Records Reveal What Chrétien Told Ministers Before Quebec Referendum

Prime Minister Jean Chretien mocks Bloc Quebecois leader Lucien Bouchard's comments that a YES vote in the upcoming Quebec Referendum is a magical thing, during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa, in 1995. The Canadian Press/Tom Hanson

Six days before the nail-biting 1995 Quebec referendum that nearly tore the country apart, Jean Chrétien told his ministers to keep their cool.

The prime minister acknowledged that day that Quebecers might vote to separate from Canada on Oct. 30. He told his cabinet it wasn’t the time to discuss the consequences of a vote for independence, but if it happened, “no one should panic or act precipitously.”