In this frank account of his life and times as a Liberal, Jean Chre?tien recounts his spectacular rise from the small town streets of Shawinigan, Que?bec to his position as one of the most important federal ministers in Canada's history. We see this future prime minister from his early days as a Liberal organizer in rural Que?bec, through his arrival as a young French-speaking MP in an English-dominated House of Commons, his promotion to several key ministries, to his close working relationship with two prime ministers.