OTTAWA — Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien shrugged off his golf course troubles in an interview Thursday, saying he has no regrets about the business affairs in his hometown that have dominated Parliament.
“It’s the price you pay to be prime minister,” Chretien said, sitting in his private study at 24 Sussex Drive, just as the Commons was shut down by opposition MPs demanding more documents.
“It’s very difficult to regret that you’ve done your job,” he said.
“My electors voted for me to have a good MP.”
Chretien said he proved his case earlier this week that he wasn’t in a conflict of interest. He tabled a bill of sale and other documents concerning the golf club, next door to a Shawinigan hotel that he helped by lobbying for a loan.
“I put it on the table. It was a very extraordinary thing I’ve done. Nobody’s done it before because we have respect for privacy law in Canada,” Chretien said in his art-filled study.
“I having nothing to hide. I am a lawyer. I know when I sign a contract. It’s a contract.”
