Chretien flexes muscle with shakeup of Cabinet

Associated Press

OTTAWA — Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien has carried out his most sweeping Cabinet shuffle ever, serving notice that — at age 68 and after eight years in office — he’s still firmly in charge and has no plans to retire.

"I had a walk in the snow last night, and I’m staying," he quipped, referring to the famous nocturnal ramble by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau just before he decided to step down.

Seven ministers were dropped in the reshuffle on Tuesday, 10 new ones were appointed and 13 of those who stayed switched jobs.

Liberal Party insiders acknowledged the shuffle was calculated to persuade doubters that Chretien remains in charge and has no short-term plans to retire.

The biggest change was a promotion for Foreign Minister John Manley, who spearheaded Canada’s anti-terrorism efforts after Sept. 11. He became deputy prime minister, replacing retiring lawmaker Herb Gray.

As well as standing in for Chretien when he’s away, Manley will continue to oversee anti-terrorist policy, infrastructure and a number of state corporations.

Manley was replaced as foreign minister by Bill Graham, chairman of the House of Commons’ foreign affairs committee.

Public Works Minister Alfonso Gagliano, who has been under fire over allegations of political meddling in the state-controlled Canada Lands Co., was made ambassador to Denmark. Chretien said the change was unrelated to the allegations and that Gagliano had planned to leave politics anyway.

Rahim Jaffer, deputy leader of the opposition Canadian Alliance, said the shuffle won’t stop allegations of political meddling in state-controlled corporations.

"The questions that linger over the questionable dealings, arrogance, incompetence, still remain," Jaffer said.

Rumors of a shuffle had been percolating in Ottawa for weeks. The big decision for Chretien was whether to press several veterans — including Gray and Gagliano — to quit and make room for fresh blood.

But Chretien, who has been in office since 1993, signaled he was not leaving anytime soon with his reference to the late Trudeau, one of Canada’s most charismatic leaders. Trudeau, who died in September 2000, served as prime minister from 1968 to 1984, with a brief break in 1979. He announced his resignation after a stroll through a snowstorm, saying, "I listened to my heart and saw if there were any signs of my destiny in the sky, and there were none — there were just snowflakes."

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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