The political landscape of Canada in 1992 was an uncharacteristic period in the country’s history. With a gross mismanagement of funds, a massive deficit looming, a twenty three percent job approval rating of the government, sitting Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was faced with more then his share of political problems. After his commitment to NAFTA in 1988, and the introduction of a new 7% general sales tax in 1989, the task placed on the shoulders of the newly elected leader of the Official Opposition, Jean Chrétien, to defeat the Conservative government, once seen as impossible looked more and more plausible.

Hindsight has shown the election of 1992 was one of the most memorable and successful ever run by the longest serving leader of any western nation. Jean Chrétien not only defeated the Conservative Government who had held the House of Commons for eight years running, he decimated the political party. Even critics of his administration have stated that the term landslide victory was an understatement. Jean Chrétien led a party who controlled 15 seats in the House of Commons to a victory that granted them 228 of the 279 seats. The Progressive Conservative Party had seen their once powerful majority government go from a 168 seats to a laughable 2. Though Prime Minister Chrétien’s demolition of the Canadian rightwing was incredibly successful, his legacy to this day, on the eve of his retirement, remains his handling of the Quebec Crisis.

With a political mess left over by the previous administration, Chrétien, along with a slew of economic aides managed to create The Red Book Agenda. Literally in a little red book of approximately 200 pages, Chrétien illustrated that through fiscal conservatism and social liberalism a balance budget could be achieved. Though the ten-year projected period of balance was successfully reached during his fourth year in office, economic stability was not at the forefront of Canadian politics in 1995. After two hundred years of festering, the Quebec separatist movement finally found a footing upon the demise of the Conservative Government in 1992. With the historically successful party out of way, the Bloc Quebecois became the official opposition.

The primary objective of the Parti du Bloc Qubecois was the secession of Quebec and the creation of a sovereign state, distinct from Canada and her influence. The very thought of a separatist party as the Official Opposition stirred a deep sense of resentment within a country founded by a confedaration. Quebec who refused to sign the Declaration of Confederation in 1836 was a defacto province, yet after 125 years became an integral part of Canadian identity. In a speech the weekend before the his fellow Quebecois headed to the polls, Prime Minister Chrétien pointed out that more is at stake than separation, “What is at stake is our country.” In a speech that sounded like a last call to arms, a call for national pride to overrule pesky domestic politics, a speech that had nothing more then Abraham Lincolns address at Gettysburg as a guide, the Prime Minister addressed a divided province and a divided nation.

Though his first live speech turned out to be one of the most memorable in Canadian history, the feeling at the time was unmistakable. With the grim reality of the situation unfolding the night of October 25th 1995, the Prime Minister made the last plea to his fellow Quebecois. Through a series of antithesis statements, including “What is at stake is our heritage. To break up Canada or build Canada. To remain Canadian or no longer be Canadian. To stay or leave”, Chrétien illustrated the importance of the decisions only Quebecers were about to make. The Prime Minister managed to cut through the “murky question” and expose the fact that if Quebec separated and claimed independence, it would no longer share in a bevy of rights and privileges associated with and enjoyed by all Canadians.

His ability to expose the perversions of truth put on by proponents of the separatist movement acted as the catalyst that begin the shift from against a united Canada to one against a separate Quebec. Prior to the speech, polls conducted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation had showed the separatist movement with a significant lead over national unity with a poll reading of 54% - 47%.

With the task of exposing both the half-truths spread by the separatist leaders, as well as convincing the province Canada was the future and an independent Quebec was a road that led to nowhere good, Chretien continues his speech by stating the separatist leaders don’t “want a better Canada, they want a separate Quebec.” Chrétien continues to illustrate this point when he states that “A YES

Emphasizing that the complaints of his fellow Quebecers as well as his fellow Canadians did not fall on deaf ears, Chrétien stated that he understood Quebec had “been hurt and disappointed in the past…. also heard the voices for change that are echoing throughout Canada”. There were few instances in Canadian history where the public knew the Prime Minister had his finger on the pulse of Canadian emotion, not only understanding the change that was about to occur, but knowing how to lead it for the better of the nation. The feeling of a historic change was present as Chrétien continued his speech, a feeling felt by all Canadians as they watched the Prime Minister list the qualities of the nation. Many found themselves nodding their heads in agreement as they listened to Chrétien speak of how a unified Canada had become “something we …take for granted. But we should never, never let that happen….What we have built together is very great and very noble. A country whose values of tolerance, understanding, generosity have made us what we are; a society where our number one priority is the respect and dignity of all our citizens.”

Chrétien’s call to all Canadians to “continue to tell them how important they are to you. And how without them, Canada would no longer be Canada” began the tidal wave of Canadian influx into the province. The day after the speech was delivered Montreal, Quebec’s largest city, saw 200 000 Canadians from as far west as British Columbia, as far east as Prince Edward Island and as far north as Nunavut, come together in her streets, rallying for a unified Canada Chrétien so passionately spoke of. Many political leaders deliver good speeches through their career, but few deliver great ones. Through Chrétien’s 48 years in office he’s managed to deliver no less then 3 great speeches that instilled a sense of passion in his constituents, so much so that they left their homes and drove or flew to answer his call for support.

With a series of harsh rhetorical questions posed to all Quebecers, those who got to vote the following Monday finally understood the implication of their decision. In a time where political apathy was at its highest, Prime Minister Chrétien managed to stir the nation into a frenzy of support for unity, he managed to convince Quebecers who were on the fence to vote NO for a separate Quebec while convincing those who didn’t plan on voting to go and vote YES. A true example of democracy at its finest, the resulting vote concluded with a 51% majority against separation.

Though his critics have time and again stated that the vote was so close it was a failure for national unity, they fail to understand one thing – Chrétien won and thus Canada won. In the near two centuries of constant battle with the separatist movement, Chrétien became the first and last Prime Minister to watch Canada come to the preverbial cliff and nearly fall. Just days following the referendum, Chrétien passed a constitutional amendment guaranteeing Quebec the right to veto any future constitutional amendments put forth. Chrétien also passed the language protection act, signifying the end of any chance for a successful separatist movement. By the election of 1996, the Parti du Bloc Quebecois was no longer present on the national stage, and by October 2002, they no longer existed on the provincial level. Quebec under Chrétien’s guidance for the first time in recorded history elected the Liberal Party to a majority win in 1996, concluding the book on the separatist movement.

Prime Minister Chrétien has been accused of having no vision for the future of Canada, but his legacy will always remain the man who kept the country together at its most dire time. A leader who was born in a rural Quebec town, what Chrétien lacked in vision he more than made up for in decisive decision making for the present. Chrétien was absolutely right when he stated, “I am confident that Quebec and Canada will emerge strong and united”. Without Prime Minister Chrétien at the helm of Canadian politics for the last decade, Canadians would have no vision for Canada, as the Canada we knew growing up would have been destroyed by internal conflict.

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