Liberal team flying into action

is that Ace and Gary or Bob and Michael

I wrote the other day about how the Liberals have a much stronger team that the Conservatives and how they needed to stress this if they hoped to turn their fortunes around. Apparently people smarter than me were thinking the same thing as Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff have started appearing with Dion at various campaign events. Tonight on the National Rex Murphy talked at length about how odd it is to have Dion’s two main rivals now essentially burdened with the task of turning the Liberal campaign around. What I think is more strange is just how dominant party leaders have become in Canadian politics. Our system of government requires not just strong leaders, but also strong MPs to fill the cabinet ranks. Harper’s lack of strong MPs has highlighted just how important it is to have a strong team.

I think that if Stephane Dion plays it right he can make showcasing his team a sign of strength. Honestly I think it is necessary to use members of the Liberal team because Dion does not match up well to Harper one on one, but that cannot be the message that the Liberals put out. What Dion needs to talk up is that it is a sign of strong leadership to trust your colleagues. Harper cannot trust his caucus, they are too inexperienced, and in many cases too radical to allow them to run around saying whatever they please. The Liberal caucus on the other hand has a number of very talented, very likable, and very sensible MPs.

Aside from Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff who are already taking starring roles I think the Liberals need to utilize Ken Dryden, Martha Hall Findlay, Ujjal Dosanjh, Marlene Jennings, Scott Brison, David McGuinty, Justin Trudeau, Marc Garneau, and many others (I cannot find a good list of Liberal candidates to work off of so I have to utilize my poor memory instead). A lot of people do not like Stephane Dion, he rates very poorly on his personal numbers, but if he is pictured with other members of his team maybe people will start to remember why the Liberals have been the governing party of Canada for most of its history. The Liberal party has always attracted an enormous array of talent, and this Liberal caucus, and Liberal slate of candidates is really no different.

voting for the gay candidate

I read an article in the New York Times Sunday Magazine about the changing nature of black politics in America which led me to reflect on the nature of gay politics. In Canada it is now possible for openly gay candidates to win elected office at any level. I have had the option of voting for many gay candidates at all levels of government, largely because I reside in Vancouver’s West End. I think that sexuality often plays a lot like race. Gay people will often vote for a gay candidate simply because they are gay, not irregardless of their political views, but they will overlook a great deal that they disagree with in order to support a gay candidate.

Voting for the gay candidate based solely on their sexuality has its limits. In the federal riding that I live in, Vancouver Centre, there is one openly gay candidate running under a major party banner and surprisingly that is Lorne Mayencourt running as a Conservative. Despite the fact that he is gay, I think that Mayencourt fails to connect with gay people in Vancouver Centre. I cannot see how a gay person could stomach voting for the Conservatives, even if the local candidate is gay and professes to support gay rights and issues.

This is not the first time that the Conservatives have run a gay candidate in Vancouver Centre. In 2004, Gary Mitchell ran under the Conservative banner, but apparently his sexuality was not significant as he placed a very distant third. I hope that despite his name recognition, Lorne Mayencourt again finishes a distant third (or maybe even in fourth place if Adrianne Carr can pull a lot of votes). The Conservatives may be the only party running an openly gay candidate in Vancouver Centre, but it is the Liberals who are running the candidate most dedicated to gay rights, and the candidate that has done the most for the gay community.

Hedy Fry has been such a strong ally of the gay community for so long that she may as well be considered gay for political purposes. She gave a very passionate speech during the debate on same sex marriage in the House of Commons. Hedy is always a big presence at the Pride Parade, and always receives an enthusiastic response from the crowd. If voting for the gay candidate is important for you in Vancouver Centre, then you best vote for Hedy Fry.