No independent voice

Robert suggests snarkily that Dippers join the effort to bring Elizabeth May into the leaders' debates to show just how right-wing the Greens actually are. While I agree with May's inclusion on principle, it's worth offering a counterpoint solely from the Dippers' strategic perspective: do we really want to add yet another voice which seems devoted to misleading Canadians about the NDP?

Though she said Layton understood the urgency of climate change, she condemned him for co-operating with the Tories to get the Clean Air Act into a Commons committee for consideration. The bill, widely condemned by environment groups and the Bloc Québécois and Liberals, was effectively dead before the NDP came to Harper's aid.

"The likelihood is that Mr. Layton has given Mr. Harper an early Christmas present by rescuing the Clean Air Act," she said.

Now, I presume May is paying enough attention to know how and why the Clean Air Act actually ended up in committee:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has agreed to an NDP demand to put his Clean Air Act before a Commons committee, where the opposition will try to change it radically.

NDP Leader Jack Layton made the demand during a meeting with Harper late Tuesday, saying the minority Conservative bill was "dead in the water" because the opposition parties would vote it down...

The bill will now go through the unusual step of being reviewed by an all-party committee before second reading, where it's expected to be overhauled by critics who say it doesn't do enough to slow global warming.

In other words, the NDP did nothing to "rescue" the Cons' actual plan - and the purpose and effect of the move wasn't to lend any credence to the Cons' work, as indicated by the NDP's strong responses to the initial draft. Rather, the effect was to make use of an existing statutory vehicle to enable the opposition parties to put together legislation which would actually result in sound environmental action - a move which drew the support of Environmental Defence Canada among others.

Of course, that plan hinged on the other opposition parties caring enough about the environment to seek to change the bill for the better, rather than preferring to do nothing. Unfortunately, with the Libs determined to claim nothing can get done until they take back power rather than accomplishing anything under a Con government, there may not be much chance of the hoped-for amendments happening in the near future. But surely the Libs' refusal to work toward a positive result speaks poorly of their own actions, not of the NDP's.

(It's also worth noting as an aside that if some agreement can't be reached to improve the Clean Air Act for the better, then the Cons' bill as drafted is just as thoroughly dead in the water as it was when first presented.)

Sadly, May's love-in with the Libs seems to have led her to mislead Canadians about what the NDP has done (and is doing) to improve matters on what's supposed to be her core issue. And her current parroting of Lib spin shows all too clearly that voters seeking a fresh perspective, honesty and principle from their politicians had best look elsewhere - and ensures that even if the Greens are given a spot in any debate, it all too likely won't result in any new voice being added.