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Ten years ago, in the aftermath of the referendum in Quebec, the very existence of Canada was on the line... I had a responsibility to ensure that Canada never again came close to the precipice.

Jean Chretien

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Jean Chretien
Age: 90
Born: 1934
Born: January 11
Autobiographer
Diplomat
Lawyer
Politician
Statesman
Michigan
United States
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien
Jean Chretien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chretien
Years
Canada
Never
Ten
Close
Referendum
Line
Referendums
Lines
Quebec
Responsibility
Precipice
Existence
Aftermath
Came
Ensure

More quotes by Jean Chretien

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Deficit reduction is not an end in itself. It is the means to an end. Canadians must now decide what kind of country they want to build with the hard-won dividend.
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Some information has to remain in the privy of the office of the Prime Minister and the ministers for the proper administration of government.
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There is nothing more nervous than a million dollars - it moves very fast, and it doesn't speak any language.
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It is not the government's purpose to make a profit the way a company does, because a company doesn't have to give a damn about the unemployed poor or provide services that are non-commercial by definition.
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But I accepted that because God gave me other qualities and I’m grateful.
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Pierre Trudeau dreamed of a society that afforded all of its citizens an equal opportunity to succeed in life - whatever their background or beliefs, whether rich or poor.
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Economics has been called the dismal science. Once you get to understand it, you may not find it so dismal, but you don't find it much of a science either.
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A proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It's a proof. A proof is a proof. And when you have a good proof, it's because it's proven.
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Politics is a game of friends.
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A leader has to know how the system functions - not just the system of government but the whole social and economic system, including business, the unions, and the universities.
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To my mind losing is always better than never trying, because you can never tell what may happen.
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Obviously, I would have been happier if Canada had not been conquered in the past by the English, if this part of North America had remained French, but you can't rewrite history.
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There will be no silence from Canada. Our friendship has no limit. Generation after generation we have traveled many difficult miles together side by side.
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At one point Trudeau mentioned to me that the National Gallery wanted to buy a masterpiece by the great Italian painter Lotto, and it needed a million dollars from the Treasury Board. Is that Lotto-Quebec or Lotto-Canada? I joked, but I got the message, and the National Gallery got the painting.
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The art of politics is learning to walk with your back to the wall, your elbows high, and a smile on your face. It's a survival game played under the glare of lights.
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Why buy repeater carbines and nuclear armament - if this is kept at home a child can play with it
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I've never believed in seeking perfection at the risk of losing everything.
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I was proud to have been the anti-establishment candidate after more than twenty years in politics, a small town guy fighting for the ordinary Canadian.
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Most Canadians don't understand the House of Commons. They turn on their televisions, see us yelling at one another, and dismiss us as a bunch of fools.
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Canadian federalism is more than a form of government. It's also a system of values that allows different people in diverse communities to live and work together in harmony for the good of all.
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