--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're a mayor and you have a…" description: "\"When you're a mayor and you have a problem you blame the provincial government. If you are provincial government and you have a problem you blame the f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c8/jean-chretien-13716_blame_when-you-re-a-mayor-and-you-have-a-probl_1537314.jpg" --- # When you're a mayor and you have a problem you blame the… ![“When you're a mayor and you have a problem you blame the provincial government. If you are provincial government and you have a problem you blame the federal government. We don't blame the Queen any more, so once in a while we might blame the Americans.” quote by Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c8/jean-chretien-13716_blame_when-you-re-a-mayor-and-you-have-a-probl_1537314.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c8/jean-chretien-13716_blame_when-you-re-a-mayor-and-you-have-a-probl_1537314.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c8/jean-chretien-13716_blame_when-you-re-a-mayor-and-you-have-a-probl_1537314.jpg) > “When you're a mayor and you have a problem you blame the provincial government. If you are provincial government and you have a problem you blame the federal government. We don't blame the Queen any more, so once in a while we might blame the Americans.” [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Blaming higher authorities is a common way to avoid responsibility for local problems. **In simple terms:** People shift blame upward to dodge accountability. Key Takeaway Recognize and own local responsibility. Themes politics accountability leadership Mood critical reflective Type political observational When to use this quote - municipal crises - policy failures - public criticism - intergovernmental disputes Key Concepts blame shifting federalism governance Questions to Reflect On - How does blame shifting affect public trust? - What can leaders do to take responsibility? A Different Perspective Higher-level blame may ignore root causes and hinder solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Federal government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/federal-government/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Mayors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mayors/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) ## Related quotes > [I cannot morally blame all Americans for allowing, for instance, the birth of the Federal Reserve System and the money destruction that has followed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-prechter/i-cannot-morally-blame-all-americans-for-allowing-for-instance-the/) [Robert Prechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-prechter/) > [Conservatives have been mad at the Supreme Court since it decided to desegregate the schools in 1954 and seen fit to blame the federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/conservatives-have-been-mad-at-the-supreme-court-since-it-decided-to/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [“A magician who could make the audience’s problems disappear—now that’s someone I’d pay to throw tomatoes at. 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The problem is not to blame or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/your-life-is-the-fruit-of-your-own-doing-you-have-no-one-to-blame-but-2/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Fix the problem, not the blame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-pulsifer/fix-the-problem-not-the-blame/) [Catherine Pulsifer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-pulsifer/) > [Always fix the problem and not the blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ace-kid/always-fix-the-problem-and-not-the-blame/) [Ace Kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ace-kid/) > [In the present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/in-the-present-crisis-government-is-not-the-solution-to-our-problem/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Margaret Thatcher in Britain and soon after Ronald Reagan in the United States - both hard-line advocates of market fundamentalism - announced that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/margaret-thatcher-in-britain-and-soon-after-ronald-reagan-in-the/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [ What makes \[cyber security\] difficult is because it's not just a government problem. 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Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them. Government's view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/government-is-not-a-solution-to-our-problem-government-is-the-problem-2/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Government is not a solution to our problem government is the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/government-is-not-a-solution-to-our-problem-government-is-the-problem/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [You know, when companies who have made a commitment and have legacy costs and all of a sudden want to walk away from that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hastert/you-know-when-companies-who-have-made-a-commitment-and-have-legacy/) [Dennis Hastert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hastert/) ## More by Jean Chretien > [President Bush is a friend of mine. He's not a moron at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/president-bush-is-a-friend-of-mine-he-s-not-a-moron-at-all/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) > [It is not the government's purpose to make a profit the way a company does, because a company doesn't have to give a damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/it-is-not-the-government-s-purpose-to-make-a-profit-the-way-a-company/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) > [Trudeau valued performance above image. He Knew he could give me a shovel if there was a mess to clean up, and he kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/trudeau-valued-performance-above-image-he-knew-he-could-give-me-a/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) > [I was proud to have been the anti-establishment candidate after more than twenty years in politics, a small town guy fighting for the ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/i-was-proud-to-have-been-the-anti-establishment-candidate-after-more/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) > [To be frank, politics is about wanting power, getting it, exercising it, and keeping it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/to-be-frank-politics-is-about-wanting-power-getting-it-exercising-it/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) > [God gave me a physical defect, I've accepted that since I was a kid. 