Trudeau was prime minister of Canada for nearly 16 years beginning in 1968. A professor before jumping into politics with the Liberal party, Trudeau entered office with a brainy charisma and youthful energy which seemed to match the changing mood of the 1960s. He wore sandals in the House of Commons, dated celebrities, occasionally used obscenities to insult his opponents, and did a pirouette behind the back of Queen Elizabeth, not to mention the controversy his many important decisions caused. But through all of the controversy, Pierre Elliot Trudeau remains one of the most positive influences Canada has ever seen, forever changing and defining our nation for the better.

Pierre Trudeau always fought for a strong, united nation. He believed he could get much closer to achieving this through, "two official languages and a pluralist society." which would bring together the English speakers and the French speakers. So in 1969, he introduced the Official Languages Act which recognized both English and French as Canada’s official languages. It’s purpose was to promote bilingualism and protect French Canadians’ rights. Trudeau was also fiercely against separatism. When the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ), a terrorist group devoted to achieving Quebec’s independence among other things, kidnaped James Cross, a British trade commissioner, and Pierre Laporte, Quebec Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour, in 1970, Pierre Trudeau would not compromise or give in to their demands. When asked how far he would go, Trudeau answered, "Just watch me." And Canada did watch, as he implemented the War Measures Act to make swift work of FLQ. It may seem a harsh way to deal with the situation, but in the end, it was worth it. Pierre Laporte was murdered, but James Cross survived and the FLQ were defeated because Trudeau stood his ground.

Trudeau once stated his aim was to create a "just society". He certainly succeeded in many aspects. In 1967 he reformed the criminal code to make laws on such things as abortion, homosexuality, and divorce more fair. He also supported women’s rights. As Prime Minister, he appointed the first woman speaker in the house of commons, the first woman to the supreme court of Canada, and the first woman governor general. He believed and fought for equality among all races, all genders, all classes. These rights included the right for peace. Before and after his retirement, he made several peace efforts. In fact, he was nominated for the Nobel peace prize in 1984. While visiting Canada in 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono requested a meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau. He was one of the few politicians to support their peace campaign, and when they met on December 23, the couple described the leader as "beautiful." Lennon said, "If all politicians were like Mr. Trudeau there would be world peace."

Out of all the things Pierre Trudeau accomplished during his political career, it is the constitution and enclosed charter of rights which was his biggest accomplishment. He wanted to patriate the British North American Act and create a new, Canadian-controlled Constitution. By doing so, the last threads of political control Britain had on Canada were cut and Canada was truly independent. It took 18 months of hard negotiating before resolutions could be reached. Finally in November of 1981, compromise was reached and all the of the premieres, with the exception of Quebec’s Lévesque, signed Trudeau’s Constitutional Resolution. Pierre Trudeau strongly felt that Canada needed the Charter, but others did not.Trudeau thus was forced to include the notwithstanding clause to allow provinces to opt out of certain areas of the charter. Pressure from the left in the country (especially the New Democratic Party) prevented Trudeau from including any rights protecting private property.Even so, it has proved to be a valuable document, protecting the rights of Candians. Since the creation of the charter, many other similar documents have been strongly influenced by it. "Canada has been a strong model, for example, influencing the bill of rights adopted by South Africa, Israel and New Zealand. Britain has simply accepted the European convention on civil and political rights, but I think that one reason it did that was because of the Canadian model," said Peter Hogg, Dean of the Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto specializing in teaching students about the charter. The constitution and charter faced much controversy, but Trudeau’s dream has proven strong and valuable.

Throughout his career, Pierre Trudeau was faced with much controversy. Some hated him, some loved him, but few could claim indifference. Still, looking at all he has done for our country, it remains that Pierre Trudeau has left a positive effect on our country, one that will stay throughout time. He kept our country unified, especially the French and English sides; fought for peace and equality; and Made invaluable changes with the constitution and charter. He gave Politics style, made it interesting and even passionate. Even though his moto was "reason over passion," his endeavors were filled with passion- passion and love for his country and for all of humanity.