Margaret Trudeau

Margaret Joan Sinclair (born September 10, 1948), known by her married name Trudeau, is an author, actress, photographer, former television talk show hostess, and social advocate for people with bipolar disorder; the former wife of Pierre Trudeau, 15th Prime Minister of Canada; and the mother of Justin Trudeau, 23rd Prime Minister of Canada, and his brothers Alexandre and Michel. In 2013 she was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario in recognition of her work to combat mental illness. She suffers from bipolar disorder.

Early years

She was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, daughter of James Sinclair, a former Liberal member of the Parliament of Canada and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and Doris Kathleen (Bernard) Sinclair . One of her maternal ancestors was East India Company figure William Farquhar. Her father was Scottish and her mother's ancestry included English, Scottish, Dutch, French, and a Malayian five times great-grandmother.