Paul Martin

The Right Honourable Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , MP , LL.B , BA (born August 28, 1938 in Windsor, Ontario) is the Prime Minister of Canada. He is the twenty-first prime minister, having succeeded Jean Chrétien on December 12, 2003. Martin is leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and was elected in his own right with a minority government on June 28, 2004?the first minority government in twenty-four years. The Liberals won 135 of 308 seats in the Canadian House of Commons.

Minority government

Martin's new government has faced combined challenges from Quebec separatism, Newfoundland provincialism and general hostility arising from allegations of scandal. Relations with the United States grew worse and Martin had trouble commanding the support of the Commons. The first real test of the Liberal minority came following the Speech from the throne on October 5, 2004. The Conservative Party announced plans to move an amendment to the speech. In this they were supported by the separatist Bloc Québécois. and the New Democratic Party. The fall of the government was averted only when Martin agreed to accept a watered-down version of the amendment. This compromise, the first of several, established a pattern that prompted Clyde Sanger, Ottawa correspondent for The Economist, to report that Martin was being called Mr. Dithers in Ottawa. http://economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3669408

Related Topics:
Speech from the throne - October 5 - 2004 - Conservative Party - Bloc Québécois - New Democratic Party - The Economist

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At the First Ministers' Meeting of September 13-15, 2004, Martin and the provincial premiers reached an agreement on increased funding for healthcare. It was not a "deal for a generation" as promised in the election, but it was a decade-long financial commitment that was expected to lower the heat in federal-provincial relations, which had worsened during the government of Jean Chrétien.

Related Topics:
First Ministers' Meeting - Jean Chrétien

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Martin also introduced changes to the equalization program, under which the federal government transfers money to provinces that have less ability to raise revenues through taxation than wealthier provinces. This was hailed in the "have not" provinces as a great accomplishment, but it was not enough for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Danny Williams, premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, in a dispute over revenues from offshore resources, ordered that all Canadian flags be removed from provincial government buildings in December 2004. Martin resolved the dispute by negotiating a deal to give 100 per cent of all offshore resource revenues to the two provinces. Some said that Martin caved in, in return for Williams agreeing not to support attempt to topple the fragile federal Liberals.

Related Topics:
Nova Scotia - Newfoundland and Labrador - Danny Williams

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Same-sex marriage has proven to be a defining issue of Martin's mandate. Martin, a Roman Catholic, opposed same-sex marriage in the past but changed his view over time. In the midst of various court rulings in 2003 and 2004 that allowed for the legalization of same-sex marriages in seven provinces and one territory, his government proposed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage across Canada. The House of Commons passed the Civil Marriage Act in late June 2005, and the Senate passed it in July 2005, making Canada the fourth country in the world to allow same-sex marriages. Some critics claim that there were more serious problems with Canada's justice system to deal with. Others have suggested that Martin was using the same-sex marriage issue to hide the sponsorship scandal and attack the Conservative Party.

Related Topics:
Same-sex marriage - Roman Catholic - Same-sex marriage across Canada - House of Commons - Civil Marriage Act - Senate

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The 2005 federal budget was presented in the House of Commons on February 23, 2005. It was criticized as an "election budget" in that it allocated funds for a wide variety of programs which was seen by some as an attempt to attract support to the Liberal Party. The budget included an array of new spending for the armed forces, the environment and for a national child care program. It also included tax cuts, over the next five years. Much of the budget, and particularly the tax cuts, has been described by some critics as "back-loaded"?that is, Canadians will have to wait many years to see the promised cuts - if they see them at all.

Related Topics:
2005 federal budget - February 23 - 2005

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Public hearings of the Gomery Commission inquiry into the sponsorship scandal involving alleged kickbacks and "donations" from Quebec advertising agencies and corporations to Liberal Party operatives led to a drop in the Liberal Party's popularity. However, public hearings have ended, and a report is not expected before late 2005.

Related Topics:
Sponsorship scandal - Quebec

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Recently, the security of the minority government came under fire as the Opposition, the Conservative Party threatened to force an election by use of their "opposition day," when they get to set the Parliament's agenda. The Conservatives would use this time to hold a vote of no confidence in order to topple Martin's minority government. To avoid this, Martin removed all opposition days from the schedule and made a public appearance on April 21, 2005, to attempt to gain support from the Canadian people to let the inquiry run its course before an election is called. In the rebuttal speeches by the opposition party leaders, Jack Layton of the New Democratic Party offered his party's support provided that they were given major concessions in the budget such as cancelling the proposed corporate tax cuts. Days later, the Liberals took the NDP up on their offer and negotiated tax cut deferments and new spending initiatives.

Related Topics:
Conservative Party - April 21 - 2005 - Jack Layton - New Democratic Party

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The situation worsened in May, when Parliament passed a motion asking one of its committees to express a lack of confidence in the government. The Liberals dismissed this as a procedural matter, causing some to accuse them of governing unlawfully by ignoring parliamentary tradition. The Conservatives and Bloc interpreted it as a vote of no confidence, and they combined their votes to shut down the House of Commons early for two days in a row. Martin drew fire when he decided to wait for several days before a confidence vote (on the budget) could be held. In the midst of the ensuing Parliamentary crisis, Martin's government was criticized for altering the budget radically to win the support of the NDP.Debate raged over increasing government expenditures, although these are unlikely to produce a deficit this year. Among the new commitments was aid for Sudan. This aid was attacked as a perceived attempt to win the vote of a single independent MP, David Kilgour. Kilgour nevertheless voted against the government.

Related Topics:
Deficit - Sudan - David Kilgour

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On May 17, 2005, Member of Parliament Belinda Stronach crossed the floor from the Conservative Party and joined the Liberal Party. Martin immediately made her Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. This event changed the balance of power in the House of Commons in favour of Martin's government and allowed it to pass the budget on May 19, 2005, by only one vote.

Related Topics:
May 17 - 2005 - Member of Parliament - Belinda Stronach - Crossed the floor - Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development - House of Commons - May 19

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On August 4, 2005, the government announced that Martin had advised Queen Elizabeth II to appoint Michaëlle Jean to the post of Governor General of Canada. The reception to the appointment was mixed. Some applauded the move, including the leader of the opposition. Some critics were upset by revelations that she had both dined with members of the former terrorist organization, FLQ, and had been warmly supportive of them in the past. Subsequent to her appointment she has reaffirmed her commitment to federalism and the issue died down - even though, in a recent press release defending herself and her past, she chose not to use the word "loyal" in describing her relationship to Canada, fueling further speculation in some quarters. The appointment of Jean was criticized by some commentators in the Canadian media as an attempt to pander to various interest groups in Quebec. Others applauded it as an attempt to undercut the Quebec sovereignty movement by appealing to the growing group of francophone immigrants in the province.

Related Topics:
Queen Elizabeth II - Michaëlle Jean - Governor General of Canada - FLQ - Quebec sovereignty movement - Francophone

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