There was a time early in the political ascendancy of Justin Trudeau that his wife, Sophie Grégoire, was much more visible than she became in later years.
She appeared on the campaign trail, did her own events, and made media appearances in support of her husband as well as her own causes. It was a natural fit, since she had been a media personality in her own right doing showbiz segments for Quebec Francophone television and radio.
After Trudeau became prime minister, it first seemed that they’d be the sort of couple that were always together. There are those marriages in politics and business where one person is in power and yet everyone knows the spouse is also heavily involved and influential. This was the case with Jean Chrétien, who made it clear he considered his wife Aline a key adviser.
It also doesn’t have to be that the spouse is particularly interested in the work that’s being done to be there front and centre for it all. While Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama were involved in their husband’s presidencies from a policy sense, Melania Trump clearly wasn’t. But that didn’t stop Melania from still participating in public life as an involved First Lady.
It never really turned out that way with Sophie and Justin, though. Despite the goodwill the nation clearly had for her in the early years, Sophie just sort of faded out of the limelight. What has she been up to all of these years? Canadians saw less and less of her as the time passed.
That’s all changed. It’s all Sophie now—on television, in the papers and, of course, on social media. This came with the formal announcement on Aug. 2 of their separation after 18 years of marriage. It’s all people in Canada are talking about. It’s also getting international coverage.
Canadians will continue to talk about it and seek more information on how this once very close couple drifted apart. It’s only natural. The question though is to what degree Sophie will talk about it.
Sophie and Justin’s mutual public statement included a plea for privacy: “For the well-being of our children, we ask that you respect our privacy and their privacy.”
No doubt the request as it pertains to the Trudeau children will be honoured by all decent people. While the media never held back its attacks against former U.S. president Donald Trump, they didn’t involve his youngest son Barron. The one or two occasions someone did, there was widespread consensus that the attack was wrong. Barron was off limits. This is as it should be.
It’s hard to imagine Sophie and Justin’s request for privacy will be honoured, though. This is largely because Trudeau is a celebrity prime minister. He came to power, in part, on the strength of his family name, his good looks, and his ability to be a media darling. People wanting to know about his personal life is all part of the package.
There’s no way the public won’t be clamouring for something more about this divorce. The question is to what degree Sophie plays along. Maybe she wants to keep a low profile. Or maybe she wants her own moment in the sun. The latter is certainly possible given how she did choose television as a career.
For older Canadians, this could be déjà vu all over again. That’s because this isn’t the first time a celebrity prime minister has separated from his wife while in office.
Justin’s mother Margaret Trudeau walked out on Pierre Trudeau in a very public way. Margaret gave many interviews about her marriage and even wrote a book disclosing the celebrity affairs she had while married to Pierre. On the evening Trudeau lost the 1979 election, Margaret was famously in Manhattan dancing up a storm at the trendiest nightclub in America, Studio 54.
After all of that drama, things did settle down. Far from being ruined politically, Pierre returned to power, winning a majority mandate in the 1980 election. Margaret remarried in Ottawa and quietly raised another family.
For now, Canadians are left to wonder if Sophie, who we haven’t seen much of in recent years, will soon speak.
