Info 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, Deschènes, 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 in 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 Honourary Degree of Laws from Wilfrid Laurier University. He also received an Honourary 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 Honourary 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.