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CHAPTER 11: LIVING IN TRUDEAU'S CANADA

INTERNET FOCUS QUESTIONS:

Communities: Local, National, and Global

  • How did the media reflect changes in Canadian cultural identity during the 1960s and 1970s?

Change and Continuity

  • What impact did the Baby Boom generation have on society in the 1960s and 1970s?

Citizenship and Heritage

  • How did society change as a consequence of the women's movement?
  • Why did Native national organizations grow stronger during this period?
  • Why did Prime Minister Trudeau capture so much attention among Canadians that the phenomenon was called Trudeaumania?


ACTIVITIES

THE TRUDEAU YEARS

14.

 

During the Trudeau years, Canadians lived through, and often struggled with, many cultural and social changes. Research media and personal accounts of those years, and formulate questions on change and continuity as these forces affected people's lives. Identify any biases you should consider as you evaluate the viewpoints of different people and different media.



In 1963, Bob Dylan wrote a song titled "The Times They Are A'Changin", which became a theme of the 1960s and 1970s. As Baby Boomers moved into their late teens and twenties, and as women and the Native peoples of Canada began to demand equality, Canadian society and culture changed. Through grassroots organizations and the popular media, some Canadians began to demand more control over their own lives.

As you view the websites in this activity, think/pair/share questions that will help you focus your study of changes in Canadian society during the last half of the twentieth century. Your questions may include some of the following: What happened in Canadian society after the changes of the 1960s and 1970s took effect? How did changes in one sector of society affect Canadians in other sectors? What opposition to change might have arisen in the years following the 1970s?

To prepare for your Internet search, review in Canada: Our Century, Our Story the Women's Movement (pages 298-302) and Land Claims and Clashes with Industry (pages 305-306). Then visit the following websites:

As you compose your questions, use Historian at Work: Identifying Your Sources of Information (page 303) to create an annotated bibliography of the websites for future reference.

Use the following questions to help you focus your Internet viewing and reading:

  • What were some of the causes and effects of the struggle for equality in Canada during the 1960s and 1970s?
  • What policy changes were recommended by the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, and what changes actually took place?
  • How did protest songs written by Buffy Sainte-Marie reflect and help bring about changes in attitudes among and towards the Native peoples of Canada?
  • What would it have been like to be a young adult in the 1960s and 1970s? What would the generation ahead of me have thought and felt?
  • How would I have resolved the conflicts that arose? What compromises might I have suggested?

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"TRUDEAUMANIA"

Trudeaumania

15.

 

Was "Trudeaumania" a creation of the mass media? Research newspaper Internet archives on the phenomenon and create interview questions. Then interview two people who were eyewitnesses to that period of Canadian history and write a report of your findings.

In the weeks leading up to election day, June 25, 1968, Trudeau captured and held the attention of Canadian voters. Was Trudeaumania a grassroots response to a charismatic leader? Was it a media production? Or was it a bit of both? Review newspaper archives of that time and interview eyewitnesses to Trudeaumania. Then draw your own conclusions.

Use the Bias Checklist in Historian at Work: Media Bias—Who Determines the Issues? (on pages 390-391 of Canada: Our Century, Our Story) to help you analyse these Internet sources.

  • The media portrayed Trudeau in pictures and articles as a vigorous and attractive man [Article 1; Article 2].
  • Editorial cartoons caricatured his charismatic and confident manner: [Cartoon 1 and Cartoon 2].
  • An editorial on the eve of the election summed up what many people saw in Trudeau: a new image of themselves and a spirit of adventure.
  • Advertisements for the Liberal Party used the popularity of Trudeau to persuade people to vote for the liberal candidate in their federal riding.
  • The first federal televised debate allowed the media-savvy Trudeau to perform before a national (and international) audience.

Work with a partner to record your impressions of these newspaper excerpts and to develop your interview questions about the Trudeaumania phenomenon. Review Historian at Work: Asking the Right Questions (page 113) to help you formulate your questions and set up the interview.

You and your partner should each interview two people who were eyewitnesses to Trudeaumania in the 1960s (you will have four interviews altogether). Then meet with your partner and organize your data, decide on an appropriate thesis statement, and draft, revise, and edit a joint report.

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