Jean Chretien - My Years as Prime Minister

Praise for
M Y Y EARS AS P RIME M INISTER

Chrtiens memoirs are as cool and controlled, competitive, and compelling, as was the only man other than Laurier to win three back-to-back majority governments in Canadian history.

National Post

Chrtien is a very shrewd guy and used his experience well. When he intervenes in a meeting hes short and to the point, and he sometimes says the things that others think should be said but havent had quite the courage to say.

Tony Blair

Chrtien was, as he informs his readers, the practical man who was the practical prime minister. He believed not in grand visions but in a few good, basic Canadian beliefs. He believed those moderate homespun values would carry him and the country forward. He makes a strong case that they did and he is proud of it. The abiding skepticism of the small-town guy can be seen time after time in his dealings with presidents and princes and kings. There is much truthhappily and sadly for the Liberal Partyin what he has written.

The Globe and Mail

Chrtiens fullest comments yet on the years of leadership intrigue with Martin during the Liberals years in power. The book displays Chrtien as fiery and unrepentant on some of the bigger controversies of his time.

Toronto Star

What we do get, when we read the book, is a folksy, shrewd, practical, determined, and principled individualand an account of the accomplishments of his tenure. When he left office in 2003, his approval ratings stood at 59 percent, unprecedented for a Canadian political leader since polling began. Reading his memoir will refresh us as to why that was the case.

The Globe and Mail

Fascinating Jean Chrtien makes it clear that in writing this bookas well as in running Canadas governmenthe did it unapologetically and passionately his way. His talent as a storyteller, his pragmatic approach to government and his down-to-earth humour are sprinkled throughout the book from start to finish. He takes you behind the closed doors of international summits and, through his anecdotes, shows the moderating and peace-brokering role Canada plays on the world stageand his attempt to avert the U.S.led invasion of Iraq. A good read which provides rare insight into one of Canadas most interesting prime ministers.

Calgary Herald

To

France and Andr, Hubert, and Michel,

Olivier, Maximilien, Philippe, and Jacqueline,

and above all Aline.

Without you, nothing.

I I hope Ill be luckier introducing the paperback edition of my prime-ministerial memoirs than I was launching the hardcover book in the fall of 2007.

I was pumped up to begin a long, multi-city blitz across Canada, with a packed schedule of media interviews, book signings, and public appearances. I have always loved meeting and talking with people in every part of the country, and I was looking forward to the publication of the book. The ground had been well prepared by my publishers. The excitement had been building all summer, not least because former prime minister Brian Mulroney was set to publish his own book the same season. It was to be the battle of the titans, according to the pundits, the election campaign Mulroney and I had never had the chance to wage against each other. I was mobbed by booksellers at their trade fairs in Toronto and Montreal. Newspapers and magazines were competing for scoops and the serial rights.

All of a sudden, on October 3, less than two weeks before the official launch of the French and English editions at a large event in Ottawa, the wheels fell off the bus.

Shortly after getting home from a busy round of meetings at the United Nations in New York, I was playing golf in a charity tournament in Montreal. One of our foursome happened to be Dr. Guy Pelletier, a leading cardiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute. As we were waiting to tee off, I mentioned that I was feeling rather sluggish that day. I didnt have my usual pep and high spirits. I guess Im getting older, I said.

But he questioned me further, and as I began to describe some painful symptoms in more detail, he became concerned. I want you to come to my office tomorrow morning for some tests, he said.

No, no, I cant do that, I answered. Im committed to giving a major speech in Vancouver tomorrow night, then theres my book launch and the cross-country tour. I cant let everyone down at this late date. Ill come to see you at the end of the month.

To make a long story short, Dr. Pelletier spoke to my daughter and her husband, who then spoke to me, and I went to his office the next morning for a battery of tests. At one point I looked up and saw eight doctors peering at me through a glass window. It reminds me of a G8 meeting, I joked. But I knew from the expression on their faces that this was no laughing matter. Two of my arteries were in very bad shape. If I didnt have a bypass operation as soon as possible, I was at serious risk of dropping dead from a heart attack at any moment.

It was a shock, of course. I was fit for my age, I have enjoyed good health most of my life, and I didnt feel particularly bad. But I was used to listening to the advice of experts and making quick decisions.

Prime Minister, they said, you will need an operation.

Do it now, I replied.

Cant we wait until tomorrow?

Okay, I said.

The operation was performed early the next morning in just over an hour. Five days later I was back at home. Seven days later I was up and walking. Two-and-a-half weeks later I was back in my office. And six weeks later I was out promoting the book. I even challenged the comedian Rick Mercer to a race up a flight of stairs on his television program and grabbed him by the throat to show that my strengthand humourwere back.

Though my illness meant an initial setback for the book in terms of press coverage and immediate sales, I was genuinely surprised and touched by the amount of attention the operation received and the wave of sympathy it generated. Letters, flowers, even get-well editorials poured in from people across the country and leaders around the world, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank every one of them. The moment I had sufficiently recovered to undertake the rigours of the modified tour, I was determined to make up the lost ground and lost time.

I was extremely gratified by the response. My Years as Prime Minister jumped onto the bestseller lists as soon as it appeared, and it shot into the number-one position when I hit the road. Wherever I went, I was moved to see long line-ups for an autograph or a picture, and I spent as many hours as I could signing books. While the media tended to pick up on the inside workings of party politics, most people seemed more interested in what I had to say about international affairs, especially the Iraq War and the Kyoto Convention, or national issues such as balancing the budget, introducing the Clarity Act, and funding post-secondary education.

Of all the happy experiences I had on the road, shaking hands and speaking with Canadians again, two wonderful impressions have stayed with me. One was the positive reaction the French edition of the book received in Quebec, even within academic and media circles not usually known for their love for an ardent federalist from Shawinigan. Through interviews, speeches, and an appearance on the popular TV show