From TCA to Air Canada: The Political Patterns of a Future Prime Minister

Abstract

On March 3, 1964, in its first legislative act since opening of session, Canada's House of Commons gave unanimous approval to private member's bill that proposed to change name of Trans-Canada Lines (TCA), government-owned airline, to Air (1) TCA had been formed by another act of Parliament in 1937 as subsidiary of Canadian National Railways. Its inaugural routes were flown with just pair of planes. From that pioneering era until change in corporate name, company had been known in English as Trans-Canada. In French, it was Les lignes aeriennes Trans-Canada, moniker that one author admitted made unwieldy mouthful.... (2) Newspapers of day portrayed switch to Air as an unexpected development and a surprise move. (3) Whether anticipated or not, though, proposal flew through Commons in 40 minutes with all-party support. thus escaped the remorseless slaughter of private members' motions and public bills in House debate and, instead, became one of rare exceptions to be enacted into Canadian law. (4) An Interesting Example On surface, TCA bill represented little that was novel: almost identical legislation had appeared on Order Paper not once but twice before, during each of previous two sessions of Parliament. In interim, French-speaking members from several parties had argued repeatedly in favor of incorporating name for national air carrier that was intelligible in their language; successive ministers of transport were nagged in Question Periods to make change. Moreover, airline itself had already begun using designation Air unofficially in advertising to Francophone communities, as well as in some of its international operations. (5) In many respects, bill merely hastened realization of what was probably inevitable, if somewhat delayed. More noteworthy for discussion of contemporary politics and policy in Canada is that member who moved second reading of this measure was Liberal backbencher from Quebec who, at thirty years of age, had spent less than eleven months in House. It was interesting example of what effect lone MP can have..., he later reflected on action. (6) His name, by way, was Jean Chretien. (7) After more than three decades, he has advanced to engage greater challenges, including leadership of Liberal party and of Canada. A Lifetime of Lessons As young M.P., Chretien tutored himself in arcane conduct of private members' business, what probably most prominent contemporary student of Parliament's procedures has labelled essentially relic from bygone days at Westminster. (8) In process, neophyte learned how to do basic work of lawmaking. He discovered value of selecting issues to which public accorded some symbolic weight. He learned how to navigate toward popular position through wash of potential controversy. He saw how to use partisan program to shape opinion in his own caucus while his appealing personality sealed friendships that extended across party lines. He appreciated how practical reasoning can defuse opposition. He learned importance of championing good cause, but he did not forget how to count votes. This paper is less contribution to history of aviation in Canada than it is attempt to chronicle early stage in political education of future prime minister. In course of changing name of TCA to Canada, Jean Chretien gathered lifetime of lessons in science and art of federal politics. Much of pattern that editorial commentators today identify as Chretien's unique public and personal style can be traced at least as far into past as this initial legislative success. Its effects, one could maintain, have been lasting. After all, Jean Chretien is simply too perceptive politician not to understand what motivates his success, or to doubt that nothing succeeds quite like it. …