It is likely that over the years we have disagreed with Jean Chrétien more often than agreeing with him. His support for the Charlottetown Accord in1992 was probably the most serious disagreement. Then he broke his word about getting rid of the Goods and Services tax when he was elected Prime Minister in 1993. (And he gave Paul Martin Junior the Finance portfolio where he could screw up a lot of Liberal programs.)
But all is now forgiven. Jean welcome home.
Tom Clark’s The West Block on Global Television ran an interview today with Chrétien in which the former Prime Minister endorsed the merger of the Liberal and New Democratic parties. The idea needed that level of support. Some people can laugh at this blog and say ‘that guy is just a socialist in liberal clothing.’ You can hardly say that about Jean Chrétien. He is at worst a populist. He never wandered far from the demands of his late mentor Mitchell Sharp and from successor Paul Martin. While he made it clear that he never really liked Paul Martin, he let him do his right wing thing to the point that the Liberal Party is now at its lowest ebb.
But it can recover. The road to recovery is down a long and difficult courtship with the NDP. The hidebound socialists such as Ed Broadbent will scream betrayal but it looks like Thomas Mulcair will understand. He might not be eager but he is unlikely to slam the door conclusively. He knows he would be foolish to do that. In the short term, it will cost the NDP some of their unionists and out-of-date socialists but that will not be too high a price.
What he can gain is greater. The NDP can hold the Liberal Party to a left of centre mode. It is where both parties belong. Call it social democrat if you wish but it is that broad spectrum of political thinking that serves people first. It is anathema to the Conservatives and completely foreign to the extreme right-wing Libertarians who put land and possessions ahead of people.
There will be some Liberal Party members who will also be more comfortable with the Conservatives than with a social democratic Liberal Party. It is a realignment that has been necessary for many years.
Listen to Jean Chrétien. He knew when he worked with Pierre Trudeau that a merger was the long-term direction for the party. He was just too damn comfortable with the majority Brian Mulroney handed him in 1993 to rock the boat. He went along with things and, in the long term, Canada suffered.
There is still a serious agenda ahead for Harper’s Conservatives and there will have to be a united front to remove the Conservatives and repair the damage after the next election. If we do not have that united front, our country will suffer. Our pride in Canada will suffer. Our people will suffer.
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Copyright 2012 © Peter Lowry
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