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There are only human beings, some better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-genius-in-politics-or-at-least-i-have/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) > [The two of us had come a long way together from our humble beginnings and the basement apartment that had been our first home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/the-two-of-us-had-come-a-long-way-together-from-our-humble-beginnings/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) > [I was stricken by news and television pictures coming from the United States this morning. It is impossible to fully comprehend the evil that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/i-was-stricken-by-news-and-television-pictures-coming-from-the-united/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) > [Our old - fashioned system is better than any new - fangled voting machine. Not only is it guaranteed to work, but there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/our-old-fashioned-system-is-better-than-any-new-fangled-voting/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) > [Deficit reduction is not an end in itself. It is the means to an end. Canadians must now decide what kind of country they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/deficit-reduction-is-not-an-end-in-itself-it-is-the-means-to-an-end/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) > [A successful politician must not only be able to read the mood of the public, he must have the skill to get the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chretien/a-successful-politician-must-not-only-be-able-to-read-the-mood-of-the/) [Jean Chretien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) [Explore all 49 Jean Chretien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chretien/) ## More Blame quotes > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Me mum used to always have the radio on - even now she has it on in every room. Me girlfriend sort of blames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/me-mum-used-to-always-have-the-radio-on-even-now-she-has-it-on-in/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-the-great/i-like-to-praise-and-reward-loudly-to-blame-quietly/) [Catherine the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-the-great/) > [Some of the things that I said I hated to say, but blame yourself mother fucker you made it this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedi-mind-tricks/some-of-the-things-that-i-said-i-hated-to-say-but-blame-yourself/) [Jedi Mind Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedi-mind-tricks/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“In places where government priorities and market imperatives create a world so capricious that to help a neighbor is to risk your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/in-places-where-government-priorities-and-market-imperatives-create-a/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [“Stop Blaming Others For Your Own Actions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-g-roldan/stop-blaming-others-for-your-own-actions/) [Alexis G. Roldan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-g-roldan/) > [We know from this book entitled... What is it? Surrendered? Succumbed? I can never remember the title perform. And we learn from this book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-know-from-this-book-entitled-what-is-it-surrendered-succumbed-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't blame anyone .. I did this to myself .. It's my fault .. Everything is my FAULT ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nurnizz95/i-don-t-blame-anyone-i-did-this-to-myself-it-s-my-fault-everything-is/) Nurnizz95 > [“They would congratulate themselves every morning on keeping their integrity, and blame themselves each night for that missed opportunity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/they-would-congratulate-themselves-every-morning-on-keeping-their/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I try to live my life where I end up at a point where I have no regrets. So I try to choose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-aronofsky/i-try-to-live-my-life-where-i-end-up-at-a-point-where-i-have-no/) [Darren Aronofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-aronofsky/) > [How come you don't feel that magic in the air? I guess I knew you'll never be there. I guess I knew you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-come-you-don-t-feel-that-magic-in-the-air-i-guess-i-knew-you-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am down mentally. I can't understand how it happened and who is to blame? I don't know why the ground was rolled before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yeasin-khan/i-am-down-mentally-i-can-t-understand-how-it-happened-and-who-is-to/) Yeasin Khan > [A refusal to admit one's mistake & not accepting responsibility for that mistake by blaming everyone else, is d beginning of one's decline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-refusal-to-admit-one-s-mistake-not-accepting-responsibility-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Listen, the guy was not created by coverage from MSNBC and CNN. If you want to blame us for making Donald Trump president because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-tur/listen-the-guy-was-not-created-by-coverage-from-msnbc-and-cnn-if-you/) [Katy Tur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-tur/) Browse all 3,779 Blame quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you're a mayor and you have a problem you blame the provincial government. 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