In honour of Mother's Day today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted a heartfelt message to his wife and his own mother on Facebook. While we see a lot of Trudeau's wife, Sophie his mother Margaret is a bit less known to our generation. Given that it's mother's day though, it seemed like an appropriate time to talk about Margaret Trudeau, the mother and wife behind two Canadian Prime Ministers.
Let's start by hearing what Justin Trudeau has to say about his own mother. In his post on Twitter and Instagram today, he wished a Happy Mother's Day to Canadians, " especially to the two greatest moms I know – Sophie and my mother Margaret – who inspire and lift up the people around them with love & compassion every single day."
This wasn't the first time he has given Margaret Trudeau a shout out online. Fittingly, he also posted about her last year on Mother's Day, though he didn't reveal any more details about what kind of mother she is. Instead, he posted about all the mothers, grandmothers, wives, and friends who "we're all so lucky to have in our lives, guiding us with unconditional love."
While Justin Trudeau hasn't told us a lot about his mother, we're here to fill in some gaps. Here are six things you didn't know about Margaret Trudeau.
1. This Is Her Second Time Being Related To Canada's Prime Minister
As many of you may know, Justin Trudeau is the son of the infamous Pierre Elliot Trudeau, who was the Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1984. That means that this is the second time Margaret has supported and endured having a relative in Canada's most public office. Of course, this second time around she has been able to keep out of the public eye more since she is no longer Canada's "first lady."
2. She Was Married Twice, Less Than 2 Weeks After Officially Getting Divorced
After six years of marriage, Margaret and Pierre Trudeau separated in 1977. Their divorce was finalized in April 1984. Then that very same month she got re-married to Fried Kemper (yes Fried, not Fred) at a small courthouse ceremony with her kids in attendance. Her marriage to Kemper ended in 1999.
3. She Has 5 Children
Everyone knows the most famous Trudeau kid, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but Margaret has 4 other children. Along with Justin, she had two other sons, Alexandre who is now an author and Michel who tragically died in an avalanche in 1998. With Kemper, she had two children, Kyle and Alicia.
4. She Once Partied With Mick Jagger And The Rolling Stones
While her first marriage to Pierre Trudeau began to fall apart, Margaret reportedly had some wild party days. She was said to have partied with members of the Rolling Stones back in the later 70s and was possibly romantically associated with two of the members, including Ronnie Wood and even Mick Jagger.
5. She Is An Author With Over 4 Books
Given everything Margaret Trudeau has been through and endured in her life, it's not surprising that she has a lot to say. She has now authored four different books. Her first, in 1979 was called Beyond Reason. Then in 1982, she wrote Consequences. Margaret Trudeau then took a break from writing, coming back to it in 2010 with the book Changing My Mind. Her latest book, written in 2015 is called The Time Of My Life: Choosing A Vibrant, Joyful Future.
6. She Now Has Her Own One-Woman Show In Chicago
Instead of writing, Margaret Trudeau has recently chosen a new way to express herself. Just this past week she opened up her own One-Woman show at Chicago's Second City, a popular comedy club. The show is called A Certain Woman of an Age and Justin Trudeau is expected to attend later this week.
Margaret Trudeau is now 70 years old. She is from Vancouver, BC where her father, James Sinclair was also an MP in the Liberal Party of Canada and the former Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.