In 1991, we had public meetings again, this time in an effort to save the Meech Lake Accord. If it is possible, these meeting were even worse than those of a decade earlier. Premiers played to their domestic interests, with nobody being willing to be the first to compromise for fear of being deemed weak by voters in their province. The precarious consensus they did reach didn't survive.

To reach a workable deal, our leaders need to be free to give something up to get a deal. Any compromise should be considered in the context of the broader deal, but with cameras on, each step-down will be parsed by the media before the complete deal can be reached.

Negotiations don't work in public. That's why it is a common practice for arbitrators to impose media blackouts during labour negotiations. Paul Martin doesn't seem to grasp this. Instead, he seems set on trying to box-in the provincial Premiers by trying to paint some as enemies of health care in a public forum.

Paul Martin said yesterday that he thinks Canadians want to see what their leaders really believe on the issue of health care. He's wrong. What Canadian want is for their leaders to fix an ailing system, not hear a lot of hot air that accomplishes nothing.