The period between Paul Martin's assumption of the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada on November 14, 2003, and the 2004 federal election being called on May 23, 2004, saw a considerable amount of infighting within the party. The divisions in the Liberal Party, a united Conservative opposition, and damaging allegations from the Gomery Inquiry, all combined to end twelve continuous years of Liberal rule. For other uses, see Paul Martin (disambiguation). ... The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada), colloquially known as the Grits (originally Clear Grits), is a Canadian federal political party positioned around the centre of the political spectrum, combining a generally progressive social policy with moderate economics. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Canadian federal election, 2004 (more formally, the 38th general election), was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... The Conservative Party of Canada (French: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a right-of-centre political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. ... The Gomery Commission, formally the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, is a federal Canadian commission headed by the retired Justice John Gomery for the purpose of investigating the sponsorship scandal, which involves allegations of corruption within the Canadian government. ... The 2006 Canadian federal election (more formally, the 39th General Election) was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ...

Traditionally the Liberals have been the most unified of Canada's major parties. There was considerable internal fighting within the Progressive Conservative Party, especially during the leaderships of John Diefenbaker, Joe Clark, and Kim Campbell. More recently, the Canadian Alliance suffered highly public internal strife during Stockwell Day's leadership (see Democratic Representative Caucus), and even the newly united Conservative Party of Canada was rocked by several defections. The Liberal Party, however, had traditionally seen heated but soon forgotten leadership contests that did not harm party unity. The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC) was a Canadian centre-right conservative political party that existed from 1867 to 2003. ... John George Diefenbaker, CH , PC , QC , BA , MA , LL.B , LL.D , DCL , FRSC , FRSA , D.Litt , DSL (September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the thirteenth Prime Minister of Canada (1957 – 1963). ... Joe Clark (born Charles Joseph Clark on June 5, 1939 in High River, Alberta) was the sixteenth prime minister of Canada from June 4, 1979, to March 3, 1980. ... --142. ... The Canadian Alliance (in full, the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance) was a Canadian right-of-centre conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. ... Hon. ... Democratic Reform Association logo The Democratic Representative Caucus was a group of Canadian Members of Parliament who left the Canadian Alliance in 2001 in protest against the leadership of Stockwell Day. ... The Conservative Party of Canada (French: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a right-of-centre political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. ...

1990 Convention

A notable exception was the period after John Turner was elected leader; when runner-up and Trudeau-loyalist Jean Chrétien campaigned to replace Turner due to the latter's ineffectiveness against the Mulroney government. Chrétien and Martin squared off in the 1990 leadership convention after Turner resigned, with Martin being acknowledged as the ideological successor to Turner. John Napier Turner (born June 7, 1929) was the seventeenth Prime Minister of Canada from June 30, 1984 to September 17, 1984. ... Pierre Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984. ... Jean Chrétien (born January 11, 1934), was the twentieth Prime Minister of Canada, serving from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003. ... Map of the Popular Vote with bar graphs showing seat totals in the provinces and territories The Canadian Parliament after the 1988 election The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... Martin Brian Mulroney (born March 20, 1939), known as Brian Mulroney, was the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993. ... The first three leaders of the Liberal Party of Canada were not chosen at a convention. ...

The Meech Lake Accord had been a potentially divisive issue for the Liberals. Trudeau came out of retirement to campaign against the Accord, while Turner and Martin declared their support for it. While Turner had privately opposed many of Trudeau's policies while in Cabinet, Meech Lake was seen as one of the signs of open disagreement among both factions. The Meech Lake Accord was a set of failed constitutional amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the provincial premiers, including Robert Bourassa, premier of Quebec. ...

Chrétien himself said that he never forgave Martin for some of the "wounds" that the latter inflicted; the most notable was during a leadership debate when Martin forced Chrétien to reveal his stance on Meech Lake. Although Chrétien was known as a staunch federalist, he had tried to avoid taking a stand on the controversial Accord and being forced to declare his opposition made him unpopular in his home province of Quebec.

