{"id":24513,"date":"2023-06-12T11:19:45","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T15:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=24513"},"modified":"2023-07-18T16:07:53","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T20:07:53","slug":"episode-832-the-day-prime-minister-pierre-trudeau-arrived-at-parkdale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=24513","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 832 THE DAY PRIME MINISTER PIERRE TRUDEAU ARRIVED AT PARKDALE"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 832    THE DAY PRIME MINISTER PIERRE TRUDEAU ARRIVED AT PARKDALE<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
Alan skeoch<\/div>\n
june 2023<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
There was a bi-election in the Parkdale riding around 1990.   I forget the exact year but that is<\/div>\n
not really the important part of the story.  I was teaching Civics to my Grade Ten class and <\/div>\n
casually mentioned that it was possible to get a visit from the Prime Minister.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWould you like to meet Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in person?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cUs?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cyes, there is a chance our Prime Minister would come to meet each of you peronsally.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot likely, sir. \u201c<\/div>\n
\u201cYou might be right but Itink you are wrong.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI think if you\u2026all of you\u2026write a letter to Mr. Trudeau \u2026.a letter inviting hime to our school.<\/div>\n
I think he might come to see you\u201d  Worth a try anyway.   Let\u2019s compose a letter.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And we did.  I made sure the letter was written by the class and not by me or any teacher <\/div>\n
at Parkdale.  Maybe left in a couple of spelling mistakes just to prove the letter was authentic.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And Presto!  next week we got a letter from Ottawa or perhaps it was a phone call.  Trudeau was<\/div>\n
coming to see and talk to my Grade Ten class.   The school went berserk.   Trudeau would meet<\/div>\n
all  of our students in the auditorium.   He would maKe a speech to them. Answer questions. It was made clear<\/div>\n
that the prime minister wanted to meet the students\u2026not the teachers\u2026not the adults.  he liked<\/div>\n
young people.  Loved the give and take in conversation with kids.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
This visit became a big deal.   Everyone was excited.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The search dogs came the day before.   Officers searched every croner of the<\/div>\n
school to make sure there was no danger.  No bomb. Plain clothes men were present\u2026anonymous<\/div>\n
in part.  Then Trudeau arrived in a bit of a motorcade up Jameson Avenue.   He was encircled<\/div>\n
by security people lest something untoward happen.  He was safe.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Or so everyone thought.   But he was not safe.  Suddenly a girl dashed from the crowd of<\/div>\n
students greeting Trudeau and the motorcade.  She rushed the Trudeau car in a sudden<\/div>\n
burts of energy\u2026.by passed the security detail and planted a big kiss on Trudeau who<\/div>\n
grinned and marched into the school.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The first thing he asked was where is the washroom.  He had to take a leak.  Then he<\/div>\n
proceeded to the auditorium where he spoke for a few minutes and then asked for<\/div>\n
questions.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
My Grade Ten class was forgotten in he visit.  Questions were asked but they <\/div>\n
were as bland as porridge.  A teacher committee tried to keep hostile questions<\/div>\n
from being asked.   The visit was nice but rather bland.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I wished he had come up to Room 225 to really meet my class.  They were the <\/div>\n
reason he visited Parkdale but that was lost in the jumble.   All the same our <\/div>\n
school was flattered.   Our students felt important\u2026all of them.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
And one girl out smarted the whole security detail as she rushed to be cradled<\/div>\n
in the arms of our Prime Minister.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
June 2023<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE 832    THE DAY PRIME MINISTER PIERRE TRUDEAU ARRIVED AT PARKDALE Alan skeoch june 2023 There was a bi-election in the Parkdale riding around 1990.   I forget the exact year but that is not really the important part of the story.  I was teaching Civics to my Grade Ten class and  casually mentioned […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24513\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}