I’m not really sure what to make of Canada’s political crisis. It seems like much ado about nothing. Well, that’s rather glib. It’s much ado about a lot, but mostly it’s a statement in my mind about how over-the-top ridiculous politics have become in this country, how divisive they are when minority government situations crop up as they have the last eight years or whatever.
The issue at hand is that there are no particularly strong leaders Canadians can rally behind. No statesmen (or stateswomen for that matter) that bring people together. I’m loathe to evoke the already-cliched cliché, but there’s no Barack Obama of the North to bring together Canadians of all political affiliations.
I’ve traditionally, up until this past election, voted Liberal. They were probably the best fit for me ideologically, and up until Jean Chretien left, they were seemingly the least bat-shit crazy. That baby’s been thrown out with Canada’s political bathwater, however.
This “crisis” as it’s been branded is a foregone conclusion. Regardless of the GG’s decision about proroguing Parliament or Stephane Dion’s, the Moustache’s and the Traitor’s Coalition of the Woeful, the economy will continue to decline, Canadians will be left with a leadership void in Ottawa and Stephen Harper’s reprieve will just mean more over-the-top political ads. NOW WITH EGGNOG.
I’m a disenfranchised voter, but I still hold hope that something good will come out of this. Namely, that in hitting rock-fucking-bottom, the Liberal Party of Canada will have the opportunity to rebuild from the ground up. Of the three Liberal leadership hopefuls – Rae, Leblanc, and Ignatieff – Iggy seems the least dumb to me, or at least that person possessing the most potential to become a true statesman. I think this, in spite of his book Blood and Belonging.
I believe it so much so, it prompted me to write to Mr Ignatieff. I apologize for the over-dramatization contained in the letter. I felt strongly about it at the time, and I think I still do. Here is my attempt to stoke the fires of Canadian centre-left politics:
Dear Mr Igantieff,
I’m writing to express my concern over the actions
being taken by Stephane Dion, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe in a misguided and
precipitous bid to oust the Conservative party in a clearly politically
motivated attempt to seize power.While I can certainly agree that the
actions taken last week by Prime Minister Harper and the Honourable Jim Flaherty
around the proposed reduction in party funding was at best misguided and at
worst ultra-partisan and divisive, I do not in any way believe the actions of
the Liberal, ND and Bloc Quebecois parties are much better.I have
watched Canadian politics on the sidelines, without any true party affiliations,
since I was about ten years old. I’ve watched the Liberal Party decline, quite
rapidly over the last four years, into a shell of its former self. A once proud,
strong Canadian institution has become mired in the worst sort of politics and
brinkmanship. This past election was the first one in which the federal Liberals
did not receive my vote.I believe the Liberal Party of Canada is at a
crossroads. And the current leadership seems to be leaning down a path that
would further weaken a party that once represented strong Canadian values – the
same party responsible for so many of the fundamental rights and brilliant
social programs that Canadians benefit from today. Stephane Dion is playing the
role of statesman right now, and he is hardly well suited to it. His actions,
and those of his dubious coalition partners, seem to be motivated by anger,
vengeance and a greed for power. He may tell a different story, but his actions
come across as partisan and desperate.I’m writing to express my support
for you, sir. I believe you should take the high road and stand up for the
future of the Liberal Party of Canada. Say that you want no part of this, that
this is precisely the opposite of what our country needs right now. Declare the
actions of your colleagues destructive, including the actions of Messrs Harper,
Dion, Layton and Duceppe. Now is the moment for you to declare that a Liberal
Party under your leadership will not stand for this destructive partisan
bickering, especially when Canadians from all walks of life are speaking out
against this coalition nonsense.Now is your chance to be the statesman
Canada needs – to rejuvenate the Liberal Party of Canada by standing up for what
is right for all Canadians: stability in these difficult times, strong
leadership, clear, well-constructed policies and consensus-building even among
citizens and MPs who lie at opposite ends of the political spectrum. I implore
you, Mr Ignatieff, make your mark. Make your mark and I will happily buy a
membership with the Liberal Party of Canada and support you at the next Liberal
Leadership Convention.I realize this is a tall order, and I understand
how polarizing a statement like this would be for your fellow party members.
Moreover, it would be easy to brush this off as a ridiculous letter from a
non-member just trying to rock the boat. All I ask is that you consider what
I’ve written here, consider the future of the once-proud Liberal Party and
consider what state of affairs you want Canada to be in after the next federal
election.Sincerely,
bingofuel
Filed under: Uncategorized , canada, douchebags, Liberals, moustache, politics, statesmen
Good letter. I feel much the same way, and was shockingly relieved when the GG prorogated parliament this morning. We live in strange times when I don’t support a measure that would result in the end of Harper’s reign.
This process, while constitutional and certainly with historical precedent (people who think this is a coup apparently don’t know how a parliamentary system of government works), has been a huge distraction and waste of governance resources at a time when the country needs focus and stability.
I don’t like Harper or his party, but budget fuckery aside, I think they have done an adequate job of managing the economy. Amid all this braying about the need for a government to step in and save all of our jobs, people seem to have forgotten that we are not in an economic crisis here. We are not the US, and while we are certainly in a downturn, I hate the idea of a coalition imposing a massive and misguided bailout package simply because it had to do something extraordinary to justify its new mandate.
Words rights right out of my mouth, keys.
The ultimate irony is that while this coalition sought to bolster and strengthen the economy, the actions it helped set in motion (and I’m not absolving Harper of his complicity in all this) will result in investors taking a wait-and-see approach with Canadian stocks.
Government instability is a market and dollar killer. Thanks, all you douchebags in Ottawa.