As a new wave of Trudeaumania sweeps the country and Justin Trudeau settles into his second year as our nation’s leader, a new historical account of Trudeau Sr. has been penned by Trent University Durham - GTA history professor Dr. Robert Wright. Trudeaumania: The Rise to Power of Pierre Elliot Trudeau is drumming up enthusiasm reminiscent of the Canadian political scene in the late 60s during Trudeau’s leadership race.

With an official launch that took place in Montreal late last month, Prof. Wright’s book has been garnering rave reviews from national news outlets, blogs and journalists, including Maclean’s Magazine, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and others.

“A rare type of accessible intellectual history,” praised one reviewer, noting that this unique look at Pierre Trudeau strikes a balance between Prof. Wright’s own analysis, from contemporary journalists and from the words of Trudeau himself.

“Justin's recent rise to power was part of the inspiration for a fresh look at what the first version of Trudeaumania looked and felt like,” noted Prof. Wright when asked why he decided to delve into Trudeau’s political history for his latest book. “We're still living in Pierre Trudeau's Canada, in many important respects.  The Charter, for example, has grown into one of Canadians' most powerful identity markers, so when Canadians turn their minds to lofty questions about what kind of country they imagine for themselves and their children, many hearken back to Trudeau and his ideas.”

The best-selling author of an impressive eight books, including others that explore aspects of Trudeau’s political past, Prof. Wright takes a distinctively unique approach to his latest work. Prof. Wright argues that the social and cultural “mania” that ensued during Trudeau’s race for leadership was not what led him to victory, but rather that it was his political intellect and carefully crafted ideals that ushered him in to the House of Commons in 1968.

The book’s prologue frames Prof. Wright’s main argument, describing Trudeau’s fanfare as, “Canada’s own Camelot myth. It embodies the quirkiness, the passion and the youthful exuberance we ascribe to the 1960s even now. Many of us cherish it. Unfortunately, it is almost entirely wrong. In 1968 Trudeau put forward his vision for Canada’s second century, without guile, without dissembling and without a hard sell.”

As his book continues to amass glowing reviews, Prof. Wright also shines a light on our current political climate in Canada, using the research he gathered while crafting his book. “Justin Trudeau has a well-earned reputation for being gregarious and populist in a way that his father never was.  But beneath this veneer, he has imbibed his father's fundamental political convictions.  Justin has said that the nation can never form the basis of the state, and also that group rights can never trump the rights of individuals.  These are Pierre's signature ideas.”

And, if the book has you hooked on all things Trudeau, Prof. Wright, also teaches “Trudeau’s Canada” at Trent’s Durham-GTA campus in both the fall and winter terms. 

Prof. Wright has also been invited to Havana by Canada's ambassador to Cuba to attend a reception as part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s official visit to Cuba next week. A follow up story will be posted soon with details of Prof. Wright’s visit.