The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Edmonton - Alberta's bold venture into electrical restructuring took a few hard jolts in 2003 and left some wondering if weather could be a factor in the survival of Premier Ralph Klein's government. "If electricity prices really start going up, this one could really hurt them," said Alberta political scientist Peter McCormick. "It is something that could hit every Albertan." Ottawa - It is no small achievement to dislodge a popular prime minister defended by the big cannons in cabinet and caucus. Paul Martin's ability to do it with astonishing ease while actually increasing the Liberal party's popular support has made him the Canadian Newsmaker of the Year in the annual survey of newspaper editors and broadcasters by The Canadian Press and Broadcast News. By being named the year's top Canadian newsmaker, Martin joins a list of the distinguished, the disgraced and the heroic that dates back to 1946 when Soviet cipher clerk Igor Gouzenko shocked Canadians with his astounding account of Russian spying in Canada. Since the survey was first started in 1946, male politicians have come out on top 36 times, including former prime minister Pierre Trudeau who was named Canada's top Newsmaker of the 20th century. Former prime minister Kim Campbell, in 1993, is the only female politician to have been chosen.
