Most trusted Name in the NRI media
Serving over 22 millions NRIs worldwide


Herb Dhaliwal to quit politics, denies rift with Paul Martin


OTTAWA, Dec10, 2003
CP)

Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal is quitting politics - the second senior cabinet minister to resign in the last week ahead of an impending demotion by incoming prime minister Paul Martin.

Dhaliwal announced Wednesday that he will resign from cabinet Dec. 12, his 51st birthday, and serve as a backbench MP until the next federal election, expected this spring. Martin is to announce his new cabinet the same day, but Dhaliwal denied he's leaving in a huff because there's no spot for him in that cabinet.

"Being in or out of cabinet did not factor in at the end of the day," he told a farewell news conference.

He said he told Martin at least six months ago that he did not want to run again and repeated that to the Liberal leader two weeks ago. That pre-empted any discussion of a cabinet post, he said, adding that Martin remains a close friend.

Dhaliwal, who represents the riding of Vancouver South-Burnaby, said he only ran in the last election because Prime Minister Jean Chretien talked him into it.

Now, after 10 years in Parliament and six in cabinet, he said he wants to spend more time with his wife and three children and also concentrate on running his Vancouver-area businesses.

He said he gathered his family last weekend for a talk on the future and they agreed it was time to go.

"This was very much a family and personal decision for me.

"It is definitely a day of mixed emotions for me. I'm sad about leaving politics behind . . . but I'm enthusiastic about returning to my business and spending more time with my family."

Dhaliwal's news came five days after Finance Minister John Manley, a onetime Martin rival for the Liberal leadership, announced that he won't run again.

Dhaliwal had tense political relations with Martin during the long-running Liberal leadership feud, remaining fiercely loyal to Chretien. He publicly scolded Martin once, accusing the incoming prime minister of fostering disunity in the party.

Apart from the cabinet issue, Dhaliwal was also seen to be in danger of losing his nomination battle under a new open-nomination system promised by Martin.

During the runup to the leadership, Dhaliwal's riding executive was taken over by a slate of Martin supporters while Dhaliwal was out of the country.

He said he was "quite upset" about that coup and complained to Martin.

"We resolved the issue," he said. "There were some misunderstandings, some missed communications."

Dhaliwal is a self-made millionaire who came to Canada from India at the age of six. He built a conglomerate that includes a golf course, an industrial-cleaning company, real-estate properties and a limousine service. Those businesses are currently held in a blind trust.

He said he entered politics "to make a difference," and said he has.

As the first Sikh to reach cabinet rank, he said he became a role model for other Indo-Canadians and minorities in general.

Dhaliwal was first elected to the Commons in 1993 and made his debut in cabinet four years later in the revenue portfolio, followed by a stint in fisheries.

He said he has no interest in provincial politics and said a federal comeback is "highly unlikely."

 

 

Any comments on this article or you have any news: Click here

Disclaimer
NRIinternet.com will put up as many of your comments as possible but we cannot guarantee that all e-mails will be published. We reserve the right to edit comments that are published.