TODAY IN HISTORY: Pierre Trudeau marries
In 1870, a Metis firing squad executed Ontario adventurer Thomas Scott for attempting to overthrow Louis Riel's government at Manitoba's Red River Colony. The sentence ultimately led to Riel's execution 15 years later.
In 1966, a political sex scandal involving a senior Ottawa official and a prostitute named Gerda Munsinger became known to Parliament and the country. Liberal Justice Minister Lucien Cardin revealed that Pierre Sevigny, associate minister of defence in the Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, had an affair in the late 1950s and early ‘60s with Munsinger. After being warned that Munsinger was a security risk, Diefenbaker reprimanded Sevigny but kept him in the cabinet. A later inquiry found no security breach, but said Diefenbaker was too lenient.
In 1971, Pierre Elliott Trudeau married Margaret Sinclair in Vancouver, becoming the first Canadian prime minister to marry while in office. They had three children – all boys – before separating in 1977 and divorcing in 1984.
In 1977, The Rolling Stones made a rare nightclub appearance at the El Mocambo in Toronto. The concert was advertised only as a performance by the opening act, the Canadian group April Wine. The Stones’ appearance was kept secret until the last minute. Recordings were made of both bands’ performances.
In 1994, much-loved Canadian actor John Candy died of a heart attack while filming in Mexico. He was 43. The “SCTV” star is most remembered for “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” with Steve Martin.
In 2012, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin won Russia’s presidential election, a post he held from 2000-08. However, opposition and independent observers said the election was marred by widespread violations.
In 2018, Germany ended five months of political uncertainty when Chancellor Angela Merkel gained the needed support from the Social Democrats to remain in a coalition with her conservative bloc, ending the longest time Germany has been without a new government after elections in postwar history.
In 2019, China’s state news agency announced two Canadians detained on suspicion of harming national security acted together to steal state secrets. Xinhua News Agency cited unidentified Chinese authorities as saying former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig violated Chinese laws by acting as a spy and stealing Chinese state secrets and intelligence with the help of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor. The pair were arrested Dec. 10 in what was widely seen as an attempt to pressure Canada to release Chinese executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities.
In 2021, Canada’s ultimate hockey dad Walter Gretzky died in Brantford, Ont. at age 82.
In 2022, Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces had taken control of Europe’s largest nuclear power station. The Zaporizhzhia plant had been shelled by Russian military, causing a fire and damaging the compartment of a reactor. A Russian airstrike also destroyed the power plant in Okhtyrka, leaving the city without heat or electricity.