[albertabound]

Do you think the fact that Chretien's nephew Raymond was appointed Canadian Ambassador to France had anything to do with the last minute copout on Iraq?

[TheMole]

Nah, he just gave Raymond the French job as another family perk. Raymond really wasn't much use in D.C. after he had openly supported Al Gore in 2000. As to why they did avoid committing to Iraq support, I would nominate the Quebec provincial election that was going on at the time as the most underrated factor.