The term was used as a
rhetorical device by
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to encapsulate his vision for the nation. He first used the term in the
1968 Liberal Party leadership contest, at the height of "
Trudeaumania", and it eventually became identified as one of his trademark phrases. The phrase is now an ingrained part of
Canadian political discourse. Unlike the "
Great Society" of US President
Lyndon B. Johnson, the label "Just Society" was not attached to a specific set of reforms, but rather applied to all Trudeau's policies, from
multiculturalism to the creation of the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms labelled
Trudeauism. In
Canadian law, the notion of a "just society" is an ideal that is theoretically in the
Constitution, particularly in
Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, that promotes legal equality, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law. The concept is also supported by the
Criminal Code's sentencing objectives, which aim to maintain a just, peaceful, and safe society. ,
Prime Minister of Canada (1968–79, 1980–84) Trudeau defined a just society prior to becoming the prime minister of Canada in 1968 as: Trudeau himself later wrote in his
Memoirs (1993) that "Canada itself" could now be defined as a "society where all people are equal and where they share some fundamental values based upon freedom", and that all Canadians could identify with the values of liberty and equality. ==Irish usage==