Good heavens - not another Stephen!

Though not watching the race for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Nova Scotia very closely, I was still surprised that Diana Whalen didn’t walk home with the trophy.

Her election may have secured the party’s access to vote-rich Metro, perhaps allowing them to increase their share of the votes of women. Still, Stephen McNeil is starting out on a decent footing as he has the good fortune to represent a Valley riding (that part of Canada in which all Canadians would choose to live, if they could…well, at least if we could do something about the air quality).

McNeil has, to my mind, two other things going for him: he says he’s committed to taking greater steps to address poverty in Nova Scotia; and he projects a sense of authenticity.

Not all Liberals are good at delivering progressive social policy and they far too often need to be pushed in this respect. But Stephen’s asserted commitment will seem believable if, like John Savage, he sticks to it.

McNeil will not, however, be able to campaign in Metro effectively. His position on the deregulation of gas prices will likely be his only wedge there, one for which he may have to pay in rural Nova Scotia. His party’s potential growth in rural Nova Scotia, by producing some tighter races, could help either the NDP or the Progressive Conservatives. And he’ll need to do a lot more not to look like the guy who the Liberals chose because they weren’t ready to support a woman.

Stephen needs to decide whether to continue supporting Rod’s Tories. If he continues, he runs the risk of looking afraid of the NDP and being far too cozy to the party whose policies he will need to oppose if he is to campaign effectively.

However, he also needs time to rebuild the party; to convince candidates who would be competitive to take a leap into provincial politics.

The Liberals would be wise not to expect too much. Being the Official Opposition to a NDP government would be a reasonable goal. As things now stand, Stephen is no more ready to govern than Rod Macdonald when he won the Progressive Conservative leadership. The NDP is ready with a proven track record, a well regarded leader and caucus, and Nova Scotians willingness to give them a go may grow.

Déjà vu all over again?

On the federal scene is the news that Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Christmas Day baby, has won the nomination in a Montreal riding currently held by the Bloc. While I had a fairly high regard for some of his father’s policies, and even of some of his pizzazz, I’m not all that impressed with Justin.

He will appeal to younger and to new Canadians, but he appears to me to lack what Darrel Dexter and Stephen McNeil appear to share; a sense of authenticity.

Too hard on the NDP?

Scott Burbidge has suggested I was too hard on the Federal NDP last week, regarding Canada’s military departure from Afghanistan. While I take his point, I still think that their willingness over the past year-and-a-half - effectively to work with the neo-cons by battling mainly against the Liberals (despite the tough questions they pose to Steve in the House) - will cost them, to the detriment of all of us. Bad strategy and increasingly clumsy tactics. And you don’t need to be a Liberal to think so.

Let me close today with congratulations to Wolfville for being the first fair trade town in Canada. Wolfville has shown again that thoughtful action can make a world of difference. The Valley has a real opportunity to be seen by the rest of the country as the heart of progressive agriculture and ecological integrity, and Wolfville’s initiative is charting the course.