Vanclief to exit politics
By Derek Baldwin
Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 10:00
Local News - It appears Prime Minister Jean Chretien isn’t the only one preparing to pack it in Friday after years of fighting in the political trenches.
Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief will not run in the spring election and will retire from political life in Ottawa, high-ranking Liberal sources have told The Intelligencer.
After four terms as Prince Edward-Hastings MP — two of which he served in cabinet since 1997 — Vanclief will not seek re-election in a federal political contest widely expected to be held in the spring, claim senior party members.
A senior Liberal said Vanclief is also “being passed over for a cabinet post” by incoming prime minister Paul Martin who — after wrangling with Prime Minister Jean Chretien for years — will assume leadership of the country Friday.
Martin will name his cabinet selection Friday after the official departure of Chretien in the morning; the unofficial cabinet list has been circulating among Liberal party members in Ottawa and Vanclief is not on it, sources say.
The Intelligencer was unable to confirm or deny rumours that Chretien may name Vanclief a senator before he leaves office Friday.
Party insiders in the riding, meanwhile, claim Vanclief has been snubbed simply because he remained loyal to the man who appointed him and was then caught in the middle of a backroom power struggle between Chretien and Martin last year in which critics claimed Martin was setting up a parallel government while the nation waited for Chretien to retire Dec. 12.
Vanclief couldn’t be reached for comment last night as he returned to Canada from New Delhi, India, where he helped lead a trade mission while rounding out a tour of Europe and the Far East.
Sources say Vanclief did not give any specific reasons for his departure, but they confirmed he told senior riding association members in recent weeks he is stepping down at the end of this term.
Vanclief did indicate, they say, that he could use a long-needed respite from years of world travel, international summits, and from the pressure of responding to a series of farm-related crises that have dogged his ministry since he assumed the post six years ago.
Despite successfully securing cabinet approval for billions in farm disaster relief funding and laying the groundwork for a national agricultural vision for Canada, Vanclief was vilified by some farmers hit with drought in the west, too much rain in the east, plummeting market prices, foreign farm subsidies and a mad cow crisis this year that closed the American border to Canadian beef producers.
In an interview from Ottawa, Vanclief’s press secretary Donald Belanger said he wasn’t aware of any intentions by Vanclief to voluntarily exit his post on the Hill at term’s end.
In fact, Belanger said Vanclief was prepared to work in the new cabinet if offered a ministry portfolio by Martin.
“I cannot confirm that information,” said Belanger. “He (Vanclief) said he would be pleased to be part of Martin’s cabinet. Is that going to happen? We will find out on Friday. We don’t know.”
Belanger said he was aware of the swirl of media speculation about Vanclief’s future.
Farming weeklies, daily newspapers and television news broadcasters have reported different opinions on what Friday’s announcement will hold for Vanclief.
Toronto papers have predicted Vanclief will be ousted but CTV’s “Question Period” recently said Vanclief would be a survivor of the old Chretien regime and form part of the cabinet transition to the Martin government.
Other official aides to Vanclief remain closemouthed about Vanclief’s plans.
Staff at his Belleville constituency office said this week they have no knowledge of his imminent retirement and Prince Edward-Hastings Federal Liberal Riding Association president Bob Langeland didn’t return phone calls.
Another source, who declined to be identified, said Vanclief may have been planning for his retirement only days after he won his fourth term in the last election in the fall of 2000.
Contrary to his custom of saving election signs for future contests, after the last election Vanclief disposed of his campaign placards.
Whatever the case, members of the national, provincial and local farming communities who have worked with Vanclief over the years told The Intelligencer Wednesday that if reports of his leaving prove true, the federal government will lose a highly-competent minister.
By Derek Baldwin
Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 10:00
Local News - It appears Prime Minister Jean Chretien isn’t the only one preparing to pack it in Friday after years of fighting in the political trenches.
Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief will not run in the spring election and will retire from political life in Ottawa, high-ranking Liberal sources have told The Intelligencer.
After four terms as Prince Edward-Hastings MP — two of which he served in cabinet since 1997 — Vanclief will not seek re-election in a federal political contest widely expected to be held in the spring, claim senior party members.
A senior Liberal said Vanclief is also “being passed over for a cabinet post” by incoming prime minister Paul Martin who — after wrangling with Prime Minister Jean Chretien for years — will assume leadership of the country Friday.
Martin will name his cabinet selection Friday after the official departure of Chretien in the morning; the unofficial cabinet list has been circulating among Liberal party members in Ottawa and Vanclief is not on it, sources say.
The Intelligencer was unable to confirm or deny rumours that Chretien may name Vanclief a senator before he leaves office Friday.
Party insiders in the riding, meanwhile, claim Vanclief has been snubbed simply because he remained loyal to the man who appointed him and was then caught in the middle of a backroom power struggle between Chretien and Martin last year in which critics claimed Martin was setting up a parallel government while the nation waited for Chretien to retire Dec. 12.
Vanclief couldn’t be reached for comment last night as he returned to Canada from New Delhi, India, where he helped lead a trade mission while rounding out a tour of Europe and the Far East.
Sources say Vanclief did not give any specific reasons for his departure, but they confirmed he told senior riding association members in recent weeks he is stepping down at the end of this term.
Vanclief did indicate, they say, that he could use a long-needed respite from years of world travel, international summits, and from the pressure of responding to a series of farm-related crises that have dogged his ministry since he assumed the post six years ago.
Despite successfully securing cabinet approval for billions in farm disaster relief funding and laying the groundwork for a national agricultural vision for Canada, Vanclief was vilified by some farmers hit with drought in the west, too much rain in the east, plummeting market prices, foreign farm subsidies and a mad cow crisis this year that closed the American border to Canadian beef producers.
In an interview from Ottawa, Vanclief’s press secretary Donald Belanger said he wasn’t aware of any intentions by Vanclief to voluntarily exit his post on the Hill at term’s end.
In fact, Belanger said Vanclief was prepared to work in the new cabinet if offered a ministry portfolio by Martin.
“I cannot confirm that information,” said Belanger. “He (Vanclief) said he would be pleased to be part of Martin’s cabinet. Is that going to happen? We will find out on Friday. We don’t know.”
Belanger said he was aware of the swirl of media speculation about Vanclief’s future.
Farming weeklies, daily newspapers and television news broadcasters have reported different opinions on what Friday’s announcement will hold for Vanclief.
Toronto papers have predicted Vanclief will be ousted but CTV’s “Question Period” recently said Vanclief would be a survivor of the old Chretien regime and form part of the cabinet transition to the Martin government.
Other official aides to Vanclief remain closemouthed about Vanclief’s plans.
Staff at his Belleville constituency office said this week they have no knowledge of his imminent retirement and Prince Edward-Hastings Federal Liberal Riding Association president Bob Langeland didn’t return phone calls.
Another source, who declined to be identified, said Vanclief may have been planning for his retirement only days after he won his fourth term in the last election in the fall of 2000.
Contrary to his custom of saving election signs for future contests, after the last election Vanclief disposed of his campaign placards.
Whatever the case, members of the national, provincial and local farming communities who have worked with Vanclief over the years told The Intelligencer Wednesday that if reports of his leaving prove true, the federal government will lose a highly-competent minister.
Comment