University of Waterloo

2004-10-21 11:13:59

Trudeau event at St. Jerome's

WATERLOO, Ont. -- Alexandre (Sacha) Trudeau will be the special guest at a fundraising dinner to launch an important book examining his father's spirituality and to raise funds for students exploring the interface between faith and politics through The Pierre Trudeau Scholarship. The event takes place on Saturday, November 6 at St. Jerome's University, which is federated with the University of Waterloo.

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Scholarship was established by former UW professor and local businessman Dr. Ronald Schlegel. It is available to students at St. Jerome's and the University of Waterloo enrolled in History, Philosophy, Religious Studies and Political Science.

The book, entitled The Hidden Pierre Elliott Trudeau: The Faith Behind the Politics (Novalis), compiles presentations made at a conference cosponsored by St. Jerome's University and the University of Waterloo in May 2003. Political colleagues, biographers and friends came together to explore a hitherto unexamined aspect of Trudeau's character and political legacy: his faith and spirituality.

The book is edited by Richard Gwyn, John English and P. Whitney Lackenbauer, and gathers the speeches and discussions that occurred over two remarkable days. Included are the speeches of such figures as the Rt. Hon. John N. Turner and Hon. Allan J. MacEachen, along with Thomas S. Axworthy, Stephen Clarkson, John Godfrey, Ron Graham, Michael W. Higgins, Hon. Otto Lang, Jacques Monet, B.W. Powe, Nancy Southam and Michael Valpy.

Trudeau's second son, Alexandre, will be the featured speaker at the book launch and fundraising dinner. A documentary filmmaker and journalist, Sacha Trudeau came to national prominence in 2003 for his reportage of the American invasion of Iraq.

However, his commitment to issues involving the developing world has been a long-standing one. He has traveled to over sixty countries on five continents in pursuit of topics ranging from the spiritual significance of war, the perils of democracy in an age of imperialism and the struggle to sustain indigenous belief systems. His documentaries have been broadcast on CBC, Radio-Canada and CTV and he is a regular contributor to Maclean's magazine.

Those attending the dinner, which takes place in the St. Jerome's Community Centre, will also receive a copy of the book and enjoy a gourmet dinner featuring broiled lobster tail and charbroiled filet mignon. Tickets are $150.00 per person. A charitable receipt will be issued for a portion of the ticket cost. Tickets can be ordered from Sarah Daly, Development Coordinator, St. Jerome's University, 290 Westmount Road N., Waterloo, ON. Call (519) 884-8111, ext. 277 or E-mail s2daly at uwaterloo.ca