Last week was one of the most chaotic weeks in federal politics.
It was a skunk fight festival, a free-for-all. Liberals were divided and
dispirited in their effort to keep this brain-dead government alive. But
oddly, in this Parliament, there's a minority government, a minority
opposition, and no one is winning in this chaotic skunk fight.
Let's start with the ubiquitous NDP which is playing both sides
of the fence. NDP Leader Jack Layton means well, but he's trying to make the
best out of his own precarious situation. This is also his own fault because
he is accepting a mediocre government in order to influence the national
agenda. Mr. Layton knows that a country cannot be run through ultimatums or
political stunts, and he should remember that mediocrity is bad for
everybody. As for the Conservatives, they should stop trying to convince
Canadians that it's time for an alternative; Canadians know that. It's the
Conservatives' job to convince Canadians that they are the alternative.
Stephen Harper has a lot of potential and his party might easily form the
next government.
However, I'm convinced that if this happens, it won't be because
of the Gomery Inquiry and the corruption in the Liberal Party of Canada.
The Sponsorship Scandal is already factored into the electoral
attitude of Canadian voters. Corruption has lowered the Liberal vote to a
point that victory is within reach for the Conservatives. But the
Conservatives need to provide that extra mile. Mr. Harper has to stop
talking like he's the leader of the opposition and present himself to the
Canadians as the Prime-Minister-in-waiting.
Last week, they still gave the wrong message. The dogfight in
the House Immigration Committee is hardly the right way to prove the
Conservatives are the right party to govern this country. Blocking an
immigration reform that affects thousands of people is hardly good politics
on the eve of an election and it is not good for the country.
I understand their strong reaction when Liberals label the
federal Conservatives as a party that's insensitive to the needs of the
poor, immigrants and less fortunate people in general. I know it is not
true. But they have to stop giving Liberals ammunition to play the role of
the country's conscience (the NDP is already doing a good job of playing
this role). It goes without saying that they are not against immigrants: A
quick look at the composition of their caucus would confirm that. But
stopping a piece of legislation that benefits immigrants only feeds the
Liberals rhetoric.
On the positive side, there was last Friday's announcement from
Mr. Harper about how he would bring in new rules on political donations.
These are the initiatives that Canadians would like to see from a
government-in-waiting and this is the way Mr. Harper will fill the gap that
separates him from forming a government.
Before I mention the Bloc Québécois, it is necessary to talk
about the Liberals and their philosophy. Or, better, their philosophies; one
for Quebec, one for the rest of the country. The last time the Conservatives
were able to develop such duplicity, was when Brian Mulroney was leader.
At the present time, Paul Martin and his gang have been able to
destroy the party's credibility in Quebec. They are trying to win over
voters by saying that it was not them but the "other" Liberals who made
mistakes. They’re trying to convince voters that Paul Martin, the prime
minister, is not the same Paul Martin who was minister of finance. Good
luck. That's dreaming in Technicolor in an era when all politicians are
painted with the same brush.
Mr. Martin and his gang have destroyed the Liberal party's
credibility and its remaining organization in Quebec. But to make matters
worse, they're also destroying one of their strongest electoral bases in
Quebec which is the ethnic vote as former premier Jacques Parizeau
eloquently described it following the 1995 referendum on sovereignty.
Prime Minister Paul Martin's attitude towards Alfonso Gagliano
hasn't helped either. The courts will decide whether Alfonso Gagliano is
innocent, but Martin judged him even before Mr. Gomery started his inquiry.
Meantime, the Parti Québécois and Bloc Québécois are coming dangerously
close to penetrating in ridings dominated by immigrants that were once
Liberal strongholds.
"The Liberal Party is out of commission in Quebec for a long
time," Mr. Gagliano told the Corriere Canadese last week. "In order to
rebuild it, they need at least 10 years." And, no matter what you think
about Gagliano and his ministerial skills, nobody can question his political
instinct and organizational abilities.
