Something from Saskatchewan

Because this issue is hot in the news today, I interrupt all this commentary and speculation for a very Canadian anecdote -- one of my favourites.  

Back in 1994, when Jean Chretien conducted his first Team Canada trade mission to China, he liked to tell a story about the tour's significance in the eyes of the Chinese government. In fact, he said, the  Chinese leadership saw the Canadian visitors as so important that they dispatched their minister of trade to accompany the tour as it made its way through China. Chretien joked that he could never remember/pronounce  the minister's name, so he simply gave him a nickname related to the minister's top-of-mind concern. Potash. Chretien called the minister: Mr./Monsieur Potash. 

Flash forward a month or two after the tour and Chretien was out in the West, giving a speech. He pulled out the anecdote, now oft-told. Except that this time he couldn't remember the nickname he gave to the man whose name he couldn't remember. (Chretien's  forgetfulness around names was legendary.) So he said instead: "I called him.... [long pause] something from Saskatchewan."  

This is the part of the story I love. The crowd started tossing out suggestions. "Wheat?" a couple of people in the audience prodded. "No, no," Chretien said, "not wheat." 

Finally, someone yelled out: "Potash?" 

"That's it," Chretien said. "I called him Mr. Potash." 

I think I like this story so much because it says so much about Canadian generosity, and even some forgiving affection toward their politicians. Rather than boo or taunt the prime minister who couldn't remember names or a vital Saskatchewan resource, they leaped in to help. It's an anecdote with only a tenuous connection to today's events, but it's fun to have even a flimsy  excuse to put it down in writing. 

Comments

[Sheila Gervais]

When I was appointed "National Director" of the Liberal Party of Canada back in 1989, the title of the position was actually "Secretary General" (I think Iona Campagnolo and then-Secretary General, David Collenette styled it that way to be more in keeping with the type of institution/secretariat they envisioned). Rarely has/d the Party had a female CEO, but after several years of working with M Chrétien (and after the title was changed formally to National Director in 1992), he would often greet me, even in private as "Madame la secrétaire".

[Frank Docherty]

Couldn't remember his name??? ... Remembering names in some cases is hard, we all forget the names of people we meet, like the driver of the coffee truck, the tow truck driver that CAA sent to get your keys that you locked in the car, that police officer at the RIDE check who cut you some slack for not having your seatbelt on, or the dude that stopped the 5 bullies from beating the heck out of your kid at the park. But when the PM can't remember names, the guy that holds the keys to your country, it is time to seriously consider that this is one of the people you do not want to have to rely on a designated driver. ( http://fairwhistleblower.ca/content/could-wikileaks-have-prevented-911 ) When buddy running the lottery pool drops the ball, there is always next week. When the PM drops the ball, next week could be the last for thousands.