"It’s not as if Sophie has been a huge factor in his public appearances," historian and professor Robert Bothwell said
Jermaine Wilson
·Writer
August 3, 2023
Canadian Prime minister Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Trudeau arriving ahead of the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey, central London. Picture date: Saturday May 6, 2023. (Photo by Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau made a shocking announcement on Wednesday that they have decided to separate.
After a memorable 18-year marriage, the prime minister took to Instagram to share a statement about the couple's decision, including asking for privacy for himself and his children.
“As always, we remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and will continue to build,” the statement reads, which was also post on Grégoire Trudeau's Instagram page.
“For the well-being of our children, we ask that you respect our and their privacy. Thank you.”
The couple have three children, 15-year-old Xavier, 14-year-old Ella-Grace and nine-year-old Hadrien.
'She wasn’t all that prominent a figure'
With the unexpected separation from his wife, many Canadians are left wondering if the separation will impact the prime minister's image.
Historian and professor at the University of Toronto, Robert Bothwell, indicated that as of now, the separation won’t help Trudeau image, but nor will it hurt him.
“It’s not as if Sophie has been a huge factor in his public appearances, she wasn’t all that prominent a figure,” Bothwell said.
“I really don’t think it’d be much impact on Liberal party faithfuls or the politicians around him, and I’d be really doubtful if it had much impact on the general public. She’s just not that prominent a figure.”
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his wife Margaret walk along a street on the small French territorial island of St. Pierre Tuesday, August 4, 1971. The Trudeau's made a short unofficial visit to the island, which is off the east coast of Canada, during a tour of Canada's eastern provinces.
Throughout Canada’s history, Trudeau is the second prime minister to announce a separation while in office, following his father.
As Bothwell recalls, Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s image actually improved following his separation from Margaret Trudeau. The couple announced their separation in 1977 and filed for divorce in 1983.
“I remember being at a Liberal convention and polls were done around '78 or '79, and somebody said, you really won’t believe this, but his popularity has gone up since the split," he said.
While details around the current prime minister's separation remain unknown at the moment, the public's reaction is unmistakably visible, judging by the thousands of comments flooding Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau's Instagram pages.
'Intense vitriol and attacks': Trudeau separation draws backlash, sympathy from Canadians
Canadians are showing a wide range of emotions after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau formally announced their separation.
Corné van Hoepen
·Contributor, Yahoo News Canada
Updated August 3, 2023·
Canadians reacted with a flurry of social media posts in the wake of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau's formal separation announcement on Wednesday. The pair announced on social media that they were officially separating following 18 years of marriage.
"Hi everyone, Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate," reads a statement posted by Trudeau on social media.
An official statement released by the Prime Minister's Office said Trudeau and Grégoire have "signed a legal separation agreement" and the pair "have worked to ensure that all legal and ethical steps with regards to their decision to separate have been taken, and will continue to do so moving forward.”
Public reaction to the Trudeaus separation
The prime minister and his wife's formal announcement of separation made headlines around the world and garnered a strong buzz on social media.
Some kinder messages offered up words of support for the family, as separation is a difficult process for anyone. Others pointed to how any marriage would be made difficult given all the hardships that the prime minister faced throughout his time in office.
One social media user highlighted the overwhelming amount of hate tweets and conspiracy-based responses Trudeau's announcement received, by stating "all the hate and accusations towards the Prime Minister of Canada during difficult times is just pathetic & not the country I grew up in."
Others put it more simply: "It's none of our business."
Following the news, founder and leader of the People's Party of Canada (PPC) Maxime Bernier posted a tweet stating the notice of separation doesn't matter, and what matters is "he leaves the office of the prime minister."
Others simply stated that they felt absolutely "no sympathy" for Canada's leader, along with his family. Instead, some pointed to their own suffering.
It continues a wave of hate that's followed the prime minister, sometimes displayed through the "F*** Trudeau" flag.
no sympathy
he chose power and more enrichment
he could have been a private individual and been a father using his wealthy inheritance
Canada will be better without him
if he resigns then he could be a father to his children using his great fortune— Gif_Whisperer (@TheGifWhisperer) August 2, 2023
Amid all the sympathy and backlash, one social media user offered up the question if news of the separation will influence the impression the public has of the prime minister.
And amid the major news that's dominated headlines, others are also looking to shine on light on important issues in the day-to-day lives of Canadians.
A look back at the Trudeau marriage
Trudeau, 51, and Grégoire, 48, officially tied the knot in a Montreal church in May 2005 and during their 18 years of marriage, had three children together — two sons, Xavier, 15, and Hadrien, nine, and one daughter, 14-year-old Ella-Grace.
Grégoire, a former media personality, stunned the public when they first laid eyes on the glowing bride — dressed in a simple low-cut floral gown with a long veil trailing behind her. Trudeau was dressed in a gold tuxedo with gold silk stripes and upon emerging from the ceremony in the chapel, stepped into a 1959 Mercedes 300 SL, formerly belonging to Trudeau’s father.
While the prime minister and his wife portrayed a united front to the public, Grégoire said in an interview with Global News in 2015, that “no marriage is easy,” and that she was “almost kind of proud of the fact that we’ve had hardship,”
The pair's last public appearance together was during Canada Day 2023 in Ottawa.
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