Joseph Jacques Jean Chretien is the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in a position as a Prime Minister from 1993 to 2003. Chretien's greatest advantage was his long years of experience in Parliament and Cabinet. In a government or an opposition, Chretien had served with six Prime Ministers and held twelve ministerial positions. As a Liberal Party member, Chretien sat in Parliament for twenty-seven years (Canada.ca).
On 11th January, 1934, Chretien was born in Shawinigan, Quebec. In his family, he was the 18th out of nineteen children to Wellie and Marie Chretien. In Chretien's childhood days, he had suffered with poliomyelitis, leaving him deaf in his right ear and a slightly twisted mouth. Even though his school grades were fair,
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In the Quebec referendum of 1995, the federalist forces were defeated as many voters rejected the idea of separatism and the Clarity Act was enacted, which set out the government rules for negotiating sovereignty with Quebec (Hillmer & Azzi). Therefore, Chretien's role in the campaign was badly criticized (Bothwell).On the other hand, Chretien officially approved North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In 1998, he was able to eliminate a massive debt, reduce the taxes, and produce Canada's first balanced budget since 1970 (Means). Even though the Liberal Party had difficult situations with its economics, Chretien led various "Team Canada" trade missions to different countries …show more content…
In his third term, the main problem was Chretien's relations with the United States, where "Canada was overwhelmingly dependent on an American market for its exports, a fact that during the peaceful 1990s posed no great problem" (Bothwell). Because of the 9/11 attack, the American borders became a serious issue and Canada supported the Americans. However, because of neglect and underfunding for decades, Canada had a weak armed forces and limited resources for the Afghan War (Bothwell). In the early 2002, Chretien sent the troops for the Afghan War, but refused to engage with Americans in the Iraq War without authorization from the UN Security Council (Bothwell). Although it was a good decision for Canadian citizens, he became unpopular with the United States. Chretien, then, announced that he would retire as a prime minister at the end of 2003 due to "his support dwindling, his international reputation damaged, and his peers anxious to take his job" (Means). In the end, Chretien officially resigned on December 12th,
Smith, Gordon. “Canada in Afghanistan: Is it working?” Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute, 2007.
Born August 24th, 1922, René Lévesque grew up in a small costal town by the name of New Carlisle, where he realized quickly that “most of the French Canadians were poorer, with smaller homes and more wretched schools, than the English Canadian families — descendants of Loyalists who had fled the American Revolution — who were the self-appointed elites of the region.” (The Canadian Encyclopedia). This epiphany was said to build resentment in him against English-Canadians for having a more prosperous life, possibly due to their status as Loyalists. René Lévesque was not interested in politics from the beginning of his life, although he had been introduced to them from a young age by his late father. He went to school at the Collège des Jésuites Saint Charles Garnier, but was expelled due to his low marks. After finishing his formal schooling at the Séminaire de Québec, he was accepted into Université Laval, but dropped out after realizing he did not wish to be a lawyer. In 1938 he discovered radio journalism and worked at Radio-Canada. He was eventually sent to the front lines of the Second World War wit...
Trudeau was born on October 18th, 1919, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was raised in a family of 5 including himself; his mother Grace Elliott, his father Charles- Emile Trudeau, his older sister Suzette, and his younger brother Charles Jr. His family was very wealthy, living in a well to do Montreal suburb in Outremont. His father was a very successful businessman and lawyer. He sold ...
Pierre Elliot Trudeau was arguably one of the most vivacious and charismatic Prime Ministers Canada has ever seen. He wore capes, dated celebrities and always wore a red rose boutonniere. He looked like a superhero, and often acted like one too. Some of the landmark occurrences in Canadian history all happened during the Trudeau era, such as patriating the constitution, creating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 1980 Quebec Referendum. However, it is Trudeau’s 1969 “white paper” and the Calder legal challenge which many consider to be one of his most influential contributions to Canadian history.
Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was a prominent figure in Canada in the 1960s. Pearson was Canada's most significant post WWII prime minister because of his government's many innovations that still benefit Canadians today. He fostered Canadian nationalism, which continues to the present day, promoted equality throughout Canada – equality that now thrives as part of Canada's identity – and he introduced many social services that are still implemented today.
The Quebec referendum that was held in 1995 was a second round of vote that was meant to give the residents of the Quebec province in Canada the chance to determine whether they wanted to secede from Canada and thus establish Quebec as a sovereign state. Quebec has had a long history of wanting to secede from Canada, considering that it is the Canadian providence that is predominantly inhabited by the French-speaking people, whose political relationship with the rest of the Canadian provinces, mostly inhabited by the English-speaking people has been characterized by conflicting ideologies . Thus, the 1995 referendum was not the first political attempt to have Quebec gain its own independence. The discussion holds that the Quebec 1995 referendum would have had both positive and negative implications. Therefore, this discussion seeks to analyze the political consequences that would have f...
