I'm getting sick of Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his smug attitude with regard to his leadership. He repeats, as often as possible, that he has a mandate from "the people" to govern this country for five years following the 2000 election.
No, Jean, that's not true. Just 23,345 Canadians actually voted for you, and they were voting not to make you prime minister, but to make you the member of parliament for Saint Maurice. Throughout the rest of the country, 40.8% of Canadians who voted did so in favour of Liberal candidates. Canadians do not directly elect our prime minister; we elect the party which he or she leads.
It is your party that has the mandate to govern this country until 2005. Not you.
Your mandate comes from the Liberal membership. Your right to be prime minister lasts only as long as your party is happy with your leadership. And it is growing progressively clear that the Liberal membership, like the rest of Canada, are growing tired of your arrogant misuse of power and your smug attitude of government. Your attempts to manipulate the process, to stifle dissent, and even the speculation that you could call an election should February's leadership review goes against you shows that you are less interested in governing this country than you are to perpetuate your own interests.
Listen to your own party and resign, or else "the people" who supposedly gave you this mandate will be very happy to take it away from you, and damn the consequences.