Taking stock of the latest Prime Minister (plus a late-breaking news flash!)

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Apr 16, 2004

In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected the thirty-second President of the United States of America amidst the worst economic depression the country or the modern world had ever seen. His first act was to lay out a bold plan for his first one hundred days in office, during which he would take unprecedented actions to restore the people's faith in the government and the economy.

Since that time it has become fashionable to examine and evaluate not only U.S. presidents but also Prime Ministers' first hundred days in office. In the spirit of keeping up with unimaginative media practice, this seems as good a time as any to pause and reflect on Canada's twenty-first person at the helm, Paul Martin, though admittedly he's served somewhat longer. But it has been nearly a hundred days since he first called parliament into session with himself situated firmly in the front row Prime Minister's seat.

To be fair - and to milk the comparison for all it's worth - Mr. Martin, like Roosevelt, ascended to premier power at an inauspicious moment, to say the least. As soon as the new Prime Minister opened the door to his new corner office in the Langevin Block he was greeted by an odorous pile of leftover business from the previous administration [http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/1704... ] .

Auditor General Sheila Fraser's report on the chronic abuses of power and fiscal mismanagement in the federal government had Martin spending his first few weeks in office - normally a honeymoon period for an incoming administration - fending off attacks from every pundit, pol and person - from within and without his own government.

But also like Roosevelt - and this is the end of the comparison, I promise - entering office in the midst of a crisis - or worse, crises - gives the electorate an immediate glimpse into the leadership style and even the character of its new government. And in the case of the new federal Liberal government in Ottawa, Mr. Martin is clearly found wanting.

If Prime Minister Jean Chretien was difficult to understand due to his unnerving ability to mangle the English language, Paul Martin has shown himself to be adept at using the language to say nothing. Martin is the expert with the empty statement, the impresario of the indefinite, the Aristotle of ambiguity.

Take this juicy nugget from a March 17, 2004 speech to the Chamber of Commerce in Quebec City:

Martin's Ex-Wife

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