Peter Donolo served as director of communications for Jean Chrétien from 1991 to 1999.
Last week, I phoned my old boss to wish him a “Happy New Year.”
“Peter, I will call you back,” came the raspy voice so familiar to millions of Canadians. “I’m with my trainer.”
Nothing remarkable about that comment – if it hadn’t been coming from someone who turned 90 on Jan. 11. But then, Jean Chrétien is loping into his tenth decade much like he strode through the previous nine: Eyes straight ahead. Living in the present. Focused on the future.
By any standard, it’s one of the most extraordinary Canadian stories. Born the eighteenth of 19 children into a working-class Shawinigan, Que., family, first elected to Parliament while JFK was in the White House, and arriving in Ottawa unable to speak more than a couple of sentences in English, he went on to become – when combining his years as a minister under three prime ministers, and his decade as PM – the longest-serving cabinet minister in Canadian history. His public life spans the birth of our modern country; indeed, he played a key role, from working to give Canadians the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the 1980s, to leading Canada away from the precipice of ruin a decade later.
It is an axiom in politics that familiarity breeds contempt. Yet it is precisely Canadians’ familiarity with Mr. Chrétien – and the inherent trust it bred – that led them to turn to this familiar face when the country was at its darkest hour 30 years ago. Our economy was a calamity, and our fiscal situation led The Wall Street Journal to dub our country “an honorary member of the Third World.” Even worse, a heedless constitutional gambit had shredded national unity and turbocharged support for Quebec separatism to unprecedented levels.
Why did Canadians trust Mr. Chrétien to turn the ship around? They sensed a no-nonsense, common-sense approach. He wasn’t a leader who looked down on them, but one who understood them. He came from the same places they did. More importantly, he never forgot where he came from. What they sensed from afar was something that I, along with everyone else who worked for him, saw up close. That’s the thing about Mr. Chrétien – he’s the same in public as he is in private: sleeves rolled up, practical. He took the responsibilities of public office very seriously, but he never took himself too seriously.
There were aspects they wouldn’t have seen: his keen, analytical approach to challenges, always thinking several steps ahead; his deep knowledge of government, based on a lifetime of public service; his profound respect for institutions. But these just add texture to, rather than contradict, what Canadians know about him.
Mr. Chrétien has an innate sense of balance. He has always stayed grounded. No doubt, Aline Chrétien, the late love of his life to whom he regularly referred as his “Rock of Gibraltar,” made sure of that. Everything in his life – food, drink, and above all, temperament – is in moderation. His other tenets? Stay moving and active: Remember how he always took those stairs two at a time? Stay connected: In office, he listened to his advisers, but he listened even more carefully to his MPs and to hundreds of people he had come to know across the country.
Don’t micromanage: Stay focused on the big issues and delegate to competent ministers and officials. Be optimistic: Don’t fear the future, embrace it. And have lots of fun. He did as PM. He still does. He made the job of prime minister appear easier than it really is, as his three successors have all discovered.
The turnaround Mr. Chrétien led during his decade as PM was real and lasting. The fiscal cleanup alone meant there were more options for successive governments, and cushioned Canadians from economic shocks such as the 2008 global financial meltdown and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Clarity Act of 2000 stemmed the tide of separatism and safeguarded the future of our federation. Saying no to the Iraq invasion cemented Canadian sovereignty in an integrated continental economy. And the unprecedented scale of investments in research and learning transformed a “brain drain” into a brain gain. He governed not just for the present, but for the future.
It’s been two decades since Mr. Chrétien left office. But the energy and drive are still there. He may not climb stairs two at a time, but he goes to the office every day and returns every summer to his roots in the Mauricie region. And his optimism and belief in the future are stronger than ever.
Happy birthday, Mr. Chrétien! It’s been a heck of a ride. For you – and for all of us.
