by arthur Weinreb, associate Editor,
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Prime Minister Paul Martin should seriously consider packing it in. But under no circumstances should he attempt to follow in the footsteps of Pierre Trudeau and go for a walk in the snow. That’s already been done and besides, Paul would probably get lost and it would be embarrassing to become the only country in the world that had to issue an amber alert for its leader. No, what Paul Martin should do is hop in his limo, take a quick trip to Rideau Hall and tell Governor General adrienne Clarkson that she should ask someone else to form a government because he’s just not bright enough to lead the country.
Some events in recent days clearly illustrate that Paul Martin Jr. is simply not up to the job. He’s not up to the job; what was a campaign slogan that was used to describe Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty has become the reality of the current prime minister of Canada.
Last week, The Economist, the highly respected British magazine published an article entitled, "‘Mr. Dithers’ and his distracting ‘fiscal cafeteria’." In the piece, the magazine hit the nail on the head by describing Paul Martin in a way that the fawning Canadian media never would; "But 15 months after succeeding his fellow-Liberal, Jean Chrétien, Mr. Martin, a successful finance minister for almost a decade until 2002, cannot quite shake off the impression that Canada’s top job is too big for him."
and The Economist is not just any magazine. It became the Liberal Party’s bible after it described Canada as a "cool country" shortly before Martin took over from Chrétien. Chrétien spoke proudly of the magazine’s description of Canada under his watch, both at his farewell address to the party at the convention that saw the coronation of Paul Martin and in his long rambling statement to Justice Gomery when he appeared before him at the inquiry into adscam. If the magazine was good enough to quote then, it is certainly good enough to pay attention to now. The fact that many cabinet ministers are now rushing to counter The Economist’s description of Martin is further proof that the magazine is one whose opinions matter around the globe.
Martin’s celebratory laughing it up after Jean Chrétien’s stonewalling performance before the Gomery Commission showed that he never had any attention of "getting to the bottom" of the adscam scandal. Not only does the PM have no intention of uncovering the $100 million misappropriation of the taxpayers’ money, but his across Canada, "I’m mad as hell" tour, backfired. Keeping the scandal that he really didn’t want exposed in the limelight was a major reason why he only eked out a slim minority in the last election. His political skills leave a lot to be desired.
Martin’s true pathetic character was revealed in his recent remarks about Syria’s presence in Lebanon. Martin had told reporters in French that "It’s clear that if the Syrians are in Lebanon it’s because they must keep the peace." This goes against the position taken by Canada, Paul’s beloved United Nations and many other major countries. When he was confronted in the House by his statement, he refused to either admit that he was wrong, or that he misspoke. Throughout a constant barrage of questions from members of all of the opposition parties, Martin avoided what he said and cited Canada’s position on the issue. His only concession, if you can call it that, was that his comments were misunderstood. It makes you wonder what part of "the Syrians are in Lebanon because they must keep the peace" those lowly scribes were incapable of understanding. a real man, or a real woman for that matter, would have simply conceded that they had misspoke (which was probably the case) and the whole matter would have ended. at one point Martin became so flustered trying to avoid owning up that he said the Syrians should leave Syria.
The most disgusting thing about the current prime minister is that anyone that disagrees with him or his view of the world is "un-Canadian". Martin truly believes that his values, and his alone, are "Canadian values". In that sense he appears to be more arrogant than his predecessor could ever dream of being. But he’s not really arrogant; he is, as The Economist correctly pointed out, simply in a job that is over his head.
One of Paul Martin’s big dreams is to restore Canada’s position in the world. Taking The Economist’s article into account, if anything we are actually going in the opposite direction.
Martin, of course will not resign. If he was astute enough to realize how out of his depth he really is, the article that appeared in The Economist would never have been written.