Toronto, Dec 12: Canada's incoming Prime Minister has vowed to improve relations with the United States, strained under outgoing leader Jean Chretien and his refusal to join the war in Iraq. Yet Paul Martin's term looked headed for a rocky beginning with Washington, even before it starts.
On the eve of his inauguration today, he spoke out against US President George W. Bush's plan to bar countries not in the US-led coalition in Iraq from bidding on lucrative contracts for the nation's rebuilding.
Martin said yesterday he found Bush's decision "difficult to fathom" and said he planned to raise the issue with American officials after taking office.
It will be only one item on a long agenda as he becomes Canada's 21st Prime Minister. Martin's first task, however, will be to announce an almost entirely new slate of ministers to distance himself from the Chretien government.
Chretien, who turns 70 in January, agreed to step down earlier than he planned in February after pressure from Martin, Liberal Party members and opposition parties.
Toward bettering relations with Washington, Martin has promised to form a Cabinet-level committee dedicated to Canadian-American relations. The overture marks one way his style differs from the roughhewn populism of his predecessor.
Martin, 65, entered politics in 1988 after a career heading Canada steamship lines. His father, also named Paul, was a long-serving cabinet minister who lost bids for the liberal party leadership. Bureau Report