Speculations Ripe as Dhaliwal Prepares for Prime Ministership

By Shailendra Prasad 

INDIA JOURNAL

OTTAWA - Speculations that Herb Dhaliwal, the Fisheries Minister, is all set to swim into political whirlwind for the coveted post of Prime Ministership of Canada is gaining momentum in the media circles.

When I spoke to the minister he said a change of leadership was premature but he would not be opposed to the idea of his candidacy. “I don’t say I would or I would not,” Dhaliwal said.

The Liberal leadership race, hitherto, was concentrated in central Canada until Dhaliwal, who is from BC, may strike a chord with the Western provinces. Dhaliwal admitted that his friends are encouraging and see it a possibility.

“The media thinks I am a potential candidate. But I would not comment until the situation arises.” “It would be speculative. I support him (Chretien) and he may opt for another term.”

National election in Canada is not due until 2004, but pressure is building on Chretien, now nearing 70, to step down early in favour of a younger politician who can lead the Liberal Party into the next poll.

The rising speculation caught the media eye last week as Dhaliwal is carefully preparing himself by taking French lessons this summer, and will spend two weeks this fall in intensive French immersion at a French-language school , where all federal anglophone politicians go to try to master the language. Sources credit him with helping to win the appointment of British Columbian Carole Taylor, the former broadcaster, to the post of CBC chairwoman. His policies of federal presence and to combat Western alienation is evident by the fact that he is campaigning to move federal ministries to British Columbia and has urged that cabinet meetings should periodically be held in Canada’s western provinces as an incentive to voters in the region.

He is also engaged in organising a huge trade mission from the western provinces to Dallas and Los Angeles. It was Dhaliwal’s success as a member of the trade mission which accompanied Chretien to India in 1996 which catapulted him to prominence. Herb (short for Harbans Singh) Dhaliwal, was born in the village of Phagwara in Punjab and arrived in Canada as a six-year-old boy, speaking only Punjabi.

Before going into politics, Dhaliwal built up hugely successful businesses in airport ground transport and building maintenance. He is one of the richest men in the Chretien Cabinet and could count on the enormously wealthy Indo-Canadian community when he formally enters the race.

Sources close to him say, “He is weighing his options and he is waiting to see how things unfold. He is giving it very serious consideration.’’

It will be interesting to watch Dhaliwal against the big-timers Paul Martin, the Finance Minister, Allan Rock, the Health Minister, Sheila Copps, the Heritage Minister, and John Manley, the Foreign Affairs Minister. But in case Dhaliwal jumps in the fray it would be predominantly as a Western-Canadian.

Chretien knows his leadership aspirations, but the fact that Dhaliwal supported him in two leaderships and as a member of his cabinet and his team makes the present Prime Minister obligated in the pick-and-choose game. If the Prime Minister stays on, Dhaliwal would be supportive of that. If the Prime Minister makes a move then these other things come into play.

Dhaliwal says, “I am concentrating on my ministry. The works for which I am known for. I think I am doing great and I would like to continue.”

After the sputtering starts by C.V. Devan Nair of Singapore, Navin Ramgoolam of Mauritius and Mahendra Chaudhry of Fiji, Canada may soon have its first. Five Indo-Canadians are MPs and until recently, British Columbia had an Indian, Ujjal Dosanjh, as Premier of the province.