Taking care of business before elections

Paul Martin prepares to announce leadership candidacy for the federal Liberal Party

He's seen as the next Prime Minister, but at the moment he only has the troubles of an MP. Paul Martin is not yet officially a candidate for the Liberal leadership, but the oppositions expect him to behave and make promises like a Prime Minister.
At present, Martin is just the MP for the Montreal ward of Lasalle-Emard, but everybody takes for granted that he will blow all his competitors away when Jean Chrétien's successor will be chosen in November.
In the meantime, he remains a mere MP; nonetheless, a few days ago he had to make a costly decision, divesting himself of the control and ownership of the shipping company he created over the past 20 years. This was a big step and, even though he left everything in the hands of his three children, it's a major change in his life.
We interviewed him hours after the announcement of this decision.

Mr. Martin, now that we're both poor, how do you feel?
"I shall never be as rich as you are."
I'll agree with that, depending on how we define richness. Jokes aside, how do you feel after taking this important decision?
"I had been thinking about this for a while. I simply sped up the procedure. I can say that I'm very proud of my company and very proud of my children. I'm confident that they will handle it very well."
How did they react?
"They understood my feelings perfectly, but at the same time they're very happy and excited about their new roles."
They may be happy, but the oppositions are not. They are asking for more.
"Clearly, the oppositions do not see the matter of the fact, especially the conclusions reached by independent industry experts, in addition to the recommendations made by Parliamentary Ethics Commissioner Wilson. He consulted with a numerous group of experts, including the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario, the former Ethics Commissioner of British Columbia and others, over the past few weeks."
Oppositions keep opposing, though.
"Not all of them, I'll say. In fact some members of other parties agree with me, like the vast majority of Canadians who wrote or called me these days. They understood that I've severed every tie with the company."
In short you don't accept the idea that the owner of a company cannot become Prime Minister.
"Exactly. I think that those who oppose this are telling the Canadian entrepreneurs to stay away from political life. When we examine in detail the characteristics of our economy, the way we intend to develop it, make it grow, most Canadians do not agree with those opposition MPs."
So you took this decision to satisfy a request by Commissioner Wilson?
"Not quite. Commissioner Wilson advised me to entrust the company to a 'blind management' much stricter than that used in the case of ministers. I chose to go even further than that and simply got rid of the company. This is something I always did in my political career. I did it as an MP, as a minister, and in any other position. I always go the extra mile."
By the way, when will you officially announce your candidacy?
"Maybe the right question should be: will anyone be surprised when I do?"
Right, but I asked in order to get organized and be sure to attend.
"No problem, I'll give you plenty of time to get organized. Anyway, the announcement will come soon."
About the leadership run. Everybody says that you lead by an overwhelming margin. Other candidates have complained that organizing anything against you is impossible. And then your candidate for Parkdale-High Park loses by 36 votes vs. 39. Is anything amiss?
"This is a very interesting point. There are 10,000 new enrolment forms available to any candidate in Ontario alone. If you look at the results in Parkdale-High Park, you have to conclude that, despite the protests, we have a very democratic and open party."
Sheila Copps is running, John Manley will do likewise. Which of them worries you the most?
"Both are very prepared, very strong. I have the utmost respect for both of them."
How do you feel when the oppositions, debating the budget, attack you who cannot even respond to questions in Parliament?
"I think that the oppositions should begin asking themselves some important questions. They ignored the budget, they ignored the extremely important agreement on healthcare, are spending very little time discussing Iraq and the possibility of a war. These are important issues for the future of our country. I think that the oppositions should take a hard look at themselves and ask why their priorities are so different from those of everyday Canadians."
Some people accuse you of not presenting a programme; others, when you do, accuse you of plotting against your government. How will you cope?
"To tell you the truth, I'm devoting less and less attention to the oppositions. I think that the leadership campaigns serve for debating programmes and developing ideas, and have nothing to do with the present government. When I present an initiative, if I shall win the leadership that initiative will become part of my government's platform. Those ideas and programmes are things like the reform of Parliament and the role of Canada in the world. Those are programmes that I'll present should I become Prime Minister, but they have nothing to do with the current administration."
What do you expect from this campaign, then?
"Important problems must be tackled and solved, from healthcare to education, to strengthening our economy, protecting the rural areas, advancing democratic parliamentary reforms. For instance, every MP should be enabled to present bills, not just discuss somebody else's. This reform is an integral part of my future programmes in case of my victory."
The latest budget has a lot of expenditures. Some people say that PM Chrétien put a heavy burden on your eventual future cabinet.
"I think that all the issues addressed in the latest budget are very important. I also believe that every government must keep a certain degree of flexibility. The global economy has a lot of uncertainty, especially in the United States, and if Canada managed to create jobs in such a climate, that's because we put our accounts in order. In my opinion, strong fiscal responsibility remains a primary goal, even though I recognize that the issues dealt with in the latest budget are essential."
When you were the Minister of Finance I couldn't ask you this question. Now I can. Do you think that the Bank of Canada is right in raising the prime rate?
"This depends on many considerations. If the central bank proves that there is a real concern about inflationary processes, sometimes, by raising rates in the short term, they can keep them under control in the long run. It depends on the situation. Anyway, I can say that Governor David Dodge is doing an excellent job."
There are many controversies within the Liberal Party. Aren't you afraid of inheriting a divided party?
"No, I am not. Any leadership run is characterized by raging debates about programmes and ideas. I expect vigorous discussions, but I'm just as certain that as soon as the new leader will be elected, the whole party will support him or her."
Prime Minister Chrétien said that he intends to leave in February of next year, while the new leader will be chosen in November. Do you agree with this timetable?
"Certainly. I have no problem in accepting this timetable."

Publication Date: 2003-03-23
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=2524