DRUGS SON'S PROBLEM, SAYS PM

TORONTO (Sun Media) -- Prime Minister Jean Chretien fears his adopted son's
arrest on a sexual assault charge may indicate a recurrence of substance
abuse problems.

An 18-year-old woman has accused Michel Chretien, 31, of sexual assault
after a night of heavy drinking in his Yellowknife apartment July 15.

The woman told the Northern News Service she was in shock and waited four
days before telling her mother.

Jean Chretien responded to the arrest late Friday night before flying to
Toronto to see the Pope.

"We have been heartened at the progress he has been making and are deeply
discouraged by his apparent relapse," Chretien said in the statement. "We
have offered all of our care and support to him in good times and bad, and
we will continue to stand with him."

The prime minister added he appreciates Canadians respecting his family's
privacy and will have no further comment, as the matter is before the courts.

In 1992, Michel Chretien was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in
Montreal.