Clock ticking on Martin's leadership
by Romeo St. Martin

[PoliticsWatch posted 5:00 p.m. September 23, 2004]

Liberal MP Maurizio Bevilacqua is reportedly already laying the groundwork to replace Prime Minister Paul Martin.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Paul Martin returned from New York and woke up Thursday morning to discover he was now living in a different world. 

"Liberals quietly fashioning shadow campaign," read the headline on the front page of Thursday's Globe and Mail. 

The Globe reports Liberal sources as saying former cabinet ministers Martin Cauchon and Maurizio Bevilacqua, both of whom were dropped by Martin when he came into power in December, were working behind the scenes to create leadership teams to replace Martin in the future. 

"The behind-the-scenes activity is an indication that Mr. Martin's iron grip on the party is beginning to shift subtly as some Liberals begin to question his leadership style and his performance in office," wrote Globe political reporter Jane Taber. 

The story is the first published confirmation that Martin's leadership of the party is actively being challenged. 

While Cauchon is no longer an MP - stepping aside earlier this year to allow Transport Minister Jean Lapierre to run in his very winnable Outremont riding - Bevilacqua is a 15-year veteran in the Liberal caucus. 

Bevilacqua, a Toronto-area MP, has received more notoriety for being excluded from Martin's cabinet than he has for anything he did while he was a cabinet minister for two years. Despite being the first MP to back Martin's bid to lead the Liberal Party in 1990, Bevilacqua was left out of Martin's cabinet reportedly for the poor relationship he has with some in the PM's inner circle of advisors. 

As they entered a cabinet meeting at the Lester B. Pearson Building in Ottawa on Thursday, a number of long-time Paul Martin's backers who are now in cabinet moved to downplay the fact that fellow Liberals are already organizing against their leader. 

"Well I think it's a good thing that they're very young because they'll have a long wait," said Veterans Affairs Minister Albina Guarnieri of fortysomethings Cauchon and Bevilacqua.

"I think all people are free to do what they choose to do," said Treasury Board President Reg Alcock. "Nobody's come and talked to me." 

And Human Resources Minister Joe Volpe went as far to say that Cauchon and Bevilacqua travelling across the country and organizing leadership teams was a good thing.

"Those people by going out and advancing the cause of the Liberal Party are just reinforcing the base and that's good," he said.

Volpe agreed with Guarnieri that the two will have to wait a while before they can replace Martin, saying he will be the party's leader "for a generation."

News of the potential leadership bids by the two Liberals represents another example of what Martin is quickly discovering since winning a minority government in June - the most serious challenges to his grip on power appear not to be coming the opposition side but within his own ranks. 

Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper have kept relatively low profiles since the federal election and have not levelled that many punches against Martin. 

NDP Leader Jack Layton has been the most active among the opposition leaders, but even his attacks on the government on missile defence have not been as effective as those of Liberals. 

Last month, the Liberal summer caucus retreat in Ottawa was overshadowed by Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish's comments against Canada's planned participation in the missile defence program. She suggested Canada joining the U.S. plan would be akin to joining a "coalition of idiots." 

The story stayed in the news for an extra day when Martin asked Parrish to apologize and the maverick MP refused. Martin ruled out sanctioning Parrish for her defiance.

And this week, despite having the support of all the premiers, territorial leaders and little criticism from the three opposition parties for the new health accord, Martin's greatest criticism emerged from Liberals, including Bevilacqua and former deputy prime minister John Manley. 

Manley, who is considered a party leadership hopeful, said in an interview with CanWest News the $41 billion health accord gave too many special exemptions to Quebec and its price tag puts the government at risk of running a deficit. 

Both Martin and Finance Minister Ralph Goodale have said the government can afford to pay for the added health expenditures due to better-than-expected economic growth numbers and from savings derived from Revenue Minister John McCallum's program review, which aims to slice $12 billion in low-priority government department spending.

"I always listen very carefully to the good advice from all former finance ministers," Goodale said speaking with reporters on Thursday. "And Mr. Manley is offering a good point about being cautious and all finance ministers always are."

Martin responded to criticisms from Bevilacqua and Manley about the asymmetrical federalism aspect of the health accord, which allowed Quebec a special side deal, and how it may weaken the federal government.

"There is no devolution of powers," he after Thursday's Cabinet meeting. "Quebec is acting within its own jurisdiction. They were both part of a government that in fact saw the establishment not only of the national health council, but the health council in Quebec." 

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