Farewell, Jean Charest

This afternoon, I took some time away from watching federal Liberals at Montebello, Que., to turn on the TV and watch Jean Charest resign from public life. He's had a heck of a 28-year ride in Canadian public life and, thanks to this crazy job I've had, my paths have crossed with him many many times. So I thought I'd just tap out some random, not necessarily profound  recollections here, to maybe give you some glimpses of the guy I saw  beyond the headlines or the TV pictures. 

* I first met him in 1988, a few months after I'd arrived in Ottawa to report for the Globe and Mail. I had done a huge access-to-information story on how the government was spending/wasting  money on student job grants and he asked me to come and see him in his office. 

I was wandering down the Sparks Street Mall, on my way there, and ran into the journalistic legend, Marjorie Nichols, who was acting as a mentor to many of the young women in their 20s who had arrived to cover politics in Ottawa in that era. I told her where I was heading and she said: "Get to know that man. He's going to be prime minister of Canada some day." Marjorie, sadly, died of cancer in 1991, and Charest -- at least so far -- has not reached her expectations. But Marjorie, as she could be, was pretty adamant. 

* Many of us on the constitutional beat in those years got to know him best when he headed up the committee trying to find a resolution to the Meech Lake accord impasse in the spring of 1990. After a day of committee meetings on the road, it wouldn't be unusual for the journalistic pack to be invited to Charest's room, to sit back and reflect on what we've heard that day and political/constitutional talk in general. He was always funny, and often wise. The project was at the initiative of New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna, by the way.

Of course, the compromise efforts exploded in May-June 1990, thanks in part  to the explosive departure of Lucien Bouchard from Mulroney's cabinet as well as staunch opposition from Newfoundland Premier Clyde Wells.  Meech died in late June. I always thought there was some uncanny parallelism there -- the work of one moderate Quebec Tory is blown out of the water by one with more uncompromising views, one Atlantic Premier is similarly felled by another Atlantic Premier.  But McKenna and Charest rose above and beyond that failure to make a huge impact in Canadian political life. 

*****

In 1993, we all got to know Charest an awful lot better when he was left as the leader of a two-MP Progressive Conservative caucus. I think it was his sense of humour, as much as his sense of hard work, that helped keep that party afloat in those years.  Since I covered the PCs back in those days, those are where many of my fondest memories lie. 

Some of them: 

* In the "this-really-happened" category:  In Quebec City somewhere around 1994-95, Charest  was due to give a lengthy speech to Conservatives gathered in the basement (I think of the Chateau Frontenac).  We all had text of the dozen-or-so pages of speech, and we followed along as usual, marking where he'd strayed from the official version. (Not very much.) After the speech was over, he wandered over to where his communications assistant was standing with a few reporters. He said, with a smile, "Did you forget something?" Suddenly, her face dropped and she looked down at the folder in her hand. She'd been holding his copy of the speech all along and forgot to put it on the podium. Yes, he delivered that speech from memory. I'd heard about that photographic memory of his, but there I saw it in action and have never seen another politician do anything like that since. 

* Charest was fond of asking total strangers to vote for Conservatives in those dark years for his party. He'd be walking along the street and see someone talking on a cell phone. "Who are you talking to?" he'd ask. The puzzled bystander would answer "my mom" or "my boyfriend" or "my boss" or something, and Charest would grab the phone and say "Hi. It's Jean Charest, leader of the Progressive Conservative party. Please vote for me. Thanks. Goodbye." 

* In that same vein, during the 1997 election, the Conservative campaign bus was overnighting in my hometown of Milton. Rather than stay in a hotel, of course I went to stay with my parents. We were sitting watching the news when suddenly we saw huge headlights through the living room window. Charest thought it might be funny to pull the campaign bus on to my parents' front lawn, knock at the door and introduce himself to my parents. He said he was just there to assure them I was behaving on the bus, not causing my family any embarrassment. They were completely charmed. (They may well have voted for him, for all I know.) 

And here is my most vivid memory from those years, which I've shared with others from time to time. 

Late in 1994, Charest and his wife Michelle were due to come to dinner at my house, along with some other journalistic and political colleagues. (The then-correspondent in Canada for the L.A. Times, as well as Chantal Hebert were among the guests.)

