So many questions for Ken McDonald

Work in Progress by Ivan Morgan

If you are a regular reader of this column, you know I do not like political parties (and God love your cotton socks for being a regular reader!).

I have been a member of several and, while each one goes to great lengths to convince you they are not the same as the others, they kind of are.

Sure, their beliefs differ, but their day-to-day operations are more similar than different.

One big similarity is party discipline. No matter which party you are elected to, you are expected to always side with that party. March to the same drummer. Toe the party line. Lock step. No deviations, or there will be consequences. Although some argue it’s a necessary evil, I don’t think it is and I don’t like it.

No need for me to go on about this. As I have said before, Paul Lane is the provincial poster boy for not liking party discipline. Read what he has said.

Which brings me to the topic of Liberal MP Ken Macdonald.

He recently thumbed his nose at his own party’s discipline. He voted with the Conservatives on a no-brainer motion asking government to not add the latest carbon tax increase to home heating fuel.

Many Canadians (including Mr. Macdonald’s constituents) are already struggling with the price. Winter is coming and there are folks worried about being able to afford to be warm. Increasing the tax on the already skyrocketing cost of home heating fuel won’t help. Macdonald said it was unfair to vulnerable people in his riding. Interestingly, the province’s Liberal Premier sent a letter to his federal buddies asking for the same thing.

The Liberals defeated the motion.

Technically, Macdonald didn’t vote against his party, he voted for an opposition motion (you can thank me later for sparing you the details of parliamentary procedure, which I am well versed in). The other provincial Liberal MPs – his colleagues – did not support the motion.

Party discipline being what it is, the Tories erupted in joy when he supported the motion, made a big fuss in the House of Commons, taunting the Liberals over Macdonald breaking ranks.

Politics being what it is, the Tories have been running ads since the vote showing the pictures of the local Liberal MPs who chose to support their government and not exempt home heating fuel from the tax increase. The Tory message is they don’t care that the vulnerable people in their ridings could freeze this winter.

This is, of course, political nonsense. No MP wants to see anyone freeze. Yet the others decided to not break ranks with their party.

I don’t know Macdonald. I have never met him. I have no insight into what he is thinking.

Clearly, he thought it more important to be seen as supporting his vulnerable constituents than to vote with his own party.

He has put his colleagues in an awkward political spot. By not supporting the motion they look callous and uncaring. It looks like he has sent a message to his voters that he is on their side, in Ottawa to represent them, not in Newfoundland to represent Ottawa.

Is this fair? Or are these Conservative political games? Is fighting climate change, and weaning the country off carbon-based fuels a more important issue than protecting those who still heat their homes with oil from being cold this winter? Is there no compromise?

It all depends on your point of view.

What was Macdonald thinking? Did he get sanction from his bosses to stand and do this? A little grandstanding for the folks back home? Is he breaking ranks? Will he be punished? Does he care? Will he cross the floor and join the Conservatives? Or am I reading too much into this?

Political parties don’t take kindly to people who don’t toe their line. They punish them. Just ask Scott Simms, or Fabian Manning, or, for that matter, Paul Lane. The MP whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature isn’t called the whip for nothing.

I can say this. Mr. Macdonald made my week more interesting.

So many questions.