01.10.2012 10:15 AM

St. Maurice is Liberal red again!

And for Denis Coderre, this is a huge win: it solidifies his position as the most effective MP from Quebec.

41 Comments

  1. William says:

    Good news!

  2. Michael S says:

    It upstaged Paul Dewar’s now cancelled newser.

    Looks like Mulcair’s gonna be eating some crow, given that his raison d’Γͺtre is now moot.

  3. Marc L says:

    I wonder what the constituents think about having voted Liberal after all.

  4. nic coivert says:

    the merger begins, only 58 to go

    • TheSilentObserver says:

      let’s not get cocky here, remember which party it is who’ll be deciding whether an opposition merger will happen this parliamentary term, and whether or not said party is interested in merging with a bunch of entitled red conservatives

  5. aboucher says:

    1 down, 100 to go

    • TheSilentObserver says:

      I’ve said on this site before how even in third place, Liberal entitlement knows no bounds. As a dipper, i have to say that of course it’s unfortunate that the the NDP has lost a member to the grits, but this is political life in Canada. To think that the rest of her former colleagues are going to turn red now is deluded and self important to the fifth degree. Get over yourself, you’ve scored an important victory today, nobody can deny, but have you ever thought there is a reason why the NDP now have three times as seats than the grits?

      • frmr disgruntled Con now Happy Lib says:

        Answer: Jack Layton…….ask Mme St. Denis……..β€œThey voted for Jack Layton. Jack Layton is dead.”

        Having an uninspiring Liberal leader at the time didnt help much either……..

        • TheSilentObserver says:

          Nice of her to crap on his legacy like that. I’m just glad that 101 of her colleagues realize that there is an NDP after Jack Layton, something I was convinced of by the conviction and resolve of those who mourned him in Toronto last summer. There was the odd dumbass who moped to the camera “Who will lead us now? All we’ve fought for is lost!” but the determination and energy of more committed NDPers was a major factor in convincing for me to go orange. As sorry as I am that Layton is no longer with us, it is the reaction of the majority of NDPers, and even those who just kinda liked Jack, to his death which convinced me that this party is not a one trick pony.

        • Marc L says:

          Strange thing to say…it implies they didn’t vote for her, which provides even less of a justification for crossing the floor.

          • Jordan says:

            They still voted for her. If you’re dumb enough to vote for someone because you like their leader’s smile then you shouldn’t be shocked when your MP turns out to be flake.

          • ben burd says:

            If they voted for a dead guy where did her votes come from and why does she think her votes are telling her to become a nobody in the libs. She has no votes so why does she think she does?

  6. Michael S says:

    Wow. The NDP organization in Quebec is a clusterfuck. The Conservatives might as well have the phone lines route to Calgary. The BQ has imploded and the nationalist elite is distracted, fighting over who gets to lead what party in Quebec City.

    Which brings up this classic sketch from The Princess Bride:

    Miracle Max: He probably owes you money huh? I’ll ask him.
    Inigo Montoya: He’s dead. He can’t talk.
    Miracle Max: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there’s usually only one thing you can do.
    Inigo Montoya: What’s that?
    Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

    The Liberals are “Mostly Dead”. Why the NDP wants to give ’em a shot of nitroglycerin with a by-election at this stage is beyond me.

  7. Jon Powers says:

    Whenever an MP or MPP crosses the floor to another party, its bullshit. How is that fair to the people who democratically elected her as a member of the NDP? All of the parties welcome these traitors with open arms, but then bitch and whine when one of there own does the same. If she wants out of the NDP, she should sit as an independent. Pathetic.

    • Marc L says:

      No, she should be forced to stand for re-election in a by-election. Voters in that riding voted NDP, not Liberal. How exactly is this a victory for the Liberals. They didn’t earn the support of voters.

    • Michael Radan says:

      Voters elect members of parliament.

      They don’t vote for, Conservatives, Liberals or New Democrats. They don’t vote for a prime minister. They vote for an individual who will represent their riding. The person who can command the confidence of the greatest number of members of parliament gets called on to form the government.

      Maybe if the electorate had a better understanding of our parliamentary system, they would be more careful when they cast their ballots.

      • Marc L says:

        In theory yes. But in practice, people vote for the party and the leader, rarely for the local candidate.

        • Jordan says:

          I voted for my local candidate even though I don’t agree with his particularly party. If he defected to any of the others parties I’d be okay with that.

      • Jon Powers says:

        I wish this were true. But in practice, individual MP’s are told how to vote on specific issues, and for anything at all significant, the party whips the vote. So, if you vote for the individual and not the party, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

  8. Derek Pearce says:

    Well I guess Coderre is a skilled politico. For some reason I’ve just never liked him or trusted him, but perhaps I have to think in terms of what’s best for the team. Hmmm.

  9. Derek Pearce says:

    Wow, I just read that Globe piece and her “They voted for Jack Layton. Jack Layton is dead.” line is quite the kicker!

  10. dave says:

    Great news for the Conservatives! Should open a bidding war between the Libs and NDP. Lamoureux ( I think is his name) from Wpg Nrth would fit into the NDP, and would nail down his re election in that riding if he were to go to the NDP.
    And, this takes Joe Oliver and the foreign radicals out of today’s news. Puts Whazizname Scott an page 3.

