Portrait of a prime minister: Jean Chrétien

For a more or less unilingual 29-year-old francophone from a remote region, landing in Ottawa in 1963 had its challenges. Chrétien made his mark based on the strength of his tireless work. He also had his eye on a place at the table: a seat in Cabinet. Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson liked this spirited MP who was willing to plunge into economic files under the watchful eye of Finance Minister Mitchell Sharp. Chrétien’s reward came in 1967, when he was given the modest portfolio of Minister of State for Finance.

Jean Chrétien quickly learned the ropes, becoming a full-blown minister in January 1968 — this time, Minister of National Revenue. When Pierre Elliott Trudeau took over as leader of the country in Summer 1968, he transferred Chrétien to Indian Affairs and Northern Development, an appointment that astonished Chrétien. By his own admission, he knew nothing about either Indigenous affairs or northern development. It is one of the ironies of Canadian history that Chrétien came to love the department, recalling with emotion:

Jean Chrétien was sad to leave his position at Indian Affairs and Northern Development following the 1974 federal election; however, his leader Trudeau needed him elsewhere. Chrétien became the government’s jack-of-all-trades. One might say that, the stormier the seas, the more likely that the job would be given to this rough sailor. Chrétien accordingly spent several years as President of the Treasury Board, Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, and Minister of Finance — the first francophone to hold this portfolio since Confederation, and another confirmation of the “French Power” that Pierre Trudeau was bringing to Ottawa. Throughout his career, Chrétien occupied no fewer than 12 Cabinet positions.

His most demanding yet rewarding mandate came during his time as Justice Minister. The country had experienced years of identity-related turmoil. Quebec held a referendum on sovereignty in 1980; the federalist option won out. Prime Minister Trudeau sought to repatriate the Canadian Constitution by attaching a Charter of Rights. At the beginning, the only provincial premiers to support the initiative were Ontario’s Bill Davis and New Brunswick’s Richard Hatfield. The mission was clearly in jeopardy.

Drawing upon both his tenacity and willingness to compromise, Jean Chrétien overcame the reluctance of almost all the other premiers, finalizing an agreement on the evening of November 4, 1981. These efforts led to the historic signature of a new Constitution by Queen Elizabeth — a moment of intense pride for Jean Chrétien. There was, however, a dark cloud on the horizon: the Quebec government, led by René Lévesque’s Parti Québécois, refused to add its signature. Bitterness was alive and well among sovereigntists, as well as among Quebec nationalists. This would come back to haunt Chrétien nearly 15 years later.

Jean Chrétien quit politics for the first time in 1986. Two years earlier, in 1984, following the retirement of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, John Turner had won the race for leadership of the Liberal Party. A climate of conflict had set in between Chrétien and his new leader. However, in 1988, Turner’s second successive defeat at the hands of Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative Party reshuffled the deck. John Turner gave up leadership of the Liberals, and his position was now up for grabs. Chrétien tried his luck once again. The prize had eluded him in 1984; would the second time be the charm? Playing upon his extensive experience, Jean Chrétien became head of his party at the leadership conference in Calgary in 1990, defeating, among others, his brilliant rival Paul Martin.

During his time as Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien retained the services of a man he considered his mentor: Mitchell Sharp (1911–2004). An economist and senior civil servant who had been a federal minister under both Pearson and Trudeau, Sharp had an almost paternal affection for the young Chrétien when the latter, newly arrived on Parliament Hill, sought to penetrate the mysteries of government finances.

Already in his eighties in 1993, Sharp agreed to advise his former protégé. He had only one condition: that he be given a nominal annual salary of one dollar. In 1994, Sharp did indeed receive his dollar; however, over the course of the ensuing years, both employer and employee neglected their business arrangement — so much so that the Prime Minister had to pay five dollars all at once in 1999, in a small ceremony that was both funny and moving. Mr. Sharp’s widow, Jeanne d’Arc Labrecque Sharp, offered the Museum this proof of back pay — an amount that was never deposited.

Jean Chrétien grappled with many different briefs during his 10 years in power. Neither success nor controversy was lacking — plenty of ink could be spilled on both. Of particular note among his government’s achievements was the spectacular — if painful — rejigging of public finances to eliminate the federal deficit. Guided by Finance Minister Paul Martin, and with Chrétien’s wholehearted support, this budget exercise placed Canada on a solid financial footing. It was also under Jean Chrétien that the territory of Nunavut was born in 1999, giving Inuit control over the future of an area in which they were the majority population.

At the international level, it was under Chrétien that the North American Free Trade Agreement came into effect in 1994, and that Canada ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change. He also demonstrated clear support for NATO by participating in the intervention in Afghanistan following the attacks of September 11, 2001. At the same time, however, he asserted Canada’s sovereignty by declining to follow the United States into the war in Iraq, which began in 2003.

As for so many other Canadian prime ministers, national unity preoccupied Jean Chrétien. The Meech Lake Accord, which would have given Quebec the status of “distinct society,” was rejected in 1990. A large proportion of the Quebec population was outraged by this, and sought sovereignty. A referendum was announced by the Parti Québécois government for October 30, 1995.

For Chrétien, this second fight, following the one in 1980, didn’t just embody a crucial political choice, but would mean rifts within nearly every family. More than ever, he believed in Canada, and sought to sway his fellow Quebecers. In his Shawinigan riding, several weeks before the vote, he issued an appeal:

Surprisingly, there were strong ties between Jean Chrétien and the British Royal Family, and particularly with the sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II. They first met during Canada’s Centennial Celebrations in 1967. From Commonwealth summits to Canadian tours, to repatriation of the Constitution, the “little guy from Shawinigan” and the Queen enjoyed numerous opportunities to chat — with Her Majesty always speaking in French.

As Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien also met with her at Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany, as well as during a royal tour in 2002, when the Queen visited our Museum. As a mark of royal consideration, in 2009 Chrétien received the Order of Merit, a coveted decoration bestowed personally by the Queen.

Jean Chrétien often visited the Museum of Civilization (now the Museum of History). It was one of his favourite venues, where he chose to welcome heads of state and hold gala dinners. It is worth remembering one of the events that marked not only his life, but also the life of this country: the awarding of honorary Canadian citizenship to Nelson Mandela. The hero of South Africa had recognized Canada for the anti-apartheid stance of former Prime Minister Mulroney, and for the support of Mulroney’s successor, Jean Chrétien, in the fraught transition to a multiracial regime.

The Prime Minister was equally interested in our sister institution, the Canadian War Museum. Although it would be his successor, Paul Martin, who attended the official opening in 2005, it was Chrétien’s government that had made the crucial decision to fund the new building. And it was Jean Chrétien who, in 2002, launched the work with a ground-breaking ceremony on LeBreton Flats.