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Canada PM Martin Brings Sweeping Cabinet Changes
Yahoo News ^ | 12/12/03 | Randall Peters - Reuters

Posted on 12/12/2003 3:12:42 PM PST by NormsRevenge

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Paul Martin became Canada's 21st prime minister on Friday and immediately announced sweeping reforms, declaring a wish to bring in "a new agenda of change and achievement" ahead of an election expected for next May.

Martin, a 65-year-old multimillionaire businessman, replaced the man his supporters effectively drove from office, fellow Liberal Jean Chretien. The majority of Chretien's ministers lost their jobs.

Martin, pledging to "restore the tone" of ties with the United States, created a new cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations and appointed a special parliamentary secretary to help smooth dealings with Washington.

He also promised to give legislators a more effective role in Parliament and he introduced several measures designed to make government less prone to the kinds of spending scandals that dogged Chretien's last years in power.

"We must restore Canadians' trust that their government is listening to them," he said.

Among his initiatives is a review of every spending item, to find areas to cut to free up new resources. The review is scheduled to be completed by next autumn.

Martin said he would break up the enormous Human Resources and Development ministry, which accounts for much of government spending and was at the center of a big scandal.

He also announced the creation of a new Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness ministry to handle national crises and natural disasters.

Martin -- who served nine years as finance minister before being sacked by Chretien in June 2002 -- was formally sworn in at Rideau Hall, the residence of the governor-general who represents Canada's head of state, Queen Elizabeth.

It marked the end of a 13-year struggle to be prime minister and was particularly sweet because his father -- also a Liberal cabinet minister -- had failed 35 years earlier.

Paul Martin Sr., made a run for prime minister in 1968 but was beaten by the younger Pierre Elliott Trudeau. At Friday's ceremony, the new prime minister choked back tears during the national anthem as he clutched the folded flag that flew at half-mast over Parliament in 1992 when his father died.

Martin told his new cabinet to perform like stars and get ready for an election soon after April 1. Opinion polls show the Liberals -- who have been in power for a decade -- are well ahead of other opposition parties.

"We were told these were four-month appointments," one member of the new cabinet told Reuters.

Several of top posts went to current ministers but ones who had been Martin allies rather than Chretien loyalists.

Martin picked western Canadians for the two most powerful jobs -- finance and deputy prime minister -- in a switch from Chretien's era when those posts were always held by people from the central provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

WESTERN ALIENATION

Martin wants to cut into western Canadian alienation, a phenomenon that has minimized Liberal seats in the region.

The top post under Martin is finance, which former Public Works Minister Ralph Goodale took over. Goodale, a no-nonsense, lawyer from Saskatchewan, who shares the fiscally conservative wing of the party with Martin, pledged to keep the budget balanced and to cut debt and, when possible, taxes.

Alberta's Anne McLellan, formerly health minister, became deputy prime minister and heads the new public safety ministry, intended to mirror the U.S. Homeland Security Department.

Stephen Harper, a leader in the opposition Conservative Party, said Martin should have fired all Chretien's ministers.

"For all the talk of real change and a major shake-up at the top levels of government, this was more illusion than revolution. Paul Martin shuffled the deck, but the front bench is still the same bunch of jokers," he said.

Foreign Minister Bill Graham kept his job while David Pratt, formerly chairman of Parliament's defense committee, became defense minister.

Pratt stood out against the government's opposition to the U.S. war on Iraq (news - web sites) and wants more military spending to boost what many see as Canada's dwindling influence abroad. Martin ordered a foreign and defense policy review, which he said could easily lead to an increase in the size of the armed forces.

(Additional reporting by David Ljunggren, Gilbert Le Gras and Patrick White)


TOPICS: Canada; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: cabinet; canada; changes; chretien; paulmartin; sweeping

Prime Minister Paul Martin makes a point during a news conference after being sworn in as the 21rst Prime Minister in Ottawa, Friday, Dec. 12, 2003. Martin, respected as a deficit-chopping finance minister, succeeded Jean Chretien as prime minister Friday and immediately created an expansive new national security agency intended to help mend Canadian-U.S. ties that frayed under Chretien. (AP Photo/Paul Chiasson, CP)


1 posted on 12/12/2003 3:12:45 PM PST by NormsRevenge
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Bless You, Sir and Much Success.
2 posted on 12/12/2003 3:13:39 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Support Our Troops .. For some ideas, check my profile.)
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To: NormsRevenge
"immediately created an expansive new national security agency intended to help mend Canadian-U.S. ties that frayed under Chretien."

