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The Shawinigan Fox: How Jean Chr�tien Defied the E
Jean Chrétien's critics have said he was a man with no vision and a short attention span – a small-town hick who stumbled his way to become Canada's 20th prime minister. Whatever credit the Chrétien government deserved was often given to Paul Martin, the heir apparent who was touted to be the brains behind the operation.
But while Chretien was the subject of ridicule, he was quietly giving his competitors – both inside and outside of the Liberal party – a master class in politics, leadership and nation-building.
His decisions, which often ran counter to elite opinion, fundamentally reshaped and strengthened Canada as it entered the 21st century. Chrétien restored sanity to government finances, kept Canada out of the Iraq war, turned a brain drain into a brain gain, and established clarity over national unity.
Relying on new evidence, detailed analysis and exclusive interviews with former cabinet ministers, provincial premiers, political staff, strategists, and high-ranking bureaucrats – many of them speaking publicly for the first time – bestselling author and historian Bob Plamondon tells the surprising inside story of the Chretien years, what Chretien would have done if the 1995 referendum had ended in a vote for separation; why Paul Martin secretly threatened to resign in 1995, seven years before he actually quit; who tried to convince Chretien to join the Iraq war and why he could not be intimidated into joining the US-led coalition; why a lifelong Liberal was the most conservative prime minister in Canadian history; the shocking details of the Chretien-Martin feud and the only time an elected Canadian prime minister has been overthrown
Until now, the story of Chretien's time as prime minister has been largely misunderstood. Plamondon sets the record straight and provides compelling lessons about political leadership and problem-solving from a critical chapter in Canadian history.
But while Chretien was the subject of ridicule, he was quietly giving his competitors – both inside and outside of the Liberal party – a master class in politics, leadership and nation-building.
His decisions, which often ran counter to elite opinion, fundamentally reshaped and strengthened Canada as it entered the 21st century. Chrétien restored sanity to government finances, kept Canada out of the Iraq war, turned a brain drain into a brain gain, and established clarity over national unity.
Relying on new evidence, detailed analysis and exclusive interviews with former cabinet ministers, provincial premiers, political staff, strategists, and high-ranking bureaucrats – many of them speaking publicly for the first time – bestselling author and historian Bob Plamondon tells the surprising inside story of the Chretien years, what Chretien would have done if the 1995 referendum had ended in a vote for separation; why Paul Martin secretly threatened to resign in 1995, seven years before he actually quit; who tried to convince Chretien to join the Iraq war and why he could not be intimidated into joining the US-led coalition; why a lifelong Liberal was the most conservative prime minister in Canadian history; the shocking details of the Chretien-Martin feud and the only time an elected Canadian prime minister has been overthrown
Until now, the story of Chretien's time as prime minister has been largely misunderstood. Plamondon sets the record straight and provides compelling lessons about political leadership and problem-solving from a critical chapter in Canadian history.
427 pages, Hardcover
Published October 20, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 3, 2018
''Jean Chrétien had not one or two significant legacies but four.
1. Canada went from financial basket case to an international role model of economic management.
2. He kept Canada out of the Iraq war.
3. He dealt a fatal blow to Québec separatists with the passage of the Clarity Act and by his reforms to federal-provincial arrangements.
4. He transformed Canada's intellectual infrastructure, turning what had become a brain drain into a brain gain (...) by establishing the Canadian Foundation for innovation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canada research Chairs and the Canada Millenium Scholarship Foundation''.
This book is really about politics AND policies during the Chrétien years (1993-2003). I found it very illuminating as Plamondon chronicles all relevant issues on the 90's and early 00's : NAFTA, the recession, Indian and northern affairs, national unity, the rise of the Reform Party, 9-11, the Iraq war, the Paul Martin rebellion in the liberal caucus to name a few.
Without being apologetic about Chrétien (the sponsorship scandals, Shawinigate and the defense budget are covered at length), Plamondon sheds a light on his political skills and his knack for policies and finance, challenging the conventional opinions that he was just an unsophisticated prime minister who just got lucky
Essential read to Canadian politics
1. Canada went from financial basket case to an international role model of economic management.
2. He kept Canada out of the Iraq war.
3. He dealt a fatal blow to Québec separatists with the passage of the Clarity Act and by his reforms to federal-provincial arrangements.
