Who was Jean Chrétien?
Answer
Canada's 20th Prime Minister (1993 to 2003), a Liberal who eliminated the federal deficit, kept Canada out of the 2003 Iraq War, and managed the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum.
Explanation
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (born January 11, 1934) was Canada's 20th Prime Minister, serving from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003. Chrétien was a Liberal and led the Liberal Party from 1990 to 2003. He won three consecutive majority governments (1993, 1997, 2000), becoming the only Liberal Prime Minister to win three successive majorities since Mackenzie King.
Chrétien was born in Shawinigan, Quebec, the 18th of 19 children. He was first elected to Parliament in 1963 and served in the Cabinets of Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, holding portfolios including Indian Affairs and Northern Development (1968 to 1974, where he authored the controversial 1969 White Paper proposing termination of Indigenous rights, later withdrawn) and Justice and Attorney General (1980 to 1984, where he helped negotiate the patriation of the Constitution as Pierre Trudeau's principal aide).
Chrétien's three majority governments balanced the federal books for the first time since 1969, with Finance Minister Paul Martin's 1995 Budget initiating major spending cuts that produced a balanced budget by 1998 and consistent surpluses through 2007. The 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum (October 30, 1995, with 50.58 per cent No to 49.42 per cent Yes) was the closest national unity crisis in Canadian history. Chrétien's government responded with the Clarity Act of 2000 (specifying the conditions for any future secession negotiations) and the Reference re Secession of Quebec to the Supreme Court of Canada (1998).
Chrétien declined to commit Canada to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, a decision broadly popular in Canada but strained Canada-US relations. He led the Canadian response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (including Operation Yellow Ribbon, in which 250 diverted aircraft and 33,000 passengers were accommodated in Canadian communities including Gander, Newfoundland). His domestic legacy includes the Canada Health Act enforcement, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation (1998), the Kyoto Protocol ratification (2002), the Romanow Commission on health care (2002), and the federal Same-Sex Civil Marriages bill that preceded the Civil Marriage Act of 2005. Chrétien retired in December 2003 and was succeeded by Paul Martin.
Why this matters for your test
Jean Chrétien was a three-term Liberal Prime Minister who balanced the federal Budget and managed the 1995 Quebec referendum. Recognising the 1995 referendum and the Iraq War decision gives candidates two specific anchors.
Source: Library and Archives Canada; Dictionary of Canadian Biography
