{"id":266695,"date":"2018-11-08T11:31:23","date_gmt":"2018-11-08T16:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/issues\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T22:18:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T02:18:12","slug":"can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us","status":"publish","type":"issues","link":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/","title":{"rendered":"What can Canada\u2019s former political leaders teach us?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is an abridged version of the foreword to former Prime Minister Jean Chr\u00e9tien\u2019s latest book, <\/em>My Stories, My Times<\/a> (Random House Canada).<\/em><\/p>\n

Politicians are best known for the things we did \u2013 or didn\u2019t do \u2013 in office, but we have after-lives too which, among other advantages, allow the opportunity to recall, and sometimes reflect upon, things we saw and heard and felt during and after our privileged days in public office. By definition, such observations are bound to be personal, and reflect a point of view, but they can also provide invaluable context to decisions and events which others can know only at a distance. All of the dry and distant facts of history have a story, often a human story, which can be as important and informative as the event itself. Canada is fortunate that Jean Chr\u00e9tien, at 84, and 55 years after his first election to the House of Commons, is publishing some of his reflections on people and events which shaped our history.<\/p>\n

By a tradition as old as parliamentary democracy, the distance between the government and the opposition benches in Canada\u2019s House of Commons is \u201ctwo swords and one inch apart.\u201d That is to symbolize and encourage debate that is vigorous and adversarial but not fatal \u2013 to the participants, or to the country. For more than two decades, Jean Chr\u00e9tien and I sat \u201ctwo sword lengths\u201d across from one another in Canada\u2019s Parliament.<\/p>\n

On some issues, we had deep disagreements \u2013 probably the most important concerned certain provisions of the Constitution Act of 1982 which, as Minister of Justice, he introduced while I, as Leader of the Opposition, forced a very long parliamentary debate, winning time for televised public hearings, then a successful reference to the Supreme Court, and resulting ultimately in amendments which improved the proposed changes to Canada\u2019s constitution. In the end, we both voted for what was called \u201cpatriation,\u201d and for the amended Charter of Rights and Freedoms \u2013 but the two of us still disagree on the larger implications for Canadian unity and integrity of the way our constitution was changed during that critical period.<\/p>\n

Jean Chr\u00e9tien and I were each shaped by one other unique opportunity. Each of us was elected to lead our national political party, in a time when national parties reached habitually beyond their base and sought to embrace and understand the whole country, all its people, all its parts. We are both the product of an era when contact with voters was direct, face-to-face, often on contentious ground \u2013 and those actual human exchanges could temper the influence of advisors or pollsters, or sophisticated interest groups, or ideologues.<\/p>\n

Those reality checks seem more elusive today, and the distance greater between citizens and politicians, in an era when leaders\u2019 interactions with voters are more often electronic than personal, or by way of rallies where citizens are screened before entry. I say that not as elegy, but as explanation of the vital direct access which leaders of our earlier time were privileged to have with the lives and hopes and fears of fellow Canadians.<\/p>\n

One of the unexpected privileges of being a party leader then was the frankness with which individual citizens would tell you their story. They may never vote for you \u2013 but they know that, sometime, you might make decisions which will affect their lives \u2013 so they want you to understand their problems and their hopes. And if your pores are open, you learn a lot in those encounters.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Former prime ministers Joe Clark and Jean Chretien wait for the installation ceremony of the 28th Governor General to begin in the Senate on Parliament Hill, on Oct. 1, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Adrian Wyld<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As time went on, Jean and I both came to understand that \u2013 just as in Canada there can be a rare frankness from citizen to leader \u2013 so, in this complex international climate, there is often a comparable openness between leaders of different countries. There are so few people with whom a president or prime minister can be frank that they sometimes confide in visiting peers, when the chemistry is right. The \u201clittle guy from Shawinigan\u201d is pretty good at human chemistry, and his reflections on international conversations add extra dimensions to our understanding of international events.<\/p>\n

Most Canadians are still framed by where we come from and, in many cases \u2013 Shawinigan for example, or High River \u2013 our \u201chome town\u201d is only a tiny part of the country, or the world, or the era in which we have to function. That poses a special challenge for political leaders, because our profession requires knitting different communities together, rather than focussing more narrowly.<\/p>\n

Thus, two questions arise. First, how do leaders learn about our remarkably diverse country, and complicated world? As much as possible, by immersion in it, by reaching out, by being open-minded, especially when that\u2019s hard. We all fall short; but we learn, as we grow.<\/p>\n

