ONLY IN CANADA, EH?

Politics in Ottawa is often hardball; you have to watch every pitch and
swing of the bat.

On July 8, several Liberal backbenchers, who fiercely oppose the
decriminalization of marijuana and happen to support Paul Martin's
leadership campaign very strongly, did something very stupid. They went to
the American embassy in Ottawa to talk to them about defeating their
government's own marijuana legislation.

Dan McTeague, Roger Gallaway, and Brenda Chamber-lain were joined by a few
other MPs, no more than a handful.

They happen to be virulent critics of Prime Minister Jean Chretien and all
his works, and by extension, his justice minister Martin Cauchon -- that
includes big ticket issues such as marijuana, same-sex marriage, gun
registry, and just about everything else the Chretien government proposes.

They met secretly at the embassy with Barry Crane, the No. 2 man on
narcotics in the United States, deputy director for supply reduction at the
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Crane came up from
Washington especially for the get-together.

A Canadian Foreign Affairs official who sat in on the meeting, and took
notes, later wrote that the MPs had tried to enlist the help of the
Americans, a foreign power, to defeat their own government's marijuana
legislation.

McTeague vehemently denies this. He says they were only exchanging
information with the Americans, not asking the Americans to put the squeeze
on Chretien.

This is one time, at least, ambassador Paul Cellucci, known for his
enduring interest in Canadian affairs, appears to be blameless.

Cellucci's people told Foreign Affairs ahead of time about the meeting, as
proper protocol requires of diplomats of a foreign power accredited to
Ottawa when they meet elected Canadian representatives.

Foreign Affairs could easily have tipped off the Prime Minister's Office,
which could have nipped the meeting in the bud or at least warned the MPs
they were on dangerous ground.

But no, this was too juicy, too good an opportunity for the Chretien people
to miss. "We chose to give them a little rope, to see what they would do,"
said one source close to the PMO.

Foreign Affairs sent over a couple of note-takers to report back on the
meeting, as protocol allows. But McTeague recognized one of them, and had
him removed from the room. McTeague must have wanted to feel more at ease
"exchanging" information with the Americans. It surely couldn't be because
he would be saying things he didn't want to get back to Foreign Affairs.

McTeague apparently didn't realize there was a second official still in the
room, taking down everything.

The note-taker wrote that the "apparent aim of the meeting" was to "solicit
the help of U.S. officials to defeat the cannabis bill."

The report said McTeague wanted the Americans to "be clear with Canada
about the consequences of this action." That could mean things such as long
traffic line-ups at the border, body searches, automobile impoundment,
overnight stays in jail, difficulties in getting bail -- the whole works,
American justice style.

Chamberlain wanted top U.S. officials "to tie trade and border issues" to
the legislation.

For the Chretien people, this report was pure gold -- a chance to nail the
anti-marijuana people and Martin's "little darlings" at the same time. But
how to do it? In Ottawa, as in baseball, timing is everything.

Chretien's people could have leaked the report the next day. But no, they
sat on it . . . and waited.

And lo, the report (with the name of the government note-taker conveniently
blacked out) was leaked to the Globe and Mail's Ottawa bureau reporter
Brian Laghi (a highly respected reporter writing in a most reputable
newspaper -- 'Who Could Ask for Anything More?') appearing in print on the
very same morning Dan McTeague was to later make a speech against Cauchon's
same-sex marriage legislation, leading a backbench revolt at the Liberals'
North Bay caucus meeting.

In baseball that's called a home run. But no, it gets better. The Globe
followed it up with an editorial calling the McTeague gang's conduct
"highly inappropriate."

They should not have turned to the U.S. for help in "thwarting" the
Canadian government, the Globe editors wrote. "Increasingly reckless
behaviour on the part of the rebels," the Globe thundered, as only it can.
"They looked like sneaks, and deserved to be criticized."

Only Paul Martin's name was missing. Then it would have been a grand slam
for the Chretien boys in the Langevin Block. Talk about good fortune on a
day without light.

The McTeague gang is lucky they are operating in Canada where the rule of
law prevails.

In some countries their case would have been settled in "extra-judicial"
style, with a loud "bang" rather than a leaked memo to a newspaper.