25 May 2010 Ottawa, Ontario
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today delivered the following remarks on the unveiling of the portrait of the Right Honourable Jean Chretien:
“Thank you, Ms Vachon. Speaker Kinsella, Speaker Milliken, Mr. Chrétien, Mrs. Chrétien, dear colleagues, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
“According to several of my predecessors as leader of the Conservatives, the hanging of Jean Chrétien is long overdue. I, for one, was delighted to hear the news. In fact, today we are gathered to recognize Mr. Chretien in what has become the traditional Canadian manner for our former prime ministers.
“By hanging his portrait, we, political opponents and allies alike, honour his long and successful service to Canada, and do so here within the walls of the building where he laboured for so many years, and to such enduring effect. For Mr. Chretien was, and must always be remembered as, a great parliamentarian. He enjoyed the craft of politics, and he was undoubtedly one of its masters. And, he loved life on the Hill. Not everybody does, you see. Many have regarded it as a penance, even a kind of punishment.
“Ottawa, some say, is cold. It's far away. And moreover, sometimes people say unkind things about you in the newspapers. But despite that, we still come to the National Capital.
“Some see it as a duty. Others see it as a mission. We all see it as a chance, as did Mr. Chretien, to serve our fellow citizens. An opportunity to keep building this magnificent country, handed down to us by providence, preserved by our forbearers, and held in trust for our descendents. But among those who come to Ottawa, there are those who see the time spent here not only as a duty, but also as a pleasure. Not only as a mission, but also as an adventure.
“The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien has distinguished himself in many ways.
“And I want to say here today that his love for Ottawa, for this work and for this country, really set him apart. We are all well familiar with Jean Chrétien's curriculum vitae. It is woven through four decades of Canadian history. And, for one of those decades, having served already in almost every major government portfolio, he was at the centre of it all.
“Some often say that our goal in politics is to get elected. According to them, that's how we measure our success. Well, not many people have had as much success as Jean Chrétien. He won three back-to-back majorities. In this he is tied with William Lyon Mackenzie King, bettered only by Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Sir John A. Macdonald. Res ipsa loquitur, as lawyers such as Mr. Chretien tell each other in court: the thing speaks for itself. He knew instinctively what it took to win. It didn't hurt that his opponents were fighting among themselves. Nor that in governing, he may have occasionally appropriated their best ideas as his own. His critics and his admirers alike said that he was an unparalleled tactician, and a fierce partisan. And don't I know it!
“He was also recognized for his commitment to our two national languages. Although, I think it is fair to say, Jean Chrétien's eloquence in our two national languages was without pretension. But he always got his message through to Canadians. On this I believe no further proof is required. After all, and I quote, ‘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.' It's hard to argue with that. On many occasions, we leaders of the Opposition just had to give up trying.
“But to measure a politician's success, one of the most important proofs is his election by his fellow citizens. For when Canadians vote, they are rendering judgment. The factors affecting that judgement vary from leader to leader. But ultimately Canadians look for a leader who is on their side, even better, someone who they see as one of them. In the case of Jean Chrétien, making that judgement was simple. They see in him a simple man, a natural man, sometimes a fighter, but with a big heart. A man who to some extent resembles our country.
“Mr. Nicholson has used the power of his art to paint Jean Chrétien. Canadians, for their part, have used their common sense to measure the man, and he has passed the test. Of course they were not uncritical. Some said he stood out for his, shall we say, agility in adapting his policies to circumstances. Some said he was remarkable for his – how to put it – firmness in managing dissent. I can't say, I wouldn't know. But I can say this, and I do know everyone would agree, he was a strong leader, unafraid to set priorities, prepared to make a decision, steadfast in seeing it through.
“By fulfilling the greatest duty of any Canadian leader, he has undertaken a career marked by courage and consistency. A proud Quebecer, ‘the little guy from Shawinigan' has always been a federalist, by dint of conviction and without excuses. He has always been a strong defender of a united Canada. Throughout the decades when he was a major figure in Canadian politics, he never hesitated on that fundamental issue.
“ ‘I've been fighting for Canada all my life,' he said in 2001. For this passion and dedication, Jean Chrétien deserves our admiration and our thanks. And he deserves to look back on his record of service to our country with pride and satisfaction.
“The tradition we are observing today began in 1890, when Macdonald's portrait was unveiled. That occasion, like those that followed it, was a happy one. Happy not only for the subject of the portrait, for his family, friends and former colleagues. But also a happy occasion for every one of us who have been elected to serve this great, wonderful country.
“And thus today we unveil not only the portrait of a prime minister, but also the true character of our democratic life. Partisan differences are a healthy and necessary part of our political culture and process. But on an occasion such as this, we remember that they are transcended by a deep, enduring consensus, a shared understanding that our freedom rests also on the limitations imposed on those partisan differences by our constitutional traditions and the rule of law.
“The keys to office pass peacefully in our country. Canada is one of the world's oldest, most stable democracies. We are heirs to a tradition of rights and freedoms under the Crown reaching back almost 800 years, which we have successfully adapted to our own circumstances.
“We are very lucky. We owe a debt of gratitude to those who have created and faithfully passed down that tradition, often at great sacrifice, from one generation to the next. Every Canadian who hopes to become prime minister should find that both inspiring and impressive. Every Canadian who has fulfilled that duty should judge himself or herself against that rare and precious legacy.
“The series of portraits begun in 1890 gives us a glimpse at the character of Canada's prime ministers. It hints at how each of them both reflected and shaped the Canada they knew. This latest addition to the series, a worthy addition indeed, is a tribute to the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien. It is a tribute also to the country he loves so deeply, to a Canada united, strong and free.
“Thank you very much.”
