Jan. 31, 2004

By Kevin Little

Joey Smallwood got so fed up with John Crosbie crossing the floor in the Newfoundland legislature that he eventually had his seat nailed to the floor. I am sure many in the political world of Nova Scotia felt the same way about me. I have belonged to the New Democratic Party, even served twice on riding executives. I once even thought about running for the leadership. I was a young Liberal, once served as Vice-President of the party, and later ran as a candidate in the 2000 federal election. In 1999 I was courted by John Hamm and the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia. I considered it only because Hamm was a moderate and a red tory, but I opted not to. Full disclosure, I have never voted PC.

Does all of the above make me an opportunist? Let's look at the context. While living in Cape Breton, at the height of the Liberal Party's grip on power, I left the Liberals to join the NDP. In my riding then, Cape Breton West, the NDP had lost its deposit in every election for years. The sitting MLA left the seat to run for mayor and I chose to go after the NDP nomination. Opportunistic? Hmmm. I left the Liberals then, publicly, because they had promised never to allow state-sponsored gambling. But in government they did exactly the opposite.

This was and is my problem with the Liberal Party. I like its openness, its balance of fiscal conservatism and social altruism.

While in the NDP I found principle and conviction I also found a mindless reactionary impulse that left me cold. Time after time at party meetings with senior members of the party I found true believers who would not tolerate any discussion of fiscal restraint. Examples come to mind. At one meeting I attended I asked the party staff if the leader of the party might promise not to add to the provincial debt. I was told, in front of all those in attendance, that such talk was not NDP. That I didn't belong.

In 1995 I was the most well known New Democrat in Cape Breton West. This is a riding where the party constantly did very poorly. As a minister I was vulnerable that if I declared my candidacy and lost the nomination it would be difficult to return to the parish I served as a partisan figure. So I asked for assurances I would have the party's support. A staff person from the party asked me a series of questions about my feelings on issues. I named fiscal discipline and debt reduction as priorities, as well as dealing with poverty. I could tell I was not a favorite. So the leadership of the party asked someone else, who it turned out ran for the PC Party in the next election.

In columns in the Halifax Herald I would write critical pieces on all three political parties. Most of my work was aimed at the PC and Liberal Parties, but a few columns were also focused on the NDP. However, the only vicious responses I received to the columns were from New Democrats. If I favored some new method of welfare reform, or a balanced budget or privatizing some government services my inbox would be full. Yet I consistently was one of the only columnists in a Halifax paper (the other being Ralph Surette) that advocated for new programs that benefited people living below the poverty line. I have always believed that we need new spending initiatives on persons at risk.

When I moved to Halifax in 1995 I lived in an NDP riding. My MLA was ill and not likely to serve out her term. Here too I had a large profile within the community. But the reception I was receiving in the NDP, its reactionary approach to policy, the fact the left seemed so stuck on out-dated and static ideas, convinced me I didn't belong. Each time I would ask about running in a constituency where the NDP was weak the party made it clear that moderates like me were not welcome. Better a weak candidate with the true religion than someone with profile who challenged the party line.

The last straw was the Winnipeg convention where the leader of the party brought to a conclusion a long process where the NDP had looked seriously at New Labour's transformation in the UK. Initially Alexa was excited by this possibility but soon backed off when union leaders and orthodox party spokespersons made it clear they were opposed. At home watching Newsworld I watched speakers at the convention make clear the national party wanted no part in reform.

There is an irony here. The provinces where the NDP are strong, Manitoba and Saskatchewan (read "Minding the Public Purse") have policies that are identical to the vision I have for politics. Yet these same policies are considered too right-wing for the national NDP. I remember debating Alexa on the radio, I listed the policies of Roy Romanow's NDP government, item by item, and asked her, "which of us is closer to Roy Romanow's ideology?" I think Alexa knew the answer. Most of the MP's in Ottawa would be far too left-wing to serve in any Manitoba or Saskatchewan cabinet.

In 1999 Paul Martin declared victory in his war on the deficit. I felt guilty I had been too critical of the federal Liberals in this battle. As a left-wing Liberal I had been too knee-jerk in defending government spending, particularly as it benefited the middle-class. Other persons on the left, like Bob Rae, have also seen the light, that deficits ultimately only undermine the government's ability to use its resources to assist the poor. Tommy Douglas made famous the line that the only ones who stand to gain from deficits are bankers.

Prime Minister Chretien began to signal that he would be using some of the surplus to build social housing and help poor children. I gave the Liberals a second look. Again, remember that by 1999 the Liberal Party in Halifax was about as popular as the NDP had been in Cape Breton in 1995. Opportunism? To run against Alexa, the national leader? In fact Bernie Boudreau had looked at the Halifax riding and the polls placed the NDP up by 35 points!

So I ran as a Liberal. It wasn't always a good fit. I didn't agree with the tax cuts. I didn't agree that the government had ceased to build social housing in the 90's. I felt the government's record on child poverty was very poor. But I also believed that winning the fight on the deficit had given the government the fiscal room and resources to do some imaginative things with new programs.

I have not regretted my decision. I have seen no sign that the NDP have any ideas besides being opposed to any cuts in services. Jack Layton is a very articulate spokesperson, but it is still the same old line; more spending, no more cuts, the deficit is slain so let's not worry about that anymore.

I worry about the Martin government. I have faith that Martin wants to deal with poverty and has open mind about new programs to fight this battle. But so many MP's on the Hill are on the right. They desperately need Liberal MP's on the left, fighting to spend some of the surplus on those below the poverty line.

Perhaps Sheila Copps will join the NDP. Others may follow suit. But the Liberals are stuck with me. Too many party switches in the last ten years; from Liberal to NDP, from NDP to Liberal. It's time I stayed put and worked from within. Besides if I were to switch I think the only party that would hold any attraction for me would be the Greens. Unlike the NDP the Greens are very fiscally responsible as well as very principled on the environment. That would certainly be in character, switch parties just as the party I belong to is coming to power. Not very opportunistic to be a Green. But then again power has never been my motivation.