So the second question is: what can former leaders teach?<\/p>\n

The best historians and social scientists gather a rich and deep and wide array of \u201cevidence\u201d that is considered objective. But necessarily, their invaluable assessments are most often from the outside looking in. The dimension which former leaders can offer is reflection and perspective \u2013 and often simply stories \u2013 from the inside\u200e looking back.<\/p>\n

I cannot vouch for the accuracy of all of the reflections in this collection. As a partisan, reading an opposing partisan, I would naturally dispute some of them. But my purpose is neither fact-checking nor peer review. I\u2019m interested in having Canada\u2019s human stories known.<\/p>\n

Mr. Chretien\u2019s\u2026<\/em> reflections on significant times and events\u2026 take us beyond what we know. They are also very human \u2013and\u2026..often, the opposite of the careful scripting which caricatures politics and government today.<\/p>\n

Photo: Former prime minister Jean Chr\u00e9tien as his wife Aline give the thumbs-up to performer Paul Anka during a tribute at the Liberal Convention in Toronto, on Nov. 13, 2003.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Do you have something to say about the article you just read? Be part of the\u00a0<\/em>Policy Options\u00a0discussion, and send in your own submission.\u00a0Here is a\u00a0<\/em>link<\/em><\/a>\u00a0on how to do it.\u00a0<\/em>|\u00a0Souhaitez-vous r\u00e9agir \u00e0 cet article ?\u00a0<\/em>Joignez-vous aux d\u00e9bats d\u2019<\/em>Options politiques\u00a0et soumettez-nous votre texte en suivant ces\u00a0<\/em>directives<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is an abridged version of the foreword to former Prime Minister Jean Chr\u00e9tien\u2019s latest book, My Stories, My Times (Random House Canada). Politicians are best known for the things we did \u2013 or didn\u2019t do \u2013 in office, but we have after-lives too which, among other advantages, allow the opportunity to recall, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":240458,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-10-08T02:18:14Z","apple_news_api_id":"23631cd5-acfc-4142-817f-392ee31951cf","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-10-08T02:18:14Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AI2Mc1az8QUKBfzku4xlRzw","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[9358,9372],"tags":[],"article-status":[],"irpp-category":[4295],"section":[],"irpp-tag":[],"class_list":["post-266695","issues","type-issues","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politique","category-recent-stories-fr","irpp-category-politique"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat can Canada\u2019s former political leaders teach us?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What can Canada\u2019s former political leaders teach us?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The following is an abridged version of the foreword to former Prime Minister Jean Chr\u00e9tien\u2019s latest book, My Stories, My Times (Random House Canada). Politicians are best known for the things we did \u2013 or didn\u2019t do \u2013 in office, but we have after-lives too which, among other advantages, allow the opportunity to recall, and […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Policy Options\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IRPP.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-08T02:18:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/9764293-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2147\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@irpp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/\",\"name\":\"What can Canada\u2019s former political leaders teach us?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/9764293-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-11-08T16:31:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-08T02:18:12+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/9764293-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/9764293-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":2147},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What can Canada\u2019s former political leaders teach us?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/\",\"name\":\"Policy Options\",\"description\":\"Institute for Research on Public Policy\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What can Canada\u2019s former political leaders teach us?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"What can Canada\u2019s former political leaders teach us?","og_description":"The following is an abridged version of the foreword to former Prime Minister Jean Chr\u00e9tien\u2019s latest book, My Stories, My Times (Random House Canada). Politicians are best known for the things we did \u2013 or didn\u2019t do \u2013 in office, but we have after-lives too which, among other advantages, allow the opportunity to recall, and […]","og_url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/","og_site_name":"Policy Options","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IRPP.org","article_modified_time":"2025-10-08T02:18:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":2147,"url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/9764293-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@irpp","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/","url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/","name":"What can Canada\u2019s former political leaders teach us?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/9764293-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2018-11-08T16:31:23+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-08T02:18:12+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"fr-FR","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/9764293-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/9764293-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":2147},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2018\/11\/can-canadas-former-political-leaders-teach-us\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What can Canada\u2019s former political leaders teach us?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/","name":"Policy Options","description":"Institute for Research on Public Policy","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"fr-FR"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issues\/266695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issues"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/issues"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/240458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266695"},{"taxonomy":"article-status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-status?post=266695"},{"taxonomy":"irpp-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/irpp-category?post=266695"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=266695"},{"taxonomy":"irpp-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/irpp-tag?post=266695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}