February 8, 2001
Hypocrisy, pure and simple - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- Before I could fathom voting for Preston Manning and the Reform Party, I remember them as the party of my youth that stood for something. They may have been a bunch of hicks who were capable of nothing but trouble on Parliament Hill, but they represented the provinces west of the Lakehead with principle, if not that heavy dose of neo-conservatism. Little did we know that their then unwavering commitment to what was right, in both senses, proved petty in the real world of politics and opportunism.
The view of youth has certainly changed as now I sit closing in on my 18th year (heading into my 19th); I am a card carrying member of the Canadian Alliance. The gist of today’s diatribe is to examine the issue of Alliance MP’s and their pension plan, in particular, Deborah Grey.
While Preston Manning was nerdy with his nasal voice and glasses; his deputy Deb Grey, the feisty dame who was the first Reform MP, was tough as hell and she could whack the Liberals with ferocious debate. Deb still can pack the punches, but she is incredibly wounded with her recent opting into the MP’s gold plated pension plan. It’s funny because the reason we know it as gold plated came from Reform circles who lambasted it and vowed never to participate in such a grand scheme.
The plan is rather splendid. For every dollar that the MP contributes, the government, (taxpayers) kicks in something like four dollars. That’s awfully generous and we could debate in this space whether that is fair. (Clearly it is not.) Ms. Grey had fought strongly against this plan, lowering herself to taunting MPs who took to the plan as being pigs. “Oink, oink” was her battle cry and many across the country admired her fighting form and took it as further indication of the uselessness of MPs irrespective of where they sat in the House.
Well, the ever shrewd Liberals legislated all MPs into being in the plan as of last September. And while the Alliance last spring fought vigorously against such legislation passing in the House, they had been forced by the Liberals. The Liberals passed the bill with their majority and thus the Alliance, including Deb Grey were now part of the trough. One cannot blame the Alliance MP’s for being in the plan by law, as the bill was given Royal Assent in September.
To receive the pension one must serve at least 6 years in the House. Well, since some Alliance MP’s and the odd Liberal chose to not participate a long time ago, the government has extended a window where MP’s are able to retroactively buyback their pensions. (On a government, low interest loan, no less!) The raucous rabble-rouser against the plan has now joined it. And not just since September, but Deb Grey has taken advantage of the window and gone back for her full 12 years of service! Within those very 12 years, Ms. Grey decried the plan. Now she is part of it.
Deborah Grey claims the recent prostate cancer scare of former Reform Leader Preston Manning, as being the pivotal moment when she decided that she had to vest into the plan. She decided that the pension was the only thing that would provide security for her and her spouse.
No one should blame her for looking after her personal interests, but what we can indict her on is the sheer practice of hypocrisy displayed by her actions. She was forced from September 2000 on, but since it would be at least till 2006 that she’d be a vested member of the scheme, she decided to book into the plan using her previous 12 years of service. Now, should she decide to retire tomorrow, Ms. Grey would receive the pension, but doing so smacks a great shadow of doubt on the principles held by Ms. Grey. Clearly it means that security is paramount and to reconcile that, ones principles are to be sacrificed.
You couple that with her leader, Stockwell Day’s misuse of Albertan tax dollars to fuel a libel case that he brought upon himself, and one has no alternative but to cast serious doubts on the credibility of the Alliance. Most especially a great deal of cynicism must be taken with whatever Mr. Day and Ms. Grey have to say in the future.
Chuck Strahl, the House Leader of the Alliance and a recent convert to the plan said that his fellow members that decided to opt-in, did so because they were idealistic in the past and that they paid no attention to their futures. Stephen Harper, a former Reform MP and the leader of the National Citizen’s Coalition has said those comments smack the Alliance as no more being idealistic, and having no personal hope in their party ever forming government.
This entire situation is most regretful. I chose the Alliance, because I felt they stood for something. I guess, in the game of Ottawa politics, the pursuit of one’s personal interests takes precedence over the ideals that brought you there in the first place. I am certainly disapointed and perhaps a tad angry. Do I now take what has happened and question why I am part of the Alliance in the first place? Sure. All Alliance members must reconcile their memberships with these recent events. But it is clear the alternatives prove far worse. Such is the state of politcs.
Questions and comments may be sent to: editor@thecommentary.ca
An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .