Jean Chrétien

Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien PC OM CC KC AdE (Canadian French: [ʒɑ̃ kʁetsjẽɪ̯̃]; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 1990 to 2003 and as leader of the Opposition from 1990 to 1993.

Born and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Université Laval. A Liberal, he was first elected to the House of Commons in 1963. 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. He unsuccessfully ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party in 1984, losing to John Turner. Chrétien served as deputy prime minister in Turner's short-lived government, which was defeated in the 1984 federal election. Chrétien briefly left politics in 1986 amid tensions with Turner and worked in the private sector. After the Liberals were defeated again in 1988, Chrétien returned to politics, winning the leadership of the party and becoming leader of the Opposition in 1990. In the 1993 federal election, Chrétien led the Liberals to a majority government before leading the party to two additional majorities in 1997 and 2000.

Chrétien became prime minister at a time when Canada was on the brink of a debt crisis as a result of a chronic budget deficit. Adhering to a Third Way economic philosophy, his government produced a series of austerity budgets which drastically cut spending and reformed various programs, resulting in a budget surplus in 1997 (Canada's first since 1969). The latter half of Chrétien's tenure saw consecutive budget surpluses which were primarily used to fund tax cuts and pay down government debt. In national unity issues, Chrétien strongly opposed the Quebec sovereignty movement and led the federalist campaign to a narrow victory in the 1995 Quebec referendum. Afterwards, he implemented a sponsorship program to promote Canada in Quebec and pioneered the Clarity Act to avoid ambiguity in future referendum questions. Chrétien’s government also passed environmental legislation, such as the Species At Risk Act and an updated Canadian Environmental Protection Act, and established the long-gun registry, oversaw Operation Yellow Ribbon in response to the September 11 attacks, advanced youth criminal justice reform, and laid the groundwork to legalize same-sex marriage. In foreign policy, Chrétien’s government signed the Kyoto Protocol and spearheaded the Ottawa Treaty on eliminating anti-personnel landmines. He ordered military intervention during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and the War in Afghanistan, and opposed participation in the Iraq War.

Although his popularity and that of the Liberal Party were seemingly unchallenged for three consecutive federal elections, Chrétien became subject to various political controversies. He was accused of corruption in the Shawinigate and sponsorship scandals, although he has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He also became embroiled in a protracted leadership struggle within the Liberal Party against his finance minister and long-time political rival Paul Martin. In December 2003, amid pressure from the pro-Martin faction of the party and the threat of losing a leadership review, Chrétien resigned as prime minister and retired from politics. Chrétien ranks highly in rankings of Canadian prime ministers. At age 91, Chrétien is the oldest living former Canadian prime minister.