‘This is really sad’: Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau draw attention and sympathy as they announce separation https://t.co/MbPbfDk3qT
— Toronto Star (@TorontoStar) August 2, 2023
Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, and his wife Sophie Grégoire announced a separation this past week. The couple have been married since 2005. The couple have 3 children: Xavier (born 2007), Ella-Grace (2009), and Hadrien (2014).
The couple met again as adults. Grégoire was a classmate and childhood friend of Trudeau's late brother, Michel.
We are consistent in the sense that a separation is just that and to give said couple respect for the process.
William Lyon Mackenzie King and R.B. Bennett were Canadian prime ministers who never married. Sir Mackenzie Bowell was a widower. Kim Campbell was freshly divorced before taking on the role as prime minister in 1993. You might recall The Twentieth Century was about William Lyon Mackenzie King.
Canadian film review: The Twentieth Century
The most obvious comparison is the prime minister's father Pierre Trudeau. The elder Trudeau was not married when he took office in 1968. Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair were married on March 4, 1971. The couple were separated on May 27, 1977 yet did not divorce until April 2, 1984, a couple of months before Trudeau left office for the final time on June 30, 1984.
As we have seen, comparing the two Trudeau prime ministers is an exercise in failure.
Even before this announcement, there has been speculation as to whether Trudeau will hand the reins over to Chrystia Freeland before the next scheduled election in October 2025. There is no "First Lady" concept in Canada, unlike the United States.
We wish the couple of best of luck in working out a solution, politics aside.
We’re ready for it.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) August 3, 2023
Taylor Swift ignored Canada in recent announcement on her Eras tour in North America. Finally, Canada has been included for Taylor Swift fans … just until late in 2024.
The American singer-songwriter will play Rogers Centre for 6 dates in November 2024: November 14-16 and November 21-23.
We imagine that Swifties in western New York might find an advantage in seeing her in Toronto: the tickets would be cheaper with the exchange rate between U.S. and Canadian currencies.
We've written about Ottawa's light rail troubles and Toronto's confusion over light rail thanks to Ford Nation. Montréal has a new light-rail system, the REM. There are a few open stops with many more to come.
So far, you can get from Broussard on the South Shore to Gare Centrale. Eventually, the light rail will serve Trudeau Airport, a welcome addition to the Montréal transportation infrastructure.
The trip into downtown should reduce traffic on the Champlain Bridge, a route known for heavy travel from the south suburbs into downtown Montréal.
The Metro in Montréal is a very good system if where you need to go is along the system. Bus service in Montréal isn't bad but surprisingly sparse in the arrivals.
Construction moves slower than the old Grade B maple syrup in Quebec. At least we have some progress in the light rail in Montréal.
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Meta (Facebook) and eventually Google will deprive Canadians of news from Canada via their platforms thanks to Bill C-18. This should eventually get settled on some level but childish acts need to, somehow, be a part of this.
We will have more tomorrow on this topic. Stay tuned.
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"Americans" complain that there are no holidays in August. Canada, well, most of Canada, celebrates a civic holiday on the first Monday in August. The name depends on where you are: Civic Holiday in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. British Columbia Day, New Brunswick Day, and Saskatchewan Day are obvious.
The holiday is also Heritage Day (Alberta), Natal Day (Nova Scotia), and Terry Fox Day (Manitoba). There are different names in some Ontario cities, such as Simcoe Day (Toronto), John Galt Day (Guelph), and Colonel By Day (Ottawa).
Enjoy the holiday wherever you are in Canada. Canadian summers are too short.
Twitter captures: @TorontoStar; @JustinTrudeau
photo credits: @JustinTrudeau; Réseau express métropolitain
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