Margaret Trudeau, mental-health advocate and mother of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, visits Abbotsford on Tuesday, Jan. 10 to speak at University of the Fraser Valley (UFV).
The presentation runs from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Student Union Building of the Abbotsford campus, 33884 King Rd.
Trudeau is celebrated both for her role in the public eye and as a respected mental-health issues advocate.
Many may remember her as young Maggie Trudeau, married at 22 to a prime minister (Pierre Trudeau) 30 years her senior. She had three sons by the time she was 27.
After she and Pierre separated, she lived as an artistic free spirit, still in the public eye for several years before settling down to a more private life with her second husband Fred Kemper and having two more children.
She has endured the loss of her third son, Michel, in an avalanche accident, and of her ex-husband Pierre, with whom she shared a unique and lasting bond.
What the public wasn’t always aware of during these tumultuous years was that Trudeau was also living with bipolar disorder, struggling to cope with the effects of mental illness.
Trudeau’s appearance in Abbotsford is presented by the UFV Student Union Society (SUS) as part of its Health and Wellness initiative, in partnership with UFV president Mark Evered, and is part of the President’s Leadership Lecture Series.
“We are excited about welcoming a leading mental-health advocate to UFV,” said Sukhi Brar, president of the SUS.
“We surveyed students this spring and they told us that mental-health issues are a significant concern, so we’ve been working to offer programming and events to increase awareness and understanding of these issues.”
Trudeau tirelessly shares her personal stories to remind others of the importance of nurturing the body, mind and spirit.
She is the author of four books, including her bestselling title Changing My Mind, which charts her life’s ups and downs, and her latest title, The Time of Your Life, which offers women an inspirational and practical approach to creating a healthy, happy, secure and satisfying future.
Admission is free for UFV students and $25 for the general public. Tickets are available at the SUS offices in Abbotsford and Chilliwack or online at eventbrite.ca.