born Jan. 11, 1934, Shawinigan, Quebec, Can.
Canadian prime minister (19932003).
The 18th of 19 children of a working-class family, Chrétien studied law at Laval University and was called to the bar in Quebec in 1958. He served in the Canadian House of Commons (196386) and held various posts in the administrations of Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau , including minister of finance (1977), the first French Canadian to hold the office. In 1986, after losing the leadership battle to succeed Trudeau, he retired from parliament. Four years later he was reelected to the House of Commons and became leader of the Liberal Party of Canada . In 1993 the Liberals won a landslide victory, and Chrétien became prime minister. Under his leadership the party was again victorious in 1997 and 2000. As prime minister, he oversaw in 1998 the passage of the country's first balanced budget since 1970, and he pursued progressive social reforms, drafting a law in 2003 that would recognize same-sex marriages. Chrétien's relationship with the U.S. was sometimes tense, and he refused to commit Canadian troops to the U.S.-led war against Iraq in 2003.