No. Q11/03 For release September 9, 2003 THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA RENAMES MONTREAL'S DORVAL AIRPORT IN HONOUR OF PIERRE ELLIOTT TRUDEAU MONTREAL - The Honourable David Collenette, Minister of Transport, today officiated at a ceremony during which Montreal's Dorval Airport was renamed "Montreal - Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport". The new name proclaimed today will be effective January 1st, 2004. Joining Mr. Collenette for this event were the former Prime Minister's two sons, Justin Trudeau and Alexandre Trudeau. "Pierre Elliott Trudeau was a proud Canadian who loved his country and shaped its history," said Minister Collenette. "He was a great Montrealer and a tireless promoter of Canadian values at home and abroad. It is only appropriate then that his hometown's international airport be named in his honour." "Montreal - Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport" joins a list of Canadian airports that have been named in honour of former Prime Ministers. Toronto's airport was renamed after Lester B. Pearson (1983), Saskatoon's after John Diefenbaker (1993), and Ottawa's commemorates two Fathers of Confederation, former Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, and Georges Etienne Cartier (1993). "Mr. Trudeau was well known and well respected by people around the world, and so it is truly fitting that Montreal's airport, a key international gateway, be given his name," said Minister Collenette. "As a former colleague of Mr. Trudeau, I know that he would have been touched to have his name associated in this way with the city that he loved." Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1919-2000) was Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 3, 1979 and then again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984. He is remembered as an ardent defender of Canadian unity and he worked hard to promote Canada's official languages and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. On the international front, Mr. Trudeau worked for world peace and for better relations between industrialized nations and the developing world. He died on September 28, 2000, at the age of 80. - 30 - Transport Canada is on-line at www.tc.gc.ca. Keep up to date on the latest from Transport Canada by subscribing to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/listserv/. This release is also available in alternative formats for people with a visual impairment.
