Friday, November 30, 2007

Good Move

Well it looks as though Stephane Dion will not be supporting the bill on "veiled voting".

I think that is great news given that the entire debacle was fashioned out of whole cloth. I have not supported that bill since the beginning. I thought spending all that time on an issue that didn't exist, was foolish.

To be honest, I could not believe that our country was changing to such a degree that we would actually arbitrarily attack a specific group, that had never contravened any law. To then move forward, (or backward imo) and decide to put one in place as a preventative measure was insulting to me.

In short, it rankled.

All parties took part in the fiasco, so no one gets a pass on that. Having the courage to say you were wrong and look at the issue logically however is the right thing to do.

This position speaks more closely to the values of the Liberal party as I interpret them and while I know it will set Dion up for a "soft on terror" type of charge by the Con's, it's still the right thing to do. He's changed his mind in a principled manner, based on logic and should the Con's throw the tired "flip-flop" line out there...well recent events show they hold no high ground in that regard.

The terra attacks can easily backfire mind you. The Con's can set themselves up to look like the paranoid, immigrant bashers that some of them are. It can also clarify just how often the Con's presume guilt, not innocence, which turns our justice system on it's head.

This move and Dion's decision to go to Bali are an indication, to me, that things are getting back on track. These are issues that Dion can take to the bank. Reaching out to immigrants and the Environment. The Con's can pan Dion all they like on the Environment file here in Canada, but guess who will be noticed in Bali as a Leader? Those people know and respect him and I have no doubt that he will be sought out.

It also dispels the notion that he won't fight back. Not only will he fight, he'll go to the fight to stand up for what this country wants to see.

These issues differentiate the Lib's from the Con's, in spite of the NDP trying to link us together.

On an issue that had me feeling like a bit of an orphan from my party, I have only this to say, "Please sir, I want some more".

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

personally it's a real non-issue, flip up the veil and get over it. it can all be done in a very respectful way so I just can't believe this ever became any kind of issue at all.

Anonymous said...

It's an issue to the Conservatives who drafted legislation solely to require people to show their faces even when using non-photo ID; it's an issue to the Bloc who say it doesn't go far enough; it's an issue to the NDP who say they need to hear from witnesses and want to add some admendments. Only the Liberals have it right -- toss this legislation out because no one needs it.

Anonymous said...

Dion is more like "Mr. Dithers" everyday...can't decide what to do. This is a real non-issue, but if it makes Dion feel like he did something and earned a paycheque this week, I'm happy for him.

Omar said...

Fantastic news that. I was pissed when the Liberals came out banging the xenophobic drums along with the village idiots over this non-issue.

Karen said...

Manuel, it became an issue because the Con's made it one.

Catherine, bang on.

anon...check your guy's record on dithering.

Omar, I was beyond ticked too. Yes, it's good news.