The French Ambassador has been fired as Minister of Defense? Cool. I might start liking Canucks again.
3 posted on 12/12/2003 3:13:45 PM PST by Beck_isright (This tag line edited by the 9th Circuit Court due to offensive political commentary)
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To: Beck_isright
Yup, Canada has our back and Mexico our belly.
4 posted on 12/12/2003 3:14:59 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Support Our Troops .. For some ideas, check my profile.)
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To: NormsRevenge
How about we just take over the good parts.

http://www.unitednorthamerica.org

5 posted on 12/12/2003 3:16:20 PM PST by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
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6 posted on 12/12/2003 3:17:10 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Support Our Troops .. For some ideas, check my profile.)
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To: NormsRevenge
I assume he could not be much worse than Chretien. It would be nice to get things on the mend, though I won't hold my breath. Still, a chance to extend the proverbial olive branch.
7 posted on 12/12/2003 3:24:08 PM PST by speedy
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To: NormsRevenge
Any chance they'll do away with the Gun Registry?
8 posted on 12/12/2003 3:24:56 PM PST by caltrop
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To: NormsRevenge
Good!
9 posted on 12/12/2003 3:35:35 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Davis is now out of Arnoold's Office , Bout Time!!!!)
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Pratt stood out against the government's opposition to the U.S. war on Iraq (news - web sites) and wants more military spending to boost what many see as Canada's dwindling influence abroad. Martin ordered a foreign and defense policy review, which he said could easily lead to an increase in the size of the armed forces.


Recently, I had heard that in a few years Canada may not have an Air Force(by 2010) or an Army and/or Navy.

10 posted on 12/12/2003 3:41:28 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Support Our Troops .. For some ideas, check my profile.)
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To: All
There will always be problems with Canada. From a nation that really has no identity of its own, every time it appears that their's and our nations are going in the same direction, they have to do something contrary, just for contrariness sake, (although it is never explained that way), just to "demonstrate" that they are indeed a independent nation. (Independent from us that is, not from the Queen). Nope, there will never be smooth relations with the US and Canada. Add to their inferiority complex the French in Quebec, and you have the makings of a complete disaster on your hands. Its like having a step-brother; we should be best of friends, but the relationship itself defines the problem.

Canada expects the US to ask it about every decision we make, as if they WERE the 51st state. Sorry, you would have to invest a lot of friendship to get that in return, and since the days of Trudeau, (except the Mulroney period), there has been no such consideration on your part, not even close. LOL, the least popular former PM is Mulroney; explains a lot, maybe all of it. Martin may be an improvement over Frenchy the PM, but is that really saying all that much? Martin would have to be a mildly retarded individual not to make any improvements. We shall see. But since Canada has made itself irrelevant, does it really make a difference what they think or do? I could not care less.....

11 posted on 12/12/2003 3:55:54 PM PST by Malcolm (not on the bandwagon, but not contrary for contrary's sake either)
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To: NormsRevenge
To paraphrase Ronald Reagan: "It's morning in Canada."
12 posted on 12/12/2003 4:02:06 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: FreedomCalls; NormsRevenge
To paraphrase Ronald Reagan: "It's morning in Canada."

Wouldn't that be: "It's morning in Canada. Eh?"

13 posted on 12/12/2003 4:38:28 PM PST by Paleo Conservative (Do not remove this tag under penalty of law.)
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To: NormsRevenge
"Stephen Harper, a leader in the opposition Conservative Party, said Martin should have fired all Chretien's ministers.

" "For all the talk of real change and a major shake-up at the top levels of government, this was more illusion than revolution. Paul Martin shuffled the deck, but the front bench is still the same bunch of jokers," he said."

14 posted on 12/12/2003 5:14:39 PM PST by Sunsong (Free Republic is a conservative, American site -- try to keep that in mind...)
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To: NormsRevenge
I can picture it as he reviews the existing ones:

"Parles vous Francais?"
"Oui"
"Adios! Next!"
15 posted on 12/12/2003 5:16:21 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Peace through Strength)
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To: freedumb2003
"Parles vous Francais?"
"Oui"
"Adios! Next!"


LMAO Thanks!
16 posted on 12/12/2003 5:25:52 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Support Our Troops .. For some ideas, check my profile.)
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To: Malcolm
Canada's identity is wraped up in "not being the USA". They even have a weak effort at telling canadians about the history of canada. (well all but the part about being where the loosing british citizens went.)

I seriously wonder how many western provinces would honestly want to give stathood a try if they were given an open vote.

The would at least have a access to a national defense.
17 posted on 12/12/2003 8:28:43 PM PST by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
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To: NormsRevenge
Martin -- who served nine years as finance minister before being sacked by Chretien in June 2002

This was probably one of those times when getting fired signifies something good about
the employee and something bad about the boss.


Martin picked western Canadians for the two most powerful jobs --
finance and deputy prime minister


Hmm, well looks like the PM is at least moving the right direction...

To any Canadians reading...we've no problem with "A Canada That Can Say No"...
our current problem is our judges who seem to think their legal reasoning
relies on the mangled rationalizations of some equally nutty Canadian judges.

Looks like we've all got our problems to work on!
18 posted on 12/12/2003 9:18:22 PM PST by VOA
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To: caltrop
Any chance they'll do away with the Gun Registry?

One would think so. It’s running at a billion dollars and hasn’t stopped or solved one crime, but he is a liberal, so I wouldn’t bet on it.

19 posted on 12/14/2003 10:56:13 AM PST by RJL
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