The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Tag: Jean Chrétien

  • Mr Major’s Joint Doorstep Interview with the Canadian Prime Minister – 15 June 1995

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s joint doorstep interview with the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Jean Chretien, held in Halifax on Thursday 15th June 1995.

    MR CHRETIEN:

    Ladies and Gentlemen, we had a bilateral meeting. In one hour we will have our dinner with all the leaders of the G7 and I was delighted to receive Prime Minister Major, we had a very good discussion, as usual.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, can you tell us your views on Canada’s participation in the Rapid Development Force, at this point what is holding back a decision?

    MR CHRETIEN:

    I discussed the problem with Prime Minister Major, we are still reviewing the situation and we have not made a decision. But I was interested to have the views of Prime Minister Major on that and he gave me his view.

    QUESTION:

    The specific issues that you wanted to have cleared up?

    MR CHRETIEN:

    We have made our contribution since the beginning there and we are very far away from the situation and the question for us is as we cannot participate with a big number, is it important for us to go with what I call a [indistinct] extremely important share of the operation.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Let me just add something to that last question, if I may. I don’t know what decision the government will make in Canada on this issue and I know that they have got that under active consideration. But I think what people ought to bear in mind is the tremendous contribution that Canada have made right from the start of this enterprise. There are very few countries around the world that when the United Nations has needed people in difficult spots, that have provided them as readily, as freely and as courageously as Canada. So I think Canada’s record on that is very good, whatever they made decide on this occasion.

    QUESTION:

    We are not talking about another peace-keeping operation here, we are talking about a Rapid Reaction Force, you are willing to contribute forces, would you like to see Canada do the same?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I have just indicated, Canada has got a very proud record in contributing to the United Nations. But the Rapid Reaction Corps is not there to make war, nobody should be under that impression, that is not the purpose of the Rapid Reaction Corps. It is going to be there to add to the security of the troops who are there, it will be there to help people if they run into difficulties, whether they may be British, Canadian or whomsoever. But I am sure the government will make its own decision in due course.

    QUESTION:

    [In French].

    MR CHRETIEN:

    [In French].

  • Mr Major’s Joint Doorstep Interview with Jean Chretien – 6 May 1995

    Below is the transcript of Mr Major’s joint doorstep interview in London with Canadian Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, on Saturday 6th May 1995.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    It is a pleasure to welcome the Prime Minister again to London. We have had the opportunity of a lot of bilateral discussions over the last year or so and they are always very worthwhile and very productive occasions. I will invite the Prime Minister to say a word or two first, I will then follow that up and then we will take a few questions. If I could just say at the outset, we will need to be fairly brief, we both have to be in black tie and best bib and tucker and elsewhere before too long.

    PRIME MINISTER CHRETIEN:

    Thank you, Prime Minister. It was another good discussion. We discussed mainly the G7 and Bosnia where we have to work together. We want to make a success of the G7 and we are preoccupied about the situation in the former Yugoslavia; we are there with troops and we are very keen to work to have peace and to make sure that our soldiers can perform the task they have got and we are looking forward to meeting again in Halifax.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, Mr. Brittan has been saying in Ottawa that there has been a breach in Canadian/European relations following the halibut war. Do you think it is a breach that cannot be healed or repaired?

    PRIME MINISTER MAJOR:

    There is no breach that can’t be healed or repaired. Leon Brittan is speaking for the European Union. I think you know that there was the occasional ruckus between ourselves and our European partners over that issue. Now I hope that is behind us and I an sure my European partners would wish to put it behind us as speedily as possible.

    PRIME MINISTER CHRETIEN:

    I would like to take the occasion to thank the people of Great Britain for the great support that they have given to us during this episode. Probably one of the proudest moments since became Prime Minister was when the British fishermen were on TV with the Canadian flag; it gave me a lot of pleasure that day and I would like to say thank you to your people for that.

    QUESTION:

    You talked about Bosnia. I wonder whether you spoke about the possibility of having to pull troops out if things escalate there, under what conditions that might be necessary and how it might be accomplished.

    PRIME MINISTER MAJOR:

    We discuss Bosnia a lot both when we meet and over the telephone. We have been working very closely over Bosnian policy and our relative troops contributions; Canada has made a remarkable contribution there and kept in very close touch as well so yes, we did discuss the present situation.

    Clearly, what has happened in Croatia is very disturbing. We certainly need the ceasefire to continue and there is a real danger that if the war were to escalate in Bosnia generally that the position of the protection forces in Bosnia could become impossible. It is not my wish to see that nor the Prime Minister’s; we think that the troops there, with humanitarian aid and other matters, have done and are doing a remarkable job, many people are alive who wouldn’t be but for them but they are not equipped to be in the middle of a full-scale war and the position that we have both taken is that if the war were really to erupt there are circumstances in which the protection forces could not safely be left there. That is the position and has been for a long time but the Prime Minister may wish to add something to that.

    PRIME MINISTER CHRETIEN:

    Well said, Prime Minister!

    QUESTION:

    [In French]

    PRIME MINISTER CHRETIEN:

    [In French]

    QUESTION:

    Do you fear that there may come a point where we would have to withdraw our troops?

    PRIME MINISTER CHRETIEN:

    It is always possible that there will be a circumstance where we will have to withdraw. We have said that many times and the Prime Minister just mentioned that a minute ago.

    QUESTION:

    As well as the things that you seem to be in great agreement on, can you tell me whether you have managed to come to an agreement on that vexed pension issue which comes up annually or biannually?

    PRIME MINISTER MAJOR:

    We had the opportunity of a further discussion.

    QUESTION:

    And how did it go?

    PRIME MINISTER MAJOR:

    It was, as ever, good-natured, frank, worthwhile and to be continued.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, can I ask you for your reaction today to the speech of Chancellor Kohl in which he equated the suffering of the Germans during the War with that of the [Inaudible].

    PRIME MINISTER MAJOR:

    I haven’t seen any speech that Helmut has made today. I will certainly look at it but I am not commenting on a speech I have not yet seen.

  • Mr Major’s Joint Doorstep Interview with Jean Chretien – 3 June 1994

    Below is Mr Major’s joint doorstep interview with the Canadian Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, held in London on Friday 3rd June 1994.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I was delighted to have had the opportunity of talking to the Prime Minister today. This morning we had the pleasure of attending a ceremony in which Her Majesty the Queen unveiled a memorial to the one million Canadians who fought with us during the Second World War. In that was 100,000 Canadians died, a very remarkable contribution by Canada and I was delighted to be present this morning at the unveiling of that remarkable monument as it sits in Green Park and so close to Buckingham Palace.

    This afternoon the Prime Minister and I have had the opportunity of reviewing the Anglo-Canadian relationship, but to be frank we have spent more time on international affairs, Anglo-Canadian relationships are in good heart, we have no bilateral problems, the Prime Minister is one of the few Western Heads of Government who has a growth rate larger than the British at present and he is very pleased about it and I am also pleased that Canada is doing so well.

    Internationally we looked at Bosnia, Canada has a very remarkable record at peace-keeping, has had troops in Bosnia, we discussed and reviewed the situation there. We took the opportunity of looking forward to the G7 summit at Naples where I know the Prime Minister has a number of matters that he wishes to raise and we touched upon other international matters, I will not weary you with a full list of those, no doubt you may wish to ask questions in a few moments.

    JEAN CHRETIEN:

    Thank you, Prime Minister, I think that you said everything I have to say. I think that we had a good meeting and will have the occasion to have other discussions over the weekend and we will be crossing the Channel together on the Britannia so the weather will probably be good and we might have other occasions to discuss, but the subjects that he mentioned to you are exactly the same subjects that I do have to raise.

    QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    QUESTION:

    [In French and not translated].

    JEAN CHRETIEN:

    [In French and not translated]

    QUESTION:

    Could you elaborate on your discussions about Bosnia and whether there was any desire on the part of Mr Major for Canada to commit to a further six months on that, was there any discussion of that, I know that New Zealand is just going in there?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We spent some time reviewing the present situation, we talked about the discussions in the contact group, we have looked at what has happened on the ground. One point that I think is often not discussed when people think of Bosnia at present is the extent to which what has happened in Bosnia has been successful, there were worries, one will remember, that the way might spread beyond Bosnia when that first started, that has not happened. The second point I think of considerable progress is that right across central Bosnia a peace has been establish that was not there some time ago, there is still further to go but we ought not under-estimate the progress that has been made. We both have to decide what happens later on in the year, I think we are both committed to making sure that there is a proper humanitarian operation in Bosnia and I think that will continue, but the Prime Minister no doubt will wish to add something to that.

    JEAN CHRETIEN:

    I agree entirely with the Prime Minister about the progress and we have decided that we will keep in consultation because it is better to have a common front there and we have to maintain the humanitarian aspect of it. We all hope that there will be a negotiated peace soon in the interests of everybody but we have to wait and see what will be the development in the next few months. We do not have to review our mandate before the end of September so at this time it is purely hypothetical, we are there and we will stay there until the end of September.

    QUESTION:

    Did you discuss the situation of British pensioners now living in Canada whose pensions have been frozen at the 1977 rate?

    JEAN CHRETIEN:

    I mentioned the problem but it is a problem for the British government and with financial consequences and I was told that the Canadians are not alone in that situation, that there are other citizens of other nations who are receiving the same type of pension. I mentioned the problem and the Prime Minister recognised that there was a problem but he did not offer a solution.

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible].

    PRIME MINISTER:

    It happens in a number of countries, it is not just a problem for Canada and it is not a problem to which I have a solution today.

    QUESTION:

    Was there any discussion of Quebec’s sovereignty?

    JEAN CHRETIEN:

    We discussed that, yes indeed, he was interested to know my views and I was happy to report to the Prime Minister that in a poll in Canada today the majority of the Quebec people approved of the visit of Mr Bush [inaudible] to promote separation and good support for the position that I have taken and my government that the pre-occupation for Canadians is of growth and job creation and talking constitution. I know that I campaign against this subject so I am not going to start to discuss the Canadian constitution in England, I am not talking about it in Canada.