Francoise Ducros, who initially offered to quit but was kept on by
Chretien, is leaving the prime minister's office after all, said a
statement issued by Chretien's chief of staff.
In a letter of resignation to Chretien, Ducros wrote: "It is very
apparent to me that the controversy will make it impossible for me to do
my job."
"I would therefore like to leave my position as director of
communications immediately," the letter said. "I am grateful for the
support you have given me during this difficult time."
Chretien accepted the resignation this time, responding in a letter:
"In your almost four years as director of communications, you have served
the government as a whole, and me personally, with extraordinary skill and
dedication."
The comment made in a discussion with a radio reporter last week at the
NATO (news
- web
sites) summit in Prague has dominated Canadian media, with daily
newspaper and broadcast stories on the aftermath that has included calls
for her resignation by opposition politicians.
On Tuesday, the National Post newspaper ran a front-page story on a
debate over the matter the previous night on the U.S. cable network CNN.
"What a moron," is the quote attributed to Ducros during what she
called a private conversation with a reporter that was overhead by other
reporters who wrote about it.
She apologized last week, but the furor has continued in Canada. On
Monday, some opposition members of Parliament noted the comment appeared
in an Iraqi newspaper editorial, characterized as Western opposition to
Bush.
Chretien initially tried to play down the incident, telling a Prague
news conference the comment was unfortunate and that Bush was a friend of
his "and not a moron at all."
He also denied the comment harmed relations with Washington, saying he
received no official complaints from U.S. officials at the summit.
Conservative media and political foes, however, characterized the moron
comment as a signal of worsening relations between the North American
neighbors, who share the world's largest trade partnership.
When asked about the comment last week, White House press secretary Ari
Fleischer (news
- web
sites) dismissed it as "something from someone who doesn't speak for
the Canadian government."
Despite their military ties and common democratic values, Canada has
traditionally adopted more liberal social policies. Examples include
diplomatic ties with Cuba, a ban on capital punishment and more lenient
immigration policies.
Increased disputes between Ottawa and Washington were expected when the
conservative Bush was elected in 2000 to succeed Bill Clinton, whose
administration had closer ideological ties with Chretien's Liberal Party.
Since Bush's election, the United States has imposed punitive duties on
softwood lumber imported from Canada and is investigating possible
penalties on Canadian wheat.
Nevertheless, Canada took in flights diverted from U.S. air space after
the Sept. 11 attacks and contributed troops, ships and reconnaissance
planes to the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan (news
- web
sites). Chretien said Canada also would take part in a U.N.-authorized
attack on Iraq.
