Former prime minister Jean Chretien says one of the major victories in his career was standing up against pressure to join the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
During an exclusive interview with Canada AM's Beverly Thomson, Chretien says he doesn't worry about what kind of legacy he has left, saying that's up to other people to decide.
"People always talk about legacy -- what do you want as a legacy? But people should not worry too much about it because there's no control you can have over that. You do your best and at the end of the day the people will conclude certain things," he says.
However, Chretien, who has just published his memoir "My Years As Prime Minister," says there are moments in his long career that he is especially proud of, such as keeping Canada out of the Iraq invasion.
"For the independence of the country, saying no to the Americans on the war was a great moment for Canada," Chretien says.
"Of course it was not without risk. Suppose the war in Iraq had been a great success, I think it would have been a bit embarrassing for me. But I thought they were wrong and I said so."
That willingness to speak his mind has been present throughout his career, Chretien said, adding that other world leaders have taken notice over the years.
One of those leaders is former British prime minister Tony Blair, who wrote a statement that is printed on the back of the book.
"You read what Tony Blair wrote about me. I was the one who was saying aloud what a lot of them were thinking but didn't dare to say, so that was a characteristic I am very proud of."
But Chretien said he learned how to gain the confidence of other world leaders such as Blair and Bill Clinton, not through brash posturing, but by building personal relationships.
"To be able to gain the confidence of these people when you're from a small country, you have to be careful because the U.S. president is a bigger shot than the prime minister of Canada, like it or not. So if you try to get credit too much, they lose confidence, they think that you're trying to use them," he says.
"To really have an influence you have to be low key and very personal."
Chretien, who avoids commenting in detail about the latest developments surrounding former prime minister Brian Mulroney and German businessman Karlheinz Schreiber, said his memoir isn't about slamming others, but about telling his story.
"I don't want to attack the character of people. ... I don't like to, I guess, name somebody. I report facts, you can conclude."
Speaking about the current state of the Liberal Party of Canada, Chretien said leader Stephane Dion is not to blame. He said Dion, who Chretien first invited to Ottawa on the advice of his wife, is simply under tougher scrutiny and a higher level of criticism than before, as any leader of the opposition would be.
"The problem of the leader of the opposition, of this leader of the opposition, is the problem of any other leader of the opposition, and when you become prime minister you forget about that."
Chretien said Dion has a strong record as an environment minister and advocate for Canada and is surrounded by qualified politicians such as Michael Ignatieff and Gerard Kennedy.
He said he has no trouble seeing him as the future prime minister.
