Stephen Harper has no sense of humour. He also risks losing the support of
establishment families with money.
Ches Crosbie was recently rejected by the Conservative party
as the candidate in a Newfoundland constituency with no real reason given.” Mr. Crosbie is more than suitable, he’s an
articulate lawyer with a good reputation.
He’s even a Rhodes Scholar and studied at Oxford. Maybe that’s part of his problem? Articulation, education, and a good reputation
don’t seem to be traits the Conservatives want or possess. Ches Crosbie also appeared at a community
event in Newfoundland in which he comically impersonated Stephen Harper. He wore an impeccably styled wig resembling
Harper’s own too tidy to be real haircut, and was dressed in a kilt. He recited a few lines from Macbeth in
reference to Harper’s current troubles, and of course there are many. Apparently the folks at Conservative
headquarters didn’t like this, and it’s quite likely the boss himself found out
and was not too pleased either. Ches
Crosbie, while just doing his part to get a few laughs and display that fine
Newfoundland sense of humour, violated the Conservative code of behaviour; don’t
make fun of the leader, those who violate the cult of personality will be
shunned.
Harper and his inner circle probably thought that because
Ches Crosbie is from Newfoundland that they were getting a finely trained seal
as a candidate. They should have known
better. Ches Crosbie is the son of the
redoubtable John Crosbie who started out as a Liberal legislator and cabinet
minister during the long reign of Newfoundland’s first Premier, Joey
Smallwood. The elder Crosbie grew tired
of Smallwood’s vindictive, dictatorial, and corrupt methods (reminds me of a
certain Prime Minister) and parted ways with the Newfoundland Liberals to go on
and serve in the cabinet of the province’s second Premier, Frank Moores. Canadians got the full exposure to Crosbie
though when he went into federal politics, serving first as Finance Minister
under Joe Clark. He ran for the
leadership of the old Progressive Conservatives in 1983 but went on to serve in
the cabinet of the man who did win, Brian Mulroney. More recently, John Crosbie, now 84, served
as Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, a position he was
ironically appointed to by The Queen on the advice of Stephen Harper. The senior Crosbie was not only a good
politician, but his straight-talk and colourful commentary made him legendary,
most notably his exchanges in the House of Commons with Liberal MP Sheila
Copps.
The Crosbie’s are not just part of the political establishment
in Newfoundland, they’re part of the economic establishment there too. John Crosbie’s grandfather, Sir John Chalker Crosbie
started a company that touched just about every aspect of the Newfoundland economy;
shipping, fishing, insurance, manufacturing, and hotels. Sir John Chalker served in various cabinet
posts in Newfoundland’s former national government. John Crosbie’s father Chesley, for whom Ches
is named, took over the business.
The Harper snub of a politically strong and wealthy family
is a bad move. The Conservatives risk
losing the support of similar families.
Of course for those of us who want to see Stephen Harper and the
Conservatives banished from political existence, this is a good thing. However, why would party officials open the
organization up to the negative response it is getting by spurning a source of organizational
support and funds, especially in Atlantic Canada where opinion polls are
looking the worst for them? This would
be like the Liberals telling Montreal’s powerful Desmarais family (Power Corporation,
Corus, La Presse) that they no longer wanted their donations or organizational
assistance. It’s also no secret that the
Weston family of Toronto (groceries and bread) are strong Liberals too. There’s no sign of Justin Trudeau’s inner
circle telling them to go away. On a
more modest level, one cannot imagine the NDP telling Ed Broadbent, Stephen
Lewis, or Ed Schreyer that their advice or money is no longer wanted. The Conservative rejection of the Crosbie’s
was a big mistake. Canadians, including
many Conservatives, won’t let the party and Stephen Harper away with it.
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