philoso-
     
     
      phy
      every
      man
      should
      be
      the
      best
     
     
      he
      can
      be
      with
      their
      potential.
      He
     
     
      therefore
      believed
      in
      the
      right
      of
     
     
      the
      individual
      over
      the
      rights
      of
      the
     
     
      collective.
      His
      clashes
      with
     
     
      Quebec
      Premier
      Rene
      Levesque
     
     
      and
      the
      Parti
      Quebecois
      had
      this
      at
     
     
      its
      fundamental
      root.
      The
      individ-
     
     
      ual
      can
      only
      enjoy
      freedom
      to
      the
     
     
      extent
      that
      it
      does
      not
      harm
      anoth-
     
     
      er.
      This,
      to
      me,
      is
      a
      better
      deal
      than
     
     
      the
      majority
      having
      a
      right
      to
     
     
      infringe
      on
      a
      minority
      rights
      in
      the
     
     
      name
      of
      the
      collective.
     
    

    
     
      As
      Justice
      minister
      he,
     
     
      “kept
      the
      state
      out
      of
      the
      country’s
     
     
      bedroom.”
      This
      media
      circus
      that
      I
     
     
      am
      witnessing
      right
      now,
      outside
     
     
      his
      house,
      complete
      with
      genera-
     
     
      tors
      noisily
      running
      and
      reporters
     
     
      idly
      chatting,
     
     
      proves
      that
      he
     
     
      never
      enjoyed
     
     
      the
      privacy
      he
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sought
      for
     
     
      Canadians.
     
     
      Anat
      6
      if-
      a
     
     
      tragedy.
     
     
      Trudeau
      was
     
     
      a
      tough
      man.
     
     
      He
      sent
      the
     
     
      army
      into
     
     
      Quebec
      in
     
     
      1970
      under
     
     
      the
      War
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Measures
      Act,
      in
      reaction
      to
      the
     
     
      kidnapping
      of
      a
      Provincial
      Liberal
     
     
      Cabinet
      Minister
      Pierre
      Laporte
     
     
      and
      a
      British
      Trade
      Counsel
      named
     
     
      James
      Cross
      by
      members
      of
      the
     
     
      Federation
      Liberation
      de
      Quebec
     
     
      (FLQ).
     
    

    
     
      This
      act,
      coupled
      with
     
     
      Laporte’s.
      murder,
      nailed
      shut
      the
     
     
      hopes
      of
      60’s_
      idealism
      for
     
     
      Canadians.
     
    

    
     
      When
      the
      Pequistes
      almost
     
     
      rioted
      on
      him
      in
      the
      early
      70’s,
      dur-
     
     
      ing
      a
      St.
      Jean
      de
      Baptists
      parade
      in
     
     
      Montreal,
      he
      stood
      his
      ground,
     
     
      while
      others
      cowered.
     
    

    
     
      When
      abused
      in
      the
      West,
     
     
      he
      saluted
      his
      detractors
      with
      “The
     
     
      finger.”
     
    

    
     
      When
      he
      translated
      that
      in
     
     
      Parliament,
      he
      got
      scolded
      even
     
     
      though
      he
      was
      trying
      to
      pass
      it
      off
     
     
      as
      “fuddle
      duddle.”
     
    

    
     
      All
      these
      slips
      made
     
     
      Trudeau
      more
      human
      yet
      rein-
     
     
      forced
      his
      strength.
      Strength
      of
      will
     
     
      is
      what
      is
      needed
      to
      run
      a
      country.
     
     
      And
      in
      the
      end,
      it
      was
      that
      strength
     
     
      of
      will
      that
      brought
      home
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Constitution
      and
      a
      Charter
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rights
      in
      1982,
      after
      only
      115
     
     
      years
      and
      innumerable
      embarrass-
     
     
      ing
      attempts
      at
      trying
      to
      get
      it.
     
