Canadians have high hopes for Prime Minister Paul Martin, and widely welcome him as Liberal leader. But will he give Canada the government Canadians expect?
In this book Murray Dobbin focuses on what Martin has done in business and in politics, and what he can be expected to do in office. What Dobbin reports is often surprising. Martin's actions reflect a man deeply committed to an agenda of less government, expansion of the private sector at the expense of public services, tax cuts favouring those already well off, and closer relations to the U.S. In many areas Martin's views seem closer to Brian Mulroney than those traditionally associated with the Liberal party. And he is often at odds with the values Canadians themselves express in opinion polls.
A successful CEO himself, Martin thinks and acts as a CEO in his political role. For Canadians who want Ottawa to do more in health care, education, social services and culture, Martin's accession may mark a significant step backwards.
Based on extensive research and interviews with key analysts, this book offers a different view of Paul Martin from the usual portrayals in the business-friendly news media, and from the other books on Martin being published in fall 2003. Rather than a play-by-play account of who did what to whom in Martin's political career, Murray Dobbin keeps his eye on what really matters to most people: what Paul Martin has done to date in business and politics, and what he is likely to do as prime minister.

MURRAY DOBBIN has been a journalist, author, broadcaster, and media analyst for over thirty years. He is the author of Preston Manning and the Reform Party and The Politics of Kim Campbell (both bestsellers), and more recently, The Myth of the Good Corporate Citizen. He has prepared several programs for CBC Radio`s Ideas series, including one on taxes and an exposé of the New Right revolution in New Zealand. He is a research associate and board member of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Murray Dobbin's profile page

"It's everything you've ever wanted to know about Paul Martin including a lot that Mr. Martin probably wishes you wouldn't. It is not a pretty picture. Mr. Dobbin goes after Mr.Martin with the ferocity of a political idealist and the moral righteousness of a man on a mission, relying on a veritable mountain of documentation to make his case."

The Hill Times

"Is there really a deeper Paul Martin beneath the bean-counting exterior? The simplest answer to this question is provided by biographer Murray Dobbin, who makes a good case that the government-minimizing finance minister was indeed the real Paul Martin, and that anything else is a strategic facade. ...In his view, the multimillionaire executive Paul Martin is the proverbial hammer who sees every problem as a nail."

Globe and Mail

"Vancouver freelance writer Murray Dobbin avoids any redundancy with news reports by presenting a withering analysis of Martin's record in Paul Martin, CEO for Canada.
The book contrasts Martin's rhetoric as an opposition MP, when he called eloquently for action on poverty and the environment, with his axe-wielding style as finance minister.
Dobbin suggests Canadians have "collective amnesia" about the 1990s when Martin's budget cuts produced a crisis in health care which has yet to be resolved.
He predicts Martin as prime minister will pursue a big business agenda and promote so-called "deep integration" with the United States."

Canadian Press

"Dobbin is a sprightly writer, but...he harbours no pretense at impartiality. Paul Martin, to him, is a snake charmer whose true colours will be even more apparent once he takes office."

Globe and Mail