Although Chrétien won on the first ballot, Martin had a strong second-place showing which allowed him to force concessions. Martin played a major role in drafting policy during the 1993 federal election and he was appointed Finance Minister after the Liberals were elected. The Red Book, officially titled Creating Opportunity: The Liberal Plan for Canada was the platform of the Liberal Party of Canada in the 1993 Canadian election. ... Popular vote map with bar graphs showing seat totals in the provinces and territories. ...

Chrétien government

The Liberals were re-elected with a thin majority in the 1997 campaign, although none of the other parties were large enough to form a strong opposition. Several MPs such as Reg Alcock had opposed the timing of the vote, in wake of the devestating Red River Flood in Manitoba. Others felt that it was too early to call an election, since the government had only been in power for three and a half years, and the resulting drop in Liberal support likely undermined confidence in Chrétien's leadership of the party. 36th Parliament The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... Hon. ... Cairn in Grand Forks commemorating the 1997 flood The Red River Flood of 1997 was a major flood that occurred in April and May 1997, along the Red River of the North in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba. ...

Rumours of a division between Chrétien and Martin intensified around the 2000 election, with Martin's supporters wanting to take over before the campaign. However, the party's overall success in increasing its winning margin (at the expense of all the other political parties) persuaded Chrétien to stay on. The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000. ...

Chrétien-Martin split

Martin worked hard to become the clear successor to Jean Chrétien, ensuring that most of the institutions of the Liberal Party were controlled by his allies. The split opened wider, however, in the summer of 2002 when Chrétien tried to curtail Martin's open campaigning for the leadership. What ensued is of some debate. Martin claims that he was fired from cabinet by Chrétien, which is what was widely reported in the media, while Chrétien claims that Martin had resigned. In either case, Martin's departure from cabinet aided his leadership campaign since he did not have to disclose donors, unlike Martin's rivals (John Manley, Allan Rock, and Sheila Copps) who were still in cabinet and were thus obliged to follow the rules. Martin's influence and the backlash from his dismissal compelled Chrétien to set a date for his retirement. Jean Chrétien (born January 11, 1934), was the twentieth Prime Minister of Canada, serving from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003. ... For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ... Former Canadian MP John Manley John Paul Manley, PC , BA , LL.B is a Canadian lawyer, businessperson and politician, was born on January 5, 1950 in Ottawa. ... Allan Rock at the UN General Assembly, speaking on the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme Allan Rock, PC, BA , LL.B. (born August 30, 1947) is a Canadian politician and diplomat. ... Hon. ...

Shortly before Chrétien stepped down, Parliament passed a law that banned parties from accepting campaign contributions from corporations, as well as granting parties a subsidy based on their share of popular vote from the most recent election. While viewed positively among the public as an electoral reform after some early revelations of Adscam, Bill C-24 was opposed by many of his own MPs who saw it as a poison pill since it effectively cut off the main source of funding for the Liberals; they had enjoyed the majority of company donations for the last decade due to a disunited opposition. While the opposition parties were well poised to reap the benefits of Bill C-24 due to their established grassroots fund raising, the Liberal machine were caught unprepared for this change and this would hamper them in the 2004 and 2006 campaigns, leaving them in heavy debt. The sponsorship scandal, AdScam, or Sponsorgate, is an ongoing scandal that came as a result of a Canadian federal government sponsorship program (sometimes capitalized) in the province of Quebec, originally rationalized as an effort to raise Canadian patriotic sentiments to counter Quebec separatism. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Poison pill is a term referring to any strategy, generally in business or politics, which attempts to avoid a negative outcome by increasing the costs of the negative outcome to those who seek it. ...

Martin's Cabinet

In November 2003, Martin was elected as Liberal leader and became Prime Minister in December. The first three leaders of the Liberal Party of Canada were not chosen at a convention. ...

