Senior political offices

Leader of the Opposition
In office December 21, 1990 – November 4, 1993
Preceded by	Herb Gray
Succeeded by	Lucien Bouchard
Leader of the Liberal Party
In office June 23, 1990 – November 14, 2003
Preceded by	John Turner
Succeeded by	Paul Martin

Ministerial offices

2nd Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
In office June 30, 1984 – September 17, 1984
Prime Minister	John Turner
Preceded by	Allan MacEachen
Succeeded by	Erik Nielsen
Secretary of State for External Affairs
In office June 30, 1984 – September 17, 1984
Prime Minister	John Turner
Preceded by	Allan MacEachen
Succeeded by	Joe Clark
Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources
In office September 10, 1982 – June 30, 1984
Prime Minister	Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Marc Lalonde
Succeeded by	Gerald Regan
Minister of Justice Attorney General of Canada
In office March 3, 1980 – September 16, 1982
Prime Minister	Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Jacques Flynn
Succeeded by	Mark MacGuigan
Minister of Finance
In office September 16, 1977 – June 3, 1979
Prime Minister	Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Donald Stovel Macdonald
Succeeded by	John Crosbie
Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce
In office September 14, 1976 – September 15, 1977
Prime Minister	Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Don Jamieson
Succeeded by	Jack Horner
President of the Treasury Board
In office August 8, 1974 – September 13, 1976
Prime Minister	Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Charles Drury
Succeeded by	Bob Andras
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
In office July 6, 1968 – August 7, 1974
Prime Minister	Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Arthur Laing
Succeeded by	Judd Buchanan
Minister of National Revenue
In office January 18, 1968 – July 5, 1968
Prime Minister	Lester B. Pearson Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Edgar Benson
Succeeded by	Jean-Pierre Côté
Minister without portfolio
In office April 4, 1967 – January 17, 1968
Prime Minister	Lester B. Pearson

Parliamentary offices

Member of Parliament for Beauséjour
In office December 10, 1990 – October 25, 1993
Preceded by	Fernand Robichaud
Succeeded by	Fernand Robichaud
Member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice (Saint-Maurice—Laflèche; 1963–1968)
In office October 25, 1993 – December 12, 2003
Preceded by	Denis Pronovost
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
In office April 8, 1963 – February 27, 1986
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Gilles Grondin

Personal details

Born

Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien

January 11, 1934 (age 91)
Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Canada

Political party

Liberal

Spouse

Aline Chaîné

(m. 1957; died 2020)

Children

3, including France Chrétien Desmarais

Relatives

Michel Chrétien (brother)
Raymond Chrétien (nephew)

Alma mater

Université Laval

Occupation

Lawyer
politician

Signature

Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003.

Chrétien is considered an important Canadian prime minister. He is currently the oldest living former prime minister of Canada.

Jean Chrétien's Early Life and Education
Jean Chrétien's Political Journey
- Jean Chrétien as Prime Minister (1993–2003)
Life After Politics
Jean Chrétien's Legacy
Supreme Court Appointments
Honours and Awards
- Honorary Degrees
See also

Jean Chrétien's Early Life and Education

Chrétien was born on January 11, 1934, in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec. He was the 18th of 19 children in his family. Sadly, 10 of his siblings did not survive infancy.

His family was not wealthy. Jean often wore clothes that his older brothers and sisters had already worn. His parents wanted their children to get a good education. They hoped this would help them have a better life.

Jean's father made him read the dictionary when he was young. This helped him learn many words. His older brother, Maurice, won a scholarship for medical school. Maurice later helped his younger siblings go to college.

Chrétien went to a private school for boys in Joliette. He then studied at Séminaire Saint-Joseph de Trois-Rivières. He got excellent grades. Later, he studied law at Université Laval, a famous university in Quebec.

On September 10, 1957, he married Aline Chaîné. They had three children: France, Hubert, and Michel. Michel was adopted in 1970.

Jean Chrétien's Political Journey

Chrétien, second from right, as a minister in Lester Pearson's Cabinet in 1967.

When Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau retired, Chrétien wanted to lead the Liberal Party. He promised to continue Trudeau's ideas.

Paul Martin was Chrétien's main rival for the Liberal Party leadership in 1990. Their competition lasted throughout Chrétien's time as prime minister.

Chrétien in 1996.

Chrétien with religious leaders in 1994.

Chrétien shaking hands with US President Bill Clinton at the 1993 APEC Summit.

President George W. Bush and Jean Chrétien speak to the media before a meeting in 2002.

Chrétien was first elected to the House of Commons in 1963. This is where Canada's elected representatives work. He held many important jobs in the government. He worked under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

Some of his roles included:

Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
President of the Treasury Board
Minister of Finance
Minister of Justice

In 1984, he tried to become the leader of the Liberal Party but lost. He then served as Deputy Prime Minister. After the Liberal Party lost the 1988 election, Chrétien became the party leader. He also became the Leader of the Opposition in 1990.

In the 1993 federal election, Chrétien led the Liberals to a big win. They formed a majority government. He led the party to win two more elections in 1997 and 2000.

