Opinion

Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION

Race needed

By: Uncredited

Monday, Jun. 18, 2012 | Comments: 0

“If you ever needed a session that shows the need

for an alternative, this is the one.”

— Brian Pallister, currently the lone candidate to replace

Progressive Conservative Leader Hugh McFadyen.

The spring session of the Manitoba legislature that just concluded last week, proved to be a difficult one for Greg Selinger and his NDP.

The government found itself mired in controversy following a poorly received provincial budget that added hundreds of millions more to Manitoba’s debt load, a broken election promise not to raise taxes, the use of a legislature debate to orchestrate a political rally against federal immigration changes and notable public relations gaffes connected to the revelation that some cabinet ministers received free tickets to NHL games.

As if to punctuate the highly contentious session that was, news of a burglary in the legislature hit the headlines last week just as Hugh McFadyen ended his time as the leader of the Manitoba Tories after six years at the helm. In short, it has been a politically memorable spring for Manitobans.

This session finally exposed a few cracks in the NDP’s Teflon coat. Premier Selinger was forced to apologize on behalf of his government after it was discovered that 13 NDP MLAs had received tickets to Jets games. As the Winnipeg Free Press reported last month, he was also forced to admit that two of his most trusted ministers, Dave Chomiak and Stan Struthers, had let him down by not being entirely forthright about receiving tickets when questions arose about the practice.

And then, just last week, the province took a highly unusual step when it backed away from imposing a new tax on individual illness-and-disability insurance. The move, which occurred toward the very end of the spring session, came after what our sister paper called a “relentless protest” by major insurance companies, including Great-West Lifeco, Wawanesa Insurance and industry lobby group the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association.

It has been rare indeed to see the province caught chasing its tail in this way and it only goes to show that no political party is immune to the trappings of long-term power. After 12 years as the ruling party, the NDP are definitely looking tired — and after this last session, battered and bruised.

In our opinion, it is high time for a change in government and after more than a decade in the political wilderness, the Progressive Conservatives need to be ready as a government in waiting.

But with the departure of McFadyen, who had shown himself to be anything but a lame-duck leader over the past several months since last fall’s poor showing at the polls, we find ourselves concerned for the welfare of the Tories. The party lost a seasoned veteran at the helm — there is no doubt in our minds that McFadyen would have been an asset to the Tories had he remained at his post.

We remind those in the party who called for McFadyen’s head after the 2011 election that former NDP Premier Gary Doer spent nearly 11 years as leader of the Opposition before he finally led his party to victory. There is an argument to be made here that his eventual success had as much to do with his experience in Opposition as did any innate charisma and political acuity. Successful politicians learn from their mistakes.

And now as spring slowly gives way to summer, we note with some alarm that only one candidate has stepped up to run for the Tory leadership — former Filmon-era minister Brian Pallister. The cut-off date for candidates to declare their intentions is July 26. We find it remarkable that no other high profile politicians — or even a few low profile ones — find the top Tory job worthy of pursuit. That is no slight against Pallister, a dyed-in-the-wool Conservative with a long political pedigree.

But a coronation is not healthy for a political party. Leadership races energize the body politic, generate new ideas and receive wide media exposure that keeps the party in the public eye. Considering that the NDP have been stumbling and bumbling from one embarrassment to another these last few months, now is not the time for the Tories to have a quiet power transition. The lack of a race also robs Pallister from an early chance to prove he has the chops to lead his party out of the political wilderness.

We remain unconvinced and that’s a sad state of affairs. We don’t want to see the long-in-the-tooth NDP given yet another four-year mandate in 2015 while Pallister tries to find his feet.

Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition June 18, 2012

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