Friday, September 29, 2006
Steve Goes Cheerleading
Why I am supporting Stéphane Dion
I promise that once this race is over I'll go back to being uniformly snarky on non-partisan. But for the time being, having someone of Dion's calibre at the head of Canada's Natural Governing Party (TM) is an opportunity that ought not to be passed up.
Some highlights from the above links:
On the environment
"So we had these laid out on a matrix about six items down here and we had them from worst, to not so bad, to acceptable but weak, to really strong. And when we started the negotiations on November 28th, and we met as a group we didn't have a single country as supporting the global climate groups' positions, down the line on "very strong." Not one. And by the time the conference adjourned, we had every single decision in the best contemplated possible result strongest decision category. Every single one. And that was thanks to Stephane Dion." - Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
"One of the questions at the Surrey debate was about soaring gasoline prices. It was, in effect, an invitation to pander to Liberals on a consumer issue. Dion refused to play. "I have bad news," he announced cheerfully. "It will only get worse." With China putting millions of new cars on the road every month, he said, Canada had better use less fuel if Canadians want lower fuel bills." - Paul Wells, Maclean's
"Dion is the only candidate who has made climate change a central priority. His 53-page plan for cutting Canada's output of greenhouse gases includes international carbon trading, burial of carbon dioxide and more public transit. He said yesterday he would rule out federal funding of infrastructure that spawned sprawl." - Henry Aubin, Montreal Gazette
National Unity
"Dion is in a class by himself. His effectiveness in the past dwarfs Rae's. The trenchant logic of his written ripostes to sovereignist leaders in the late 1990s elevated the national-unity debate and left opponents sputtering for words. The Clarity Act, of which he was the guiding spirit, gave Canada an overdue self-defence mechanism. In debates, he is quick on his feet and uses facts rather than hyperbole or personal attack. He might lack charisma, but he radiates intellectual integrity. It's hard, then, to think of anyone in Canada who inspires more confidence on the national-unity file." - Henry Aubin, Montreal Gazette
"Plucked out of academia by Jean Chretien shortly after the referendum, he got elected in St.-Laurent-Cartierville riding, jumping over the boards into the game. There he started throwing body checks at the sovereignists, deploying his limpid logic and academic rigour until separatists grew red in the face. His Clarity Act and his open letters deflated unreasonable Yes-side assertions and assumptions. If another referendum must be fought, Dion would be the man to fight it; no matter who is in power federally, the referendum No committee should co-opt Dion for a major role." - Montreal Gazette
Social Programs
"He shows signs of being an old-fashioned tax-and-spend Liberal; alarmingly, he suggested to our editorial board that "more social programs" are the only way to social justice." - Montreal Gazette
Intellect
"Dion offers only confidence, encyclopedic interests, and a decade at the centre of the nation's most gruelling debates, a trial by fire that he endured, we can say now in hindsight, with extraordinary good grace." - Paul Wells, Maclean's
"In recent debates, he earned kudos for being able to answer questions on just about any theme. "In the debates, I felt I was not surfing as the other candidates were," he told The Gazette's editorial board this week. "I enjoyed it."" - Philip Authier, Montreal Gazette
"When Paul Martin became Liberal leader, he told Dion it was time for new faces with new ideas. "Then I'll send you new ideas," Dion said. Within two days a discussion paper with new policies for the economy, environment and the mechanics of federalism was on Martin's desk. He shuffled Dion to the backbenches anyway. Dion became such a star at weekly caucus meetings -- and then, during the 2004 election, such a key player in the Liberals' late-inning recovery from complete collapse in Quebec -- that he was back in cabinet immediately after the election." - Paul Wells, Maclean's
Political Skills
"Today, after a campaign that allowed him to pump out policy ideas on almost every subject that matters, Dion is sitting pretty, either with a shot at the Liberal crown or in the starting gate of a future cabinet job." - Philip Authier
"Some say Dion is too dry and academic to win an election, a criticism we do not share. People said that about Stephen Harper, too, but he's PM today. Having both major parties led by individuals of undeniable intelligence is not such a bad fate for a country, after all." - Montreal Gazette
"Suddenly Russia wouldn't agree to the language on Article 3.9, which was our key protocol section about negotiating post-2012. At 6 o'clock we broke for dinner, we were supposed to resume at 8pm - didn't happen, midnight - didn't happen. 2:16 AM. Now they're all off in meeting rooms, and we're all working the corridors. At 2:16 AM Dion gaveled us back in and the word was out, he's going to try to bluff the Russians. He knows they won't agree, he's going to smoke ‘em out and make them do it in a room in public and see if we can get them to just let it go through. Dion put forward the good language, and all you have to do in a UN meeting, any one country can block. You just put your flag up. This is like a little nameplate. The Russians flipped their flag up, and they objected. And it was quite an extraordinary moment, the head of Russian delegation said "We never saw this language before, it is new to us, it's not….we are object on behalf of the Russian Federation to this language and we are more than prepared to explain our reasons." And Stephane Dion said, "as you are now blocking important progress for the fate of the world, I suggest you explain your reasons to the world." At 2:16 AM that's pretty good." - Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
"Metcalfe was meeting every potential candidate, asking them what they would want their legacy to be if they survived a decade as prime minister. Almost none had a persuasive answer. (Belinda Stronach said, "Let me get back to you.") But Dion was ready to describe a legacy. His reply was short and, to Metcalfe's ears, sweet: "A united Canada that offers a better standard of living and uses fewer resources." Metcalfe, too, signed on to the Dion campaign." - Paul Wells, Maclean's
P.S.
