More War Stories To Come

By cutting back on unemployment insurance and transfers for health, welfare and post-secondary education in his 1995 budget, Martin cut the real ties that bind Canadians to each other and — not incidentally — Quebec citizens of Canada to Canada. All the flags and branded events in the world are not worth an unemployment insurance fund that was financed by Canadians and taken away from Canadians who needed it by Paul Martin. Giving the Bloc and the PQ the issue of planned cutbacks to unemployment insurance just in time to fight the 1995 referendum changed the direction of Canadian politics. Thanks to the UI cuts the Bloc has been able to enjoy continued success. Lest it be forgotten, it was the Bloc that showed how the so-called deficit was being reduced by stealing about $10 billion a year from UI premiums. There lies the real scandal. The Conservatives so want to show the public that the important public scandals are not in corporate crime but in government that they fail to note Groupaction is the corporate sector. Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe is being touted as the next leader of the PQ. Another strong showing in Quebec for the Bloc under his leadership in an election against the Liberals would make him look ready to take on the provincial Liberals. Since both the Jean Charest Liberals and the PQ were clients of Groupaction, Duceppe as the man who revealed the scandal could sensibly take his rewards — first the leadership of the PQ, then the premiership. It is hard to judge how much the electoral fortunes of the NDP have been affected by the scandal. But rather than throw mud, the party should be talking about the role the Liberals have played in cutting the ties that bind Canadians, and about how to rebuild the social infrastructure of the country starting with unemployment insurance. The bickering and controversy started by the Brault testimony (he was contradicted by the next witness) coupled with the incompetence of Mr. Justice John Gomery (he selected a partisan Conservative as his lead counsel) means there are more war stories to come, and we are unlikely to ever get a clear account of how and where money went missing. In the meantime, the debate on what it means to be a Canadian and what to expect from government needs to go ahead. So far the stage is wide open. The Conservatives do not believe in government, the Bloc does not believe in Canada, and the Liberals are divided, discredited, and will be defeated in the House when the two other parties so decide. Duncan Cameron — duncanc@rabble.ca — is associate publisher of rabble.ca. He writes from Vancouver. His column appears each Wednesday. It is reprinted on Vive with permission. http://www.rabble.ca/news_full_story.shtml?sh_itm=5cc5c0be1505223db545b598e3ea7d8d&r=1