The incredible shrinking Liberal Party
A Liberal MP, Wajid Khan, has crossed the floor to join the Conservatives.
No bribes were offered, no special consideration given.
On the other hand, Khan was given an ultimatum by Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion. And so Khan bolted. Maybe Stephane Dion should exercise more "leadership" on the rest of his caucus.
Stephane Dion's leadership of Canada's Liberal Party is taking a beating:
Former Liberal MP Wajid Khan has crossed the floor and joined the Conservatives, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Friday.
"I'm proud to announce that Wajid Khan, the representative from Mississauga-Streetsville, is joining our Conservative caucus," said Harper.
"He will continue as my advisor on issue related to the Middle East and Central Asia."
What cabinet post is Khan getting? None.
What special perk for his riding? None.
In fact, Khan continues to act as Stephen Harper's advisor on the Middle East, a job he was given as a Liberal MP, and one he would have been allowed to continue to pursue as a Liberal.
So what drew Khan over? Obviously a lot of factors, though bribery does not seem to be one of them:
"I have been honoured to serve Prime Minister Harper and Canada's Conservative party," Khan said Friday.
Khan said the Conservatives have worked hard to include minorities in their policies.
"I have noticed that more and more Canadians are excited about joining the Conservative party... I was very pleased when Prime Minister Harper agreed that I should join the Conservative party."
"Leadership matters and I believe that the best leader for Canada is the man who now has the job -- Prime Minister Harper."
Compare that to the bristly thin-skinned leadership now enjoyed by the Liberal Party:
On Thursday, Dion told Khan to choose between his party or the Conservatives.
Dion said Khan could not continue serving as Harper's 'special adviser.'
"You can't have a foot in the government and a foot in the opposition," said Dion. "He needs to choose. I hope he will stay with us."
Dammit, Khan, you can't contribute what you can as a Muslim MP to helping solve the serious problems in the Middle East! The most important thing you can do is work to destroy Stephen Harper and his Conservatives, even if they seem to be doing the right thing, and even if they've asked us to help with that. The only thing that matters is making me Prime Minister!
OK, I don't think that's what exactly what was said, but Stephane Dion has made it clear that no issue is more important that putting him in power.
In any case, Dion was certain his pitch to Khan was effective, as he told the press:Amid speculation that a Liberal MP is planning to cross the floor to join the Conservatives, Liberal Leader Stephane Dion told the CBC Friday he is confident there will be no such defection and that the MP is a "committed Liberal."
Contrary to reports that Mississauga-Streetsville Liberal MP Wajid Khan had been wooed over by the Tories, Dion said Friday, "in politics you hear many things and to me, Mr. Khan is a colleague. He will be part of the caucus; he will work in a positive way."
Gee, you'd think working for Middle East peace was a "positive" thing, but then you're not Stephane Dion.
Yeah, I'm not sure I would be comfortable working for a guy like him either. Welcome, Wajid. I think you'll like it here.
[Of course, Stephen Taylor has known all along.]
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Comments
Man, I knew I should have held off in buying my new Mazda.
If he had crossed over earlier I would have bought my "3" from the dealership that he owns.
Posted by: accidentwaitingtohappen at January 5, 2007 11:42 AM
Dion looks very foolish here. Dion insisted this morning that Khan would stay a Liberal. Suddenly, an hour or so later Khan is a Tory.
Is Dion in control of his caucus or is this an isolated incident? Either way the timing couldn't be worse for the Libs. After a Christmas honeymoon
the polls appear to be back where they were.
Dions assertion that Harper is to blame for Canada's bad environment record is insulting. He (Dion) doesn't have the right stuff to be PM.
Posted by: David at January 5, 2007 12:01 PM
It's kind of interesting to note how Khan mentions that his values are aligned with Harper's and how the Liberal Party had "moved away from him." It's especially interesting when you note that yesterday, Harper gave Jason Kenney the position of Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and "Canadian Identity".
Twice in as many days Harper is talking about values and identity - something the Liberals have used against us (successfully) for a number of years. Think back to most of the attacks they make on us, usually they've been filtered through their conception of Canadian identity or values.
It almost seems as if Harper is trying to encroach on what has been a Liberal monopoly. If so, good for him.
Posted by: at January 5, 2007 12:15 PM
I wonder what effect this defection will have on immigrant voters in the urban ontario ridings? It may well open up the eyes of those voters when they finally see that the conservatives are not their enemy. Wishy-washy Liberal panderings without substance is!
Posted by: arctic_front at January 5, 2007 01:46 PM
Is Dion's "leadership" any different than Harper's "leadership" with respect to giving Garth Turner an "ultimatum" to stop blogging -- and then ejecting him from caucus when he didn't?
Posted by: Bob at January 5, 2007 01:47 PM
It is also interesting that conservatives are not calling for Khan to give up his seat and run in a by-election, as they tend to do when Conservative MPs jump ship for the Liberals.
Posted by: Bob at January 5, 2007 01:48 PM
True enough Bob, that both sides cry foul when one of theirs jumps ship but it's pretty hard to deny that Mr. Dion is the one that comes out of this looking bad (I have faith in you that you'll try :-).
We had people from BOTH parties working together on a major issue, instead of just sniping at each other and it was Mr. Dion who said "No(n) that is not acceptable".