Many Francophones believed that they were being discriminated and treated unfairly due to the British North American Act which failed to recognize the unique nature of the province in its list of provisions. Trudeau, with the aid of several colleagues, fought the imminent wave of social chaos in Quebec with anti-clerical and communist visions he obtained while in his adolescent years. However, as the nationalist movement gained momentum against the Provincial government, Trudeau came to the startling realization that Provincial autonomy would not solidify Quebec's future in the country (he believed that separatism would soon follow) and unless Duplessis could successfully negotiate (on the issue of a constitution) with the rest of Canada, the prospect of self-sovereignty for Quebec would transpire. His first essay (Quebec and the Constitutional Problem) explores
Pierre Trudeau is the greatest Canadian of the twentieth century due to the fact that he declared Canada’s independence from Great Britain, he abolished the death penalty, and he created the Official Languages Act, making our nation entirely bilingual.
"The Prime Ministers of Canada - Lester B. Pearson Biography." The Prime Ministers of Canada - Lester B. Pearson Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. .
John Alexander Macdonald was born in Glasgow, Scotland on January 11, 1815. His family immigrated to Canada (Kingston, Ontario) in 1820, Macdonald was five years old at the time. In 1829 Macdonald ended his schooling, his parents could not afford to send him to university. Macdonald would later say that if he had went to university he would have ended up in literature, not politics. (Waite, John, 7-10)
The post-war time was a period where major changes were occurring. After being involved in two international conflicts, Canada was ready to reestablish their economy. During this time, Canada had started working on ways to become stronger and reputable. It is evident that Canada had matured through the post-war era. Canada’s economic progress left a positive impact on the growth of the country as consumerism became popular, and economic ties with America became stronger. Moreover, the removal of racial and ethical barriers contributed to Canadian social affairs such as the huge wave of immigration and the baby boom. The Canadian government also had become more aware and involved in issues impacting Canadian citizens. Canada as a whole started identifying itself as an independent nation and participating in events that brought a positive reputation amongst them. These economical, social, and legal changes helped Canada mature into the country it is today.
“Over the past century, Canadian attitudes towards the use of force and the exercise of military power in support of national aims have fundamentally shifted”. This is a quote written by Major Todd Strickland in his article, titled, “From the Boers to the Taliban: How Canadians Attitudes towards War Have Changed”. This article reviews Canada’s history within the wars and also Canadian’s thoughts on war. The Afghan war began in 2001 and is still ongoing today. The war began due to the terrorist attacks that took place in the United States on September 11th, 2001, also known as 9/11. The purpose of this war was to invade Afghanistan and to disassemble an organization, known as the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Another objective was to dismantle the Taliban government. The Taliban government was simply to blame for the deaths of so many Americans on 9/11. The leader, brains and financial support behind this organization was one by the name of Osama bin Laden. Because his country did not surrender him, the United States made the decision to declare war on Afghanistan and fight for those who lost their lives in 9/11. Canada became involved in the Afghan War very quickly after the attacks of 9/11. Because the Afghanistan war is a war that is constantly covered by the media, it makes the information overwhelming. To narrow the topic down, this paper will focus mainly on the Canadian’s involvement in the Afghanistan war. Violent political wars have been reoccurring for as long as anyone can remember, and the intensity of this violence continues to rise. The magnitude of political violence involved, the main interpretations on the causes of political violence, and the prospects for conflict resolution are all topics that will be covered...
This essay has argued that there are many limitations that the Prime Minister is subjected too. The three most important are federalism in Canadian society, the role of the Governor General, and the charter of rights and freedoms. I used two different views of federalism and illustrated how both of them put boundaries on the Prime Minister’s power. Next I explain the powers of the governor general, and explained the ability to dissolve parliament in greater detail. Last I analyzed how the charter of rights of freedoms has limited the Prime Minister’s power with respect to policy-making, interests groups and the courts. The Prime Minister does not have absolute power in Canadian society, there are many infringements on the power that they have to respect.
Canada’s parliamentary system is designed to preclude the formation of absolute power. Critics and followers of Canadian politics argue that the Prime Minister of Canada stands alone from the rest of the government. The powers vested in the prime minister, along with the persistent media attention given to the position, reinforce the Prime Minister of Canada’s superior role both in the House of Commons and in the public. The result has led to concerns regarding the power of the prime minister. Hugh Mellon argues that the prime minister of Canada is indeed too powerful. Mellon refers to the prime minister’s control over Canada a prime-ministerial government, where the prime minister encounters few constraints on the usage of his powers. Contrary to Mellon’s view, Paul Barker disagrees with the idea of a prime-ministerial government in Canada. Both perspectives bring up solid points, but the idea of a prime-ministerial government leading to too much power in the hands of the prime minister is an exaggeration. Canada is a country that is too large and complex to be dominated by a single individual. The reality is, the Prime Minister of Canada has limitations from several venues. The Canadian Prime Minister is restricted internally by his other ministers, externally by the other levels of government, the media and globalization.
Canada has played a vital role in international relations for the majority of its 144 year history since the signing of Confederation in 1867. Canada first participated in World War I, then World War II in 1939-1945. Following World War II, Canada was also involved in the Korean War. Canada has been primarily a peacekeeping nation. There are many questions people ask when a high income country goes to help a lower income nation such as Afghanistan. What are Canada’s motives for helping out Afghanistan? Who will benefit from Canada going to war in Afghanistan? These are some of the questions many people have. While Canada has many domestic problems of its own such as homelessness, poverty and increasing national debt, why should Canada get involved with a problem that is across the globe? Are the costs of going to war out weight the political benefits? Modernity, modernization theory and gender stratification are some key concepts that are related to Canada going to war in Afghanistan.