Deep Breaths, Monsieur

Traditionally, summer is a good time for politicians to take voters’ pulse at the grass roots, play golf and sell favorite programs to relaxed constituents away from the capital’s constant sparring and media spotlight.

President Bush is at home in Texas and Canada’s Prime Minister Jean Chretien is home too, in Quebec. While Bush heard Republican rumblings over his proposed “regime change” in Iraq, Chretien faced a bubbling revolt that could force his resignation from the ruling Liberal Party’s leadership and the prime minister’s office. However, a crabby Chretien peremptorily announced he would retire in 2004.

Chretien fussed all summer over maneuverings by former Finance Minister Paul Martin to succeed him. Chretien also made some little-noticed remarks about the United States that could raise American eyebrows. As part of their identity, many Canadians maintain a mental list of differences with Americans, much like family photos in a wallet.

Even so, it seems strangely gratuitous for the embattled leader of America’s top trade partner and a key anti-terror ally to have provided a local party gathering in Chicoutimi last week with an unsolicited, distinctly uncomplimentary list of political differences with the United States. Imagine the furor if Bush grumbled publicly in Ohio about Canadian corruption and lack of term limits.

Chretien talked about his own agenda for a bit, then launched into this: “Our parliamentary system is different from that of the United States, where there is no party discipline. Where members of Congress do not run on national platforms. Where special interests pour money into individual congressional races. Where the administration cannot deliver an agreement [with Canada] on softwood lumber because it has to give in to the wishes of some senator who owes his election to American lumber producers and who threatens to use his power as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee to block other legislation of importance to the president.” (The senator: clearly Montana’s Max Baucus, not a Canada fan.)

“We don’t have a system where important judicial positions remain vacant for years because of the political games and ideological tests of Congress,” the prime minister continued. “We don’t have a system where the administration tells the world it doesn’t like the farm bill. But [it] has to give in to congressmen, who are subject not to party discipline, but to the discipline of lobbyists and the money of special-interest groups. Now that is a real democratic deficit. And we don’t need it in Canada.”

Now, we’re unaware that anyone has asked Ottawa to adopt the political system of its raucous neighbor. But we might suggest that Chretien has a relaxation deficit and needs a wee break at some lake before Quebec’s summer is gone. Also, maybe switch to decaf.