12°c Partly cloudy
18°c Rain
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Charest bows out gracefully with head high
Jean Charest bowed out of Quebec politics as he lived it, gracefully reminding Canadians that "we are all blessed to have been born in this country," sharing its wealth and lucky to have each other.
It was a fitting exit for an icon of federalism; the man best remembered for brandishing his Canadian passport during the 1995 referendum and proclaiming his love for the nation.
Related Items
In the end, of course, he really had no choice. Charest couldn't realistically expect to remain Quebec Liberal leader after losing power, and even his own Sherbrooke seat, to a resurgent Parti Québécois. Even so, the election that ended his career was much closer than expected, with Charest's Liberals battling to a strong second place and holding the PQ to minority government status. Indeed, the Liberals, with 31 per cent of popular support, were a scant one percentage point behind. But that was enough to make Pauline Marois Quebec's first female premier-elect and end Charest's 28-year career.
He accomplished much over that time. Elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative in 1984, he was one of only two Tories to retain their seats in the party's disastrous 1993 rout. He then became leader of the federal Conservatives at just age 36.
Always passionate and eloquent in his defence of Canada, Charest is well-remembered for promoting the federalist cause against a rising tide of separatism, not only in the crucial 1995 referendum battle but later when he stepped down from the federal stage to seek the provincial Liberal leadership in 1998 to counter the charismatic Lucien Bouchard who by then had taken charge of the PQ.
Although Charest didn't defeat Bouchard outright, he deprived the PQ of "winning conditions" for another referendum. And in 2003 he won power in his own right.
That the following years saw a waning interest in sovereignty is largely to Charest's credit.
He was a spirited and effective advocate for Quebec's interests within the federation. Even now, despite the latest PQ victory, the sovereigntist cause is hardly thriving. Fully 70 per cent of Quebecers don't want another referendum, and support for sovereignty dropped during the campaign.
Charest leaves with his head high, and with few regrets.
He served Quebec -- and Canada -- exceedingly well.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 6, 2012 A10
More Analysis
- Back to Top
- Return to Analysis
More Analysis
(1 of 33 articles for this week)
The Angelina Jolie effect
05/17/2013 1:20 PM 0View Related
Poll
Most Popular Analysis
- The Angelina Jolie effect
- Cash for coitus scheme gets axed in Oz
- Low turnout makes farce of B.C. election
- A pollster's shame...
- Ruining lives for cash flow
- Glimmers of hope for Pakistan
- Nice guys finish second
- White House witch hunts for whistle blowers an embarrassment
- Angelina Jolie: 'I feel empowered... '
- Erdogan caught overplaying his hand
- The Angelina Jolie effect
- Angelina Jolie: 'I feel empowered... '
- A sad twist in the path that the corner store was on
- Manitobans want thrift, not PST hike
- Making NRC tool of industry bad for science
- Ruining lives for cash flow
- Internet becoming a jungle
- Smart people SLEEP LATE
- Harper fuels opposition to oilsands projects
- A small but welcome crack in supply management
- Don, it's not about nakedness
- Speeding fine only half of it
- Ashton might try to get the facts straight
- Ageism is rampant in Canada
- Canadian to expose alien collaboration with U.S.
- Smart people SLEEP LATE
- 'Done deal' offends Whiteshell cottagers
- What are they smoking at First Nations Bank?
- Celebrated economics theory wrong
- Manitoba could follow B.C. on surrogacy issue
- Fisher could have been paid $16,000 for his 'wasted fish'
- Ruining lives for cash flow
- Happy not-mother's days
- Internet becoming a jungle
- 3D printers will make outsourcing so yesterday
- Early childhood education overrated
- The Big Pitcher
- Canada and the Arctic Council
- Speeding fine only half of it
- Mother Nature springs into action
- 'Done deal' offends Whiteshell cottagers
- How CBC and others torque ratings
- Kim Sigurdson It's time for government fish monger to cut bait
- Speeding fine only half of it
- Ice roads, airships could work together
- Where is Canada's strategy to help Ukraine?
- NDP tables 'inequality and poverty budget'
- Climate options -- grim, grimmer, grimmest
- Mother Nature springs into action
- Industry, First Nations partnerships exploding
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.