Let's face it: we were badly beaten in all three by-elections in Quebec, and the Tories under Harper performed well. Layton's joy will be short-lived, as the NDP victory was a bit of a fluke.
The issue now is quo vadis, LPC.
I support Stephane Dion as the leader of the Liberal Party. He was elected by a majority of delegates at the convention. He is the democratically elected leader of our party, winning his position by relatively fair means, compared to the nastiness which accompanied the selection of the last leader of the Liberals.
As leader, he deserves our support. The losses in Quebec were a wake up call, both to Dion and to all Liberals. Anyone who thinks the losses were mainly caused by Dion should think again. Voters in Quebec gave the Liberal Party a drubbing, not just Dion.
So now we pick ourselves up and make some tough decisions. First of all, we have to figure out what went wrong, then we have to fix it.
The new Tories under Harper are still vulnerable. His policies are not mainstream policies; his party has a natural support level amongst Canadian voters which is below the level required for a majority party; and he and his party are especially vulnerable because they dare not openly espouse their most cherished policies, which aim at weakening the fabric of the federal system in Canada and reducing Canada to a fractious group of squabbling premiers, with no one speaking for Canada itself.
Harper is a leopard that has not changed its spots. His aims are still the ones he has written about and spoken about in the past. Only his tactics have changed: he has decided to sup with the devil of separatism in Quebec, just as his mentor Brian Mulroney so mistakenly did. You cannot cobble together a long-lasting majority party in Canada by throwing in your lot with a party such as the Bloc which aims at dismembering the Canada we know. You can get temporary victories through increased support in Quebec, but as soon as the rest of Canada realizes the pact you have made, you are doomed.
That is the danger with faces Harper and his new Tories: that Canadians will wake up to his machinations, and turn on him.
Now, about Dion. He is a good man; honest, intelligent, hard working, a true patriot, with the best interests of Canada at heart. He is a tough man, resilient and stubborn. And he stood by Canada when it was tough to do so in Quebec.
These are good virtues. We do not abandon leaders like that simply based on the results of three by-elections.
Dion also needs to understand that he has to fight fire with fire. He and the other Liberal leaders were asleep at the switch while the new Tories adopted the Republican methods of framing the debate early on by defining Dion. The Tories said repeatedly he was weak and indecisive, while Harper was strong and decisive. Dion could not or would not respond to this. That was a mistake. Many voters now see Dion as weak. That perception is a fact, and will doom his leadership unless he turns it around within the next six months.
How to go about it?
The Cat has a few suggestions for our leader:
- Fight. Do not turn the other cheek. Call Harper on his policies and his attacks on you. Remember when George Bush had all the Democrats running for cover, except one? One man stood up to him and called him on his policies. Now all Democrats are doing this. The key is to react swiftly, clearly and with vigour. Establish a quick response team and respond within hours to any attacks and misleading framing.
- Become an alternative government. Get policies out into the open, so that all voters can see what we stand for. They will not elect a Liberal government simply because they do not like Harper. Harper has managed to defuse the legitimate concern about his agenda, and voters need to vote for something, not just against Harper and his Tories.
- Be progressive. Dare to be liberal. Offer directions to voters which will make Canada great.
Support electoral reform in federal politics. Support some form of proportional representation and other policies which will empower voters at all levels in our country.
- Focus on Harper's one weakness which he dares not change: his instinctual one-man rule. Offer voters an alternative, by using a strong group of senior Liberals as part of the 'Liberal Team', offering a marked contrast to Harper's paranoid rule. Highlight the team versus Harper's distrust of his own cabinet ministers and MPs. If he does not trust his own ministers, why should voters?
It is time for Liberals to unite behind their elected leader, and whip this party into shape.
