The Trudeau family is a Canadian political dynasty defined by a father and son who each led the country. Pierre Elliott Trudeau served as prime minister for most of the period between 1968 and 1984, becoming one of the defining figures of twentieth-century Canadian politics, and his eldest son, Justin Trudeau, served as prime minister from 2015 to 2025.
The family joined two public lines through marriage. Pierre Trudeau married Margaret Sinclair, whose father, James Sinclair, was himself a federal cabinet minister — linking the Trudeaus to an earlier generation of Canadian public service. Pierre and Margaret had three sons; the youngest, Michel, died in an avalanche in 1998, and another son, Alexandre, became a documentary filmmaker. Justin married Sophie Grégoire, from whom he later separated, and the couple raised three children, Xavier, Ella-Grace, and Hadrien.
Read as a genogram, the Trudeau family shows a direct father-to-son transfer of the country's highest office, bridged by more than three decades out of power. Justin grew up in the prime minister's residence during his father's tenure before entering politics and reaching the same post a generation later, an unusually close parallel of upbringing and career within one household.
Pierre and Justin Trudeau are the only father and son ever to serve as prime minister of Canada. In a further coincidence of the family record, Justin's eldest son, Xavier, was born on Pierre Trudeau's own birthday, October 25.
Open & edit this family tree →