Reflecting on the Career of Jean Chretien
The CGAI Podcast Network · The Global Exchange: Reflecting on the Career of Jean Chretien
January 9, 2024
On this episode of The Global Exchange, Colin Robertson is joined by Bob Plamondon and Peter Donolo to discuss the career of Jean Chretien as the former Canadian Prime Minister approaches his 90th birthday.
Listen to Colin's previous episodes with Mr. Chretien:
"Jean Chrétien on 'it's a very different world that we're living at this time'" (2020)
"In Conversation with The Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien" (2021)
Guests:
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Peter Donolo is a CGAI Fellow. He served as Mr. Chretien’s director of Communications and later as Canada's Consul General in Milan.
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Bob Plamondon is the author of many books on Canadian political history including The Shawinigan Fox: How Jean Chretien Defied the Elites and Reshaped Canada. He is currently working on a new book looking at the Chretien leadership style.
Host:
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Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Read & Watch:
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"The Lincoln Project" Showtime Documentary Series
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"The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World" by John Dickie
Peter Donolo
Canadian Global Affairs Institute
https://www.cgai.ca/peter_donolo
As one of Canada's most experienced communications strategists and a veteran adviser to leaders in corporate Canada, and at all three levels of government, Peter brings more than twenty-five years of experience in communications and government relations.
Using his understanding of both the rapidly changing currents of public opinion and the complex decision-making processes of government, Peter is a senior adviser to H+K’s senior management and to its clients – focusing on strategic communications and public engagement.
Peter has in-depth knowledge to provide counsel to clients facing major transformational challenges when it comes to the economy, the way we now engage audiences and how we live together in society. And he appreciates the importance of developing the right strategy and putting together the best team to achieve measurable results.
Peter is a director of (G)irls 20, CIVIX, and a former director of Pathways to Education Canada, the Toronto Board of Trade and the Canadian Journalism Foundation.
Peter was most recently special adviser to the Ontario government on intergovernmental affairs and communications. He is the longest-serving prime ministerial director of communications in Canadian history (to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien), served as a senior executive in the private and public sectors, and also represented Canada abroad as a senior diplomat.
From Wikipedia
Peter Donolo (born October 1959) is a Canadian communications and political strategist. From 1993 to 1999, he was the director of communications in the office of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien - the longest tenure of any prime ministerial communications director in Canadian history.
He previously served as communications advisor to Toronto mayor Art Eggleton (1989–91) and as director of communications in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition under Chrétien from 1991 to 1993. Donolo was in charge of communications for the Liberals’ successful 1993 election campaign, a role he repeated in their re-election in 1997. From 1999 to 2001, he served as Canada's consul general in Milan, Italy. In 2001, he served as senior vice-president of public affairs at Air Canada.
Donolo is a well-known republican who has commented publicly about ending the monarchy of Canada. In a comment in the October 21, 2002, cover story of Maclean's, he referred to Canada as "behaving like a colonial outpost", and claiming the Queen of Canada is a foreigner.
From 2002 to 2009, Donolo was executive vice president and partner at The Strategic Counsel, a Toronto-based public opinion research and communications consulting firm.
From 2009 to 2011, Donolo was chief of staff to former Liberal Party of Canada leader Michael Ignatieff.
From 2012 to 2013, Donolo served as senior vice president, public affairs of the 2015 Pan American Games, held in Toronto.
From 2014 to 2016, he was special advisor for communications and intergovernmental affairs to the Government of the Province of Ontario, operating in the central Cabinet Office of the provincial government.
From 2016 to 2022, Donolo served as vice chair of Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada.
In 2003, Donolo co-chaired the successful Toronto mayoral campaign of David Miller. He has remained politically active as a senior advisor in recent elections, in debate preparation for Justin Trudeau in the 2015 federal campaign, and running communications for Premier Kathleen Wynne's successful 2014 Ontario campaign.
Donolo is vice chair of the board of directors of Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and is vice chair of the board of directors of CIVIX. He is apast director of Pathways to Education Canada, G(irls) 20, the Canadian Journalism Foundation, the Toronto Board of Trade and the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario.
About Canadian Global Affairs Institute
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