Gerard Kennedy
|
Why I am supporting Stéphane Dion
I promise that once this race is over I'll go back to being uniformly snarky on non-partisan. But for the time being, having someone of Dion's calibre at the head of Canada's Natural Governing Party (TM) is an opportunity that ought not to be passed up.
Some highlights from the above links:
On the environment
"So we had these laid out on a matrix about six items down here and we had them from worst, to not so bad, to acceptable but weak, to really strong. And when we started the negotiations on November 28th, and we met as a group we didn't have a single country as supporting the global climate groups' positions, down the line on "very strong." Not one. And by the time the conference adjourned, we had every single decision in the best contemplated possible result strongest decision category. Every single one. And that was thanks to Stephane Dion." - Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
"One of the questions at the Surrey debate was about soaring gasoline prices. It was, in effect, an invitation to pander to Liberals on a consumer issue. Dion refused to play. "I have bad news," he announced cheerfully. "It will only get worse." With China putting millions of new cars on the road every month, he said, Canada had better use less fuel if Canadians want lower fuel bills." - Paul Wells, Maclean's
"Dion is the only candidate who has made climate change a central priority. His 53-page plan for cutting Canada's output of greenhouse gases includes international carbon trading, burial of carbon dioxide and more public transit. He said yesterday he would rule out federal funding of infrastructure that spawned sprawl." - Henry Aubin, Montreal Gazette
National Unity
"Dion is in a class by himself. His effectiveness in the past dwarfs Rae's. The trenchant logic of his written ripostes to sovereignist leaders in the late 1990s elevated the national-unity debate and left opponents sputtering for words. The Clarity Act, of which he was the guiding spirit, gave Canada an overdue self-defence mechanism. In debates, he is quick on his feet and uses facts rather than hyperbole or personal attack. He might lack charisma, but he radiates intellectual integrity. It's hard, then, to think of anyone in Canada who inspires more confidence on the national-unity file." - Henry Aubin, Montreal Gazette
"Plucked out of academia by Jean Chretien shortly after the referendum, he got elected in St.-Laurent-Cartierville riding, jumping over the boards into the game. There he started throwing body checks at the sovereignists, deploying his limpid logic and academic rigour until separatists grew red in the face. His Clarity Act and his open letters deflated unreasonable Yes-side assertions and assumptions. If another referendum must be fought, Dion would be the man to fight it; no matter who is in power federally, the referendum No committee should co-opt Dion for a major role." - Montreal Gazette
Social Programs
"He shows signs of being an old-fashioned tax-and-spend Liberal; alarmingly, he suggested to our editorial board that "more social programs" are the only way to social justice." - Montreal Gazette
Intellect
"Dion offers only confidence, encyclopedic interests, and a decade at the centre of the nation's most gruelling debates, a trial by fire that he endured, we can say now in hindsight, with extraordinary good grace." - Paul Wells, Maclean's
"In recent debates, he earned kudos for being able to answer questions on just about any theme. "In the debates, I felt I was not surfing as the other candidates were," he told The Gazette's editorial board this week. "I enjoyed it."" - Philip Authier, Montreal Gazette
"When Paul Martin became Liberal leader, he told Dion it was time for new faces with new ideas. "Then I'll send you new ideas," Dion said. Within two days a discussion paper with new policies for the economy, environment and the mechanics of federalism was on Martin's desk. He shuffled Dion to the backbenches anyway. Dion became such a star at weekly caucus meetings -- and then, during the 2004 election, such a key player in the Liberals' late-inning recovery from complete collapse in Quebec -- that he was back in cabinet immediately after the election." - Paul Wells, Maclean's
Political Skills
"Today, after a campaign that allowed him to pump out policy ideas on almost every subject that matters, Dion is sitting pretty, either with a shot at the Liberal crown or in the starting gate of a future cabinet job." - Philip Authier
"Some say Dion is too dry and academic to win an election, a criticism we do not share. People said that about Stephen Harper, too, but he's PM today. Having both major parties led by individuals of undeniable intelligence is not such a bad fate for a country, after all." - Montreal Gazette
"Suddenly Russia wouldn't agree to the language on Article 3.9, which was our key protocol section about negotiating post-2012. At 6 o'clock we broke for dinner, we were supposed to resume at 8pm - didn't happen, midnight - didn't happen. 2:16 AM. Now they're all off in meeting rooms, and we're all working the corridors. At 2:16 AM Dion gaveled us back in and the word was out, he's going to try to bluff the Russians. He knows they won't agree, he's going to smoke ‘em out and make them do it in a room in public and see if we can get them to just let it go through. Dion put forward the good language, and all you have to do in a UN meeting, any one country can block. You just put your flag up. This is like a little nameplate. The Russians flipped their flag up, and they objected. And it was quite an extraordinary moment, the head of Russian delegation said "We never saw this language before, it is new to us, it's not….we are object on behalf of the Russian Federation to this language and we are more than prepared to explain our reasons." And Stephane Dion said, "as you are now blocking important progress for the fate of the world, I suggest you explain your reasons to the world." At 2:16 AM that's pretty good." - Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
"Metcalfe was meeting every potential candidate, asking them what they would want their legacy to be if they survived a decade as prime minister. Almost none had a persuasive answer. (Belinda Stronach said, "Let me get back to you.") But Dion was ready to describe a legacy. His reply was short and, to Metcalfe's ears, sweet: "A united Canada that offers a better standard of living and uses fewer resources." Metcalfe, too, signed on to the Dion campaign." - Paul Wells, Maclean's
P.S.
Gerard Kennedy
