Stephen and Stéphane Couldn’t Be More Different

December 6, 2006

Stéphane Dion is the “least offensive” leader that delegates at the Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention could have chosen last weekend in Montreal.

Mr. Dion was plucked from his life as a university professor when Jean Chrétien handed him a ‘safe’ Liberal seat in Montreal. Obviously, Liberal delegates viewed Mr. Dion himself as a ‘safe’ choice.

Afterall, he’s spent his low-key political career sitting on the fence for the tough issues and, when forced to take a stand, switching direction like a wind sock blown by erratic currents of public opinion polls.

Mr. Dion will soon discover that true leadership, by its very nature, inevitably offends someone. He should study Paul Martin’s doomed reign as Liberal leader. The man to whom every issue was “very, very important” and every special interest group was a “top priority” became seen as superficial and ineffective as Prime Minister.

In contrast, when I recently had the privilege of introducing Prime Minister Stephen Harper at a Conservative Party event, I proudly stated “Never before has a government kept so many promises in such a short time. Never before in Canadian federal politics have so many, owed so much, to one man’s leadership. Stephen Harper united conservatives from coast to coast, inspired Canadians with his vision, and rebuilt trust in our democracy with his decisiveness in dealing with tough issues.”

Canadians want and deserve a real leader. Even if some of the tough decisions our government has made over the past ten months, including those on income trusts and Quebec, have evoked controversy and occasionally some anger. Yet I would argue that such policies put the best interests of the nation first – not the fortunes of a political party.

It took Mr. Dion only one day to demonstrate his indecisiveness and tendency to flip-flop on important issues. Though he voted against same sex marriage in 1999, he stated this week that same-sex marriage was a fundamental human right and that he might force Liberal MPs to vote against the Conservative motion to restore the traditional definition of marriage in Canada.

His indecision as Environment Minister proved damaging to Canada. He may have named his dog Kyoto, but he presided over a 34.6 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Under his reign, Canada’s air quality dropped to 27 out of 29 nations in the OECD rankings.

A scathing audit on the Liberal’s environmental record by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, targeted the lack of leadership that Mr. Dion steadfastly demonstrates. “Our audits revealed inadequate leadership, planning and performance. The approach has lacked foresight and direction and has created confusion and uncertainty for those trying to deal with it. [The Liberal government] has not been effective in leading and deciding on many of the key areas.”

If that’s an assessment of Mr. Dion’s leadership abilities as Environment Minister, can you imagine the havoc he will inflict, as leader, upon the already divided Liberal Party of Canada? I for one will work hard to ensure he never gets a chance to lead our country.