by arthur Weinreb, associate Editor,
October 6, 2004
While George W. Bush is in a close race with John Kerry to get "four more years", Governor-General adrienne Clarkson has been handed an additional year on top of the almost five years that she has already served. The only thing that is missing north of the border are crowds of people chanting "one more year".
It is really no surprise that Paul Martin has extended her term of office. Not extending the term would have required Martin to select a new G-G; in other words he would have to make a decision. and let’s face it--they don’t call Paul Martin "Prime Minister Dithers" for nothing.
Extending the pompous Clarkson’s term of office is consistent with the way that Martin has acted since becoming prime minister last year. He is great at feigning anger over spending abuses and ad scandals but for all his talk of getting to the bottom of the things and all his "come hell or high water" speeches, Martin is perfectly content to run Ottawa the way Liberals have always run it.
So when Queen Marie adriennette took 59 of her closest friends on a circumpolaring expedition that supposedly had some benefit for her lowly subjects at a cost to the taxpayers of $5.3 million, Martin pretended to be outraged. He forced Clarkson and her buy-one-get-one-free husband, Hilary Ralston Saul, to cancel a second planned trip. But if he really did disapprove of her high spending lifestyle, he would never have extended her term.
Martin’s reasons for allowing Clarkson and her consort to keep their royal hands in the taxpayers’ cookie jar for a further 12 months is that Clarkson is an experienced Governor-General and is needed because we have a minority government. If experience is really such an important factor perhaps the PM should consider quitting and bringing Jean Chrétien back. at least Da Boss would have been honest enough not to pretend to be upset at the G-G’s outrageous spending habits. Jean Chrétien is quickly becoming a guy who the longer he has been out of office, the better he looks, but I digress.
Martin’s motivation for keeping Clarkson in her job is suspect. according to the PM, having a minority government can cause a constitutional crisis and will necessitate a Governor-General with experience. But what constitutional experience does she have? Deciding what shoes go with what dress for an upcoming trip is not the same as deciding who should form the next government should the current one be defeated. No doubt Clarkson has received advice on constitutional matters, but that advice could be given to her successor. Petting reindeer in northern Finland or jet setting to New York for a weekend can hardly be counted as experience. and, as many critics have pointed out, if the minority government is going to collapse, it will more likely fall shortly after Clarkson’s extended term expires; not before. Extending Clarkson’s term is just another example of Paul Martin doing whatever he can to avoid making a decision.
although Paul Martin’s actions are getting to be predictable, the same cannot be said of the Official Opposition. Stephen Harper’s quiet agreement to the extension indicates that he is no better than Martin is in protecting the taxpayers’ hard earned money. If Clarkson continues with her lavish lifestyle, Harper and his party are hardly in a position to criticize it. If the Conservatives do criticize her spending or any other future actions she may take, they will indicate that not only are they propping up the government, they are propping up the hypocrisy that the Liberals are famous for.
Spend, adrienne, spend! No one in any position of power cares.