Peter Donolo served as director of communications for Jean Chrétien from 1991 to 1999.
Last week, I phoned my old boss to wish him a “Happy New Year.”
“Peter, I will call you back,” came the raspy voice so familiar to millions of Canadians. “I’m with my trainer.”
Nothing remarkable about that comment – if it hadn’t been coming from someone who turned 90 on Jan. 11. But then, Jean Chrétien is loping into his tenth decade much like he strode through the previous nine: Eyes straight ahead. Living in the present. Focused on the future.
By any standard, it’s one of the most extraordinary Canadian stories. Born the eighteenth of 19 children into a working-class Shawinigan, Que., family, first elected to Parliament while JFK was in the White House, and arriving in Ottawa unable to speak more than a couple of sentences in English, he went on to become – when combining his years as a minister under three prime ministers, and his decade as PM – the longest-serving cabinet minister in Canadian history. His public life spans the birth of our modern country; indeed, he played a key role, from working to give Canadians the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the 1980s, to leading Canada away from the precipice of ruin a decade later.
It is an axiom in politics that familiarity breeds contempt. Yet it is precisely Canadians’ familiarity with Mr. Chrétien – and the inherent trust it bred – that led them to turn to this familiar face when the country was at its darkest hour 30 years ago. Our economy was a calamity, and our fiscal situation led The Wall Street Journal to dub our country “an honorary member of the Third World.” Even worse, a heedless constitutional gambit had shredded national unity and turbocharged support for Quebec separatism to unprecedented levels.
Why did Canadians trust Mr. Chrétien to turn the ship around? They sensed a no-nonsense, common-sense approach. He wasn’t a leader who looked down on them, but one who understood them. He came from the same places they did. More importantly, he never forgot where he came from. What they sensed from afar was something that I, along with everyone else who worked for him, saw up close. That’s the thing about Mr. Chrétien – he’s the same in public as he is in private: sleeves rolled up, practical. He took the responsibilities of public office very seriously, but he never took himself too seriously. There were aspects they wouldn’t have seen: his keen, analytical approach to challenges, always thinking several steps ahead; his deep knowledge of government, based on a lifetime of public service; his profound respect for institutions. But these just add texture to, rather than contradict, what Canadians know about him.
Mr. Chrétien has an innate sense of balance. He has always stayed grounded. No doubt, Aline Chrétien, the late love of his life to whom he regularly referred as his “Rock of Gibraltar,” made sure of that. Everything in his life – food, drink, and above all, temperament – is in moderation. His other tenets? Stay moving and active: Remember how he always took those stairs two at a time? Stay connected: In office, he listened to his advisers, but he listened even more carefully to his MPs and to hundreds of people he had come to know across the country. Don’t micromanage: Stay focused on the big issues and delegate to competent ministers and officials. Be optimistic: Don’t fear the future, embrace it. And have lots of fun. He did as PM. He still does. He made the job of prime minister appear easier than it really is, as his three successors have all discovered.
The turnaround Mr. Chrétien led during his decade as PM was real and lasting. The fiscal cleanup alone meant there were more options for successive governments, and cushioned Canadians from economic shocks such as the 2008 global financial meltdown and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Clarity Act of 2000 stemmed the tide of separatism and safeguarded the future of our federation. Saying no to the Iraq invasion cemented Canadian sovereignty in an integrated continental economy. And the unprecedented scale of investments in research and learning transformed a “brain drain” into a brain gain. He governed not just for the present, but for the future.
It’s been two decades since Mr. Chrétien left office. But the energy and drive are still there. He may not climb stairs two at a time, but he goes to the office every day and returns every summer to his roots in the Mauricie region. And his optimism and belief in the future are stronger than ever.
Happy birthday, Mr. Chrétien! It’s been a heck of a ride. For you – and for all of us.