With so much dissent even in his own party, Martin won't be able to sign on to missile defense without having the government fall, and his leadership of the party jeapordized.
Martin can't contain missile storm
Talk with Bush 30 seconds: PM
Quebec Liberals oppose U.S. plan
SUSAN DELACOURT
OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF
OTTAWA - George W. Bush didn't have a lot to say about North American missile defence in his private conversations with Prime Minister Paul Martin.
According to Martin, the conversation lasted about 30 seconds and all the American president said was that he couldn't understand why people would be opposed to the controversial scheme.
But that snippet of conversation allowed Bush to tell an Ottawa news conference a couple of hours later that he had raised the subject with Martin. And that mere mention, added to Bush's pointed reference again the next day in Halifax, has injected new life into the controversy here in Canada.
This weekend, the Quebec wing of the federal Liberal party voted to oppose Canadian participation in a missile defence shield, while Liberal women are pulling together a similar resolution to present to the party's national convention in March.
Dec. 6, 2004. 06:30 AM
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