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Aline Chrétien (born May 14, 1936 in Saint-Boniface-de-Shawinigan, Quebec) is the wife of Canada's twentieth Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien.
Born Aline Chaîné, she married lawyer Jean Chrétien on September 10, 1957. They have two sons and one daughter.
Fluent in the Italian, Spanish, English, and the French languages, Aline Chrétien has been active in a number of charitable organizations over the years since her husband was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1963. In addition to her keen interest in languages, Madame Chrétien took piano courses during her 50s, and has become and advocate for Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music.
On November 5, 1995, an intruder, André Dallaire, broke into the Prime Minister's residence at 24 Sussex Drive, in Ottawa, Ontario. Awake next to her sleeping husband, Aline Chrétien confronted the intruder at their bedroom door. Seeing that he was armed with a large knife, she slammed the door and locked it, then woke her husband.
Her husband sought out her advice often, and has publicly stated that she is his key advisor. He once joked that Canada is run exclusively by women: The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, the Governor General of Canada were both women and Madame Chrétien was pulling the strings of the Prime Minister. He made similar jokes often, once telling a reporter that he didn't know when the next election would be because he hadn't yet asked Aline. The prime minister joked this also when he met with U.S. President George W. Bush for a border summit two days before the first ever America Remembers, meaning the first anniversary of 9/11.
She and her husband have also lauded Operation Yellow Ribbon, saying that it was one of the ways how Canada responded to 9/11.
See also: Spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada