October 30, 2000
A question answered - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- I am in receipt of an e-mail from one Rocio Banda. If you didn’t know already, she was one half Tupper’s voice at announcement time, every morning at 10:00 AM precisely. I’ve always been struck by her use of the English language. She’s a competent dame, but her mere asking myself a question, begs my request of its translation into plain English, as I am not from the ‘hood. We had lunch a couple of weeks ago, and I was known to ask for interpretation at least once in an hour’s meal.
Her e-mail is somewhat interesting, as I wouldn’t normally grant it any attention, least of all in this space. I mention it today, because she did pose an interesting question. She asks, when I go and vote on the 27th of November, who would I vote for and why?
Good question.
First things first. I will be voting. And unless something unforeseen befalls your loyal correspondent, I will be at the poll. I can’t stress it enough. I suggest the same for you too. Yes, you. The person who’s eyes are straying through the prose of today’s column. It is your democratic right and you should exercise it. Do so, or else some bugger will take it away from us.
Also, her question urges clarification, as I assume she’s asking what party I’d vote for. Now, I’ll vote Canadian Alliance, and if I had the chance to choose over the party leader’s for Prime Minister, I’d still vote for Alliance leader Stockwell Day. Yet, because of our inherited (sort of) electoral system, we merely mark the ‘X’ by the candidate who we’d like representing us in that cold, grubby, granite town - Ottawa. There is a difference. (Case in point, if Libby Davies were running as the NDP candidate in my riding, I’d vote for her even though I’d like a Canadian Alliance government.)
Rocio, as well as most Commentary readers, including me, reside in the riding of Vancouver-Kingsway. The incumbent is Sophia Leung. Ms. Leung is firmly ensconced within the Canadian establishment, (she’s a member of the Order of Canada,) thus I won’t feel bad if she does lose. She’s up against Dr. Alice Wong - who’ll be carrying the CA banner - who fended off the opportunistic grabs of another Dr., a more silly choice in Gabriel Yong.
I will be voting Canadian Alliance, because for one, I am a member of the party. Let that not be the only determining factor in my choice. I became a member of that party earlier this year to participate in the leadership contest that saw Stockwell Day victorious over Preston Manning and Tom Long. (Who by the way, I am rather angry at. I’ll explain in another column.) I kinda take to the party’s policies. I believe in all citizen’s having equal rights. Equal rights not special rights. There is a deep difference there, as my old party the NDP would rather have affirmative action schemes up and running, not to mention the Liberals. Need I mention HRDC?
I’ll also vote Canadian Alliance, because the governing Chrétien Liberals have done serious damage to Canada. They have resorted to governing from the centre of the political spectrum. They borrow policies from the left - the NDP and the right - Reform/Canadian Alliance. Sure, it gives us somewhat stable governance, but more and more we see Parliament abdicating it’s duty in creating the laws of the land. We see the government resorting to the constant referrals to the Supreme Court, when our elected members are lame ducks sitting in an equally lame duck House of Commons.
Also, in the status quo - more appropriately this lame duck, I’ve trotted out - breeds apathy, discontent and more importantly... arrogance. The Chrétien Liberals are arrogant. It gets stuck in your gullet and makes you want to hurl, when you see this incompetent arrogance running a nation into the ground.
Ms. Leung is arrogant herself, if not self-serving. If we are to believe Malcolm Parry’s column (which I don’t really, but I’m on a role,) she forced Paul Martin’s hand in boosting her to the PM for a Parliamentary Secretary position, as she committed her support should he make a run for the leadership. Ms. Leung doesn’t live in this riding, which isn’t too bad, unless of course she had some sort of comprehension of the issues that matter to the constituents of Vancouver-Kingsway. What are the issues you ask me? I don’t know, I’ll admit. It’s not my job. It’s hers.
She has also failed to provide her constituents with a decent voice in the governing caucus. Most British Columbians expressed deep concern against the Nisga’a treaty. She went off and towed the party line, when most BCers were against it.
When the Auditor General was to meet before the Public Accounts committee to deliver his scathing report on the Liberals’ mismanagement, Ms. Leung was one of the Liberal MPs who “couldn’t find the room”. When the meeting was rescheduled the next day after the Prime Minister mishandled a Toronto Sun reporter, she was absent again! The committee meeting’s reschedulement lacked Ms. Leung’s attendance, even though the government, especially her House Leader Don Boudria was dragged into embarrassment, by re-booking the meeting.
By selecting Ms. Leung again, we’d be sending a deadly message to Jean Chrétien. He’ll regard that as a measure of confidence in his quest for total domination of the party process. Case in point, earlier this month with the parachuting of Stephen Owen as the Liberal candidate in neighbouring Vancouver-Quadra. The Liberal nominee to replace Dr. Edward McWhinney, had some respect from yours truly. But now that he’s participating in the orgy of Liberal arrogance and disregard of democracy, I am disappointed in Mr. Owen.
Ms. Leung was voted by Parliament Hill staffers - her own staff and the staffs of all MPs - as the House of Commons’ worse orator. Of 301 MPs, Ms. Leung was chastised in the Hill Times as being the worst public speaker in Ottawa. Embarrassing? Sure, if that’s my voice in Ottawa. Her appearance on Peter Warren’s radio show last year was humorous. Her interview turned up being a self-serving exchange on her trip to China, with Warren flustered as if he was forced to air the segment because there was nothing else lined up. (By that trip yielded no concrete contribution to the problems we had with illegal immigrants. That was what the trip was supposedly about.)
The 1997 election stresses another point. This upcoming election too, could have the same result. It’s the fact the country is split into regions where only one or two parties dominate. With that, we truly lack a party that can command the support of Canadians across the entire nation. I can only think of the NDP, which is laughable in itself. The Prairie provinces and BC will vote Alliance. Ontario will vote Liberal. The Bloc Quebecois will dominate in Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see the Liberals, Tories and NDP scramble for the pittance of seats there. This Balkanisation of Canada is of the Liberals doing. Their arrogant ways in action.
Stockwell Day and the Canadian Alliance have the only chance of defeating the Liberals. That’s faint hope indeed, as they are kilometres behind the Liberals in the polls. I will admit that most Canadian Alliance policies aren’t my taste, nor are some of the members in the party, people I’d want to associate with. But, sometimes we do need that kick in the rear. We need that horrifying taste of medicine to take us to reality and effect change in government.
Stock Day’s plans are probably regarded as harsh and extreme. Well, we certainly could use that, as I’m sure the mere mention of capital punishment, the state not paying for abortions or immigration, will get the average Canadian talking and participating in the democratic process for once. For whatever it’s worth, the Alliance is the only way for me to go. I’ll keep you posted if I change my mind before now and November 27th. It’d be highly unlikely though.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .