Fluent in Italian, Spanish, English, and French, Aline Chrétien has been active in a number of charitable organizations over the years since her husband was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1963. In addition to her keen interest in languages, Madame Chrétien took piano courses during her 50s, and has become an advocate for Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music.
On November 5, 1995, an intruder, André Dallaire, broke into the Prime Minister's residence at 24 Sussex Drive, in Ottawa, Ontario. Awake next to her sleeping husband, Aline Chrétien confronted the intruder at their bedroom door. Seeing that he was armed with a large knife, she slammed the door and locked it, then woke her husband.
Her husband sought out her advice often. Maclean's magazine in 1996 listed her first among his most influential advisors, saying "Never mind calling her the power behind the throne--she shares the seat of power."1 In 2000, Allan Fotheringham in the same magazine described Jean and Aline Chretien as the two "most powerful" politicians in Canada, above Eddie Goldenberg and Jean Pelletier.2
Jean Chrétien has publicly stated that she is his key advisor. He once joked that Canada is run exclusively by women: the monarch, the Governor General and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court were all women, and Madame Chrétien was pulling the strings of the Prime Minister. He made similar jokes often, once telling a reporter that he did not know when the next election would be because he had not yet asked Aline. The Prime Minister also joked about this when he met with U.S. President George W. Bush for a border summit two days before the first ever America Remembers, meaning the first anniversary of 9/11.
