Politics, policy and political theatre

The last few weeks have been a political junkie’s double-double, with caucuses in both the Federal and Provincial theatres in spritely shape. We’ve seen progressive public policy from the Conservative government in Halifax and what passes for a Canadian cloak and dagger story being played out for our entertainment in the ethics committee of the House of Commons.

Not to mention students at Acadia, in a Mock Question Period, showing as much (if not more) charm, intelligence and verve as the real thing, and with greater gender equity.

Late November may have been a turning point for parties at both levels of our federation. In Nova Scotia, all three parties appear, for the first time in quite a while, to be firing on all cylinders, even though the Liberals are running a clear third, starting the next race from well behind the two front runners.

The NDP continues to drive a clear and compelling message home to Nova Scotians while the Tories appear finally to be awake at the wheel, with decisions on the environment and troubled youth that are engaged and encouraging.

This should, in theory, mean an election next spring, as it’s getting increasingly expensive for the Nova Scotia Liberals to prop up their blue cousins. (At some point, Stephen, waiting for a bus that you’ve already missed is not the best way to get where you think you’re going. After a while, waiting at the bus stop risks looking like political loitering.)

It was surprising to see Stephen McNeil proclaim recently that health care, crime, education and fair gas prices were the four priorities of his Liberals. What happened to poverty, the issue that he declared to be central to his mission in a previous iteration of the party line?

Could it be that his Liberals don’t believe there are enough votes to be captured with an anti-poverty plank; that addressing poverty makes it difficult to secure campaign funds; that Nova Scotians just didn’t consider them to be believable on the issue; or is it that they just wish to help out the NDP, leaving this tough but glorious work to the traditional champions of social justice in Canada and in Nova Scotia?

Impressed by the Conservative government

If I might say so, I was impressed by the direction taken by provincial Conservatives to deal with a growing crisis of youth crime and violence. An answer to this contemporary challenge is indeed at least partly found in early identification and intervention, with coordinated support services; with teachers trained increasingly to understand and engage the social-psychology of the day (with greater compensation and support for their efforts); with more community use of the schools; and with the full involvement of families. This is an encouraging direction, though the money currently earmarked for it will not be sufficient.

This approach to youth at risk has been practiced in Quebec for the last decade and we need to leap-frog the pilot studies here with a lot more cash than is currently on the table. Alas, as with other issues of social policy, somehow we just never seem to find enough money “to get the job done.” This is why many critics seem fixated on the deal to replace the Atlantic Accord, and on governmental priorities.

The ghost of Mulroney past

In Ottawa, just when Conservatives were starting to look secure (with the confidence of power oozing through their conduct in the House and on the tube), the ghost of Mulroney past revisited. Not seeking to draw any lawsuits my way, I’ll avoid commenting on who did what to whom, with whom, when, how, and why, for how long, and for how much. But the Mulroney-Schreiber Show has given all three opposition parties in the House new-found energy after a lazy summer and disappointing fall. And local MPs are playing two of the more interesting parts: M. Thibaut as an effective member of the ethics committee and M. Brison in Question Period.

Not a great strategy, perhaps, for twinning highways, but much better than being lost in Ottawa and undeniably the role of the Queen’s Loyal Opposition.

As if in a national history written with divine irony, Nova Scotia is again playing a leading role, depleting population and all.