Ottawa — Former cabinet minister Brian Tobin says calling U.S. President George W. Bush a "moron" was a "stupid, dumb, moronic" comment by the Prime Minister's communications director, but it was also a mistake that Jean Chrétien is right to forgive.

"I think the PM has looked at her and said, here's somebody who's spent 15 years in Parliament Hill in one capacity or another. We're not going to end her career by taking her resignation and destroying a human being who's made a mistake," the former fisheries minister and Newfoundland premier said Sunday on CTV's Question Period.

"This was an offhand comment. Inappropriate," he said. "I'd go further and say stupid, dumb, moronic comment made in a scrum ... a bunch of people standing in a hallway, in response to whatever was said by the journalist who was talking to her."

He added that Francoise Ducros, head of communications at the Prime Minister's Office, has admitted her mistake and that the press should move on.

"I think Francie recognizes very clearly that the words attributed to her were a mistake on her part. It was a dumb thing to have said," he said.

Mr. Chrétien said Friday he had decided not to fire his aide, who tendered an apology and her resignation after reports surfaced that she called Mr. Bush a "moron" during a conversation with a reporter at the NATO summit in Prague. Another journalist who overheard the conversation reported the comment.

Ms. Ducros, 40, has been Chretien's director of communications since 1999 and was chief of staff to Mr. Tobin when he was fisheries minister during the turbot war with foreign fishermen.

The remark drew fire from opposition MPs and U.S. conservative pundits. It was also reported in the international press, fuelling speculation it would worsen already tense Canada-U.S. relations.

Mr. Tobin dismissed this, saying Canadian problems with the U.S. are more concerned with trade issues and that the Liberal government should "work hard" to better relations between the two countries.

"I would say that the president of the United States — with respect to the Francie Ducros incident — understands exactly what happened here. He's been around long enough to know," Mr. Tobin said.

"He's dismissed it, but there are more substantive questions that we need some good dialogue, good discussion, good relationship between the President and the Prime Minister."