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The Land of the Rising Sun Printable Version PRINTABLE VERSION
by Ian Beacock, Canada Nov 23, 2003
Peace & Conflict   Opinions
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It is the end of an era. On December 12th, after ten years as Canada’s Prime Minister and thirteen as the leader of his party, Jean Chrétien will step down as the most powerful man in the country. He will then hand over the reins of the leading middle power to his lifetime political rival and former Finance Minister, Paul Martin.

On the 14th of November, at the Liberal leadership convention held in Toronto, Ontario, Paul Martin was elected to be Mr. Chrétien’s successor on the first ballot by winning 94% of the vote. This unprecedented yet expected victory demonstrated to Canadians that the Liberal party stands united behind their new leader and ready to fight (and probably win) the next election.

But what does Mr. Martin mean for Canada? What new qualities and ideas will he bring to the stage – a stage that has been dominated for far too long by Mr. Chrétien and his cronies? Will he make Canada, and indeed the world, a better place? For now, the answer looks to be yes. In just about everything, from his policies to his cabinet to his demeanor, Paul Martin is aiming to be everything that his predecessor wasn’t.

His first priority is to have a better relationship with the provinces and territories, as demonstrated by his meeting with the Premiers, or leaders of the aforementioned only two days after he was elected leader. Mr. Martin noted that he intends on meeting with the Premiers at least once annually, and that the discussions will be substantive, not just photo-ops. This is a markedly different approach from that of Mr. Chrétien, who was known for his ‘my way or the highway’ approach to federal-provincial negotiations. At any rate, the Premiers are hoping for more input on federal issues, and Mr. Martin says they will get it.

Another strong interest of Canada’s new Prime Minister is to establish a better relationship with the neighbour to the south: the United States of America. Mr. Chrétien and U.S. President George W. Bush have not got along to any degree, and the relationship between the two countries has been rather acrimonious since Bush’s election in 2000. Things have been going downhill from the beginning, as Mr. Chrétien cheered against Mr. Bush in the election, as Mr. Bush failed to make an official visit to Canada, and as Mr. Chrétien vocally criticized the recent Iraq war. Nonetheless, Mr. Martin is committed to making Canada-U.S. relations a top priority of his new government. This will bode well for Canada to some degree internationally.

Also, Prime Minister-in-waiting Martin has made it clear that he will allow his Members of Parliament, or MPs considerably more freedom in Parliament, and will allow his backbench MPs (those who are not part of the Cabinet) more say on the Government’s policies. Under Mr. Chrétien’s reign, MPs were expected to toe the party line on nearly every issue, and only a select few bills were allowed as a free vote. Mr. Martin has decried the ‘democratic deficit’ for the past few years, and it will be interesting to see how much more democratic Canada’s parliament will be after his influence.
Finally, Mr. Martin has made it known that he will increase Canada’s defense spending, which as dropped to a low of 1.1% of GDP, lower than the NATO average of 1.9%. Canada now spends as much on defense as just before World War II, and the combined forces run at a manpower of under 60 000. The air force is in an appalling condition, with Canada’s Sea King helicopters requiring 30 hours of maintenance for every hour of flight. Canadian lives have been lost abroad due to poor equipment and planning, most recently in Afghanistan. While Canada is not an aggressive nation and has few enemies, it should be able to play a leading role in international peacekeeping efforts. Canada can now barely scrape together enough forces to serve in one theatre, let alone two or three. Mr. Martin recognizes the inability of Canada to live up to its global responsibilities, and will make the appropriate changes.

But whether or not Mr. Martin can carry through on these many promises remains to be seen. It will be difficult for the new Prime Minister to find money for defense, health care, Canada’s cities, research and development and social programs without sending the federal budget into deficit. If he can accomplish it, he will be seen as perhaps the most successful Canadian PM of all time.

Overall, it seems that the tenure of Prime Minister Martin will be beneficial for Canada. His business background has provided him with a team-building demeanour and strong financial sense, qualities lacking in Mr. Chrétien. It looks as if he will help restore Canada’s leading role in world affairs while at the same time strengthening domestic relationships and resolving issues hitherto unsolved. Canada seems to be the land of the rising sun, as Paul Martin takes the reigns of the country. The direction in which he promises to take it is indeed heartening. But only time will tell how many of Mr. Martin’s promises will be fulfilled.





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