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|Monday November 24, 2003 |
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MARTIN'S MORNING LAUGH
It’s too early to be glued to the phone,
waiting for "the call" from Paul Martin, nonetheless, there is already a
flurry of rumours flying about who is going to be in and who is going to be
out in the next federal government. Also, this is the first time that the
exclusive club of RHBC (Right Honorable Backbenchers Club) is going to be
bigger than the government itself as a consequence of an internal shuffle.
Everybody is preparing a list and, I’m sure, every time Mr. Martin is going
through them (if he ever does) he’s laughing at the guessing. Considering that
the future Prime Minister of Canada is very busy and tense these days, I want
to follow The Globe and Mail’s Jeffrey Simpson initiative to provide Mr.
Martin with another morning laugh. According to what I’ve heard amongst those
that (supposedly) are "in the know", this is my list. Shawn Murphy is going to
be Mr. Martin’s king in Prince Edward Island. In New Brunswick Andy Scott will
play a key role, even though Claudette Bradshaw seems, lately, to have a
chance of avoiding the RHBC and leaving Scott waiting until after the next
election. In Nova Scotia, is Geoff Regan is expected to be big while in
Newfoundland the new king might be John Efford.
The more elaborate choices will be in Quebec.
If you are in the mood of making bets, then Jacques Saada, Hélène Sherrer and
Pierre Pettigrew are the winning horses. As well, look out for Denis Coderre
or Georges Farrah. Also highly-considered is Liza Frulla whose chances might
increase only if those of Nick Discepola’s would decrease. Also in the running
is Irwin Cotler and Eleni Bakopanos.
The names for Ontario are more difficult to
pin down. However, those of Carolyn Bennett, Maurizio Bevilacqua, John
Godfrey, Andy Mitchell, Joe Volpe, David Pratt and Jean Augustine are the most
talked about. Then there are the names of Judy Sgro and Albina Guarnieri whose
fortunes, according to the rumours, might be adversely tied: if one goes up,
the other goes down. Also mentioned is Brenda Chamberlain’s name. In Hamilton,
the race is between Tony Valeri and Stan Keyes. In Manitoba, Reg Alcock’s name
is on the way up. In Saskatchewan, there is Ralph Goodale, whose chances to be
in government are second only to those of Paul Martin, while in Alberta there
is not much
choice: Anne McLellan and David Kilgour. In
British Columbia, the political stocks are high for Stephen Owen and David
Anderson. If my math doesn’t fail me, I believe I’ve mentioned 25-26 names
while the total is not going to be smaller than 28, which not bigger then 30.
According to some sources, there might also be some outsiders who will run in
the upcoming federal election. Things will change on daily basis and the final
list is not known, most likely, not even to Mr. Martin. In fact, most of his
closest advisers are pushing for a clean slate in order to give the electorate
a clear message: this is something new. "We have to pretend we are in 1993:
it’s a new government," said a strategist. Others are more cautious and want
to combine new faces with some government experience. A clean sweep would have
been more feasible with Chrétien leaving in February. Now the Martin’s
government has to face the opposition for a couple of crucial months in House
of Commons right before the federal election. |
