Beatty and the Beast

So the Federal Liberals have anointed Joan Beatty, former Sask NDP Cabinet Minister as their candidate of choice in Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill Rivers over David Orchard.

It's not so much that Dion has found a candidate, as it is amazing that he and the Liberal Party would stifle the democratic process of a nomination race, preventing the grassroots members from deciding whom their candidate should be.

News that the nomination process might be circumvented was a direct blow to Liberal members in DMCR and has been a topic of discussion in Liberal blogs for weeks with some card carrying Liberals pondering their allegiance to the Party. Now that is has become official, it is going to be interested how much of the traditional Liberal vote will still hold.

When you look at the history of Orchard and the fact that if it hadn't been for him, and his work for Dion in the 2006 Leadership contest, Dion would not necessarily become Leader, it is completely amazing that Ralph Goodale was able to amplify his whining and convince Dion that he needed to step into the nomination.

What is even more amazing, is that Orchard had declared his candidacy in the Riding back in Oct and yet Goodale and Dion still found a way to shut him out 4 months later. I am curious as to how devote Orchard will remain to a second Party that continues to push him out of the way and tries to bury him. There's always Souris-Moose-Mountain I guess.

When you look at the Federal Liberals, it is no wonder that they flounder as the Official Opposition and are a completely ineffective in that role. Propping up Harper and the Conservatives is the only thing they can do until Dion actually figures out who is running the show in his own Party.

Joan Beatty is a wonderful lady and is committed to First Nations and Metis issues. What is most interesting here, is that she was just re-elected as the NDP MLA for Cumberland a mere 3 months ago with full knowledge of a pending Federal by-election and possible General election call.

Garnering 65.96% of the popular vote (3,124) over the Liberals measly 4.86% (230), and the Sask Party's 22.97% (1,088), the voters gave her a clear mandate to be and take their voice forward to the SASKATCHEWAN Legislature. These voters include the First Nation, Metis persons that she is so, supposedly, committed too.

Apparently, such commitment to voters is a rare thing. When you look back through history, it is not too surprising that the optics of "being in it for yourself" is presented. There are numerous examples of politicians who have jumped from federal to provincial, or provincial to federal politics under a different party's banner. Although in all fairness, not saying it was done, but it is entirely possible that a "promise of a Ministry" would and could, buy off the position of an Opposition MLA

So now the voters in DMCR, are presented with a rather interesting dilemma;

Do they vote for the Harper and the Conservatives, whom have done nothing for Saskatchewan with their current 12 MPs?

Do they vote for Dion and the Liberals, who are clearly an ineffective opposition, a prop for the Conservatives and whose candidate clearly has no allegiance to them?

Or do they put their voices with Jack Layton and the NDP, where they will be actually heard in Ottawa?