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Wellie Chrétien was a staunch Liberal who once got to shake hands as a young man with his hero, Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Chrétien's older brother Maurice won a scholarship at the insurance company he was working for, which allowed him to attend medical school, and with the profits from his medical practice, was able to assist his younger siblings to attend the classical colleges. Chrétien's father made him read the dictionary as a young boy. Chrétien's parents wanted their children to escape a working-class life in Shawinigan by attending a classical college, which was the only way one could attend university in Quebec at the time.

The working-class Chrétien family was poor, and Chrétien had to wear clothing that had been worn by his siblings as his parents were too indigent to buy new clothing for him. 4.8 Chrétien and Martin: Liberal Party infightingĮarly life, family, and education Ĭhrétien was born on January 11, 1934, in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, as the 18th of 19 children (10 of whom did not survive infancy), of Marie (née Boisvert, died 1954) and Wellie Chrétien (died 1980).3.2 1990: Returns to politics and wins Liberal leadership.2.6 1984: First leadership bid and relationship with Turner.At age 88, Chrétien is the oldest living former Canadian prime minister. Chrétien places highly in rankings of Canadian prime ministers. In December 2003, as a result of the threat of losing a leadership review and pressure from the pro-Martin faction of the party, Chrétien resigned as prime minister and retired from politics. He also became embroiled in a protracted leadership struggle within the Liberal Party against his finance minister and long-time political rival Paul Martin. He was accused of inappropriate behaviour in the Shawinigate and sponsorship scandals, although he has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Although his popularity and that of the Liberal Party were seemingly unchallenged for three consecutive federal elections, he became subject to various political controversies. In foreign policy, Chrétien ordered Canadian military intervention during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and the War in Afghanistan but opposed participation in the Iraq War. He implemented several major environmental laws, including an updated Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Pest Control Products Act, and the Species At Risk Act. His government also established the long-gun registry, advanced the Youth Criminal Justice Act, laid the groundwork to legalize same-sex marriage, and eliminated the nearly-30-year old budget deficit. He won a narrow victory as leader of the federalist camp in the 1995 Quebec referendum, and then pioneered the Clarity Act to avoid ambiguity in future referendum questions. In the 1993 federal election, Chrétien led the Liberals to a strong majority government before leading the party to two additional majorities in 19.Ĭhrétien was strongly opposed to the Quebec sovereignty movement. After Turner led the Liberals to their second defeat at the polls in 1988, Chrétien became leader of the Liberals and leader of the Opposition in 1990, returning to politics after briefly working in the private sector. Chrétien served as the second deputy prime minister of Canada in Turner's short-lived government which would be defeated in the 1984 federal election. He ran unsuccessfully for the leadership of the Liberal Party in 1984, losing to John Turner. He served in various cabinet posts under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, most prominently as minister of Indian affairs and northern development, president of the Treasury Board, minister of finance, and minister of justice.

A Liberal, he was first elected to the House of Commons in 1963.

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Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien PC OM CC QC ( French pronunciation: born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003.īorn and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Université Laval. Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
