I remember this day in 1984 and wondered how many other Canadians remembered it too? Do you think Justin will take a walk in the snow?
Near the end of his fourth term in office, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau went for his famous walk in the snow on Feb. 28, 1984 and announced the next day he would not run again. The city had a blizzard that day but whether he actually went for a walk might be questioned. It seemed to be a rhetorical device he often employed.
In his memoirs, Trudeau said he decided to run for the Liberal leadership in 1968 following Lester Pearson’s resignation after going for a walk in the snow during which he “agonized over whether to stand for the leadership of the Liberal Party.” He said his final decision to retire was easier.
Asked by reporters why he would not run again, Trudeau responded: “I had a good day yesterday … and it seemed like a good day to have a last day.” In fact, he would serve four more months.
His most difficult political decision may have been in 1979, after announcing his resignation as party leader on Nov. 29, nearly six months after Joe Clark’s Tories beat his Liberals. The Clark ministry was likely to be short-lived and Trudeau seemed ready to pass the reins to another Liberal so they could be in place in time for the next federal election.
However, Clark’s time in office was shorter than expected (273 days) and there was pressure on Trudeau to stay.
John English reports in Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, that on Dec. 16, the Liberal leader went for “a walk to think about his future” during which he “trod the empty, snow-covered streets of Ottawa.”
Going for a walk in the snow was clearly a trope that Trudeau liked to use. (He also said he went for a walk along the beach in Toronto in November when he decided to announce he would not stay on as leader before reversing himself the next month.)
Pierre Elliot Trudeau was in office for 15 years 1964 days
Justin Trudeau as of today has been in office 9 years 47 days
