Chrétien, whose relations with Turner were very poor, resigned his seat and left public life for a time. On February 27, 1986, Chrétien, accompanied by his special executive assistant Jean Carle, went to Turner's office to hand in his resignation.Jeffrey, Brooke Divided Loyalties: The Liberal Party of Canada, 1984–2008, Toronto: University of Toronto Press p. 52. Turner forced Chrétien to wait a considerable period of time during which Carle broke down in tears, and Chrétien was visibly angry when Turner finally received them, making for a tense and barely civil meeting.Jeffrey, Brooke Divided Loyalties: The Liberal Party of Canada, 1984–2008, Toronto: University of Toronto Press pp. 52–53. Chrétien's resignation was largely motivated by his desire to better organize against Turner in the leadership review, which was due in the fall of 1986.Duffy, John Fights of our lives: elections, leadership and the making of Canada, HarperCollins: Toronto, 2002 p. 321. Now working in the private sector again, Chrétien sat on the boards of several corporations, including the Power Corporation of Canada subsidiary Consolidated Bathurst, the Toronto-Dominion Bank, and the Brick Warehouse Corporation. Chrétien professed to be retired from politics, but he told reporters within days of his retirement, "I will always be a politician. I love politics."Martin, Lawrence Chrétien: The Will to Win, Toronto: Lester Publishing, 1995 p. 358. Crucially, Chrétien did not disband the campaign organization that he founded in 1984, suggesting that his retirement had always been intended to be temporary.
Chrétien, whose relations with Turner were very poor, resigned his seat and left public life for a time. On February 27, 1986, Chrétien, accompanied by his special executive assistant Jean Carle, went to Turner's office to hand in his resignation.Jeffrey, Brooke Divided Loyalties: The Liberal Party of Canada, 1984–2008, Toronto: University of Toronto Press p 52. Turner forced Chrétien to wait a considerable period of time during which Carle broke down in tears, and Chrétien was visibly angry when Turner finally received them, making for a tense and barely civil meeting.Jeffrey, Brooke Divided Loyalties: The Liberal Party of Canada, 1984–2008, Toronto: University of Toronto Press pp. 52–53. Chrétien's resignation was largely motivated by his desire to better organize against Turner in the leadership review, which was due in the fall of 1986.Duffy, John Fights of our lives: elections, leadership and the making of Canada, HarperCollins: Toronto, 2002 p. 321. Now working in. the private sector again, Chrétien sat on the boards of several corporations, including the Power Corporation of Canada subsidiary Consolidated Bathurst, the Toronto-Dominion Bank, and the Brick Warehouse Corporation. Chrétien professed to be retired from politics, but he told reporters within days of his retirement, "I will always be a politician. I love politics."Martin, Lawrence Chrétien: The Will to Win, Toronto: Lester Publishing, 1995 p. 358. Crucially, Chrétien did not disband the campaign organization that he founded in 1984, suggesting that his retirement had always been intended to be temporary.