When he was prime minister in 1984, Pierre Trudeau was privately on the side of Cold War protesters, say secret cabinet documents uncovered by Blacklock’s Reporter..And Trudeau’s ministers were concerned that letting the Americans test their cruise missiles in Alberta would cost his Liberals public support, the declassified documents show..Cabinet Minutes showed senior Liberals were sharply divided over “Reaganite militarism.”.“The Prime Minister indicated he was concerned about losing public opinion and Liberal following as a result of the government’s position,” said Minutes..“He noted how in the U.S. the results of a referendum showed 85 per cent of the population for nuclear disarmament.”.In 1983, Trudeau’s cabinet agreed to permit the United States Air Force to test unarmed cruise missiles in Canada. A total 23 tests were conducted over a decade. Missiles launched from airborne B-52 bombers were flown to Alberta’s Cold Lake Air Weapons Range..It sparked mass protests in cities nationwide – one in Vancouver rally drew 64,000 people. Demonstrators in Ottawa formed a human chain around Parliament’s Centre Block and erected a makeshift “peace camp” below the Peace Tower..“Several Ministers were of the opinion the shabby Peace Camp degraded the quasi-sanctity of Parliament, that there were public complaints concerning this eyesore, that Parliament belongs to all Canadians and it is an infringement for people to set up installations for days or a year, and that the group had time to make its point and should now leave,” said Minutes of a confidential April 12, 1984 meeting..“Other Ministers thought this is a form of protest exercising the right of freedom of speech, that any rule will be hard to explain and will create an issue to the detriment of the good image of this government,” said Minutes..Trudeau refused to order the camp removed..“Having lived with the sight of the Peace Camp for the last ten months and recalling having questioned the reasons for being expelled from the Plains of Abraham as a youth, he noted he personally was prepared to stand (it),” said Minutes.. Trudeau Sr. secretly backed Cold War protesters, say documents .The records show sharp divisions within cabinet over cruise missile testing..Ministers called it “dangerous” for the Liberal Party: “It would be difficult to ensure a united front because of the position taken by some Liberal backbenchers.”.“One Minister was concerned the government may appear to come out too strongly on the cruise missile issue,” said Minutes..“He indicated he had received a lot of correspondence on this subject, not only from conscientious objectors but also from many who advanced articulate positions..“Several Ministers expressed concern about the increasing prominence of the disarmament issue in Canada. The disarmament movement was taking on a depth and breadth which was difficult to assess. It was apparently not concerned with nuances of the issue, but rather reflected a growing deep fear among people about the prospects of a nuclear war..“In Canada attention was fixed on the cruise missile as a symbol of international insecurity, and a campaign to ‘stop the cruise’ was gaining momentum..“It was important to recognize that the participants in this were not fanatics or extremists, but were ordinary Canadians who were deeply concerned. They were uncomfortable about Canada’s apparent support for Reaganite militarism, and they did not believe that the U.S. was serious in its disarmament negotiations.”.Records of a July 7, 1983 cabinet meeting concluded: “The problem really lay in differences in the thinking of various Ministers on this particular problem.”.The documents said newspaper editorials generally supported the tests while CBC coverage appeared too sympathetic to peace protesters..“Mr. Trudeau thought it might be appropriate for his office to draw to the attention of the CBC his disappointment with contrived and sensational reporting,” said Minutes..The Liberal cabinet never revoked its approval of winter missile testing at Cold Lake. A Conservative cabinet in 1985 ordered RCMP to dismantle the Parliament Hill peace camp. A federal judge in 1989 dismissed a Charter Of Rights challenge of the order..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
When he was prime minister in 1984, Pierre Trudeau was privately on the side of Cold War protesters, say secret cabinet documents uncovered by Blacklock’s Reporter..And Trudeau’s ministers were concerned that letting the Americans test their cruise missiles in Alberta would cost his Liberals public support, the declassified documents show..Cabinet Minutes showed senior Liberals were sharply divided over “Reaganite militarism.”.“The Prime Minister indicated he was concerned about losing public opinion and Liberal following as a result of the government’s position,” said Minutes..“He noted how in the U.S. the results of a referendum showed 85 per cent of the population for nuclear disarmament.”.In 1983, Trudeau’s cabinet agreed to permit the United States Air Force to test unarmed cruise missiles in Canada. A total 23 tests were conducted over a decade. Missiles launched from airborne B-52 bombers were flown to Alberta’s Cold Lake Air Weapons Range..It sparked mass protests in cities nationwide – one in Vancouver rally drew 64,000 people. Demonstrators in Ottawa formed a human chain around Parliament’s Centre Block and erected a makeshift “peace camp” below the Peace Tower..“Several Ministers were of the opinion the shabby Peace Camp degraded the quasi-sanctity of Parliament, that there were public complaints concerning this eyesore, that Parliament belongs to all Canadians and it is an infringement for people to set up installations for days or a year, and that the group had time to make its point and should now leave,” said Minutes of a confidential April 12, 1984 meeting..“Other Ministers thought this is a form of protest exercising the right of freedom of speech, that any rule will be hard to explain and will create an issue to the detriment of the good image of this government,” said Minutes..Trudeau refused to order the camp removed..“Having lived with the sight of the Peace Camp for the last ten months and recalling having questioned the reasons for being expelled from the Plains of Abraham as a youth, he noted he personally was prepared to stand (it),” said Minutes.. Trudeau Sr. secretly backed Cold War protesters, say documents .The records show sharp divisions within cabinet over cruise missile testing..Ministers called it “dangerous” for the Liberal Party: “It would be difficult to ensure a united front because of the position taken by some Liberal backbenchers.”.“One Minister was concerned the government may appear to come out too strongly on the cruise missile issue,” said Minutes..“He indicated he had received a lot of correspondence on this subject, not only from conscientious objectors but also from many who advanced articulate positions..“Several Ministers expressed concern about the increasing prominence of the disarmament issue in Canada. The disarmament movement was taking on a depth and breadth which was difficult to assess. It was apparently not concerned with nuances of the issue, but rather reflected a growing deep fear among people about the prospects of a nuclear war..“In Canada attention was fixed on the cruise missile as a symbol of international insecurity, and a campaign to ‘stop the cruise’ was gaining momentum..“It was important to recognize that the participants in this were not fanatics or extremists, but were ordinary Canadians who were deeply concerned. They were uncomfortable about Canada’s apparent support for Reaganite militarism, and they did not believe that the U.S. was serious in its disarmament negotiations.”.Records of a July 7, 1983 cabinet meeting concluded: “The problem really lay in differences in the thinking of various Ministers on this particular problem.”.The documents said newspaper editorials generally supported the tests while CBC coverage appeared too sympathetic to peace protesters..“Mr. Trudeau thought it might be appropriate for his office to draw to the attention of the CBC his disappointment with contrived and sensational reporting,” said Minutes..The Liberal cabinet never revoked its approval of winter missile testing at Cold Lake. A Conservative cabinet in 1985 ordered RCMP to dismantle the Parliament Hill peace camp. A federal judge in 1989 dismissed a Charter Of Rights challenge of the order..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
