Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commemorated Father’s Day with a photo of his late father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
“Happy Father’s Day to all dads out there. My dad was my hero — and he still is,” he wrote in the heartfelt post. “And to Xavier, Ella-Grace, and Hadrien: no matter how exciting or fulfilling this job is, nothing beats being your dad. Love you.”
The photo shows Trudeau as a toddler in a canoe, wearing a life jacket and holding a paddle. His father, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, looks at his young son with a smile.
The photo is meaningful to Trudeau, who discusses it in the prologue of his 2014 memoir Common Ground.
“We are on the water on a mild spring day. The smile on my father’s face suggests that he could not be more content. I suspect this is true because he is taking me on a special journey, a rite of passage that he would conduct for all of his sons,” he wrote.
“Each of us — Sascha, Michel, and I — made this same journey over these rapids with my father. We were barely walking before Dad put a paddle in our hands and initiated us into the techniques of the voyageurs… My father didn’t want us to enjoy a tranquil ride; he wanted us to face a challenge, to be involved in the journey, to help take control of things in some small way. He wanted us to have fun.”
The senior Trudeau passed away in 2000.
One commenter stated, “Only love and respect for this memory.”
“Great photo and [wonderful] memory with your dad,” wrote another.