OTTAWA - A Liberal MP has tabled proposed legislation that would officially recognize the birthday of former prime minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau each Oct. 18.
Mario Silva says Trudeau had `vigour, innovation and daring' and symbolized Canada at its best.
The Toronto-area MP says Trudeau inspired countless Canadians to get involved in the political process and he should be recognized.
Born Oct. 18, 1919, Trudeau served as prime minister from 1968 until 1984, with a nine-month break in 1979-80 after Joe Clark's Progressive Conservatives won a short-lived minority government in Ottawa.
Ever a controversial and much-debated figure in Canadian history, Trudeau repatriated Canada's Constitution, introduced the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, enshrined both official languages in law and established multiculturalism as official federal policy.
Silva's tabled his proposal as a private member's bill on Trudeau's 88th birthday; like most private member's bills, it is unlikely to pass.