Posted by: up north at January 5, 2007 02:20 PM
Bob:
Harper's ultimatum - Garth stop leaking or leave caucus.
Dion's ultimatum - Khan give up your special advisor status and sit as a liberal and or keep it and sit as a conservative.
See the difference?
Posted by: gimbol at January 5, 2007 02:45 PM
The other difference, nobody but the Green Party wanted Garth. Whereas everybody wanted Wajid Khan.
Posted by: PlaidShirt at January 5, 2007 03:03 PM
Bob: Apples and oranges... spaghetti and ice cream man. There is no comparison.
Posted by: Surecure at January 5, 2007 03:12 PM
To gimbol:
I would be surprised if Bob does see the difference. He is certainly ignoring the fact that Harper specificly promised NOT to outlaw floor-crossing (because doing so, he said, would give too much power to party leaders - I certainly remember this reason being given in his pre-election CBC interview with Peter Mansbridge).
Posted by: Brian in Calgary at January 5, 2007 03:14 PM
Brian in Calgary is absolutely correct.
I also recall Harper's statements regarding floor crossing in his interview with Mansbridge. Harper was crystal clear on that subject.
Posted by: James Walker at January 5, 2007 06:43 PM
Yesterday the media story was how Ms Ambrose could not walk and chew gum at the same time.
Then the Khan defection is floated by a blogger. Just a blogger. Dion and the Press Galley sail right into a denial trap. There will be more than one editor wondering what the hell he is paying for in Ottawa. (The fallout from that might be the bigger story in the long run.)
Notice how the media has forgotten about the Cabinet shuffle already.
The Liberals and the PPG have been played. This story ain't over.
Posted by: john at January 5, 2007 08:51 PM
John: You might be right that the media has been played, but it's not a grande orchestration by Harper. In all honesty, you have to admit that this really was -- as Harper and Kahn pointed out repeatedly today -- the fault of Dion and Dion was the one who made this defection unavoidable. If this was worked out in advance and a trap was set for Dion, we will probably never know (unless Harper writes a tell-all autobiography and admits as such).
All things said, Harper really nailed the reality in today that Dion's position is clear: party comes before working with the government for all Canadians. You gotta know that Harper is going to use that little bit of ammo for all its worth, and there ain't a damn thing Dion can do to deny it because it's his own words that have stated that. And it is the worst of things to be seen as being completely and blatantly partisan to the point of holding party power over working for effective government for all Canadians, which Dion and so many of the Liberals are.
You are right that this story isn't over... and this won't be the last we'll hear about this one.
Posted by: Surecure at January 5, 2007 10:36 PM
Please, G*d, the Liberals will continue to be the incredible shrinking party and Wajid Khan's forced defection will open the floodgates to immigrant voters metaphorically "crossing the floor" with their votes in the next election. (Most immigrants have much more in common with the CPC Party than the Libs, especially when it comes to social issues like SSM and daycare; it's only the Liberals' buying the immigrant vote for so many years that has led to the immigrant vote being almost overwhelmingly Liberal up to now.)
In the case of Mr. Khan crossing the floor, it wasn't difficult for the Libs or the PPG to be played for fools, as they'd both set themselves up for this fall: Dion with his ultimatum to Khan and his denial that there was any chance that Wajid Khan would join the CPC, and the MSM by their decision to criticize PMSH for his cabinet shuffle, thereby missing this story.
Without even trying, PM Stephen Harper is outsmarting the Opposition and the MSM, because their agenda is so narrow: the Libs' winning at all costs. It's a narrow and self-interested agenda and people are getting wise to it--and getting sick of it.
Posted by: 'been around the block at January 6, 2007 12:14 AM
I don't understand ALL the CONFUSION here. This creep's a POLITICIAN, right? Therefore, one may naturally assume, that he is also, most likely, a liar, thief, and sociopath.
Posted by: Feldwebel Wolfenstool at January 6, 2007 10:40 AM
Feldwebel Wolfenstool: Not all politicians are liars, thieves, and sociopaths.
Proof?
Prime Minister Stephen Harper (and a lot of his Caucus).
Do your homework.
Posted by: 'been around the block at January 7, 2007 12:11 AM
Bob:
You have to be kidding!
You cant's see the difference between Garth Turner getting forced, actually booted, out of caucus for having a problem with his mouth, it's called leaking and Wajid Khan being forced to decide between working to help Canada, or, simply being a Liberal backbencher bowing to his leader???
Maybe just take a deep breath and give your head a shake.
Posted by: Liz J at January 7, 2007 08:40 PM
And another little item of interest: Adscam is coming back for an encore, well it's the ongoing saga, new RCMP info etc., unfinished business.
Greg Weston, is reporting on it in the Ottawa Sun today.
He reminds us " Mr. Dion was the Minister of the Quebec Unity File when millions went missing".
Guess he didn't know anything though, just like his Leader, Jean Chretien.
Posted by: Liz J at January 7, 2007 08:58 PM
the truth is most of the Liberal's are still vacationing on our tax dollars in the sun down south, and still don't know the news...ha ha
Can't wait until they read their blackberrys..
Posted by: Russ at January 9, 2007 11:30 PM
cialis forum
Posted by: michael@aol.com at May 22, 2007 09:32 PM
 
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