Visit to Abbotsford campus is part of Student Union Society’s effort to promote mental health awareness

Margaret Trudeau is a Canadian icon, celebrated both for her role in the public eye and as a respected mental-health issues advocate.

You 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.

Or maybe you know her as the mother of current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, seen with her grandchildren at public events such as his installation ceremony.

After she and husband Pierre split, 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 bi-polar disorder, struggling to cope with the effects of mental illness.

• Trudeau will share her experiences at the University of the Fraser Valley on Tues, January 10, at the Student Union Building on the Abbotsford campus from 2:30 to 4:30 pm.
• Admission is free for UFV students (tickets can be picked up at SUS offices in Abbotsford and Chilliwack) and $25 for the general public (find tickets here).

The event is presented by UFV Student Union Society 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,” says Sukhi Brar, President of the UFV Student Union Society. “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.”

Margaret 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.