Late in the day, as guests were arriving, we got news that Lucien Bouchard was in hospital, hovering between life and death because of necrotizing fasciitis.  Now, Bouchard and Charest had been the closest of friends, up until that Meech drama (mentioned above), but they hadn't spoken since.  This was four years later, in other words, and that's a lifetime in grudge politics. As the night went on, rumours flying, we abandoned the dinner table and just watched TV. There were a few breaks in the sombre mood. One was when Charest opined that all "experts" on TV have funny hair. One wag couldn't resist: "What are you an expert in?"  

At one point, things looked very bad. Rumours were that Bouchard had died. The phone started to ring with requests to the journalists for obits, etc.

Charest just left the room, and stood  in the dining area, gently banging the back of his head against the wall. I asked him what he was thinking. He said he couldn't put it into words. That was one of the few times I saw him without a ready answer. 

Of course, what we didn't know then was that both men would be fine, and both would go on to become premier of Quebec. And now both are gone from public life, at least for now. Hard for me to believe we've seen the last of Jean Charest after this many years. 

 

Comments

[Robin v Sears]

Lovely , Susan. You've reached icon status when you can reach back a qtr century w stories like those. Not old, though, he adds quickly....

Robin

[joe derome]

My best memory of Jean Charest is, and always will be, from 1995, a few days before the vote, standing in Place du Canada, listening to his "brick in House" speech. I wish I had a copy.

A few days later, after our collective hearts had started to beat again, I remember thinking, "That guy save Canada"....Nuts?? maybe, but thats how I felt and I still do.

I swore that if I ever had a chance to vote for him, for anything, I would, and I did,
4 times.. I think.

I hope he come's back in some capacity, and if he does, say, run for the PTA for his grandchild school, I'll figure a way to cast a ballot there too.

Thank you, for everything. We never met, but someday, I'd like to, just to be able to say I met a Canadian hero, and a pretty cool Quebecer too.

Joe
Brossard
Quebec CANADA!!!!

[ian]

Its funny, I only met him once here in Winnipeg as leader of the PC's. He worked that room of local supporters effortlessly, knowing all sorts of people, asking about their family members etc. Then he delivered amazing speech, so full of passion. I was mesmerized.

I feel the same way, if I could vote for him I would. I hope he takes a break and comes back to federal politics. Liberals need him.

[headppin]

Exzcellent piece Susan.

[J.Mustwrite]

I would not at all be surprised to see Mr. Charest as national leader of the Liberal Party in the future.

[Joseph K. Mayer]

Great trip down memory lane, Susan. I was very impressed by how well Charest's Liberals did, considering how long they'd been in power and all the baggage they were carrying. I agree with you; hard to imagine that we've seen the last of this accomplished politician. --Joe

[Y Stefancic]

Loved hearing many more anecdotes of Jean Charest's touchingly charismatic and engaging personality. I worked for him twice, once as his Legislative Assistant when he was Minister of State for Youth as well as when he acceded to Environment after Bouchard's defection, and following his Meech Lake accomplishments, which I saw the Prime Minister nod gratefully to him for in the House. That was my first indication he would be back in Cabinet, and soon! My first official meeting with him was at a party at his home for staff, where laughs and food were aplenty, but it was anotherisode which touched me all the more.
My mom was dying of ovarian cancer and repeatedly commented on the health care in Québec, saying Jean Charest should be made aware of it (at the time, he had not yet been elected Premier). I sent him a quick e-mail to his National Assembly address and received a phone call minutes later!!! I had not spoken to him for 14 years yet he took the time from his car headed for Sherbrooke to let me know he would be happy to see my Mom. Three days befor her death, she recieved the visit of the soon-to-be Premier of Québec! Not only did he not bring a retinue or photographers,but came unannounced, having worked out times with my Dad. He stayed and held her hand for a long time and made the end of her life and my lifetime recollection ever so memorable. Was it because he himself had lost his mother so young, or was it because he wanted to do a former employee an enormous favour? Certainly, few potential voters knew of this and any other politician could have used this to his advantage. His reasons for doing what he did do not matter, for what remains is indelible memories of a man who went above and beyond the call of duty for one family. I am blessed to have worked for, enjoyed the company of and known Jean Charest the man.