05.04.2013 08:45 PM

In Sunday’s Sun: Angry Tom is no PM

The precise moment at which Thomas Mulcair became unfit to be prime minister of Canada is hard to pin down.

It arguably came in 2005, when his party adopted what has become known as the Sherbrooke Declaration — in which the federal New Democrats accept that is possible to break up the country with 50% plus a single, solitary vote. When the NDP’s own constitution requires two-thirds to be amended.

It may have come in late 2012, when the NDP leader refused to defend the flying of the Canadian flag at ceremonies at Quebec’s National Assembly. Instead, Mulcair sent out one of his crypto-separatist MPs, who snapped that the banning of the Maple Leaf was Quebec’s “own business.”

Or, it may have happened earlier this year, when Mulcair approved a move to rescind the Clarity Act, the 2000 legislation that governs the rules surrounding secession of a province. The federal NDP want to clear up unity “fairy tales,” he said at the time.

Most likely, however, Mulcair ceased to be a contender for prime minister sometime in April, when a book was published in Quebec suggesting the judges of the Supreme Court of Canada actually conspired against Quebec’s then-separatist government. In the book, La bataille de Londres, Quebec journalist Frederic Bastien claims Chief Justice Bora Laskin passed secrets to the Canadian and British governments on discussions between high court justices about the legality of constitutional repatriation.

Bastien also accuses former Justice Willard Estey of slipping confidential information to the British government in 1980. Never mind that an unprecedented Supreme Court investigation found no evidence whatsoever to validate Bastien’s claims.

Never mind that Laskin and Estey were not merely two great jurists — they were two of the greatest Canadians to have ever lived, and that they are not here to defend their good names. Never mind any of that. No, note this: When Bastien’s corrosive conspiracy theories were trotted out, Mulcair giddily seized on them, and demanded an inquiry. And, when he got one, he dismissed the results, because they favoured Canada.

Said Mulcair recently: “It’s a clear indication that the Supreme Court had no intention all along of ever dealing with this issue seriously.”

Take another look at those words. Those are the words of a man who aspires to be prime minister — smearing the highest court in the land, suggesting that it is lawless.

That it is engaged in cover-up. As I said at an Ottawa conference this week — as one of Mulcair’s most ardent defenders angrily sat beside me — those comments are beyond the pale. They are disgusting and despicable.

And they disqualify Thomas Mulcair to be prime minister.

Why did Mulcair — Angry Tom, as he is widely known — pursue such a reckless course? Why did he so irresponsibly seek to reopen old wounds and divide Canadians? Because he knows he will never be prime minister.

Because he knows that his current post, leader of the opposition, is the best he can ever hope for. Because he is always prepared to cut a deal with the separatists to advance his career, and to hell with Canada.

There’s been a pattern in Mulcair’s public life. At those points where history is watching, at those moments where he has been called upon to choose Canada or Quebec, he chooses the latter. At every juncture where he could have promoted Canada — with the Sherbrooke Declaration, with the Clarity Act, with the flag — Mulcair declined to do so. He put his partisan interest ahead of the national interest.

At a certain point in a politician’s career, a picture reveals itself. Mulcair’s portrait is one that depicts an angry, bitter old man, one who is literally prepared to put the country at risk to curry favour with separatists.

Mulcair is a disgrace. He isn’t fit to be a dog catcher, let alone prime minister of Canada.

31 Comments

  1. Sean says:

    Bang on.

  2. Why isn`t this on the front page of every credible newspaper in the land? Why isn`t the media paying attention to this?

    • John Morse says:

      This is hardly the first column printed in Sun News that has not been carried by a credible newspaper or been ignored by the media.

  3. MCBellecourt says:

    Doesn’t bode well for the NDP when a guy like Mulcair can win the leadership over a guy like Nathan Cullen. I didn’t like Mulcair when he was running and I like him even less now. I’m still smelling rat with the leadership convention, and all the ‘problems’s they had with online voting–just when Cullen was looking like a real contender. Perhaps it’s just coincidence, but from where I sit, very bad optics. Mulcair turned me off completely when he come rolling onto the convention floor with that stupid entourage of drummers. Like some Roman emperor or something. Only thing missing was the white horse and chariot. I shut off the live feed at that point.

    The Dippers blew it. Mulcair up against Trudeau? No contest. None. The guy has the charisma of a root canal and would not make a very good impression meeting with foreign leaders, where a personality is essential–the Dippers got themselves a Harper.

    The information you just posted just confirms and reinforces my belief that the NDP shot themselves in the feets, and kept shooting until they ran out of bullets.

    • Larry says:

      Mulcair is from Quebec, and if he fails as a national leader so will Justin who is also a self-proclaimed “Son of Quebec”.

      If Mulcair is disqualified that will also discredit Trudeau who said “Quebecers are better, etc…”. They are both perched on their Quebec life raft, and it’s sinking now that Quebec has gone to the Marois PQ.

      If Trudeau proves to be a failed leader, he must consider abdicating the Liberal throne. He must decide if he’s “in over his head” otherwise he will drag the Liberal party down with him. In politics, there is no time given to a leader to find his leadership role or learn what it’s all about in the HOCs. Visiting high schools and giving speeches is not a winning strategy, particularly when the media is excluded.

      The Cons will attack, bully, strangle, slaughter a weak political opponent, as they should in the political jungle. As Warren has intimated in no uncertain terms — attack or be attacked and progressively destroyed… no mystery here…. and having your mother getting mad is no good.

  4. billg says:

    This opinion piece could only be published in one newspaper….The Sun.
    Best column in a long time WK.
    There is a very large light that needs to be focused on the federal NDP, and, it ties in with going negative and attack ads. Why the LPC and some supporters wants to play nice in Quebec and stay positive when there are 60 seats just waiting to be plucked is beyond comprehension.

