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(Yonge) Dundas Square comes of age - Does it need a new name?

As for Dundas Square - I think it's appropriate, given how Dundas St. winds its way through most of the west GTA to land in the heart of the big city.
 
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Please! It is ELLIOTT double L, double T. At least spell it correctly if you plan to slag him off.
 
Automation Gallery said:
By the way Pierre Elliot Trudeau was no Sir John A. Macdonald.:rolleyes: i dont even know if his name shoild belong on any square.
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I agree. He was basically a politician. What was his 'real' contribution?? Most nations tend to reserve these sorts of honours for politicians who went above and beyond in accordance with the times in a way that history now views as clear and unpartisan: Washington, Lincoln, Churchill, De Gaulle, etc... does Trudeau warrant similar such commemoration just for being the least bland of a long line of bland? I would definitely argue for this sort of commemoration in Quebec where he comes from or in Ottawa where our prime ministers have served but I would question further lioniazation beyond those contexts. Dundas Square, please!
 
Tewder said:
I agree. He was basically a politician. What was his 'real' contribution?? Most nations tend to reserve these sorts of honours for politicians who went above and beyond in accordance with the times in a way that history now views as clear and unpartisan: Washington, Lincoln, Churchill, De Gaulle, etc... does Trudeau warrant similar such commemoration just for being the least bland of a long line of bland? I would definitely argue for this sort of commemoration in Quebec where he comes from or in Ottawa where our prime ministers have served but I would question further lioniazation beyond those contexts. Dundas Square, please!
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Um...I don't think Quebec's the right place to commemorate Trudeau. Perhaps the square should be named after the FLQ, PQ, or René Lévesque for making our fair city the unrivaled centre of Canada that it is today by instigating an exodus of people and capital from Montreal to Toronto, starting in the early 70s and continuing to this day.
 
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Tewder said:
I agree. He was basically a politician. What was his 'real' contribution?? Most nations tend to reserve these sorts of honours for politicians who went above and beyond in accordance with the times in a way that history now views as clear and unpartisan: Washington, Lincoln, Churchill, De Gaulle, etc... does Trudeau warrant similar such commemoration just for being the least bland of a long line of bland? I would definitely argue for this sort of commemoration in Quebec where he comes from or in Ottawa where our prime ministers have served but I would question further lioniazation beyond those contexts. Dundas Square, please!
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What was his "real" contribution?

I think of Trudeau as one of Canada's greatest, if not the greatest, leader. As a gay man, I can't help but admire the fact that it was his sheer force of will that decriminalized homosexuality in 1969 (most of the Liberal cabinet did not want to go that route) and that gave us the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982 (I can't think of another PM who would have pushed that through given the circumstances of the time). It's ultimately because of Trudeau that I enjoy full civil rights in this country and I was able to get married in 2007. I can't even begin to describe the admiration and respect I have for the man. And although I have only mentioned the gay thing, the litany of his accomplishments is unparalleled - and yes, some of them remain controversial. Any leader who oversees the transformation of a country is going to be controversial by definition.

The leaders you mentioned (Washington, Lincoln, Churchill, DeGaulle) remained controversial for many decades after they served (to this day, for example, I don't think anyone in France would consider DeGaulle's legacy to be "unpartisan", except perhaps during the war years), due largely to the incredible roles they played in their country's history. Nonetheless, their respective nations began to honour them long before the judgment of history was unanimous. As Canadians, we are the ones that are truly bland, refusing to consider anything that is a not a safe choice, and bickering over the naming of a public square in honour of a leader that dominated the political discourse in this country for two decades.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

And sorry to have helped further veer this thread off topic.
 
Skeezix said:
What was his "real" contribution?

I think of Trudeau as one of Canada's greatest, if not the greatest, leader. As a gay man, I can't help but admire the fact that it was his sheer force of will that decriminalized homosexuality in 1969 (most of the Liberal cabinet did not want to go that route) and that gave us the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982 (I can't think of another PM who would have pushed that through given the circumstances of the time).
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I see where you're coming from but I view the social policies of Trudeau, and indeed his success/popularity, as a part of the evoluation of a larger social movement that was happening in the western democratized world to begin with (women's lib, civil rights in the US, and even Stonewall for that matter) rather than the actual genesis of it... You've given me pause, however. His achievements on these issues are indeed noteworthy of commemoration in Canada. I still like Dundas Square though:)
 
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