On irrelevance

A day after the Bloc effectively made the issue moot, the Libs have finally declared their intention to vote against the softwood lumber sellout. Meanwhile, the same party which refused to support the industry while tariffs were being collected illegally has apparently decided that support is necessary only now that the deal looks set to go through:

LeBlanc said the Liberals will seek help for workers in the industry. He said the government should craft an aid package for industry to help it cope with the tariffs they will not get back as part of the Conservative deal.

"We believe the government should implement (a package) immediately to assist the Canadian lumber industry adjust to the fallout from this bad deal."

Needless to say, the turnaround nicely avoids the fact that earlier support would have put the industry in a strong enough position not to have had to give in to the Cons' pressure. But it's all in a day's work for a party which seems perfectly willing to stand up to Harper as long as it knows its position doesn't matter.