Martin: Triple Bogey on Unity

       "Isn't this the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that you're an agent of
        change? Isn't this the perfect kind of issue on which to say, 'Here is
        something that happened in a previous government -- under a different
        administration — and as soon as it's come out, here's the actions I've
        taken.' To me that is an agent of change."

        — David Herle, national campaign director for Paul Martin. February
        17, 2004, five days after auditor-general Sheila Fraser's report.

Canadians could see that Martin's real motivation was to get revenge on Chretien. They were unconvinced by Martin simplistic masquerading as an "agent of change". Miscalculating that the wind was at his back, and relying upon this small-picture thinking, Martin cowardly disavowed himself from the sponsorship program, and sicked the lions on Chretien and an entire wing of the Quebec Liberal party by calling the Gomery Inquiry. The results could not have been worse, both for Martin and the country.

Martin's iberals were reduced to only 22 seats in Quebec. More importantly for Canadian unity, Martin's decision has the potentuial to be a long-term setback for the federalist cause in Quebec. By calling the inquiry, Martin has succeeeded in thoroughly besmirching the reputation of the Liberal party in Quebec for a generation and has thereby (ironically) ensured that he will never win as many seats in Quebec as Jean Chretien. By so miscalculating and hurting the only federalist party in Quebec that had any credibility, Martin has done more to provide Lucien Bouchard with his long-cherished winning conditions than anyone since Clyde Wells. Even Jean Lapierre, a Martin lieutenant, and a longtime adversary of Chretien, has admitted that the Gomery Inquiry is a spectacular setback for the federalist cause. As set out in a recent news article:

        It has created a daily reminder of the scandal that corrodes the Liberal brand name
        like "water torture," says Quebec lieutenant Jean Lapierre. Lapierre concedes there
        may be long-term damage to the party - especially in Quebec, where the sponsorship
        revelations have been treated in media coverage as a nefarious federalist scheme to
        bribe away the independence movement.

        "The problem in Quebec is that there's a soap on TV every night. It's
        called Gomery," Lapierre told The Canadian Press in an interview.
        "Frankly, the brand is being affected in Quebec every night."

Martin's decision to call the Gomery Inquiry must be seen in the bigger picture of national unity for what it is. An indulgent, vengeful exercise, a spectacular political misudgment which has damaged federalists in Quebec. If it was a golf shot, it would be way off the fairway, and into the trees.

As for Martin's Plan A dealings with the provinces, Mr. Martin's game is no better. In terms of finances, Mr. Martin weakly gives away the federal government's fiscal store, hoping the money will buy him a majority government. In the health care negotiations, Martin was crushed by the premiers, who left with a bagful of cash, no strings attached, with no requirement that the funds be used to establish national standards.

Not only has Martin been weak in utilizing the spending power, but he and his advisers have also sullied the good name of the Prime Minister's Office. In the midst of the last election campaign, desperate for the majority which was slipping through his fingers, Martin sacrified principle for expediency by promising Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams billions in exchange for his support in the election. Following the election, Martin appeared to go back on his word, enraging Newfoundlanders. The Prime Minister's advisors engaged in a war of words in the press and appeared to threaten Williams. The result? The Canadian flag was lowered in protest, and Premier Williams got his $2.6 billion and returned to a hero's welcome, while other provinces grumbled. Hardly the stuff of national unity. Already, the other provinces are lining up and whining for similar deals. Based on their performance so far, one fears how Team Martin will respond.

Even more amateurish have been Team Martin's inexplicable attempts at reform in the area of foreign affairs. A child can recognize that Canada is one country; any proposal that one province or region speak for the whole country is not Plan A, it is simply ludicrous, a hooked 5 iron into the golf pond! Yet Liza Frulla, Minister of Heritage, has opined that her Quebec minister of culture counterpart can speak for Canada at UNESCO when Frulla can't be there! This type of statement enrages Canadians from coast to coast, undercuts legitimate Plan A efforts, and showcases the amateur national unity consciousness of the Martin government.

Repeatedly, Paul Martin has followed the bad advice of his handlers. This speaks to fundamental flaws in Paul Martin as a leader of Canada, a fundamental lack of judgment, and an inability to see all of the angles relating to the national unity file. In addition, he has lost the respect of the premiers and is not seen as a man of his word. And you cannot be an effective leader in a nation like Canada without the respect of your peers, good judgment and good peripheral vision.

Shooting a triple bogey is not the end of the world when you are playing golf, but it is unacceptable when you are the Prime Minister responsbile for national unity. It is high time that Paul Martin get his act together.