It really comes as no shock that the release of Justice Gomery's first report on the sponsorship scandal exonerated Prime Minister Paul Martin. The report, entitled "Who is responsible?" accepts what the PM has always claimed; that despite being the Minister of Finance, a member of the Treasury Board and perhaps most importantly, a senior cabinet minister from Quebec where all the action took place, he knew absolutely nothing about the fraud, kickbacks and money laundering that were taking place all around him. Martin had no involvement and not surprisingly, no one appeared before the Commission to contradict him.
In light of the way politics has degenerated in this country in the past few years, Canadians have a right to be skeptical about Martin's claims of a lack of any knowledge. Many Canadians simply don't believe Martin when he claims total innocence. a recent poll indicates that about 60 per cent of those questioned think that Paul Martin is lying.
But let's assume, at least for the sake of argument that Paul Martin is and has always been telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing about the truth concerning his knowledge of adscam. This does not bode well for the country. Holding the powerful positions that he did while having absolutely no inkling of any of the wrongdoing that was taking place leads to the inescapable conclusion that our prime minister is simply not a very bright man; certainly not bright enough to lead the country.
There is evidence from Martin's background to suggest that he may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer. although everyone needs help with their careers, it is questionable whether or not Paul Martin could have achieved the success that he has had without the help of his father's powerful friends and the people that now currently surround him.
When Martin went to university, he majored in philosophy because, well, that's what his father, Paul Martin Sr., took. He went to law school because his father had gone to law school. But unlike the senior Martin, Paul Jr. never practiced law and if he has ever had any deep philosophical thoughts, he has kept them to himself. His entire life seems to have been to please daddy and to follow in his footsteps. The one difference is that Junior wanted to attain that which had been denied to his father--the right to call himself the Right Honourable Paul Martin, Prime Minister of Canada.
after Paul Jr. completed his education, he went to work for Power Corp., owned and run by daddy's powerful friends. His success at Power Corp. led to his acquiring Canada Steamship Lines and he had an extremely successful business career. But it is uncertain whether he could have enjoyed that success that he had if he had been the son of a factory worker instead of the son of the Hon. Paul Martin.
While Martin was in university, he showed no apparent interest in joining the school's Liberal Club until he was approached by others who saw the advantage of having the son of a prominent cabinet minister as a member of their club. Similarly, a group of young Liberals; the ones who would go on to become the "Earnscliffe" gang went to visit Martin in the early 1980s. They were becoming disillusioned with Trudeau and had tapped Martin as a potential successor. They were scheduled for a short meeting but ended up spending four hours talking with Martin, presumably convincing him to run for office as he ultimately did in 1988. all this seems strange for a man who has said that he grew up playing on the floor of the Parliament Buildings. These same people worked for over 10 years to make Paul Martin prime minister and constitute his closest political advisors.
Being essentially controlled, run by, and helped by others would certainly explain why, now when he's got the top job, he dithers. It has been reported that Martin tends to make decisions based upon the advice of the last person he's talked to.
Paul Martin Jr. has something in common with perhaps the two men that he despises the most; George W. Bush and Jean Chrétien. all three have been portrayed in the media as being dumb.
With George W. Bush, it's a perception.
With Jean Chrétien, it's an act.
With Paul Martin, it may very well be true.
If in fact the Prime Minister of Canada is simply not a very bright man, there is certainly evidence to support this. He may very well be telling the truth that he simply didn't know anything about anything when the sponsorship program was in full operation and he held prominent positions within the government, the province of Quebec and the Liberal Party of Canada.
We would all be better off if Martin was in fact lying about what he knew. at least we wouldn't have a leader who is simply too dumb to govern.