The Right
Honourable Jean Chrétien, P.C.,B.A.,LL.L.,LL.D.,Q.C.
The Right Honourable Jean
Chrétien was born in Shawinigan, Québec on January 11, 1934, the
son of Wellie Chrétien and Marie Boisvert-Chrétien.
After attending schools
in Shawinigan, Joliette and Trois-Rivières, he studied law at Laval
University.
He was called to the Bar
in 1958, and joined the law firm of Chrétien, Landry, Deschênes,
Trudel and Normand, in Shawinigan. He served as Director of the
Bar of Trois-Rivières in 1962-63.
Mr. Chrétien was first
elected to the House of Commons on April 8, 1963 representing the
constituency of Saint-Maurice--Laflèche. He was re-elected in 1965.
In July 1965, he was appointed
Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson and
in January 1966, to the Minister of Finance. On April 4, 1967, he
became Minister of State attached to the Minister of Finance and
on January 18, 1968, he was appointed Minister of National Revenue.
He was returned to the
House in the June 25, 1968, election, representing the new constituency
of Saint-Maurice. On July 6, 1968, he was sworn in as Minister of
Indian Affairs and Northern Development and remained in that post
until August 8, 1974, when he was appointed President of the Treasury
Board subsequent to his re-election one month earlier.
He was appointed Minister
of Industry, Trade and Commerce on September 14, 1976, and one year
later, on September 16, 1977, became Minister of Finance. He held
that Cabinet post until June 4, 1979. Mr. Chrétien was returned
to the House of Commons for a sixth consecutive term in the May
22, 1979, election.
After being re-elected
with an unprecedented majority on February 18, 1980, he was appointed
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister
of State for Social Development on March 3, 1980. At this time,
Mr. Chrétien was given the additional task of Minister responsible
for constitutional negotiations. On September 10, 1982, he was appointed
Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources.
On June 16, 1984, Mr. Chrétien
was a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada.
He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for
External Affairs on June 30, 1984. In the September 4, 1984, election,
he was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice
and as a member of the Opposition was appointed Critic for External
Affairs.
Mr. Chrétien resigned from
the House of Commons on February 27, 1986.
From March 1986 to June
1990 he was a Counsel with the law firm of Lang Michener Lawrence
and Shaw with offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. He was also
a Senior Advisor with Gordon Capital Corporation in Montreal.
On June 23, 1990, Mr. Chrétien
was elected Leader of the Liberal
Party of Canada.
He was elected Member of
Parliament in the December 10, 1990, by-election in the riding of
Beauséjour (New Brunswick). He was sworn in as Leader of the Opposition
in the House of Commons on December 21, 1990.
He was re-elected Member
of Parliament for the riding of St-Maurice on October 25, 1993,
when his party won a majority of seats in the House of Commons.
He was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada on November 4, 1993.
As Prime Minister, he was
re-elected Member of Parliament for the riding of St-Maurice on
November 27, 2000 with his party winning a third consecutive majority
of seats in the House of Commons.
In 1981, he received an
Honorary Degree of Laws from Wilfrid Laurier University. He also
received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws, in 1982 from Laurentian
University of Sudbury and the University of Western Ontario; in
1986, from York University Glendon College in Toronto; in 1987,
from the University of Alberta in Edmonton; and in 1988, from Lakehead
University in Thunder Bay. In 1994 he received an Honorary Doctorate
from the University of Ottawa, and in 1996 from Meiji University
in Tokyo, Japan; and in 1999 from both the Warsaw School of Economics
in Poland and Michigan State University; and in 2000, from the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem and Memorial University in St. John's.
Mr. Chrétien
married Aline Chaîné of Shawinigan in 1957. They have three children:
France, Hubert and Michel.
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