On accomplices

Having apparently recognized a serious weakness in their party's position, some prominent Lib bloggers are trying to pretend that their party's vote in favour of the Cons' budget doesn't make them complicit in Deficit Jim's attack on pay equity. But there are a couple of serious problems with that position.

First, as I've pointed out, the Libs justified their plan to vote down last fall's fiscal update based on exactly the same type of intent-based language. And indeed they're still saying publicly that the Cons' plans should be considered an attack on pay equity:

Ruby Dhalla, the MP for Brampton-Springdale, said, “The Conservative government refuses to end its attack on pay equity and the women of Canada continue to suffer as they make 70 cents for every dollar made by their male counterparts.”

From that starting point, here's the case against the Libs in a simple logical sequence:

The budget includes an attack on pay equity.
The Liberals have supported the budget.
Therefore, the Liberals have supported an attack on pay equity.

Of course, the Libs can try to make the case that the attack on pay equity is justified in the context of other economic issues - which appears to be what Dhalla for one is attempting to do. But that's an entirely different issue from whether or not they've actually supported the attack.

But what about the argument that passing the budget is merely symbolic, such that the Libs can oppose any substantive alterations pay equity in the form of legislation?

That might be well and good in theory. Except that the budget itself will be the subject of implementing legislation which the Libs don't seem to have any intention of opposing after approving the budget in principle. And the Cons haven't been shy about using those types of bills to make substantive changes - such as the immigration amendments which the Libs screamed about for months but allowed to pass last year.

So does anybody think that the Cons will hesitate to include substantive pay equity changes in their budget bill? Or that the Libs will hold up a budget implementation bill over pay equity when they've already approved the planned changes in principle?

In effect, the attempt to avoid responsibility for the Libs' giving the budget a pass on pay equity looks to be aimed at nothing but minimizing the scope of an acknowledged weakness and delaying the party's inevitable share of the blame. And that's not an outlook which either pay equity supporters or others who expect the Libs to stand up for them should find the least bit reassuring.

(Edit: fixed wording.)