The Globe And Mail's Nation Builder Of The Year: Ed Broadbent

Nice? Serious? Why not call your competition liars, whores or traitors, as other MPs do? This was, after all, a year in which: *Stephen Harper accused Prime Minister Paul Martin of delaying a crucial no-confidence vote until two cancer-stricken Conservative MPs were too sick to participate. *Belinda Stronach dumped her party, voters and boyfriend to join the Liberals. Her Conservative ex-colleagues then attacked her as a "dipstick," "whore" and "prostitute." *Tory Gurmant Grewal taped a series of his own why-don't-you-cross-the-floor conversations with a carefully coy Liberal cabinet minister and the Prime Minister's chief of staff. *Liberal campaign literature shows Mr. Harper whispering suspiciously into the ear of Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe. Mr. Harper says the photo was taken at a Holocaust memorial service. *The Bloc and Tories paralyzed Parliament for three days to show their control over the House. In a year that saw civility, decency and mutual respect hit a new low in Parliament, John Edward Broadbent is The Globe and Mail's Nation Builder of 2005. Because this was the year in which Mr. Broadbent: *Declared that he would abstain from a no-confidence vote so that a Tory MP would not have to drag himself to Ottawa following bladder-cancer surgery. *Declined to take credit for the gesture, suggesting that it was his party's decision rather than his own. *Focused his energies on the cause of electoral reform. *Quit his seat to care for his ailing wife, Lucille. Farewell, Honest Ed, the best prime minister Canada never had. In an era of contemptuous, mean-spirited public discourse, Mr. Broadbent is an oxymoron -- a decent Canadian politician. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.2005.1231.wxcover1231/BNStory/Front [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on January 2, 2006]

Note: http://www.theglobeandm...