Pierre Elliott Trudeau's ideas on liberal democracy and political philosophy are relevant to
Canadian life. He is a modern liberal democrat with a vision of the 'Good' society - what he
terms the Just Society. The values of a Just Society are numerous, but perhaps, the most
important are freedom, equality, and tolerance. These values are core to his theory and are
often revealed in his battle against nationalism. Trudeau is radically opposed to notions of
ethnic nationalism, such as French Canadian and Aboriginal nationalism, but he supports a type
of civic nationalism within a federal, pluralistic system. In his dislike for nationalism, Trudeau
is similar to Lord Acton, who has had a major influence on his work. Trudeau also shows
thought similar to John Locke, J.S. Mill, I. Berlin, de Tocqueville, Publius, and John Rawls.Arts, Faculty ofPolitical Science, Department ofGraduat