    

    
     
      The
      majority
      of
      provinces
     
     
      ganged
      up
      against
      him
      but
      he
      went
     
     
      his
      own
      way.
      When
      trying
      to
      uni-
     
     
      laterally
      act,
      the
      Supreme
      Court
     
     
      was
      brought
      in
      but
      with
      a
      helping
     
     
      hand
      from
      his
      Justice
      Minister
      at
     
     
      the
      time,
      Jean
      Chretien
      (and
     
     
      Saskatchewan
      Attorney
      General
     
     
      Roy
      Romanow
      and
      Ontario
      Ray
     
     
      McMurty...
      aka
      The
      Kitchen
     
     
      Cabinet),
      he
      brought
      all
      but
     
     
      Quebec
      on
      board
      the
      Constitutional
     
     
      train.
      This
      is
      his
      most
      important
     
     
      achievement
      that
      will
      stretch
      out
     
     
      for
      the
      remainder
      of
      the
      time
      of
      this
     
     
      great
      country.
     
    

    
     
      After
      that,
      things
      went
     
     
      down
      hill
      for
      him
      in
      politics.
      His
     
    
   
   
    
     
      National
      Energy
      Program,
      that
     
     
      would
      have
      spread
      more
      of
      the
      vast
     
     
      energy
      resources
      of
      the
      country
     
     
      around,
      was
      bitterly
      opposed
      and
     
     
      eventually
      canned.
     
    

    
     
      His
      last
      crusade
      was
      rid-
      |
     
     
      ding
      the
      world
      of
      nuclear
      arms,
     
     
      which
      he
      had
      little
      success
      in
      doing
     
     
      thanks
      to
      him
      once
      again
      being,
     
     
      like
      Panasonic,
      a
      little
      ahead
      of
      his
     
     
      time.
      It
      required
      more
      time
      than
      he
     
     
      would
      have
      to
      give
      to
      such
      an
      hon-
     
     
      orable
      crusade.
     
    

    
     
      When
      he
      left,
      the
      countrys
     
     
      national
      debt
      had
      soared
      well
      into
     
     
      the
      $200
      plus
      billion
      (from
      nothing
     
     
      when
      he
      had
      come
      in)
      but
      had
     
     
      given
      us
      PET
      Ripping
      Off
      Canada
     
     
      (PETRO
      Canada).
      He
      governed
     
     
      during
      tough
      economic
      times.
     
    

    
     
      ING
      iota
      Or
      nh.
      r
      ueL
     
     
      Crisis,
      the
      post
      war
      economic
     
     
      hangover
      of
      over
      30
      years
      of
      eco-
     
     
      nomic
      growth,
      double
      digit
      infla-
     
     
      tion/
      unemployment
      (which
      equal
     
     
      stagflation-
      which
      is
      an
      economic
     
     
      term
      developed
      for
      the
      unique,
     
     
      unenviable
      conditions),
      and
      a
      rap-
     
     
      idly
      expanding
      civil
      service
      and
     
     
      welfare
      state.
     
    

    
     
      But
      his
      forte
      was
      not
      num-
     
     
      bers
      but
      a
      vision
      of
      a
      bilingual
     
     
      country
      whose
      citizens
      enjoyed
     
     
      individual
      human
      rights,
      that
     
     
      shared
      its
      wealth,
      led
      by
      a
      strong
     
     
      central
      government.
     
    

    
     
      I
      am
      cold
      right
      now
      and
     
     
      running
      out
      of
      paper
      and
      power.
      |
     
     
      stare
      at
      the
      home
      in
      the
      heart
      of
     
     
      Montreal
      and
      wonder
      —
      what
     
     
      Trudeau
      would
      have
      thought
      of
     
     
      me.
      Probably,
      “dam
      fool,
      go
      some-
     
     
      where
      warm
      and
      leave
      me
      alone.”
     
    

    
     
      And
      I
      will
      because
      his
      life
     
     
      work
      has
      earned
      my
      respect
      and
     
     
      gratitude.
      Both
      push
      me
      to
      be
      the
     
     
      best
      Canadian
      I
      can
      offer
      to
      this
     
     
      country
      he
      thwarted
      into
      global
     
     
      respectability
      and
      envy...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      GONZO
      Out
      at
      3:01AM