Martin should take some lessons from Muhammad Ali
Float like a butterfly… So far, Paul Martin seems to be working on the first part of Muhammad Ali’s boxing style. The question is, when will he start with the bee-sting stuff? He has dodged all efforts by Mr. Chretien to deliver a killer punch, but the old Shawinigan Scrapper is getting in some body […]
Old hacks say Gallery dinner no longer booze fest
Guess who didn’t come to dinner… With all the buzz about the then undecided fate of finance minister Paul Martin that weekend, one might have thought scalpers could have had a field day selling tickets to the Gallery dinner to hobnob with ministers and hear Prime Minister Jean Chretien speak. In fact, tickets went begging […]
Liberals’ $1 memberships a big boost for Martin’s camp [Ontario wing]
A move by supporters of Paul Martin to drop the price of party memberships from $10 to $1 in the all- important battleground of Ontario has significantly increased their ability to defeat the Prime Minister at the upcoming review vote, say Martinites. Furthermore, they say the move means they can offer free memberships to new […]
Who’s supporting who? Yes and No camps for upcoming Liberal leadership review (Last updated Tuesday, June 11 at 11:30 am]
(Last updated Tuesday, June 11 at 11:30 a.m. Numbers differ from print copy of The Hill Times on Monday, June 10. Watch for complete updated list in next week’s issue.) CHRETIEN SUPPORTERS *Herb Dhaliwal (Vancouver South-Burnaby, B.C.) *Rey Pagtakhan (Winnipeg North-St. Paul, Man.) *Dominic LeBlanc (Beausejour-Petitcodiac, N.B.) *Claudette Bradshaw (Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe, N.B.) *Robert Thibault (West Nova, […]
From now on, the official term is ‘sack-ignation’ [Press Gallery dinner]
Hits and Misses… I hear Stephen Harper was pretty funny at the Gallery Dinner — with the highlight being his impersonation of Brian Mulroney in the role of Darth Vader. However, I’m told nothing he did was as funny as the garish golf shirt he wore for his television appearance the next day to respond […]
Shuffle hints at desire to rein in Crown corporations: Gilles Paquet. Federal Ottawa bureaucrats at a loss to explain nuts and bolts ramifications of June 2 Cabinet shuffle
The decision to place Crown corporations under the control of the Treasury Board is a response to recent criticism by the Auditor General, but the move will destroy the positive aspects of quasi- governmental entities, predicts Gilles Paquet, a leading government expert. Crown corporations, special operating agencies and independent foundations have all come under criticism […]
After every federal election, Liberal members vote on whether their party should hold a leadership convention. The result shows whether the leader has the confidence of his party. Here’s how they fared.
Liberal Party Leader Year Support against holding a leadership convention Jean Jean Chretien 1998 90% Jean Jean Chretien 1994 91.2% John Turner 1986 76.3% Pierre Trudeau 1980 86% Pierre Trudeau 1975 79.9% Pierre Trudeau 1973 90.6% Pierre Trudeau 1970 89.1% Liberal Party Leader Year Support against holding a leadership convention Jean Jean Chretien 1998 90% […]
Chretien obsessed with legacy
The partnership between Prime Minister Jean Chretien and former finance minister Paul Martin died when Quebec separatism died. The partnership might have still continued. Miscalculations and unrestrained ambitions on both sides brought about its actual dissolution. But Quebec separatism kept the two together because it kept them a certain distance apart. Once the threat of […]
PM’s latest shuffle means pink slips for Paul Martin staffers: Most will continue working on Hill until end of the month, says former press secretary Melanie Gruer
Another group of heavy-hitting staffers suddenly found themselves out of work last week following Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s second Cabinet shuffle in as many weeks. Exactly seven days after former defence minister Art Eggleton was shown the door out of Cabinet, the PM stripped his long-time rival Paul Martin of his Finance portfolio. The move […]
‘Courageous’ Lib MPs
The House Public Accounts Committee investigating the controversial $1.6-million in contracts awarded by Public Works to a Liberal-friendly firm, Groupaction, should be congratulated for its work to date. Many critics had predicted its probe wouldn’t amount to much, but so far it’s proving critics wrong. The committee is doing what it’s supposed to be doing, […]
