Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources In 1982, Chrétien was appointed Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, putting him in charge of enforcing the National Energy Program (NEP), which helped to make him a hated figure in Alberta.Martin, Lawrence Chrétien: The Will to Win, Toronto: Lester Publishing, 1995 pp. 314–315. Chrétien himself was doubtful about the value of the NEP, saying at the time of his appointment as Energy Minister that, "We've got to back off on the NEP without destroying our credibility," but upon learning that Trudeau and his right-hand man, Finance Minister Marc Lalonde, were in favour of continuing the NEP, Chrétien decided to fall in line rather than risk his chances of one day winning the Liberal leadership.Martin, Lawrence Chrétien: The Will to Win, Toronto: Lester Publishing, 1995 pp. 314–316. Chrétien's battles with Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed over the NEP helped to confirm his disdain for provincial politicians, whom he saw as petty people only interested in their own provinces at the expense of the nation.Martin, Lawrence Chrétien: The Will to Win, Toronto: Lester Publishing, 1995 p. 318.
Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources In 1982, Chrétien was appointed Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, putting him in charge of enforcing the National Energy Program (NEP), which helped to make him a hated figure in Alberta.Martin, Lawrence Chrétien: The Will to Win, Toronto: Lester Publishing, 1995 pp. 314–315. Chrétien himself was doubtful about the value of the NEP, saying at the time of his appointment as Energy Minister that, "We've got to back off on the NEP without destroying our credibility," but upon learning that Trudeau and his right-hand man, Finance Minister Marc Lalonde, were in favour of continuing the NEP, Chrétien decided to fall in line rather than risk his chances of one day winning the Liberal leadership.Martin Lawrence Chrétien: The Will to Win, Toronto: Lester Publishing, 1995 pp. 314–316. Chrétien's battles with Alberta Premier, Peter Lougheed over the NEP helped to confirm his disdain for provincial politicians, whom he saw as petty people only interested in their own provinces at the expense of the nation.Martin, Lawrence Chrétien: The Will to Win, Toronto: Lester Publishing, 1995 p. 318.