2 mars 2004
Pelletier had `personal touch,' says one
Described as `first-class public servant
BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA�Jean Pelletier was known for many things during his time at Jean Chr�tien's side � his tact, diplomacy, courteous nature and professionalism.
As chief of staff to the former prime minister, discretion was de rigeur.
He routinely handled the innermost secrets of government and finessed its most tricky problems. He was a regular at the daily lunch gathering of francophone journalists in the press club where he was known more as a tactful envoy than a babbling bureaucrat.
But indiscreet? Never.
"Those who serve the prime minister should remain in the shadows," the courtly gray-haired Quebecer confided to a reporter a decade ago.
That changed big time last week when he belittled former Olympic champion Myriam B�dard after she questioned how VIA handled federal sponsorship money.
Yesterday, Pelletier, 69, suffered a very public execution for that rare misstep when he was dumped as chair of VIA Rail, a job that he got in 2001 as reward for his long career in public service.
And his former colleagues were left scratching their heads how a man so versed in politics would have made such offensive remarks.
"He was really a first-class public servant," said Peter Donolo, who was Chr�tien's spokesperson and worked closely with Pelletier.
"Sometimes you get the impression (that) people in politics, particular those operating behind the scenes, are kind of rough and ready, aggressive, bloody-minded.
"That was not Jean Pelletier's approach. He always had a very personal touch," Donolo said.
As Chr�tien's right-hand man, Pelletier did a difficult job well, said former cabinet minister David Collenette yesterday.
"It's not easy dealing with ministers or politicians in general who all have their wants and needs and egos.
"His job was to insulate the prime minister from a lot of day-to-day tough decisions and I think he did it well," Collenette said.
"I always found he would go to great lengths to try to make an accommodation and make sure that everyone came away with something in an argument," said Collenette. "There was never any internal rivalry or rancour, which is very, very rare in the Prime Minister's Office and I attribute (that) largely to his skills and abilities," Donolo said.
But it's also been said that Pelletier's aristocratic demeanour disguised an often ruthless political instinct.
That same instinct � this time by a Martin adviser � cost Pelletier his job.
Indeed, his head may have already been in the noose. Martin was doing a slow burn over VIA's tepid response to the scathing criticisms contained in Auditor-General Sheila Fraser's report.
But Donolo hopes that Pelletier is remembered for more than this slip of the tongue.
"He made a mistake which he promptly apologized for. One mistake, one slip-up can't erase the decades of contribution the guy's made to public life," he said.
page mise en ligne le 2 mars 2004 par SVP
