Straight from the Heart

Agar Adamson is the author of Letters of Agar Adamson, 1914–19 and former chair of the Department of Political Science at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.

Canadian public figures, unlike their British and American counterparts, seldom write their autobiographies. Indeed, one might even add that their biographies are seldom published. Consequently, when a politician does write his biography, we as citizens, no matter what our profession, should be very grateful to him, for it is from such biographies that we obtain not only an insight into the politician’s character but also knowledge of the various aspects of our political process. Therefore, Straight from the Heart has to be considered one of the more important publications of 1985.

It is true that this book is not entirely the work of Mr. Chretien, as he points out in the preface. Ron Graham, of Saturday Night Magazine, deserves a great deal of credit for pulling this book together and shepherding its birth.

This is a biography of Chretien, the politician. Indeed, this is perhaps the major disappointing aspect of the book. Nowhere in it do we get an insight into Chretien, the private man. For example, what are his religious beliefs? What about his children — particularly the fact that he adopted a Native Canadian during his time as the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development? It is true that we get photographs of his family, including his grandchildren, but at no time do we get a feeling of Chretien the private man, Chretien the father, or Chretien the grandfather. Nor do we get an insight into Chretien as an individual. For instance, how good is his golf game?

However, the above criticisms are minor. It is true that his style is not the best; indeed, he often tends to stray from a point into another time and place and then returns to the original point. This practice is somewhat disconcerting to the reader.

The book’s strength, however, is that it gives us an insight into the political process. His description of the House of Commons and the political process in the House is perhaps one of the more masterful yet written by any Canadian politician. Those Canadians who do not understand the process, or who are infuriated by Parliament on television, should read Chretien’s chapter “Learning the Ropes” for a much better understanding of the business of politics. The same is also true of Chretien’s fight, not only in the Referendum battle of May 1980, but also for the Constitution and for a bilingual Canada.

Perhaps no other Canadian politician has held as many Cabinet posts as has Jean Chretien (ten), and certainly, no other Quebecois Cabinet Minister has held all of the major economic portfolios. Some have commented that Chretien is perhaps not a deep thinker, and indeed, that he was merely a mouthpiece for Pierre Trudeau and the bureaucrats. Straight from the Heart shows that Chretien is not just a good speaker and a strong Canadian nationalist but also a man with strong independent views and some very interesting thoughts on the economy. His mastery of finance is an excellent example of this fact.

When one remembers, as Chretien tells in his own inimitable style, that he could not speak English when he arrived in Ottawa, one can realize not only how far equal opportunity for English- and French-speaking Canadians has evolved since 1963, but also the tremendous obstacles that this young lawyer from Shawinigan faced when he arrived in Ottawa.

Perhaps no Canadian politician has been so respected by all Canadians as has Jean Chretien. He has earned this respect for his straight talk, his sense of humour, and the fact that he has not taken himself too seriously. His biography is written in the same manner.

A few commentators have criticized Chretien for writing the book, saying that it is merely a campaign tool for the next Liberal leadership race. Perhaps it is; but perhaps, if the book had been published before the 1984 Liberal leadership convention, the outcome might have been different. We see Jean Chretien as the warm, thoughtful, nationalist who grudgingly received the respect of a nation. Furthermore, Chretien illustrates that he does have “the royal jelly”; if this work is a “gimmick” for a leadership convention, then let us bring on that event, for Chretien in his book, as in his life, has illustrated that he is a thoughtful, concerned Canadian.

It is hoped that this publication will be available in paperback in the very near future, and that teachers in universities and (more importantly) in this school system will insist that their students read this excellent book. Chretien, as this reviewer’s eldest son put it, has made the history of the last 20 years come alive.