Bill C-257, which gave me waking nightmares, appears to be more than just a private member’s bill designed to cripple the Canadian economy. It is another example of Liberal’s flip flopping and another example of just how far left Stephane Dion really is.
He has moved so far left that centrists don’t even recognize him. But why?
First of all we have the Conservatives showing they are truly a modern party and not the extremist, right wing, scary Party the Liberals have painted them to be for a decade. This has given the Tories growth towards the Liberal center.
Then we have the NDP, who showed a bit of strength when they held up Martin’s minority government the way an emphysema sufferer is held up by a green oxygen tank outside the hospital doors. Lend Jack your vote and he would chomp a bit of the left leaning Liberals over to the NDP.
So Dion steps in stuck between a Rock and a somewhat hard place. Where is he going to get his votes? Does he fight the right in a battle of wits with a seasoned warrior like Harper who is pummeling him in Question Period day after day after day? Or does he look for the low hanging fruit, and try to steal back the NDP voters who do not want Harper in government no matter what?
My guess is the latter.
This is why the Liberals have flip-flopped again and chosen to support anti-scab legislation.
At first, few took the bill seriously.
The handiwork of Bloc Quebecois MP Richard Nadeau, the proposed legislation was introduced as a so-called private-member’s bill, one of dozens of draft laws floated by backbench MPs that go nowhere, quietly dying on the Commons order paper.
Nadeau’s bill was also the tenth attempt by an opposition MP to introduce anti-scab legislation in recent years, all of which failed to materialize under previous Liberal governments.
But a funny thing happened on the Grits’ way to the opposition benches.
When the bill came to preliminary votes in the Commons, it was suddenly backed by the Liberals, along with the Bloc, New Democrats and even a few Conservative MPs from Quebec (who have since recanted) — more than enough to pass through the minority parliament.
I guess the TENTH time is the charm.
So after nine failed attempts at having anti-scab legislation go through the house under the Liberals watch (with support from the Tories to stop it each time), Dion has chosen to forsake the Canadian economy, the way he would by shutting down industry to meet Kyoto, and support the tenth attempt at getting anti-scab legislation through.
Stop Bill C-267. Write your MP. If he/she is a Liberal, write him/her and get a few friends to do the same. This legislation is just plain wrong and a Liberal flip flop on this needs to be addressed.