  5. steve w says:

    Ouch.

  6. Eric Weiss says:

    Great article.

  7. patrick says:

    Great column. Placing facts and events in context – and in the Sun too! Oh wait, it’s from the local communist. Figures.

  8. Houland Wolfe says:

    Me think he doth protest too much. The marriage between the NDP and the Libs is off, so now the enemy of my enemy is also my enemy. That said, nice piece of work with the knife, WK.

  9. james curran says:

    So much for that merger thingy.

    • Larry says:

      I beg to differ. A merger may now be essential to stop Harper in 2015. Perhaps there is not enough time to develop a merged centre-left party, but having two party leaders from Quebec is the kiss of death politically. One leader is unfit to be prime minister and the other is in well over his head to be prime minister. This is now the undeniable, indisputable truth!

      Perhaps the NDP and Liberals must concede they will undoubtedly fail as stand-alone parties, and must find some kind of entente cordiale, and the current leaders replaced by a truly national leader; because Thomas and Justin are quebecois first politicians. The Conservatives will drive a political wedge between Quebec and the ROC to win another majority in 2015. After that, they can deal with the Marois PQ separatists effectively. If the BQ make a comeback in 2015, they could conceivably become the official opposition, again!

      When push comes to shove and the rubber hits the road, fleeting popularity and hatemongering will not carry the day. Politics is a game of Harper chess, not checkers as the NDP and Liberals seem to be playing in futility.

      • james curran says:

        Don’t be ridiculous. Nobodys in over their head. Trudeau is the next Prime. Minister.

        • Larry says:

          I predict that Trudeau will abdicate the Liberal throne when he finally realizes that as it’s leader he has no followers… and it will happen relatively soon. Justin will continue to stumble in and out of Parliament and it will become clearly apparent he does not have the intellect nor the experience to duke it out with Harper and Mulcair. Be prepared for a big letdown and watch Justin’s fleeting popularity dissolve away as he is exposed for what he is — over his head and even exceeding his level of incompetence.

          Being a popular man does not automatically make him a capable and proven political leader; even if chosen by the supporters of the Liberal party. If he tries to raise his head, the Harper attack ads will be waiting to whackamole him down!

  10. dave says:

    I have donated and voted in some NDP leadership races, here in BC, Corky, 2ce, Dimitrov, federally Blaikie,(I had Layton- another Toronto politician…yeah, that’s what we need), Cullen most recently.
    So I don’t have a good record for picking leadership material.

    Let’s see, then , Justine is too shallow, Mulcair is too angry, Liz is too powerless,…who does that leave?

  11. Larry says:

    Regardless, the chances of another prime minister coming from Quebec are slim to none.

    The rest of Canada will not put their welfare in the hands of somebody from unstable Quebec, again.

    Why do you think the CPC inserted Justin’s “Quebecers are better” words into the attack ad?

    They intend to make it Quebec versus the rest of Canada from now to 2015 — and Mulcair is obliging them together with Justin.

    It’s game over for 2015, because both Mulcair and Justin are political dead meat now.

  12. Paul says:

    Warren, the NDP is chalk FULL of people with the same values and convictions as Mulclair. Have you finally dropped the idea of merging the NDP with LPC? They would run roughshod over Libs and Canada would suffer greatly. I can’t believe you could still think it to be the way to go.

  13. G says:

    Of course, Jack wasn’t one iota different, except for the smile. Double standard much?

  14. Rene says:

    Quebec-bashing at its finest. And here you accuse Mulcair of sowing disunity in Canada by seeking to pursue an enquiry into allegations concerning improprieties surrounding the 1982 repatriation of the Constitution, a request put forward unanimously by the Quebec National Assembly, including MNA’s from the Quebec Liberal Party. Quite appropriate that your piece was published in Sun News, where in the comments section you have attracted a hate-mongering Conservative mob, calling for Quebec to be booted from Canada, for unilingual English, for the Quebec NDP caucus to be arrested for treason, for the Quebec National Assembly to be arrested for treason. Quite an accomplishment for one who claims his purpose is to promote Canadian unity…

    • Mauserman says:

      Compaired to the everyday anglo-hate fest that passes for public policy in the Belle Province, Warren is pretty light here. Lighter than he should be…..

      • Larry says:

        Go have a gander at http://www.pq.org, and you will see two(2) Marois videos — one declaring that “Sovereignty Pays”, and the other “Sovereignty is Security”. Both videos are done with an effective soft sell strategy and both can be quite convincing.

        Warren, have you analyzed the Marois videos being broadcast now in Quebec, because I see them as “positive” attack ads to legitimize and advance Quebec sovereignty?

  15. G says:

    Seriously, I don’t even know how you can say one nice word about Layton and then post this kind of thing about Mulcair (not that any of it is incorrect). At least Mulcair doesn’t try to pretend he isn’t a career politician, good god.

  16. Dan says:

    “There’s been a pattern in Mulcair’s public life. At those points where history is watching, at those moments where he has been called upon to choose Canada or Quebec, he chooses the latter.”

    What a blatantly dishonest statement. Tom was in the trenches fighting for Canada and beating separatists throughout his career. He fought hard in ’95 to bring to light the rampant vote fraud and suppression by the “Yes” side. He worked for Alliance Quebec, for crying out loud.

    Warren is using the Karl Rove-school of attack politics here: use your opponent’s strengths against him. I find this LPC more-federalist-than-thou attitude totally alienating.

  17. One could debate the merits of 50%+1 version other policies, but the Liberal don’t have a policy on the requirement for referendum, they have a noun.

    Chantal Hébert argued in her column that no institution should be considered above reproach, even the Supreme Court.

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