The Canary That Swallowed The Cat

Stephane Dion's admirers and supporters - and there actually are those rare, (un)discriminating creatures in existence - claim him to be a man of rare principle. Yet that highly principled man, salivating at the opportunity that fortune has placed in his way has experienced no difficulties in sanctimoniously sacrificing principle for personal advantage. Make no mistake, this is personal; Mr. Dion has a savage hunger to become prime minister of Canada.

He is so extremely principled that he scorns the electoral process so recently concluded whereby the vast majority of the electorate deliberately ignored the opportunity to return to government the Liberal Party of Canada which cannot absorb that it is not destined to be the only governing party of this country. Serendipity and previous leaders whose interests were the well-being of the country did manage to place the Liberal Party at the forefront of government but the past several decades have demonstrated that a severe malaise has run rampant through the party.

Now the electorate is struck dumb by the awful arrogance of a man whose visage they are confronted with on the front pages of the country's dailies. A painful sight it is; the self-satisfied smirk of accomplishment, of a man whom the voting public found severely wanting as a candidate for the prime ministership, exultantly celebrating his foxy cunning in attaining the very position he so longs to occupy through manipulation of a constitutional process.

One whose singular purpose is to uphold democracy, but whose legality may now be in question after the machinations engaged upon by three opposition parties in the House of Commons, to co-operate for the purpose of bringing down a newly-elected government whose minority status is slightly below that of a slim majority. On the pretension that the current Conservative-led government is insufficiently prepared to lead Canada at a time of financial crisis.

Making common cause between greedily power-infused opponents, none of whom agree with the ideological politics of the others, but for the purpose of launching their putsch, seeking to accommodation one another, descending to truly new lows in an increasingly ineffective House. In the process demonstrating outright contempt for the democratic process, for the decided electoral voice of Canadians.

The Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party, in their self-availing zeal to govern, seeing no problem in making common cause with a secessionist-determined Bloc Quebecois. As far as hypocrisy goes, this must represent the utter depths. Hitherto the Liberals and the NDP unequivocally claimed to have nothing in common, values and legislation-wise, and they would never descend to the indignity of compromising their principles sufficiently to work together.

And where in previous Parliaments, Stephane Dion had no hesitation in expressing his disdain, contempt and rejection of the separatist Bloc, as an ardent federalist. Yet here he is compromising his principles to achieve the greatest goal of his political career, to temporarily sit as the head of government. Sacrificing the good of the country for his unwavering, single-minded aspiration. The country may have rejected him, but he has successfully manoeuvred events to place him where he wants to be.

He is ready to burst with pride in his Machiavellian disruption of Parliament at this most needful time in the country's history; at elevating Gilles Duceppe and the Bloc in the opinion of Quebecers, breathing new life into separation. At endangering the Canadian economy through hasty and unneeded measures to meet a crisis that has yet to present itself. At unseating a government and a leader far more capable and stable than what it is he presents.

While Canadians reel in amazed horror at the heedless dissolution of their stated choice, and hope that the situation will evolve in a manner that will have Mr. Dion, his supporters and his unholy alliance rue the day they succumbed to their meaner, immature instincts.