Retired Prime Minister Jean Chretien gave the speech of his life at the Liberal Leadership convention, Sunday, Mar. 9, 2025
The 91-year-old was outstanding in his emotion, in what he said and in his delivery. Yes, his speech was written by others, but he delivered it, delivered it with emotion, passion and energy that even T****, a dozen years younger, can’t touch, can’t duplicate and can’t emulate.
Bravo Msr. Chretien…Canadians are very proud of you. You’re one of our best.
Read the full text of his speech or
View the speech… Click -> CHRETIEN
_________________
Prime Minister Trudeau, President of the party, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and MPs. Good evening.
This is an exceptional opportunity for me to be here this evening. This is my ninth Liberal convention that I’ve participated in. And it’s the seventh time that I’ve spoken at the podium. I would have never thought that I could do it at ninety-one.
I’m still ready to fight.
I have fight in me yet. It’s great to see so many young people in the room today. It reminds me of my first Liberal convention when I was the president of the Young Liberals at Laval University. In 1958, when Lester Pearson was elected Liberal leader. In 1958, not many of you were born, and he then became a very good prime minister.
I have kept coming to Liberal conventions for sixty-eight years. I have kept coming back because of what the Liberal Party stands for. I have kept coming back because of what the Liberal Party has delivered to make the lives of Canadians better.
And I am here today because it is the Liberal Party that can best deliver better lives for Canadians in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.
Liberal Party Achievements
It is the Liberal Party that has given Canadians
- Canadian Pension Plan
- Medicare
- Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- two official languages that put Indigenous rights into the Canadian Constitution
- tough gun control laws
- affirmative action
- women’s right to choose
- permit same-sex marriage.
The party is the party of diversity, equality, tolerance, openness, and inclusiveness.
We Liberals call it the very essence of Canada, and it is the Liberal Party that gave us the Red Maple Leaf flag sixty years ago, which flew so proudly in homes across the country on the 14th of February to demonstrate our patriotism and love for Canada.
Tribute to Justin Trudeau
I want to say a special thank you to former Prime Ministers Joe Clark, Harper, Martin, Campbell for coming together with me to rally Canadians across the land to show the Canadian flag with pride. But tonight, I want to pay tribute to Justin Trudeau.
I want to pay tribute to him for taking the Liberal Party from third place to government and to three successive election victories. I want to pay tribute to what he and his team have accomplished: the Canada Child Benefit to reduce poverty for children, the $10-a-day childcare that opened the labor market to so many women, the dental plan for low-income Canadians, and all the work they’ve done on the environment. Ladies and gentlemen, these are Liberal policies.
Economic Reality
Let’s talk about the economic reality of the moment. Canada has the lowest deficit per capita in the G7 – more than five times lower than the United States. We have the lowest debt per capita in the G7. Payments on debt interest today are only 11% of each tax dollar, compared to 35% when I took office in 1993. Inflation is 1.9% in Canada – it’s 3.2% and increasing south of the border.
Addressing the Tariff Crisis
Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The long and fruitful friendship with the Americans – built over decades – is falling apart before our eyes. Mutual respect, trust, and reciprocal cooperation are giving way to weariness and open hostility from the Trump administration.
Why? Historians and experts are trying to make sense of something that doesn’t make sense. Well, in Canada, our elbows are up. We’re working together to unite against this threat to our economy and sovereignty – our very existence as a country.
Tariffs became a reality this week, and there will only be losers if measured financially. But for Canadians, it’s more than money at stake. We love our country and our independence. We love who we are because we’re unique in the world.
I congratulate the Trudeau government and all premiers for retaliating against unjustified tariffs. If necessary, governments can go further by imposing export taxes on oil, gas, potash, steel, aluminum, and electricity. We’ll use that money to build infrastructure – like a natural gas pipeline from Alberta to Quebec.
Historical Warning to Trump
The world has lived for 80 years with a rules-based order that brought peace and prosperity. Now Donald Trump has decided to throw it all out the window.
Let me give him a history lesson:
In 1776, Benjamin Franklin spent a year in Montreal trying to convince people to join the American Revolution. The Francophones said non – look what happened to French in Louisiana!
During the War of 1812, Americans came to Canada on a mission of conquest. They were defeated by Colonel de Salaberry in Quebec and Indigenous Chief Tecumseh in Ontario. And I’m told some burned the White House at that time – but I didn’t do it! [Laughter]
Direct Message to Trump
From one old guy to another old guy: Stop this nonsense! Canada will never join the United States. My mother taught me good manners – she’d have been ashamed if I treated anyone the way Trump treated our prime minister.
We don’t want to become American because our values are different. Healthcare here is a right. America is a melting pot; Canada is a mosaic. In the U.S., First Nations aren’t recognized, and French would have no rights. We will never, ever trade our culture and language for any agreement!
Closing Remarks
I’m confident the next prime minister will work with premiers, opposition leaders, and allies worldwide to meet Trump’s challenges.
Canada is the country that works best – much better than any other. To quote an old Liberal: “Canada is, and will remain, the best country in the world. Vive le Canada!”
