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.
Okay, okay... I'm sure you're tired of the political banter by now. All the talking heads on television, the know-it-all editorial writers, the partisan attacks... enough's enough. But before Election '06 fades into the memory bank, I want to explore Northern Manitoba's trip to the polls, certainly the most interesting in quite some time. Tina Keeper, of course, is our new MP, following in the footsteps of Arnold Schwarzenegger in making a successful transition from entertainment to politics. While Tina's celebrity status was a huge asset, it is also in some respects a liability. Some have dismissed her as just another big name candidate with no business in the political arena. I disagree. Tina is more than just some actress the Liberals lured in to boost their sinking fortunes. I don't want to sound like I'm on the Grit payroll Ð truth be told, I did not vote for Tina Ð but she strikes me as a very able Member of Parliament, particularly on aboriginal issues. How did she win? Well, as a Reminder headline suggested last week, it came down to the aboriginal vote. Niki Ashton, the fresh-faced New Democrat, was leading throughout much of Monday night. But as the last of the polls trickled in Ð those from the more remote aboriginal communities Ð Tina's numbers soared. So did a vote-split between Niki and New Democrat-turned-independent Bev Desjarlais make the difference in this NDP stronghold? I don't think we can be totally sure. Niki lost by over 3,000 votes. True, if you move all of Bev's tallies into the NDP column, the party wins by 1,227 votes. But this assumes that those 1,227 Bev supporters would have a) still voted on election day and b) backed Niki. Bev's support was bigger than the NDP. The most obvious sign of this appeal came last summer when my right-wing columnist colleague, Roger Cathcart, told me he thought Bev was doing a good job. If you read Roger's column, you know this is no small feat for a New Democrat! Despite years of service, Bev will probably be remembered by many as the New Democrat who ticked off her party over same-sex marriage. And that's really a shame. Whether you support or oppose same-sex marriage, there's no denying it would have been much easier for Bev to simply go with the flow on the contentious issue. She knew party leader Jack Layton would punish a no vote, and that many of the party faithful would hardly be pleased. But Bev stood up for what she believes in, political consequences be damned. That took courage. All too often, politicians seem to care only about charming voters and hanging onto their position of power. And what about Layton's reaction to the whole matter? It was really quite unfair. His my-way-or-the-highway threats didn't make the decision on Bill C-38 the "free vote" it was billed as. How free are you when you have to worry about being stripped of your critic's duties, as Bev was, if you vote according to gut instinct and your impression from constituents? Well, I can see my time is almost up. Congratulations goes out to Tina and to all candidates, in fact, on entering the field this time around. You made our choice as voters very difficult Ð just the way it should be. Local Angle runs Fridays.
