‘Au revoir, Paul’ or
JOB SECURITY: Losing leader expected to leave public life. Will it be . . . Strong economy to be centrepiece of election campaign, leaving Martin team upbeat despite damage from Gomery
OTTAWA— Almost two years ago, Paul Martin arrived in the Prime Minister’s Office on a wave of national enthusiasm and dreams of greatness for his party, his leadership and Canada. Now, battered by the worst scandal in the country’s modern history and harried relentlessly by the opposition, the 67- yearold Liberal standard- bearer embarks on the election trail in hopes of salvaging his political career and prime ministership. The Conservatives, Bloc Québécois and New Democrats are the executioners of the Liberal minority, and no other exit strategy was possible for Martin after he pledged to launch an election campaign within 30 days of Justice John Gomery’s second and final report on the sponsorship affair.
But, although the Liberals are not saying so publicly, the timetable for an election has worked out just about as they had originally planned. The government had always been aiming for an election in January or February on the expectation that Gomery’s second volume would be released in mid- December. But it had appeared after Gomery postponed his report that the election would have been put back until spring.
Like Martin, who is at his best when he’s selling ideas and himself in a campaign setting, the Liberals are ready to roll the dice for a shot at a majority in Parliament. But aware that it’s hard for any government to win five consecutive mandates and chastened by the tales of Liberal party corruption during the sponsorship program’s heyday in the 1990s, the Martin team knows they have a tough job ahead before Canadians go to the polls in about eight weeks.
Nonetheless, the Liberals are a lot more upbeat than they were at the height of the uproar over the sponsorship scandal last spring, when the government barely survived a series of confidence votes in the House of Commons.
Since then, Martin has had a chance to gain his footing on the political stage and move forward on a wide range of economic, social and global themes.
After months of accusations that he was a ditherer running a do- nothing regime, Martin can now go to the people with a fullscale program already before Parliament. On the economic side, the Liberals have bolstered industries from forestry to autos while stressing the need to build a knowledge- based economy for the future. On the social side, the Liberals have found billions for low-income families, daycare, seniors, aboriginals, cities, immigrants, health care and dozens more initiatives.
And, despite the avalanche of spending, Finance Minister Ralph Goodale has responded to critics of the Liberals’ habit of amassing huge budget surpluses by promising $30 billion in personal and corporate tax cuts.
At the same time, Martin has sought to stake out a position of strength on U. S.- Canada relations by upbraiding U. S. President George W. Bush publicly over American trade protectionism. And Martin has tried to give Canada a more activist image in world affairs, whether in Darfur or Haiti or on issues such as global warming, avian flu or human security.
Martin is hoping to make the economy the centrepiece of the Liberal campaign. Low interest rates, balanced books and the lowest unemployment rate in three decades may take voters’ minds off mismanagement during the sponsorship years.
“ In my estimation, the really powerful economy has to be a major factor” in the campaign, said Revenue Minister John McCallum. The Liberals will contrast Martin with Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, blasted in the last campaign as a right- winger who would jeopardize social programs and individual rights, and paint him as an apologist for Quebec separatism, noting he joined forces with the Bloc to try to defeat the government. For Martin, the battle that takes place between now and mid- January will be definitive for his personal political ambitions. Reduced to a minority in the last election, Martin will face tough choices if he fails to win a majority this time. If party results are lacklustre, there will be pressure for him to resign.