Suggested political party floor-crossing talking points

The NDP’s epically-dumb response presser now done, here’s what they should’ve said instead:

  • We very much regret that [BLANK] chose to cross the floor.
  • We’re sorry to see him/her go.  But we wish them the very best.
  • [If pressed on the need for a by-election]  It is true that [BLANK] was elected under the banner of our party.  We believe he/she should ratify his/her decision with the voters of [BLANK].  Under our system of government, however, there is no legal requirement that he/she do so.
  • So, those of us elected as [BLANK] Members of Parliament will continue to work hard for the people who elected us.  And, again, we wish [BLANK] well in his/her future endeavours.
  • Thank you.

Hill Times story on Libs

“Crawley is the unilingual Turner-Martin guy, and Copps is the multilingual Trudeau-Chrétien person. That’s why it’s attracting a lot of attention, at least among Liberals,” said Mr. Kinsella, a former adviser to Mr. Chrétien and a former Cabinet ministerial staffer. “If Crawley wins, it’ll signal a return of many of the folks who consigned us to opposition status in the first place. But don’t take that to mean I support Copps holus-bolus: her statements about Rae and the leadership have done her a lot of damage, and she was wrong to say what she said. If she loses, it’ll be because of that.”