Leaders mourn Peres, who Chretien says had ‘no regret, always looking forward’
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his Liberal and Conservative predecessors and political luminaries from around the world gathered Friday to mourn Shimon Peres — the Israeli statesman hailed by many as a dreamer and visionary who personified the hope for peace in the Middle East.
Trudeau, joined by former prime ministers Jean Chretien and Stephen Harper, led a Canadian delegation to Jerusalem to attend the state funeral for Peres, who died Wednesday after suffering a stroke at the age of 93.
Peres was devoted to serving his country and the people who elected him, Chretien said in an interview after the funeral.
“People dump on people who serve in public life,” he said. “He did it all his life with no regret, always looking forward. It is a tough life to be a politician.”