“Anyone Knowing the Whereabouts
of Mr. Democratic Deficit,
Please Contact Ottawa ”
September 29, 2004
Canada’s 38th Parliament kicks off next week and
the Prime Minister has been largely AWOL. Sure, there
have been countless photo ops as he jaunts across the
country, but he’s given scant indication of his
government’s position on some very critical issues
that have developed throughout the past few months.
The spirit of cooperation that I’ve been anticipating
in this minority government situation will be difficult
to maintain if the Liberals, particularly the Prime Minister,
remain directionless and indecisive. This minority parliament
will be the ultimate test of leadership. If he possesses
them, Paul Martin better find his leadership skills fast!
They certainly weren’t evident during the healthcare
conference with the Premiers earlier this month. Observers
were aghast at how poorly prepared the PM and his officials
were entering into and during the negotiations.
Indeed, Mr. Martin has been unable to get even his senior
cabinet ministers singing from the same song sheet. National
Defence Minister Bill Graham says joining the North American
Missile Defence program is necessary for the government
to fulfill its duty to protect Canadians. Yet Foreign
Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew suggested his government
is nowhere near making a decision on missile defence.
Mr. Graham also stated there’s really no need for
Parliament – your elected representatives –
to debate the missile program, an issue that has created
extensive controversy and concern throughout the country.
Paul Martin, self-professed slayer of the democratic deficit,
has yet to refute Mr. Graham’s decidedly undemocratic
assertion.
Meanwhile, Canadians who fork over a significant chunk
of their paycheques to receive federal services, are experiencing
interruptions due to rotating strike action by federal
public servants. The Prime Minister has had nothing to
say about resolving the issue. Mind you, neither has he
had much to say about potential pay hikes for Members
of Parliament that arise because of Liberal legislation
which linked MPs’ pay to the salaries of Supreme
Court judges.
I’ve always believed MPs should not decide their
own pay rates due to the conflict of interest. My position
is, and has always been, that an MP’s remuneration
should be determined by a truly independent body. During
the election campaign Mr. Martin said there was no way
he would support MP pay raises. Now, however, he won’t
discuss legislation to separate the illogical link between
MP and judges pay rates.
For those of us hoping the Prime Minister will make
it clear where he stands on all of these issues once Parliament
resumes next week, there’s disappointment on the
horizon. Mr. Martin will take off to Russia, France and
Hungary just three days after the House begins sitting.
Then it’s on to Chile and Africa in November.
So when can Canadians expect to see their Prime Minister
make the difficult decisions and take the controversial
stands that are a requirement when leading a country?
How long will he leave it to his ministers to confound
us with conflicting messages? How long will he leave us
guessing about his intentions? When will Prime Minister
Paul Martin begin to govern?
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