When the Canadian Liberal Party returned to power
under the leadership of Prime Minister Pierre Tru-
deau in 1980, Jean Chrétien was chosen to serve as
the nation’s minister of justice and attorney general.
One of the principal goals of Trudeau’s Liberal gov-
ernment was to pursue constitutional reforms that
would strengthen the Canadian confederation and
guarantee fundamental rights to all Canadians. Un-
derstandably, Chrétien and the other members of
Trudeau’s cabinet viewed the rise of French Cana-
dian nationalism in Quebec and the prospect of
Quebec’s secession from the confederation as mat-
ters of grave concern.
As Canada’s minister of justice, Chrétien played a
significant role in assuring the defeat of the Quebec
referendum of May 20, 1980. Quebec was Chrétien’s
home province, and he was profoundly opposed to
its secession from Canada. In numerous speeches
prior to the referendum, he appealed to the voters’
sense of national pride, evoking the Rocky Moun-
tains and the Canadian Prairie as a common na-
tional heritage. He pointed to the shared economic
advantages of a nation rich in oil and gas reserves,
and he portrayed Quebec’s sovereignist leaders as
eccentrics and egotists. In the end, Québécois voters
favored the justice minister’s vision of confederation
over the prospect of sovereignty, and the fragile
unity of the nation was preserved.
Chrétien then turned his attention to the task of
constitutional reform. For years, plans to adopt a Ca-
nadian charter of rights and freedoms had floun-
dered because of opposition from provincial gov-
ernments. In November of 1981, however, following
months of preliminary dialogue and negotiation,
Chrétien met with provincial leaders in Ottawa and
worked out an acceptable compromise—the so-
called notwithstanding clause—that was later em-
bodied in section 33 of the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms, which was passed as part of the Constitu-
tion Act, 1982.
Chrétien went on to serve as Canada’s minister of
energy, mines, and resources from 1982 to 1984. In212 Chrétien, Jean The Eighties in America
Minister of Justice Jean Chrétien, right, confers closely with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau during the 1981 constitutional conference.
(Library and Archives Canada/Robert Cooper)