CBC Archives

You must sign in to leave a comment on this clip.

Pierre causes a stir in London

Broadcast Date: Jan. 16, 1969

Never in the history of Canadian politics has the world press covered a prime minister's personal life as much as Pierre Elliott Trudeau's. Even Londoners have the Trudeau bug. After a British Commonwealth prime ministers' conference, reporters spot Trudeau with German jet-setter Eva Rittingshausen. Should journalists write stories about his private life? One fan says she knows it's wrong but she really enjoys reading about it. (This is the audio of a TV report for which video is unavailable.)

Pierre causes a stir in London

• Trudeau dated many high-profile women, including musicians Liona Boyd and Barbra Streisand, as well as actors Kim Cattrall and Margot Kidder.
• In the late 1960s Trudeau practiced yoga and told the press he frequently stood on his head. He also had a brown belt in judo.
• An aide later disclosed Trudeau had planned and rehearsed a seemingly spontaneous pirouette captured by cameras during a Buckingham Palace visit in 1977.

Also on January 16:
1637: The Company of New France is given a grant for to establish a nunnery, a Jesuit church and a seminary at Quebec.
1965: Prime Minister Lester Pearson and President Lyndon Johnson sign the Canada-U.S. Automotive Agreement. Commonly known as the Auto Pact, the deal gives a major boost to the Canadian auto industry by allowing widespread free trade in motor vehicles and parts between the two countries.
1939 The first Superman comic strip by Toronto-born Joe Shuster appears.

Pierre causes a stir in London

Medium: Television

Program: The Day It Is

Broadcast Date: Jan. 16, 1969

Duration: 2:05

This is the audio of a TV report for which video is unavailable.

Last updated:
March 12, 2008