  11. JH says:

    Just looking now at Denis Coderre and Bob Rae in the video. Rae, whether you like him or no is always the epitome of class and even when being partisan retains that quality. Coderre looks like some kind of a Quebec mafia bag man and gives off that aura everytime he appears in public. If he is the LPC’s ‘visage’ in Quebec, it’s in a lot of trouble. I was just picturing Marc Garneau there instead and thought what a photo – op that would have been of two very classy guys repping the Liberals.

    • Derek Pearce says:

      Precisely. It’s unfair I guess, but Coderre gives off what I think of as a creep vibe.

    • Marc L says:

      Agree that replacing Coderre with Garneau would put a better face on the Liberals — Coderre is a political hack who has never done anything else in his life. He will do and say anything for votes. That includes harbouring a well-known anti-Israel bias which is well-known in these woods.

      • Ted H says:

        You seem to have a familiarity with Quebec politics but as for the statement:

        “..a politcal hack who has never done anything else in his life. He will do and say anything for votes.”

        That seems an apt description as well of several Conservative Cabinet Ministers, including the Prime one.

      • ottlib says:

        Hmmmm, the two most successful party leaders from the last election were Stephen Harper and Jack Layton, two career politicians who did very little with their lives before going into politics.

        The only non-professional politician was severely repudiated.

        It would seem Canadians have now problems with political hacks.

      • Michael Radan says:

        A political hack who has never done anything else, will say and do anything for votes. For a second there I thought you were talking about Harper. πŸ˜‰

        • Marc L says:

          True. I have a particular beef with Coderre though, given his constant Israel-bashing and his support of Palestinian “militants” — a good vote-getter in his riding.

  12. jon evan says:

    Unknown MP garnering only 39% of the vote in St. Maurice crosses over to 3rd. place party which got only 12% of the Red vote in that riding. Nuts that’s no Liberal Red wave for St. Maurice and hardly something to cheer about except only for Mr. Rae who will claim the credit as another feather for his Leadership hat NO not of the Liberal Party (which is defunct) but of the new Progressive Party Coalition soon to be announced! Is that why you use the term ‘Progressives’ Warren?

  13. Derek Pearce says:

    If this is a step to a leftish merger, then just do it and get it over with. At this point it is actually more important to put Harper on the defence and get down to giving a clear choice to Canadians of Harper or an alternative. But my instincts tell me a merged-left party can’t hold, those on the farther left will get pissed off and split off again before too long, don’t you think WK?

  14. CarpetKicker says:

    Perhaps she wants to spend more time with people her age.

    • TheSilentObserver says:

      maybe she should retire then and join a bridge club. All canadians past the age of majority can vote for their government, so supposedly, the members they elect regardless of age, should be able to work together in government (or opposition) as well?

  15. SF Thomas says:

    I have no idea what the floor crossing has to do with Coderre. From what I’ve heard Lise St-Denis was the one that approached the LPC about this. If he was the one to fully convince her, maybe he deserves some credit but otherwise it really has to do entirely with Ms St-Denis decision, and maybe the strong performance of the Liberal team in the House of Commons.

    I am glad for the event though, it does give some wind in our sails. Ms. St-Denis actually described much of my own opinions with her rationale for switching parties. The NDP performance as of late has been very lacking and they seem to have problems functioning in the role of opposition without Layton as leader. The Liberals in contrast have much more experience and a better understanding of how things run, especially with both MPs that served in past governments and more experienced support staff. I made that case a lot in the last election as well, that the NDP did not have enough experience to run the show on their own, from what I’ve seen so far this opinion seems to be vindicated. The NDP’s isolationist streak when it comes to foreign affairs also bothers me. I’m not in favour of unnecessary or preemptive war like the Republicans and Bush leftovers in the US (and I’m glad we stayed out of Iraq), but there are some times when, conditions permitting, we can and should intervene and it can make a positive difference. Rwanda in particular comes to mind a case where we should have intervened. Libya is an example recently of what could probably be considered a minimalist but fairly successful foreign intervention. Some segments of the NDP also lack flexibility on economic policy.

  16. Lumipallo says:

    As some wag observed in the Globe’s comments today, the lady is 71 years old. Her crossing to the Liberals lowers the average age of the NDP caucus and the Liberals’, too. Dang! I wish I’d written that!

    C’mon, fellow Dippers, let’s stop our whining. This is like Gary Carter, having reached base on an error, crying about not being given credit for a hit, even when the Expos won the game handily. Let’s keep our eye on the ball. (That’s for our host, who sometimes describes Hill Times-type stuff as “too Inside Baseball.” Gosh, I miss the Expos.) Warren is entitled to gloat today. His team scored. His celebrating here is a bit over the top, sorta like some concussed and drooling Packers’ offensive lineman doing the Lambeau Leap after a field goal to cut the Vikes’ lead to 38-6. The losing team must celebrate its little victories any way it can, but there is no denying that this IS a victory for them. (Too Inside Football? – – ed.)

    Guess I’m a fuddy duddy, but I can’t get too excited about floor-crossing. I hate to see the good guys lose an MP, but it’s all part of our parliamentary tradition and has been going on forever in all parliamentary democracies. All parties have lapsed members of other parties within their ranks if not actually sitting in the House of Commons.

  17. Sean says:

    This is big, big, BIG. ’nuff said.

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