While the issue of the party leadership was settled, at the lower levels unprecedented intraparty warfare began. About half of the cabinet had been replaced, the highest in Canadian history for a ruling party undergoing a leadership change. Most of Chrétien's loyal cabinet ministers were relegated to the backbenches. Ministers such as John Manley, Allan Rock, Don Boudria, David Collenette, and Sheila Copps, who had spent a decade running one of the most popular and successful governments in Canadian history, were reduced to minor roles or compelled to take patronage appointments, and many of them decided to leave politics for the private sector. Former Canadian MP John Manley John Paul Manley, PC , BA , LL.B is a Canadian lawyer, businessperson and politician, was born on January 5, 1950 in Ottawa. ... Allan Rock at the UN General Assembly, speaking on the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme Allan Rock, PC, BA , LL.B. (born August 30, 1947) is a Canadian politician and diplomat. ... The Honourable Donald Don Boudria, PC (born August 30, 1949, in Hull, Quebec) is a former Canadian politician. ... The Honourable David Michael Collenette, PC , MA , BA (born June 24, 1946 in London) was a Canadian politician representing the Liberal Party of Canada from 1974 to 2004. ... Hon. ...

Besides excluding experienced Chrétien supporters from cabinet, Martin also outraged many of them by guaranteeing his Star candidates powerful cabinet posts, despite many being newcomers to federal politics. In Canada, a star candidate refers to a high profile individual who has been recruited as a candidate by a political party. ...

Some Chrétien loyalists remained as backbenchers. In some cases, they were defeated in the riding nomination process, with widespread allegations of tampering by Martin supporters. Unlike in previous elections, incumbent Liberals were not automatically granted their local nomination.

Sponsorship Scandal

Chrétien's supporters have suggested that Martin has used the sponsorship scandal as a pretense to remove many Chrétien supporters, such as André Ouellet, Alfonso Gagliano, and Jean Pelletier, from their positions in government, crown corporations, and the party. The Chrétien camp contends that the Gomery commission was set up to make them look bad, and that it was not a fair investigation. The scandal also cast skepticism on Martin's cabinet appointments, prompting speculation Martin was simply ridding the government of Chrétien's supporters to distance the Liberals from the scandal. The sponsorship scandal, AdScam, or Sponsorgate, is an ongoing scandal that came as a result of a Canadian federal government sponsorship program (sometimes capitalized) in the province of Quebec, originally rationalized as an effort to raise Canadian patriotic sentiments to counter Quebec separatism. ... André Ouellet (born April 6, 1939) is the former president of Canada Post, and a long time Liberal politician in Canada. ... Alfonso Gagliano The Dishonourable Alfonso Gagliano, PC (born January 25, 1942) is a Canadian accountant and Liberal Party politician. ... Jean Pelletier (born February 21, 1935 in Chicoutimi, Quebec) is a Canadian political operative and former head of VIA Rail. ...

The first volume of the Gomery Report, released on November 1, 2005, cleared Martin of any wrong doing while placing blame for the scandal on Chrétien. However, many have criticized the Gomery Inquiry as not having the scope to assign criminal responsibility for the Scandal or to investigate Martin's role, and indeed some have accused Martin of purposely "tying Gomery's hands." While the Gomery Report: Phase 1 exonerated Martin from responsibility and liability for the misspending of public funds, Chrétien has decided to take an action in Federal Court to review the commission report on the grounds that Gomery showed a "reasonable apprehension of bias", and that some conclusions didn't have an "evidentiary" basis. [1] The Gomery Commission, formally the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, is a federal Canadian commission headed by the retired Justice John Gomery for the purpose of investigating the sponsorship scandal, which involves allegations of corruption within the Canadian government. ...

The controversy over responsibility for Chrétien's legal fees also proved another potentially divisive issue; many of Martin's ministers wanted to deny Chrétien further federal aid while such a position would anger many Chrétien loyalists.

