Posted on 08/20/2003 4:46:50 AM PDT by prairiebreeze
North Bay, Ont. — Prime Minister Jean Chrétien dropped hints of an early retirement last night, telling his Liberal colleagues he is counting the weeks, not the months, until he leaves, and vowing to be the third Canadian Prime Minister whose successor wins the next election.
As Paul Martin, his heir apparent, mouthed "Bravo," Mr. Chrétien said he will do "everything to make sure that the new leader will have the best conditions possible to win a fourth consecutive Liberal majority government."
Relaxed, and at times speaking with a catch in his throat, Mr. Chrétien addressed his Liberal caucus for nearly 30 minutes, often veering from his prepared text and hinting that he may leave earlier than his planned February 2004 retirement.
"It's a great day for Aline and I, because she is counting the days," he told the MPs and senators. "A few weeks ago I was counting months, and now it's weeks."
This is the last time the Prime Minister will speak at a summer caucus retreat. His wife, Aline, came with him to North Bay and was in the audience during his speech.
Mr. Chrétien stunned the caucus at last year's retreat by announcing his retirement after facing opposition from his own back bench.
But this year's speech was peppered with hints about leaving earlier than he originally planned. Some MPs believe that the Prime Minister will leave by Jan. 1. The leadership convention takes place Nov. 15.
Mr. Chrétien's chief spokesman, Jim Munson, also delivered a subtle message about the Prime Minister's retirement plans.
"When the convention is over, he will sit down with his successor and will do what's in the best interests of the party and the country," he said.
Last night, Mr. Chrétien spoke about having completed what he set out to accomplish and made references to having already delivered on the so-called activist agenda he launched last fall in the Throne Speech.
"We promised an ethics package. We have delivered. Our bill on the financing of political parties will greatly strengthen Canadian democracy," he said. "Our promised legislation on public service reform now needs only to pass the Senate."
The Prime Minister talked of the other bills that he wants to pass "in the fall" to complete the agenda, including a controversial bill on reproductive technology, a public-safety bill, and a bill to decriminalize marijuana.
He said he would like to pass the new electoral boundaries act, which is not supposed to come into effect until next summer.
But moving up the redrawing of the electoral map, which would create seven new ridings, four of them in the West, would make it more politically palatable for Mr. Martin to call a spring election.
Earlier, Mr. Chrétien was given a standing ovation when he said he wanted to be the third prime minister after Mackenzie King and Lester Pearson to turn the party over to a new leader who goes on to win the next election. And he spoke again about his long political career.
"For Aline and I, we had a great journey," he said. "It will be almost 41 years [since] I became a member of Parliament when I leave."
Mr. Chrétien also spoke about his government's relationship with the United States, which is controversial and for which he has often been criticized.
He characterized relations as "very strong and very healthy," saying that disagreement between friends on a few issues is "a sign of maturity."
"There is nothing broken, and nothing that has to be rebuilt," he said. "Canada and the United States have never agreed on every single issue of foreign policy. There have always been some trade disputes between us. No two countries, no two friends agree on everything."
He was given another standing ovation when he spoke about Canada's position on the war on Iraq, saying, "We acted as an independent country."
"We can be proud of what we did," he said.
Interesting but not surprising that party came before national good.
"There is nothing broken, and nothing that has to be rebuilt," he said. "Canada and the United States have never agreed on every single issue of foreign policy. There have always been some trade disputes between us. No two countries, no two friends agree on everything."
Let's be clear Mr. Chretian. YOU are not the friend of the United States. You are a French-licking Clinton puppet. The sooner you are gone the better and I hope your replacement has infinitely more wisdom than you've shown in your administration.
Prairie
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