Chrétien was the guest speaker at the Meteghan headquarters of Acadie-Annapolis riding candidate Ronnie LeBlancPublished Apr 17, 2025 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 5 minute readFormer Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien shakes hands with federal Acadie-Annapolis Liberal candidate Ronnie LeBlanc during a campaign event at LeBlanc’s Meteghan headquarters on April 16 where Chrétien was the guest speaker. TINA COMEAUStanding inside the Clare Curling Club in Meteghan in southwestern Nova Scotia, former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien threw down a hammer of a different sort during a federal campaign event, reiterating repeatedly that Canada is not broken.“I’m very happy that I’m able to talk about my country and my party,” he said. “We’re not a broken country.”The 91-year-old Chrétien spoke at the Liberal headquarters of Acadie-Annapolis candidate Ronnie LeBlanc on April 16.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentHe delivered rebukes with the ease of a stand-up comedian when he spoke about attacks being made on this country. In this Acadian part of the riding, Chrétien also spoke about how the resiliency of the Acadian culture speaks to Canada’s as well.“Some of your ancestors were moved south to Louisiana,” he said. “But you’ve stayed in Canada and you’re still very proud of your language and your country.” Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was the guest of honour at an April 16 Liberal event held at the Meteghan campaign headquarters of Acadie-Annapolis riding candidate Ronnie LeBlanc. TINA COMEAUTRUMP AN ELECTION FACTORNoting this Canadian federal election has a lot to do with U.S. President Donald Trump who continuously repeats his desire to make Canada the 51st state, Chrétien said he was recently interviewed by a British journalist at the BBC.“She asked me, why do you not want to become an American? I replied right away: I don’t want to be downgraded,” he said.Chrétien said Canada has the lowest per capita deficit of all G7 countries.“We are in better shape than anybody else. And when our leader Mark Carney said we have an opportunity, he is right,” said Chrétien, saying Canada can move forward to ensure it remains independent and not dependent on the United States. His remarks drew thunderous applause.Article content Nova Scotia MLA and N.S. Liberal party interim leader Derek Mombourquette was amongst those in the crowd at a federal campaign rally at the Meteghan Acadia-Annapolis headquarters of candidate Ronnie LeBlanc where, on April 16, former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was the guest speaker. TINA COMEAUUNITING CANADIANSHaving become a member of parliament 62 years ago, Chrétien said while he is still a Liberal, most importantly he is still a proud Canadian.He said Carney – a former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England – is the right person to lead this country. Chrétien said he was very proud when Carney said he would only speak to Trump when the U.S. president could be respectful towards this country.He noted unlike the president’s repeated references to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as ‘Governor Trudeau” and the 51st state, Trump did not call Carney ‘governor’ when they first spoke. He had, Chrétien said Carney would have said, “I’ve already been governor twice. I don’t want to be a third time.”Chrétien said what Trump has managed to do with his rhetoric and tariff threats is unite Canadians.“We’re more united than ever,” he said, predicting the Liberals will win this federal election because Canadians will turn to what he called “the most reliable political institution in the western world.”Article contentChrétien described the Liberals as a party that values quality of life, tolerance and acceptance. But he also said these are things that must be fought for.“The great danger of survival is that democracies are going down a bit in the world. People seem to be disappointed with the political mentality. They don’t go to vote and they’re complaining all of the time,” he said.But to say that Canada is broken, said Chrétien, is wrong.Recommended from Editorial Five candidates on the ballot for the Acadie-Annapolis N.S. federal riding Conservative fisheries platform commits to enforcement, increased science funding Given the riding he was in – formerly known as the West Nova riding – Chrétien spoke of the problems that exist in the fisheries. He said as an MP, candidate Ronnie LeBlanc, a fisherman, would be the best to talk about fishing issues in the House in Commons.LeBlanc – a former warden of the Municipality of Clare and the former Clare MLA – spoke about the fisheries during the campaign event.Article content“Being a fisherman, it’s really close to my heart. It’s more than politics. It’s about who I am and I want to make some changes there,” he said. “I want to bring my experience as a fisherman and as a politician to Ottawa to try to affect change. To make them realize the importance of the fishery, forestry and agriculture – all the resource-based industries that sometimes get forgotten in Ottawa.” Yarmouth resident Geoff McGray poses for a photo with former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien during an April 16 event at the campaign headquarters of Acadie-Annapolis candidate Ronnie LeBlanc. McGray came sporting a ‘Vive le Canada! Never 51’ shirt, which Chrétien signed. JOSH COCHRANE PHOTOCAMPAIGN TRAIL ISSUESWhile housing and affordability are also important issues that voters raise, LeBlanc said another thing he hears about frequently across the riding relates to what is happening in the United States.“We are hearing threats to our sovereignty We are facing economic challenges and aggression, especially around tariffs. We are a resource-based, export market, that’s our economy, so tariffs will hit us harder, probably, than a lot of other areas in the province,” he said. “People have anxiety, they’re scared. It’s a serious situation. I think we need a serious leader and Mark Carney is that leader.”Article content Yarmouth resident Josh Cochrane snaps some photos at a Liberal campaign event in Meteghan on April 16 where former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was the guest of honour. TINA COMEAULeBlanc poked fun at himself when he first came onto the stage and saw the crowd size, knowing it wasn’t all meant for him.“Honestly, if I didn’t know who was backstage, I’d be in shock here,” he laughed.Thanking his supporters and volunteers, LeBlanc spoke about the size of the riding that encompasses all of Yarmouth, Digby and Annapolis counties and part of King’s County.“I realize how big it is, how hard it’s going to be to represent the entire riding. But I am committed to representing this riding equally, fairly across the board, from one end to the other,” he said. Liberal supporter Gerald Boudreau of Wedgeport, Yarmouth County, came to a campaign rally in Meteghan where former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was the quest speakers, equipped with smiles, a Chrétien book and his hat that said: My Canada is not for sale in both official languages. TINA COMEAUSURGING TIDESZach Churchill, the former Nova Scotia Liberal Party leader and former Yarmouth MLA, emceed the event.“We’re of course, on the shores, of the Gulf of Maine and St. Mary’s Bay, where the tides are ever-changing. And my goodness, have the political tides been shifting over the last three months,” he said about the Liberals, then joking, “I wish they’d started a bit sooner.” A jab to his Liberal party’s misfortunes in last year’s Nova Scotia election.Article contentBut said Churchill about the Liberal tides federally, “They’ve shifting for a reason. Canadians, and in fact the world, have seen the dangers and reality of what a far-right government means. A far-right movement that has infected the Republican party in the States and that has taken over the Conservative party here in Canada. I’m so proud that Canadians are saying this is not a politics that we want to have leading our country – a politics of division, of fear, that tells the world our country is broken.”As for Chrétien, at 91 he says he will continue to speak out on behalf of Canada and said he still wants to be at election rallies when he’s 100 years old.“I had a brother who died at 91, I had a sister who died at 100,” he said. “You’re not about to get rid of me.”Article content
‘Were not a broken country’ former PM Jean Chrétien tells supporters at Acadie-Annapolis campaign event
