The "little guy from Shawinigan", as former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien is affectionately known, was recently honoured by Queen Elizabeth II, receiving Canada's highest civil honour, The Order of Merit.
The Order of Merit, is a British and Commonwealth Order given by the Monarch. Canada is one of the 53 independent members of the Commonwealth. The Order was established in 1902 by King Edward VII. It is the Sovereign's personal gift, and ministerial advice is not required. This means that the current Prime Minister Stephen Harper need not be consulted. However I would guess and it's just a guess, Prime Minister Harper was advised and or consulted.
The Order is a reward for distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, the promotion of culture and public service.
Chrétien practiced law in Shawinigan until he was first elected to the House of Commons as a Liberal from the riding of Saint-Maurice–Laflèche in the 1963 election. He would represent this Shawinigan-based riding, renamed Saint-Maurice in 1968, for all but eight of the next 41 years. Four of those years were spent in retirement, 1986 to 1990, four more were spent representing the riding of Beausejour, New Brunswick, as he made his comeback.
I first met Jean Chrétien during his visit to Amherstburg, Ontario, in 1976 or so, when he was a cabinet minister and I was a newly elected MPP. This was the first of many meetings with the former Prime Minister. My most memorable visit with Prime Minister Chrétien was around 1988, in the privacy of his hotel suite in Toronto, just he and I. During this meeting he told me of his planned comeback, which was already public knowledge, and I pledged to him my support.
Chrétien was elected Prime Minister in 1993 as he lead the Liberal Party to victory. He was elected Prime Minister two more times before retiring in 2003.
Prime Minister Chrétien's very long and successful political career included many highlights. He was justice minister during the repatriation of the Constitution and the introduction of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982. He stopped Canada's big banks from merging, read my post dated of May 21, 2009. But most importantly, he fought for one united strong Canada.
