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|Monday Oct. 4, 2004 |
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Where is
Martin's plan for the country?
It's increasingly obvious that
Stephen Harper's Conservative Party will be the real "enemy" to Paul
Martin's Liberals in this minority government. This is becoming
clearly implied in the plans and the agenda prepared by Prime
Minister Martin strategists. Therefore, if the Conservatives are the
so-called "enemy" of the Liberals, then the Liberals will need to
draw on the support of the NDP and the Bloc.
There is nothing wrong with that,
just so long as it's the government's plan that will shape the
agreements and not strategists gauging political winds because the
outcome could be dangerous for the country.
In the first scenario, it means
that the government has a plan, good or bad, but at least has a
roadmap in which every action is part of a strategy. In the second
scenario, it means that the government has no plan, or no plan bold
enough to fight for, and will change direction every time the
opposition party gets cranky in this minority Parliament.
Furthermore, the Liberals won't
need one party, the NDP, or the other, the Bloc; they'll need both.
So, one of the necessary, but, insufficient, conditions the
governing Liberals will need in order to please the two parties is a
clear steering to the political left. This might please the New
Democrats, but not necessarily the Bloc.
The Bloc Québécois party is not
crazy about Ottawa moving to the right or to the left: they just
want to move away from the federal government. This means that Paul
Martin, in order to please both parties, has to loosen the federal
purse strings in order to please the NDP, and he has to loosen the
strings of federalism in order to please the Bloc Québécois.
If this is the case, and the
$41.2-million federal-provincial health-care agreement doesn't
suggest otherwise, we might see a government spending money without
having a real plan other than the one to please the NDP, and give
away Ottawa's power in order to please the Bloc.
This is going to be interesting
because the NDP has to deal with its electoral promises to change
the electoral system, while the Liberals have to deal with their
strategy to go along with the Americans with the missile defense
plan.
The question is: where is Paul
Martin's plan for the country? Where is his organization? Where is
his party? Is the federal government becoming like an auto-maker and
using an auto-parts company to deliver the product according to the
demand of the market, or will Prime Minister Martin be like Tarzan
jumping from one tree to another with his only plan not to fall
down, but without knowing where to go?
This week, the government will give
some clear indication on its direction. There are some rumours
(coming from NDP quarters) about a "secret" agreement between the
Bloc and the Conservatives to crush the government in a year; others
are talking about a possible deal between Liberals and the Bloc.
A lot of rumours are flying around
Ottawa these days. There's a lot of excitement and a lot of
confusion with a government that has no loyalty around and no
visible plan in place yet. In the coming weeks it is going to be
much more exciting for the media and the opposition, but definitely
not for the concerned citizens. By the spring, the Gomery Inquiry
will be in full swing and there are rumours that Martin's
strategists are organizing a leadership review for next March.
If this is true, it is obvious that
they do not feel comfortable (the understatement of the year) with
the situation within the Liberal Party and they want to get rid of
this procedure before the internal opposition can be
better-organized. I'm sure they will succeed. Martin's organizers
will be doing what they are very good at: fighting Liberals |
