KLEIN
GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGNING TO CHANGE ITS
RELATIONSHIP WITH OTTAWA
DONNA
MCGILLICUT (CBR): The Klein government
has started to publicly roll out its
campaign to change its relationship
with Ottawa. There is a growing discontent
in the province with all things federal.
Even people in his own party say Premier
Ralph Klein ignores that discontent
at his own payroll.
Reporter
Scott Dipple takes a closer look at
Alberta's escalating war of words
with Ottawa.
SCOTT
DIPPLE (Reporter): Some people
in Alberta start screaming and their
blood begins to foil when they hear
words like Kyota, or Kyoto, the Gun
Registry, the Wheat Board. Well, Sheriff,
I mean Premier Ralph Klein is working
on a plan to deal with the frustration
in the sense of alienation
people
have with the Liberal Government in
distant Ottawa. The first step is
a three-point plan. In a speech earlier
this week, Klein snapped his finger
saying Prime Minister Chrétien
could take these actions just like
that, and Albertans could feel a whole
lot better.
RALPH
KLEIN (Premier of Alberta): These
are very very simple things that Ottawa
can do without changing any laws,
without changing any regulations.
They can do it simply as a matter
of policy.
DIPPLE:
Klein wants the Prime Minister to
appoint Senate nominees from the provinces.
He wants annual First Ministers meetings,
and he wants Ottawa to consult the
provinces on international treaties
that affect them directly; treaties
like the Kyoto Protocol. However,
in the scrum with reporters after
that speech, Klein said there is one
reason these three ideas aren't being
seized upon by Jean Chrétien.
KLEIN:
The only thing that's holding the
Prime Minister back is political,
it's a political mind set.
DIPPLE:
And what followed was some rather
sharp sniping between Premier Klein
and Prime Minister Chrétien.
JEAN
CHRÉTIEN (Prime Minister of
Canada): Stay out of our business
when it comes to the delivery of health
care; outside of those things that
are mandated through the Canada Health
Act. But you know, we're sending them
money for health care. Perhaps we
should keep the money. I don't get
involved with the Canadian embassies
abroad, or the consulates. So I'm
saying in a sense, stay out of our
business! For me, you write letters
to ambassadors. It's not doing business.
We don't get involved in your jurisdiction.
We don't mess around with the CBC,
the RCMP, the Criminal Code, the Canadian
Army, the Foreign Affairs We have
some responsibilities, and he has
his. Stay out of our business and
we'll all get along!
DIPPLE:
Okay. So it sounds funny and grabs
the headlines. But the verbal duelling
between these two political heavy
weights isn't solving any of the problems
between the governments in Edmonton
and Ottawa.
At
that same speech this week, Klein
also said one of Alberta's two Liberal
MPs gets it, that he understands Albertans
frustrations. Kilgour who has written
about Western alienation, says Klein's
sniping with Ottawa won't really hurt
the situation.
DAVID
KILGOUR (Liberal MP): He's the
dean of the premiers; he's he speaks
for Albertans on most issues most
of the time and people here know that.
And so when he makes a statement like
that, some people will say it's rhetoric,
others will say he's quite right.
DIPPLE:
The Edmonton MP takes part in several
different caucuses in the Liberal
Party ensuring Alberta's perspective
is heard in Ottawa. Kilgour says when
he hears those views, the reception
he gets differs, depending on which
caucus meeting he's at.
KILGOUR:
Well, it's very good, of course, in
the Alberta caucus. It's I'd say it
tends to be good, but not quite as
good in the Western-Northern caucus.
In the Western-Northern ministers
group weekly meetings there is I think
those are extremely receptive to the
ideas of Albertans and British Columbians,
people from from Saskatchewan and
Manitoba. And in the Cabinet In the
Cabinet sometimes there is a very
good hearing, sometimes, frankly,
there isn't such a good hearing. But
that's that's political life, I guess.
DIPPLE:
So while Kilgour is doing his job,
even he says sometimes the message
isn't getting through. Maybe the reality
check this week was that after the
Prime Minister returned Ralph Klein's
fire, it was another Ralph, a federal
one, who sees reasons to be positive
about the future. Ralph Goodale is
the Public Works Minister. He's also
responsible for the Wheat Board and
is Chrétien's lead master in
Saskatchewan. He concedes Ralph Klein
isn't necessarily asking for the moon.
For example, he doesn't think consulting
the provinces on treaties is a big
deal. But he's not keen on giving
anyone long-term appointments to the
Senate.
Perhaps
of greater significance, Ralph Goodale
is also a close friend of Paul Martin,
the front runner in the Liberal leadership
race. And maybe that's why when it
comes to dealing with Western alienation,
Goodale starts talking about what
Paul Martin wants to do about it.
RALPH
GOODALE (PWGSC Minister): What
you can do more rapidly is some of
the changes in the House of Commons
with the parliamentary changes that
Mr Martin ahs talked about, with with
more free votes and more power in
the hands of individual members of
Parliament, whether they are on the
government side or on the opposition
side, which could enhance the day-to-day
functioning of our democracy.
DIPPLE:
Ralph Klein pushes for what Ottawa
can do for him. He has ministers working
on other items, things the provincial
government may try on its own.
They
include examining the cost benefits
of replacing the RCMP with an Alberta
police force; opting out of the Canada
pension plan, and levying its own
provincial income tax. But Klein may
also be by what's happening in other
provinces, other provinces who are
also turning up the heat for changes
in the Confederation deal.
If
you thought Jean Charest's election
meant Quebec is going to be a lot
quieter, think again! That province
is going to launch a full-square attack
to get more money from Ottawa. There
was a riot in New Brunswick this week
because of changes in the crab fishery.
And then, there is Newfoundland and
Labrador.
KLEIN:
What we're seeking to do is to strengthen
and renew our place in Canada because
it clearly needs some strengthening,
it clearly needs some renewal.
DIPPLE:
Newfoundland's Premier, Roger Grimes,
is talking about the thing no one
in Ottawa wants to do: reopen the
Constitution to give the province
more control over our natural resource.
No wonder Premier Klein quickly jumped
to support Grimes' position. It's
a complaint most premiers can relate
to these days.
In
the meantime, no one, least of all
Premier Klein, is holding their breath
that anything is going to change in
Ottawa until there is a new boss at
24 Sussex Drive. It's certainly promising
to see some of the federal Liberal
leadership candidates recently talk
about some of these ideas. But we'll
have to wait and see if their comments
lead to actual changes.
For
Friday Scrum, I'm Scott Dipple, in
Calgary.
