Retrieving Trudeau: Republican Affinities in the Political Thought of Pierre Elliott Trudeau

Abstract

This thesis argues that the political ideas of Pierre Elliott Trudeau have consistently been misrepresented by his critics and commentators for decades. A careful reading of primary works by Trudeau makes it clear that he espoused political positions much more clearly informed by the tradition of classical republicanism than by that of liberal individualism (or socialism, as some of his biographers contend). Trudeau is most often portrayed as an enigma: for some, he is deeply individualist and indifferent to the needs and aspirations of the community; for others, he is an advocate for a powerful centralized and regulatory state dedicated to wealth redistribution, and too sensitive to the common good. In other words, he is too liberal for some, and too collectivist for others. As this thesis will show, this interpretation of Trudeau’s thought may not have been fortuitous or inadvertent; rather, as is often the case with powerful ideas, his ideas were construed and interpreted in specific ways for precise purposes. Understood as a republican, Trudeau becomes more exciting and innovative, and possesses greater political foresight than is often conceded to him. Utilizing a framework based on intellectual history, I examine theories of republicanism and explain why Trudeau’s ideas have a clear republican orientation. Using discursive approaches, I contend that Trudeau’s ideas, more than ever, offer a startlingly relevant critique of contemporary Canadian democracy. How Canadians understand democracy and politics was a theme that absorbed Trudeau throughout his life. He invited Canadians to think about the way in which liberty and democracy depended upon both the strength of citizen responsibility and the articulation of a sense of the common good. To this end, he tasked political leaders with the duty to inform and educate citizens about democracy. In sum, identifying Trudeau’s insights more accurately allows us to structure a political narrative that challenges current practices which fragment and weaken modern political relations between citizens. Retrieving Trudeau’s ideas, in other words, allows us to envision a truly Canadian “Machiavellian moment.”