Chretien reflects on 30th anniversary of election win, says House has become 'dull as hell'
CTV
It's been 30 years since Liberal Jean Chretien was elected prime minister. In an English-language exclusive interview with CTV News' Vassy Kapelos marking the anniversary of his election, Chretien discusses why he thinks debate in the House of Commons has become 'dull as hell.' The former prime minister also dives in to how he'd 'confront' the current Quebec tuition debacle. Read the full transcript.
It's been 30 years since Liberal Jean Chretien was elected prime minister, and while a lot has changed over the decades, there are parallels in the challenges the Canadian government is facing today, to those Chretien tackled.
In this English-language exclusive interview with CTV News' Vassy Kapelos marking the anniversary of his election, Chretien discusses why he thinks debate in the House of Commons has become "dull as hell."
The former prime minister also dives into how he'd "confront" the current Quebec tuition debacle, and reflects on how he navigated taking a stance on a past Middle East conflict, amid domestic divisions.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Vassy Kapelos: I appreciate you making the time, on this 30th anniversary. Right to the day that you were elected. I was thinking, you know, thinking back 30 years ago. When you think back on that day, what is the memory that stands out the most to you?
Jean Chretien: "It's quite a day when you become prime minister of a country like Canada. And so it was a great moment of happiness and joy. But I knew what I was facing. I knew that it was not to be a holiday, that the work was to start right away.
"In fact, the first phone call I had in the morning was with Bill Clinton, who was the president of the United States. I remember because I said to my grandchildren, come with grandpapa in the bedroom, I will talk with the President of United States… But after congratulation, he moved right into problems. Because you know, NAFTA was not signed yet."
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