The new guard

Yesterday, the Liberal Party of Canada issued a statement on this whole business of Jean Chretien winning his case against Justice John Gomery.

The statement makes very clear that this version of the Liberal party has very little to do with a certain prime minister named Paul Martin. Note the first part of the first sentence.

"The Liberal Party of Canada has always held that the judicial process should be allowed to take its course with regards to the sponsorship program, and we are extremely pleased that former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and his former Chief of Staff Jean Pelletier have been completely cleared by the Federal Court."

For the record, it was Chretien's Liberal party who believed that "letting the judicial process take its course" was enough to deal with the sponsorship program. It was Martin's Liberal party, circa 2003-05, which believed that position wasn't sufficient -- that a full-fledged inquiry was needed.

Liberals at large are still deeply divided on whether the Gomery inquiry was a good idea. But I read that statement yesterday to be saying that the current occupants of the party office -- the people who wrote those words -- are not divided at all in thinking it was a bad idea. Yes, Paul Martin has left the building.

Comments

[wascally wabbit]

Yup...
And like Elvis...there are probably folks that think he's alive and living in say..Brazil...or Haiti...or the Dominican Republic...
Heck - there have been putative Martin sightings all over...

[Joan Tintor]

Your link seems off.

I think this one works.

http://www.liberal.ca/story_14127_e.aspx