The Written Word: Rafe Mair Nov.8th
By Rafe Mair
Wednesday, November 08, 2006 03:40 AM
Somebody must win the Liberal leadership though if I were a delegate I would be tempted to vote “none of the above” though that may be just British Columbia bitchiness. It does give me concern that only Ontario and Quebec are represented in the leadership contest. I know that it is said that Gerard Kennedy worked in “the West” but as British Columbians are often pained to point out, British Columbia is not in the “West” but, as Jean Barman put it so well in the title of her book some years ago, BC is “The West Beyond The West.”Who then should we be pulling for?
Ken Dryden seemed the best choice but only by a hair and he’s not going to win. There was a lady who represents a Vancouver Constituency but in order to stifle uncontrollable tears of laughter I’ll refrain from mentioning names – I’m told she’s seeking a job in Prince George selling combustible crosses for lawns.
What then of the favourite going in, Michael Ignatieff. I’m afraid his “nation” designation for Quebec has done him in. Nearly 70% in BC in the Charlottetown Referendum voted against “distinct society so if the “Professor” will have as the centre piece of his administration a new designation it just won’t do. It’s all very well for him to claim that he is in no rush for this because as I said at the outset, the “Quebec Nation” notion is now in play with Jean Charest supporting it not because he wants to but because he must.
What about Bob Rae?
Well here is a man who is Ontario right down to his fading pink underwear. Earnest, intelligent, well spoken, a decent chap and all that sort of stuff but just not our sort. He has a strange political liability in this far flung corner of the Realm in that the NDP hate turncoats with a passion and “right wing” New Democrats who must vote Liberal if they are to get more than a couple of BC seats, may well go home to the New Democrats because of Bob Rae.
Stephane Dion? He would be my choice but only because there really is so little to choose from. I know him and like him and he sees the dangers of Ignatieff’s “nation” designation for Quebec and has said so. That will cost him in Quebec but may give Ontario a reason to vote Liberal.
In all, this is a “who gives a damn” sort of leadership convention even though at the low level the candidates are they might, just as pee wee hockey sometimes does, make for an interesting game.
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I was disappointed in the reaction by his fellow liberals, and thought Bob Rae to be a fraud when he talked of his Jewish lineage, recently converted to Christian, but trust him he has nothing to hide and we need to support Israel unconditionally.... I trust a man who says he is Jewish and this is what he stands for and is not afraid to criticize other Jewish people when they are wrong politicially, but that is not Bob Rae. The other leadership hopefulls did not sound like they had any thoughts of their own on the matter.
I think I can get over having to spell Ignatieff all the time and maybe vote for his party under his leadership if he had a decent candidate in my riding.
All this nonesense about 'nationhood' is nothing IMO. If Quebec is a nation, so is BC, and so is Newfoundland, and so on, which in the end would say nothing more than a reaffirmation of the 'Confederation of Canada' going full circle back to our constitution. Nothing wrong with that IMO and I don't see the distinctness in a political designation shared equally by all. My only question would be when does Northern BC get to call itself a nation within confederation? Make that two questions, would it also mean Quebec transfer payments are now recognized as foreign aid?
A nation under confederation makes sense to me. It simply drops the colonial provincial term for a more mature nationhood status with no effect on the Canadian confederation. I imagine in Quebec this is a thing about French pride.