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.
Days after telling reporters he wouldn't step down before Jan. 13, Prime Minister Jean Chretien gave them an exact date yesterday Ñ Dec. 12. Chretien, who had long maintained that he would not leave prior to his set retirement date of February, made the announcement following an Ottawa meeting with prime-minister-in-waiting Paul Martin. "I'll offer him my best wishes and good luck. I will observe from the sidelines," said Chretien as he stood beside Martin. "If he feels he wants to consult me, he knows my number." Chretien's retirement will allow Martin to open a new parliamentary session in 2004 and prepare for the next federal election, expected in the spring.
