Justin Trudeau thanks Canadians for their support in wake of separation announcement

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked Canadians for their support in the wake of his separation from Sophie Grégoire Trudeau.

Mr. Trudeau and his wife announced on Aug. 2 that they were ending their 18-year marriage. They have three children and, at the time, his office said both parents would remain a “constant presence” in their kids’ lives.

Mr. Trudeau held his first press conference Monday since he and Ms. Grégoire Trudeau announced the separation. He is only the second prime minister, after his father, to split with a spouse while in office.

He said he has received “wonderful and positive” messages and stories from Canadians since the announcement.

“I want to thank all the people who’ve reached out over the past number of weeks, with warm wishes, with personal messages, with personal stories,” Mr. Trudeau said, when asked how he was feeling in the wake of the separation.

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau’s section removed from Liberal party website

Soon after they went public with news of their separation, Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Grégoire Trudeau went on vacation with their kids in Tofino, B.C.

“I got 10 days with the family to focus on the kids, focus on being together and moving forward. And I really, really want to thank Canadians for having been so incredibly gracious and incredibly generous in respecting our privacy and our space. It really makes things easier.”

Ms. Grégoire Trudeau played a significant role in Mr. Trudeau’s rise to power first as Liberal Leader and then in his 2015 federal election victory. However, in recent years, she has had a lower profile and travelled less frequently with the Prime Minister, both domestically and internationally.

The Prime Minister’s Office has said that the two will continue to co-parent and are “focused on raising their kids in a safe, loving and collaborative environment.”

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While Ms. Grégoire Trudeau will not be appearing as the spouse of the Prime Minister at public functions or on international trips, his office has said the public should still expect to often see the family together.

She was removed from the Liberal Party’s website soon after the announcement.

Mr. Trudeau’s father, the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, separated from his wife, Margaret, in 1977 while he was still in office. They divorced seven years later, in 1984, prior to his announcement that he was leaving politics that year.