Focus should be on 'mental wellness': Margaret Trudeau to speak at charity dinner

Margaret Trudeau, the mother of Primer Minister Justin Trudeau and ex-wife of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, is coming to P.E.I. to speak about her own struggles with mental illness to help raise funds for a wellness room at Colonel Gray High School in Charlottetown.

• Island charity dinner to feature Margaret Trudeau as speaker

"You know what's the most important thing? Is to nip it in the bud," Trudeau told Island Morning. "If there's early diagnosis and there's early treatment, you may never get on the roller coaster that I've been on."

Trudeau was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2006. She has written and spoken about her own experiences, and said it's important talk to teenagers early on about mental health.

"Usually I'm talking to people who I'm trying to change their minds, so I'm trying to get rid of the fear and the stigma of accepting a diagnosis of mental illness," she said. "When I was talking to young people, it's a completely different thing because they've got open minds."

Wellness centre 'extraordinary'

The wellness centre will feature a quiet room, some exercise equipment, space for yoga and meditation, and a different atmosphere for students who might feel uncomfortable going to the gym for wellness.

Trudeau called it an 'extraordinary' idea.

"I think exercise and meditation are two of the things that totally get me through the day," she said. "And this isn't a mental health room this is a wellness room and that's really where our focus should be on our mental wellness."

The charity dinner will be held on Dec. 1 at Island business owner Danny Murphy's Gingerwood home in Stanhope, P.E.I.

It features a dinner and reception, as well as the speech. Tickets are $500, with a charitable tax receipt from the Colonel Gray Foundation.

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