akeside Leader Prime Minister Paul Martin would be well advised to make the federal election call sooner than later if he hopes to avoid fallout from investigations he recently requested, says the Member of Parliament for Athabasca.
“I don’t see much in terms of him putting (the scandals) behind him,” Dave Chatters told The Leader last week. “There seems to be something every day. Last week was the Bluenose II scandal and then (word of) the $90 million that DND (the Department of National Defence) spent and didn’t get anything for.”
MPs were first told to watch for a mid-April call to the polls, “and then it was mid-June,” Chatters added.
“He’s tried to put things out of the way, so he’s got all sorts of reviews happening,” Chatters said.
He’s tried to put things out of the way, so he’s got all sorts of reviews happening,” Chatters said. But “he can’t wait that long before these (review results) come back to bite him if he doesn’t (call the election) before summer.”
Meanwhile the Martin government is merely spinning its wheels in the House of Commons, Chatters adds, when it could be making some serious gains in popularity if it wanted.
“We haven’t had a single piece of new legislation to say where he wants to take the country. He’s still dealing with the (Jean) Chretien left-overs, but there’s no sign of legislation to deal with fixing he democratic deficit, whistle-blower protection or anything.
“He’s made a lot of promises, and could be doing things to mitigate all the scandals, but he’s doing nothing. He’ obviously stalling and I don’t know why.”
Chatters says it’s reminiscent of the politics of former Prime Minister Chretien – get elected then do as you please.
Fighting for a seat
On the home front, Chatters has set his sights on a seat in the new riding of Westlock-St. Paul. To that end he’s battling three opponents who are all looking to carry the Conservative banner in the new federal riding that extends from Westlock east to the Saskatchewan border near Cold Lake. That comes after Chatters' farm was excluded from the Athabasca constituency with the redrawing of federal boundaries.
The contest “seems to be more about selling party memberships than record or vision,” he says. That said, however, the MP says he’s ‘reasonably confident’ he’ll win the nomination. That’ll happen at four nominating meetings that are planned for Mar. 22, 23, and 24.

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