When was chretien in power

He ran for the leadership again in This time he won a convincing first-ballot victory. Three years later, he was prime minister, winning the first of three consecutive majority governments. Le petit gars de Shawinigan the little guy from Shawinigan took his third run at the top job in the federal election of November even though he could have held off calling an election until when his government's term would have expired.

But with a booming economy, a healthy surplus, and a divided opposition, he decided the time was right for a new mandate. Twice he played a prominent role on the No side in referendums on Quebec sovereignty. His strongest performance came in the referendum, when the federalist forces won convincingly. However, within the Commonwealth, Canadian leaders are regularly able to meet with other world leaders who share similar values and history. In some ways, the Commonwealth helps Canadian prime ministers in other multilateral institutions because it gives them greater exposure to these other world leaders, and more opportunities to rally support for pressing contemporary issues.

In essence, he did nothing outstanding to reverse the trend. Consider, in contrast, that Canada — and Canadians more broadly — held strong and very positive views of the role of the Commonwealth for its first 50 years Black After the meeting, the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme instituted the promotion of democracy within the Commonwealth.

Heads of Government agreed the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme on the Harare Declaration, designed to fulfil more effectively the democracy and development commitments contained in the Harare Declaration. They established the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration to deal with serious or persistent violations of the Harare principles.

In effect, the Millbrook programme affords greater powers to the Commonwealth Secretariat. After holding an election in , then reneging on the results, Nigeria military dictatorship remained in power, which, to the chagrin of the international community, still involved significant human rights abuses. The Commonwealth intervened as a major international institution with the ability to pressure the bad behaviour of the Nigerian authoritarian government.

Over the issue of Nigeria, the members of the Commonwealth were divided as to how to proceed. Some members advocated harsh measures; whereas others wanted to push Nigeria towards reform without embarrassing the country on the world stage. Canada implemented a range of sanctions aimed at the Nigerian leadership in order to deter bad behaviours. Nigeria reacted by closing their high commission in Ottawa and by blaming Canada in the media for bomb attacks in the country which turned out to be carried out by dissident groups within the country Axworthy Despite the difficult turn in the Nigerian-Canadian relationship, Nigeria was invited to London to discuss its role in the Commonwealth.

Nigeria wanted to remain within the Commonwealth, but General Sani Abacha was unwilling to change. This is his premier legacy on the world stage, despite the fact that not all countries support this policy.

More formally, the treaty was drafted in mid and entered into force in March making Canada a major spotlight in the world. Canada played a significant role in changing the norms and expectations of the world despite its status as a middle power, rather than a superpower. In doing so, the world could be safer for civilians especially those living in post-conflict areas.

Under the Ottawa Treaty, signee states are expected to eradicate their landmine stockpiles, and then pledge not to purchase more at a later date. In effect, the norm for peace grows, and the reality of the loss of life and limbs decreases. Canada also played an important role in the NATO campaign in the former Yugoslavia in the late s.

There are limits as to what can be fully blamed on any given prime minister because there are almost other countries in the world responsible for world affairs, but there were times when Canada could have — and should have — done more in the world. In the case of Rwanda, Canada played a very significant role in the country, and could have mobilised other members of the Commonwealth in southern Africa to help.

But Canada could have played a role if it helped to assemble an international coalition to at least minimize the bloodshed.

Perhaps a well-organized and well-armed international force of a few thousand personnel could have altered the extent of the genocide dramatically. Historian, J. This discussion, although not central to this work, reflects a wider debate on the role of the Canadian military and the ability to respond to crises around the world in the case of genocide.

Canada also gave more money per capita to Rwanda than any other country in sub-Saharan Africa at that time — the linkages between the two countries were strongly in place Dallaire Moreover, since many members of the Commonwealth are located in southern Africa, it could have been an opportunity for Canada to emerge as a significant middle power with the ability to do real good in the world, like stopping the genocide.

Despite his best efforts, Canada and other members of the international community did not respond to his calls for help as the genocide started and then led to widespread bloodshed.

Adding to the sense of shame is that Canada played a prominent role in the mission to protect Rwandans. Canada could have taken a leading role, or mobilized support through the Commonwealth to stop the genocide. Pearson — and Finance Minister Mitchell Sharp.

They liked his quick mind, genuine Canadian patriotism, and commitment to a strong national government. He proposed a series of reforms to Canada's native people that met with much criticism. He was president of the Treasury Board, —76; minister of industry, trade, and commerce, —77; and the first French Canadian minister of finance, — The Trudeau Liberals were out of office briefly in , but they swept back into power in February The media criticized him—he was labeled "yesterday's man"—and a long illness in interfered with his work.

His first months were marked by efforts to promote honesty in government and to make budget cuts. He is also on the Honour Committee of the Fondation Chirac, an organization dedicated to world peace. See also Timeline: Elections and Prime Ministers. Search The Canadian Encyclopedia. Remember me. I forgot my password. Why sign up? Create Account. Suggest an Edit. Enter your suggested edit s to this article in the form field below. Accessed 11 November In The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Historica Canada. Article published February 02, ; Last Edited March 23, The Canadian Encyclopedia , s. Thank you for your submission Our team will be reviewing your submission and get back to you with any further questions. Thanks for contributing to The Canadian Encyclopedia. The "little guy from Shawinigan" spoke fractured English - and fractured French - but he was an astute politician with a feel for the national pulse.