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Inside the Indian Affairs minister's office

Broadcast Date: Dec. 3, 1971

Jean Chrétien has had a rough ride as Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. His white paper on native self-government was passionately opposed by the people it was supposed to help. Now, another challenge: a group of native students enters his office offering the minister a ticket to Cold Lake, Alta. Their parents have kept them out of school since October. The boycott is a protest against poor living conditions on the reserve.

The students are also unhappy about a federal plan to integrate them into provincial public schools in nearby towns. They want their own federal school on the reserve. In this CBC Radio clip they respectfully demand, with microphones recording, that Chrétien come to Cold Lake. He refuses, saying he's aware of the issues but won't be hijacked.

Inside the Indian Affairs minister's office

• When Pierre Elliott Trudeau succeeded Lester B. Pearson as prime minister, Chrétien was appointed minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development on July 6, 1968. It was a time of great interest in native self-governance, and existing treaties were hotly debated. In 1969 Chrétien introduced a "white paper" that he felt would empower and improve living conditions for Canada's First Nations. Native leaders fervently opposed it, saying it would strip away their treaty rights and lead to assimilation. The paper was eventually withdrawn.

• In the late 1960s, Chrétien and broadcaster Larry Zolf were guests on the CBC program Gerussi. After a backstage discussion about urban native issues, Chrétien talked at length about the problem on-air. "What struck me about Chrétien even then was how media savvy he was," Zolf says. "Chrétien mangled the English words but not the emotions. He cared about the natives on the reserves and in the cities; he knew the problems were interlocked and wasn't scared to say so."

• It was while Chrétien was Indian Affairs minister that he amassed an impressive collection of Inuit carvings. Such sculptures have been Chrétien's favoured gift for visiting dignitaries; Pope John Paul II got a bear. The sculptures also came in handy when an intruder broke into the prime minister's residence in November 1995. Chrétien grabbed an Inuit sculpture from a bedside table to use as a possible weapon.

• In a 1974 CBC Television interview Chrétien said that before his appointment, the ministry of Indian Affairs (before it was joined with Northern Affairs) had seven ministers in seven years. He called it a tough portfolio that needed continuity. He held the post for six years.
• On Aug. 8, 1974, Chrétien was appointed president of the treasury board. On Sept. 14, 1976 he became minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce.

Inside the Indian Affairs minister's office

Medium: Radio

Program: As It Happens

Broadcast Date: Dec. 3, 1971

Guest(s): Jean Chrétien

Host: Cy Strange

Duration: 5:03

Last updated:
Nov. 20, 2003