Born in 1934 in the French province of Quebec, Jean Chrétien was Prime Minister of Canada for ten years, from 1993 to 2003.
His entry into Canadian politics was in 1963 when he was elected to Canada's House of Commons at 29 years of age. According to a CBC news article, he arrived in Ottawa barely able to speak English, and read the American magazine Newsweek cover to cover and practised speaking English with anyone who was willing. Chrétien's mentor for much of his political career was famed Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau. In 1990, Chrétien was elected to lead the Liberal party. Three years later his party won the election and Chrétien became Prime Minister in November 1993.
Jean Chrétien enjoyed high popularity during his term in office. However, not all citizens were fond of Chrétien. Once attacked by an irate Canadian in a public scrum, he applied a choke-hold on the man. In 2000 during a visit to Prince Edward Island, a pie was thrown in his face.
Interesting Facts
A childhood illness left Chrétien deaf in his right ear and with a slightly misshapen mouth.
He loves playing golf, and lamb kidneys are one of his favourite foods.
Chrétien's 1997 appearance on the political satire comedy show, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, is a Canadian comedy classic. In it, famed Canadian comedian, Rick Mercer, and Chrétien joked with each other while eating lunch at a Harvey's fast food restaurant. Read Rick's blog.
Chrétien was often referred to as The Teflon Man because none of the significant political embarrassments during his term in office stuck to him.
Links
Political cartoons by Graeme MacKay
In-depth CBC article on Chrétien
