Martin takes the measure of a minority
Crises are always revealing. Last week’s brush with the brink and flirtation with defeat for the government displayed the strengths and weaknesses of the party leaders, and provided some fascinating insights into how they operate.
Martin, as he did at the health-care talks with the premiers, started with an opening position that conceded very little to the opposition parties’ agendas, apparently assuming that they were bluffing. When it became clear that they weren’t, there was a frantic burst of energy and improvisation: late- night emergency strategy meetings of senior cabinet ministers, phone calls to premiers to mobilize them against the opposition, and a final minutes-from-the-edge negotiation.
When a deal was struck, Martin’s strategists were beaming with self-congratulation, as they did after the election and the health-care meeting. The Martin Method had worked again. Sort of.
But the near-miss occurred because the Liberals had under-consulted and under-estimated the opposition, blithely assuming that they would not dare force a confrontation so early. Wrong.
Stephen Harper emerged stronger, playing his cards well. He built a strong relationship with Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe, and helped push for a key concession, telling Martin that he didn’t want his government to fall over the phraseology of a sub-amendment.
Duceppe was also strengthened by the last-minute deal that averted the government’s defeat. ) He had shrewdly set the bar very low, seeking changes to the Speech from the Throne based on what Quebec Premier Jean Charest wants, not a sovereignty agenda, and on priorities he stated in June. He proved to Harper that he could be trusted; his years of experience as a union negotiator showed.
But the NDP’s Jack Layton lost ground and lost face. He appeared desperate to keep the Liberals in power, at almost any price. He showed his fellow-opposition leaders that he can’t be relied on in a common front to extract concessions from the government, even when he has written the concessions himself. He dealt himself out of the play, revealed his weakness, and is now taken less seriously by all three of his fellow party leaders.
Can’t believe this was written in the Toronto Star. But its the way I saw it also. Stephen Harper and Duceppe sent Martin a warning shot across the bow to let him know that he can’t govern without their support. Martin will now stop pretending he has a majority government.
Good comments. But remember, Paul Martin still personally controls all of the federal appointments – especially the judges – and all of the pork. As powerful and skillful as Harper and Duceppe may look to political junkies, Canada’s descent into a corrupt and bankrupt quagmire is going to continue. The only way out of the swamp will be if some current or future premier of Alberta, Quebec or maybe Ontario decides to blow the whistle on the whole charade, take their ball and go home.