The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Dickens had A Tale of Two Cities. The Churchill riding has A Tale of Two Votes. In 2005, Northern Manitoba's New Democratic MP voted against her party leader on a bill that was unpopular in her riding. Bev Desjarlais, you'll recall, refused to be whipped into supporting a bill legalizing same-sex marriage across Canada. She argued in part that her constituents wished to preserve the status quo on this emotional issue, and she was right. A Winnipeg Free Press poll later showed that just 37 per cent of respondents in the riding favoured official recognition for same-sex unions. For doing exactly what politicians are supposed to do Ð represent the wants of their constituents Ð Ms. Desjarlais was embarrassed, unceremoniously stripped of her critic's duties by NDP leader Jack Layton. Thrown to the wolves by the party hierarchy, Ms. Desjarlais faced four challengers in that year's nomination battle Ð a battle the MP believed stemmed directly from the same-sex marriage "controversy." Her subsequent loss of the nomination angered many inside and outside the NDP, though it must be stressed that she was not "kicked out" of the party Ð the nomination process was completely democratic. Fast forward to November 4, 2009. Northern Manitoba's (new) New Democratic MP voted against her party leader on a bill that was unpopular in her riding. Niki Ashton went against the NDP grain when she supported a motion to scrap the Chrtien-era long-gun registry. She argued in part that her constituents oppose the program, and you certainly don't need a newspaper poll to confirm that. The registry is so despised in rural Canada that the Liberals, who instituted it, are still paying the price outside their urban enclaves. For doing exactly what politicians are supposed to do, Ms. Ashton thankfully faced no harsh treatment from Mr. Layton and the party. Her NDP purity was not questioned, and she retained all of her shadow cabinet responsibilities. To be fair, there is a key difference between the same-sex marriage vote and the vote on the gun registry: the NDP had a formal position on gay marriage (in favour) and no formal stance on the registry. Why? The party obviously felt more strongly about the need for gay marriage than it did about the need for the government to know about every hunter and farmer who owns a firearm. That does not mean the registry is a non-issue within the NDP. Mr. Layton wholeheartedly supports the costly program, as does a strong majority of his caucus and, presumably, NDP voters. For this reason, the party that Northern Manitobans have long trusted with their votes deserves credit for permitting dissent on this issue. At the same time, we cannot forget that what happened to Ms. Desjarlais was an absolute shame, one made all the more disgraceful when Mr. Layton joked about the affair at a press gallery dinner. Hopefully Mr. Layton's newfound tolerance of Northern Manitobans' traditional opinions is not just a passing fancy. Local Angle runs Fridays.