Nomination battles

In Canadian federal politics, would-be electoral candidates will generally seek the nomination of their chosen party within the local constituency. The nominee is chosen by members of the party within the constituency, and consequently the candidates attempt to sign up as many new members as possible to support them prior to the nomination meeting. In previous elections, incumbent Liberal Members of Parliament (MPs) were protected from nomination challenges; this rule was not applied in 2004, especially towards Chrétien supporters. Martin claimed that he wanted to make the process more democratic, but he was heavily criticized when he overruled the new process to parachute in his handpicked Star candidates, often against the wishes of the local riding association. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... In Canada, a star candidate refers to a high profile individual who has been recruited as a candidate by a political party. ...

The highest profile battle was in the riding of Hamilton East—Stoney Creek between former Deputy Prime Minister and leadership candidate Sheila Copps and Martin loyalist and newly-appointed Minister of Transport Tony Valeri. Copps was one of the most noted representatives of the party's left wing, and had been a leading Liberal for decades, but lost the nomination battle, which she blamed on dirty tricks. Hamilton East—Stoney Creek is a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons, and located in the province of Ontario. ... Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister (2003-2006) The Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (French: Vice-premier ministre du Canada) is an honourary position in the Canadian government, conferred at the discretion of the Prime Minister on a member of the Cabinet. ... Hon. ... In the Cabinet of Canada, the Minister of Transport (French: Ministre des Transports) is responsible for overseeing the federal governments transportation regulatory and development department, Transport Canada. ... -1...

In several ridings, the nomination battles resulted in the splitting the Liberal vote, as disgruntled party members supported the Conservatives or NDP, costing the Liberals several otherwise safe seats.

Other battles happened across the country:

• Charles Caccia, the longest serving MP, was forced out by Martin loyalist Mario Silva; Caccia initially planned to run as an independent candidate against Silva, but bowed out of the race before the election because his candidacy may have split the Liberal vote.
• In the merged riding of Mississauga—Erindale, Chrétien loyalist Steve Mahoney lost to Martinite Carolyn Parrish. Parrish was later kicked out of the Liberal caucus.
• In Ottawa Centre, Penny Collenette chose not run for the Liberal Party nomination. Martin advisor Richard Mahoney won the nomination and went on to lose to Ed Broadbent.
• Ottawa South opponents of David McGuinty, brother of Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, were allegedly given only three days to recruit voters. This proved less controversial since outgoing MP John Manley was a close friend of Premier McGuinty.
• Incumbent Eugène Bellemare lost the Ottawa—Orléans nomination to Marc Godbout.
• Incumbent Ivan Grose lost the Oshawa nomination to Louise Parkes, who in turn was beaten by Conservative Colin Carrie.
• In the merged riding of Welland, Tony Tirabassi was defeated by John Maloney.
• In Burnaby—Douglas, Martin supporter Bill Cunningham, a former president of the Liberal Party of Canada (British Columbia), was directly appointed by the party leader without allowing a vote; the entire riding association executive resigned in protest. Cunningham was defeated by NDP's Bill Siksay.
• Steven Hogue, a Chrétien supporter, was disallowed from running in Chrétien's former riding of Saint-Maurice—Champlain purportedly because Martin wanted women to be nominated in winnable ridings in Quebec. The eventual nominee, Marie-Eve Bilodeau, received some tepid support from Chrétien, in one of his few campaign appearances, but Bilodeau was heavily defeated by the Bloc.
• Lisette Lepage was forced to run in a stronghold of the Bloc Québécois, Charlevoix—Montmorency, because she (as well as two other women) were denied the chance to run in the safe Liberal riding of Beauport as it was reserved for Martin loyalist and former MP Dennis Dawson. Dawson was defeated by a two to one margin.
• After Martin appointed Ruby Dhalla over local candidates in Brampton—Springdale, the Liberal riding association decided to back New Democratic Party candidate Kathy Pounder.