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In a democracy, a prime ministerial coronation is never a good idea. It's enough that turnout in a general election is at historic lows in Canadian history but if the governing party can't even be bothered to muster up a slate of candidates for leadership, the chances of inspiring the Canadian public are pretty slim.
With the Paul Martin money making machine well oiled, tuned up and purring like a German automobile, most sensible minded potential Liberal Prime Ministers are thinking twice about tossing their hat - and whatever piddling amounts of money they've been able to muster - into the ring. The crowning may come sooner than we think. The hands' down front runner in the election campaign has had his eye on the Liberal leadership since, well, he lost it in 1993 to long time stalwart Jean Chretien. And while it's never been made completely clear when he started building a red coup team, he most definitely has had a leg up on any other member of the party. With his expulsion (pardon me, "resignation") from cabinet last June he has been freed up to travel around doing everything to raise his profile except represent his constituents in the House of Commons. That and giving a clear idea just exactly what a Paul Martin government will look like. The biggest challenge for the country with a Martin coronation is the same problem that will be faced by the new prime minister himself: great expectations. The populace - and apparently the Liberal caucus - are so fed up with the current occupant of 24 Sussex that they'd be willing to put just about anyone else in there who doesn't own shares in a hotel adjacent to a golf course in his or her riding. The expectations many have for a Paul Martin led government seem to increase in inverse proportion to our decreased expectations for Mr. Chretien. If Chretien can do no right, Mr. Martin, some within his own caucus believe, can do no wrong. But it's dangerous to believe that any leader can cause the rivers to flow with milk and honey. Especially this one. Looking at Mr. Martin's track record in office as finance minister, one cannot help but be impressed with the bout of fiscal responsibility that overtook him and led him to finally conquer the monstrous deficit left behind by the previous administration. Whether or not a person agrees with his methods we must at least give him credit for bringing some semblance of order to the nation's bottom line.
The copyright of the article Long live King Martin
in Canadian Federal Politics is owned by . Permission to republish Long live King Martin
in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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