Jean Chrétien as Prime Minister (1993–2003)

Chrétien became prime minister on November 4, 1993. One of his biggest challenges was the idea of Quebec separating from Canada. Chrétien strongly believed Quebec should stay part of Canada.

After a very close vote in Quebec in 1995, where people voted on whether to separate, Chrétien worked on a plan. This plan led to the Clarity Act. This law says that for a province to separate, there must be a clear question and a clear majority vote. The Canadian Parliament would decide what "clear" means. This law made it harder for Quebec to separate.

His government also made other important changes:

They created the long-gun registry.
They updated laws for young people in trouble, called the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
They started the process to make same-sex marriage legal in Canada.
His government also got rid of the national budget deficit. This means the government was spending more money than it was taking in. They did this mainly by cutting spending.

Chrétien also brought in new environmental laws. These included an updated Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the Species at Risk Act.

In foreign policy, Chrétien sent Canadian troops to help in the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. He also sent troops to the War in Afghanistan. However, he did not want Canada to join the Iraq War.

Chrétien was very popular and won three elections in a row. He faced some political challenges during his time. In December 2003, he stepped down as prime minister and left politics.

Life After Politics

Stéphane Dion speaking in 2008. Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was also at this event.

Chrétien at a rally in 2011.

In 2007, Chrétien published his memoirs, a book about his time as prime minister. It was called My Years as Prime Minister.

He had some health issues after retiring. In 2007, he had heart surgery. In 2010, he had surgery for a small bleed in his brain. He recovered well from both.

Chrétien received many honours for his service. He was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2007. He also received the Order of Merit from Queen Elizabeth II in 2009.

In September 2022, Chrétien attended Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. This was a very important event.

Chrétien at a rally supporting Justin Trudeau in 2015.

Jean Chrétien's Legacy

A wax figure of Chrétien at the Royal London Wax Museum.

Many experts and historians think Jean Chrétien was a very good prime minister. He has often been ranked among the top Canadian leaders.

Historian Bob Plamondon noted that Chrétien helped unite Canada, especially regarding Quebec. He also improved Canada's finances without causing a recession. Many Canadians also remember that he kept Canada out of the Iraq War. He also helped improve Canada's universities and research.

Historian Michael Bliss said Chrétien was "moderately competent." He showed that someone ambitious and hard-working could achieve a lot in Canadian politics.

Supreme Court Appointments

As prime minister, Chrétien chose several judges to serve on the Supreme Court of Canada. These judges help interpret Canada's laws.

Here are some of the judges he appointed:

Michel Bastarache (1997–2008)
William Ian Corneil Binnie (1998–2011)
Louise Arbour (1999–2004)
Louis LeBel (2000–2014)
Beverly McLachlin (as Chief Justice, 2000–2017)
Marie Deschamps (2002–2012)
Morris J. Fish (2003–2013)

Honours and Awards

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Order of Merit (O.M.)	Awarded on July 13, 2009
	Companion of the Order of Canada (C.C.)	Awarded on May 3, 2007 Invested on February 22, 2008
	Centennial Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal	Awarded in 1967
	Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal for Canada	Awarded in 1977
	125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal	Awarded in 1993
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for Canada	Awarded in 2002
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Canada	Awarded in 2012
	Order of Friendship from the Russian Federation	Awarded in 2014
	Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese government	Awarded in 2023

Arms of Jean Chrétien
	Crest Issuant from flames Or a phoenix wings elevated and addorsed Azure beaked and crested Gules holding in its beak an open scroll proper; Escutcheon Gules a beehive Or with three bees Argent embellished Sable, in the canton the mark of the Prime Ministership of Canada (four maple leaves conjoined in cross) Argent; Supporters Two polar bears proper each charged on the shoulder with a Latin cross pendent from each crossbeam two balance pans Gules, standing on a rocky mount proper set with maple leaves Gules and fleurs-de-lis Azure and issuant from barry-wavy Argent and Azure; Motto LABORARE AD AEDIFICANDUM (Work To Build)

Honorary Degrees

Chrétien has received many honorary degrees from universities around the world. These degrees recognize his achievements and contributions.

Location	Date	School	Degree
Ontario	1981	Wilfrid Laurier University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Ontario	1982	Laurentian University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Ontario	1986	York University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Alberta	1987	University of Alberta	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Ontario	1988	Lakehead University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Ontario	1994	University of Ottawa	Doctor of the University (D.Univ)
New Brunswick	1994	University of Moncton
Japan	1996	Meiji University	Doctorate
Poland	1999	Warsaw School of Economics	Doctorate
Michigan	1999	Michigan State University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Israel	2000	Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Newfoundland and Labrador	2000	Memorial University of Newfoundland	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Dominican Republic	2003	Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra
Ontario	2004	Queen's University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Ontario	2005	McMaster University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Ukraine	2007	National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
Ontario	October 23, 2008	University of Western Ontario	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Quebec	2008	Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
Quebec	June 2010	Concordia University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Quebec	2011	Université de Montréal
Manitoba	June 12, 2014	University of Winnipeg	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)