4. He transformed Canada's intellectual infrastructure, turning what had become a brain drain into a brain gain (...) by establishing the Canadian Foundation for innovation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canada research Chairs and the Canada Millenium Scholarship Foundation''.
This book is really about politics AND policies during the Chrétien years (1993-2003). I found it very illuminating as Plamondon chronicles all relevant issues on the 90's and early 00's : NAFTA, the recession, Indian and northern affairs, national unity, the rise of the Reform Party, 9-11, the Iraq war, the Paul Martin rebellion in the liberal caucus to name a few.
Without being apologetic about Chrétien (the sponsorship scandals, Shawinigate and the defense budget are covered at length), Plamondon sheds a light on his political skills and his knack for policies and finance, challenging the conventional opinions that he was just an unsophisticated prime minister who just got lucky
Essential read to Canadian politics
December 27, 2017
An interesting evaluation of Chrétien as Prime Minister of Canada. The book highlights his achievements and contextualizes the scandals. Fascinating read about the relationship with Martin. You could say it is one sided but the author is building the case for his thesis. With the benefit of time, he does have a strong case. Fun read for the Canadian political junkie.
June 22, 2020
Just a poorly written book of Jean Chretien’s time in office. I struggle to understand why Bob Plamondon wrote this book: was it because he had new secretive information to share? Was he to analyze the Jean Chretien years through a modern perspective? Ultimately, all he does is rehash old information that has been readily available to the public for the last 20 years.
The chapters on the economy are very well done: the author uses statistical evidence to back up his opinion, and uses graphs to illustrate what he is trying to say. But all of that disappears once he begins to talk about issues during later chapters, as the author uses weak arguments to defend Jean Chretien and uses pathetic arguments to go against Paul Martin. The author seems to want to balance it out and criticize Jean Chretien, but a few sentences later will say that he has done nothing wrong and that it was all just a witch hunt against the former prime minister.
The chapter on the Sponsorship Scandal is a perfect example of poor writing: why would the author state that Jean Chretien’s Chief of Staff had no business dealing with the Public Service, and yet also tell the reader that it was perfectly normal just a few pages later? The author then blames Paul Martin for not having any oversight on the Sponsorship Program while he was Minister of Finance, but doesn’t mention that Ministers of Finance simply allocate money to various government departments and don’t have any say as to how the money is spent. As the Sponsorship Program was run by the Federal department of Public Works, the author’s argument is simply ignorance.
This book is terrible. I wouldn’t recommend such a cheapshot attempt at trying to gain legitimacy on the political scene. Bob Plamondon is simply not a good political author.
The chapters on the economy are very well done: the author uses statistical evidence to back up his opinion, and uses graphs to illustrate what he is trying to say. But all of that disappears once he begins to talk about issues during later chapters, as the author uses weak arguments to defend Jean Chretien and uses pathetic arguments to go against Paul Martin. The author seems to want to balance it out and criticize Jean Chretien, but a few sentences later will say that he has done nothing wrong and that it was all just a witch hunt against the former prime minister.
The chapter on the Sponsorship Scandal is a perfect example of poor writing: why would the author state that Jean Chretien’s Chief of Staff had no business dealing with the Public Service, and yet also tell the reader that it was perfectly normal just a few pages later? The author then blames Paul Martin for not having any oversight on the Sponsorship Program while he was Minister of Finance, but doesn’t mention that Ministers of Finance simply allocate money to various government departments and don’t have any say as to how the money is spent. As the Sponsorship Program was run by the Federal department of Public Works, the author’s argument is simply ignorance.
This book is terrible. I wouldn’t recommend such a cheapshot attempt at trying to gain legitimacy on the political scene. Bob Plamondon is simply not a good political author.
July 2, 2018
Bob Plamondon provides us with a thorough overview of Jean Chretien's years as the Prime Minister of Canada. Overall I would describe his analysis of Chretien's leadership as fair and even-handed. Many Canadians have come to see Paul Martin as the brains behind Canada's transformation from a debt ridden basket case to a model of fiscal prudence, but Plamondon gives Chretien his due, insisting that 'the boss' got the job done, while Martin dithered and plotted Chretien's overthrow.
The Shawinigan Fox outwitted his opponents on many fronts and deserves more credit for his accomplishments according to this author. History will look favourably on his time at the helm.
The Shawinigan Fox outwitted his opponents on many fronts and deserves more credit for his accomplishments according to this author. History will look favourably on his time at the helm.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews