Entries Tagged 'Liberal Party' ↓

Just released:

Well, it’s another day in my evolution. PC. Harper Conservative. Maverick MP. Outcast. Indie. Liberal.

To say the past year has been one hell of a ride would be a political understatement. Never expected it, even though many people say I am the architect of my own destiny. Today I’m accepting that view more than ever, since the decision to join Stephane Dion and the Liberal caucus is entirely mine. It did not come easily. But it’s unquestionably the right thing to do.

I’m convinced of this since I define this job with one question: How can I be the most effective MP for the people? For the past year the answer has been to be as ethical, principled and issue-driven as possible. I told folks I would work for them, not the party. This put me on an immediate collision course with Stephen Harper, who has an entirely different view of what an MP is. We clashed a week into this job, and it never let up. I was threatened, but didn’t give in. I did not, for example, shut this blog down, as was ordered by the PM’s chief of staff.

Often I have thought of Stephen Harper’s words to me after the election, when he referred to my past as a media guy. “Journalists make bad politicians,” he told me. “Politicians can stay on message, but journalists think they have to tell the truth.”

Maybe he’s right. But I’ve always thought that’s what the voters want, too. So let me tell you the unvarnished truth about my decision to join the Liberals, probably the only member of my family to do so since ancestor Ebenezer Bodwell. He was the first MP for Oxford, starting in 1867.

Being anything other than a Conservative never crossed my mind until just recently. After all, I’d been a Tory MP in the past under two prime ministers, as well as a cabinet minister and even a leadership contender. As a new member of the Harper caucus I though this could be a worthy successor to the PC party. In fact, that’s what I’d campaigned on, telling voters it would be modern, mainstream and moderate, so there was no reason to stick with the Liberals.

But the conflict was immediate and my disappointment profound. My idea of a good MP was not shared by many of my neo-Conservative colleagues and certainly not by PMSH. And this blog, in itself, became a major issue. At the end of the relationship – and the final days of my being a Tory – I stood accused of telling you things about how Ottawa works, that Ottawa did not want you to know.

So, I found myself an independent MP last October, a position which history shows almost no one has made work. Cadman, Nunziata – there are few who have survived long or made a lasting contribution, without support or colleagues. But I gave it my best shot, pursuing the issues I came for, winning some battles, trying to stay relevant, and having as much influence as one guy could.

And while I believe we need a few dozen independents in Parliament, to keep the balance of power in the hands of the people, being an Indie is no picnic. It is unusual and misunderstood, and I will continue to fight for more rights for independent members. Constituents would call and ask if I was still the MP. Others thought this meant the end of government funding to my riding of Halton. And in Ottawa my experience in economics was wasted as the Conservatives threw me off the finance committee and wouldn’t let me back on.

It became clear after a couple of months, as I headed home for the holiday break, that I owed it to the people who sent me to Ottawa, to explore every option. And I did. In addition to a series of Town Hall meetings and endless advice-seeking in the riding, I spoke to people with knowledge and experience, and opened lines of communication with the Greens and the Liberals.

In the last few days, the options narrowed. Equally large numbers of the people I spoke in the last few weeks encouraged me to sit either as an independent or a Liberal. About this time I was approached by members of the local Liberal association, asking if I would consider working with them.

So we met in my family room, then again at Tim’s. I asked to speak with the new leader, Dion. I met him in Toronto, then again in Ottawa. We talked about his vision for the country and my vision of a good MP. We were blunt about working on a team, caucus confidentiality and my view that politicians need to talk to the people and answer to them. We spoke of our common causes – the environment, a sound economy, a thriving middle class and a tolerant and socially progressive country. I found the guy to be refreshingly honest, open, unpretentious and gentlemanly. I think he is what you would want a leader to be like. Confident and approachable.

In our first meeting we talked for two hours. I explained my convictions as a Progressive Conservative, and he talked about opening his party wide to exactly people like me. I said to him, you surely know me and the troubles I had with Stephen Harper. You know what they said about me. And you alone must decide if the Liberals can work with an MP like me.

And he said yes. So did I.

The news I am joining the federal Liberal caucus and leader Stephane Dion may have some Canadians scratching their heads, saying, so who is this guy? Good question!

I have been a member of Parliament for just over a year – at least, this time – and before that have tried my hand at writing books, being a TV talking head, a daily and syndicated columnist, financial lecturer, and an entrepreneur with businesses in real estate, television, hospitality and retail. I’ve served as Canada’s minister of national revenue, and these days I’m trying to marry up the concepts of politician and Internet communicator, since I think Canadians need to be far more involved in government.

In any case, webcasting is a big part of that. And here’s one about me!

To view the video, click here.